i am looking to buy a new laptop for graphic design. i’ve never had a laptop before, but i know i want a windows laptop, as i’ve only used windows desktop computers for the last 28+ years and am too old to change now.
what are specs should i be looking for (please provide detail)? (or if you know of a really good one on amazon, you could post a link.)
i don’t know about the insides of a computer, but i know i want everything to be fast, fast, fast!! with lots of storage…lol! i’ll be using indesign, illustrator, and photoshop, along with windows programs.
If you want a laptop for a graphic design only, I would suggest you a Mac, not a windows laptop and right now Windows 11 is a mess. Mac are expensive, but they are rock solid. Adobe tools are fantastic, and you can get also Affinity Designer (almost free). Mac are faster because their processor and about memory between 16 gigs of ram or 24 gigs of ram. About the harddisk between 2 or 4 gigs.
I forgot to say another thing, about Windows and Mac then Mac (Apple) interface is more intuitive and friendly than Windows 11. Usually people who began to use a Mac love the interface and how friendly is the OS while Windows at the moment is a complete mess and included their AI tool.
@mluxgd I am a long time Mac user, however, @Ms.O specifically mentioned a Windows desktop, which is what she prefers. Design can be done on Mac or Windows.
As a Mac user, I can’t offer any specific brands, links or specs. But as always, ensure you focus on getting as much ram as you can. And I will let our Windows users weigh in on the rest.
What I want is to show a system that works better than Windows and something that will not give her headaches, did you know the latest issues of Windows 11? just go to the web and read the latest news of MS and Windows 11 and how many people are disappointed at MS ? I have never read any Mac user just complaining about Mac OSX while Windows 11 is another history.
i appreciate your concern. some of the laptops i’m looking at offer windows 10 as well.
i know macs are more “intuitive” but in helping my brother, who has a mac, i’ve found them very confusing…they are almost too helpful/intuitive. i like knowing that path to my files, being able to look behind the screen, so to speak, if needed (just not to far behind the screen!).
and i’m not sure i have the energy to learn a new OS.
I’m a Mac user too, but the specs don’t differ much between the two.
Here are the basics:
32 GB of memory (16 in a pinch, with 64 being more future-proof)
The largest amount of storage you can afford (at least 1 TB)
Intel Core 7 processor (CPU) or an equivalent; I’d lean toward Intel (Macintoshes use M series processors)
A dedicated graphics card (GPU) is great for high-res video and 3D work, but it might push your budget over $2,000. It’s not essential for graphic design, but nice to have when needed.
4K display
Figuring out what you really need depends on how you’ll use the laptop. I remember your illustrations, which, if I remember correctly, were created in Illustrator. Did you use a tablet when drawing them? If not, does a Microsoft Surface laptop with a pen interest you? Do you already have a large external monitor? Graphic design on a small laptop display can be tough, so connecting to a larger 4K desktop display really helps. Do you have an external drive for storage? I save all my finished work on inexpensive external drives, which reduces my need for a large internal drive. External drives are also great for automatic backups.
There are people here who keep up with the specs better than I do, so I’m eager to hear their thoughts. @Smurf2 uses Windows (and Macs), so he’s well-positioned to provide reliable information.
For laptop get as much ram as you can. 64gb based on what’s been said. Gpu won’t come into it much unless you have a hidip monitor. And defintely a decent processor.
The pc is full of choice and can be confusing. But if you look up notebook check laptop they rank the processors, generally higher up the better.
Not saying you have to go with these just the specs work
I realise none of them have 64gb RAM - they are 32gb but it should be enough. And adding RAM to laptops is sometimes easy, at least it might be possible. You’d need to check that out before buying, if you wanted to pull the trigger on one of the below then I can check it out further, see what’s upgradable, the RAM is usually upgradable in a PC Laptop. So it could be an upgrade later on if you are running into performance issues.
I know one of them is a gaming laptop - here’s how the processors rank.
Hope it gives you some direction - pop back with any you find that you think you’d like to go with and we’d be happy to look some more into your choices.
i’ll be using indesign, illustrator, and photoshop, along with windows programs.
i’ve been using a desktop pc, but want to transition to a laptop.