Best Laptop for Graphic Design 2022 – Review & Buying Guide

Graphic designing is one of the more rewarding professions in the digital domain. The main concept involves drawing, designing, modeling, creating, and combining ideas for visually depicting concepts and messages.

If you’re an aspiring graphic designer who wants to make it big, most importantly you should have a good understanding of Adobe CC suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Sketch).

Best Laptop for Graphic Design 2022

When it comes to graphic design software, each one brings its own benefits and areas of specialization.

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Although they’re all great tools and capable of handling whatever type of art you throw at them, many of the most popular contenders require some serious processing power to operate smoothly.

You also want one that’s portable so that if you find yourself needing to take your workspace on the go, you can do so with ease. Make sure it has a screen that’s large enough too because working for hours on a smartphone just isn’t as fun as it used to be.

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

Acer-Aspire-5

Ready to take on all your computing needs, the Acer Aspire 5 is a great value laptop that combines performance and durability with a slim and stylish design.

The Acer Aspire 5 A515-51G-51SK laptop is powered by a AMD Ryzen 3 3200U Processor and 4GB of DDR4 Memory and features a 15.6-inch display, and 128GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage.

The slim design of the Aspire 5 makes it a great device for on-the-go, and the durable construction keeps it protected from the bumps, dings, and scratches of day-to-day use. The 15.6-inch FHD display provides bright, crisp visuals for immersive viewing.

Built on the AMD Ryzen 3 3200U mobile processor, the Acer Aspire 5 can easily handle the most demanding tasks. Whether you need to work, play, or stream video, the Aspire 5 maintains a smooth performance throughout.

Connect to the internet using 802.11ac Wi-Fi, or keep things moving using the built-in Gigabit Ethernet port. The HDMI port allows you to connect the Acer Aspire 5 to an external display, while the USB 3.1 Gen 1 port can be used with a wide range of peripherals.

Pros
  • Portable
  • Perfect in Looks
  • The mic is high quality
  • Color & Brightness
  • Wide Selection of ports
Cons
  • No Backlit keyboard
  • Slow with internet
  • Defective hardware issues

Powered by Windows 10 in S mode, you can enjoy the benefits of Microsoft Office and Cortana without the bloatware of Windows installed. With the emphasis on security, you can enjoy peace of mind knowing that your data is protected.

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Acer Aspire 5 A515-44-R41B

Acer-Aspire-5-A515-44-R41B

The Aspire 5 (A515-44-R41B) is one of the most affordable notebooks built for entertainment on the go.

This slim, lightweight 15.6″ Acer notebook features a AMD Ryzen 5 quad-core processor with Radeon graphics, making it the perfect balance of speed and power for web surfing, multimedia entertainment, and gaming.

 The Aspire 5 is designed for easy and comfortable daily computing, featuring a full-size keyboard with numeric keypad, a wide touchpad with clickable buttons, and a vivid FHD display.

The dual fans and Acer DustDefender help to keep the system cool even during heavy use.  The Acer Aspire 5 (A515-44-R41B) is engineered to keep up with you and your world, keeping you connected with the latest technology and all your entertainment and information, on the go.

Acer Aspire 5 A515-44-R41B is a powerful notebook that can be used for a variety of applications. This notebook’s AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Hexa-Core Mobile Processor operates at a frequency of 2.3GHz and has a boost frequency of up to 4.0GHz.

This powerful processor comes with an AMD Radeon R7 Graphics card which helps with the speed of the processor and delivers impressive graphics.

The processor is further complemented by 8GB DDR4 Memory that helps to run multiple applications at the same time without any hassle.

With 256GB NVMe Solid State Drive, the system provides fast booting and loading of applications. It boots up in seconds and requires lesser time for application installation.

Pros
  • Bargain price tag
  • Solid productivity performance
  • Slim and relatively light design
Cons
  • Not-so-accurate touchpad
  • Cramped solid-state drive

superior performance and greater energy efficiency you expect from Apple. The next generation of MacBook Air also runs macOS Mojave. With a new Dark Mode, Stacks, and a redesigned Mac App Store, macOS Mojave helps you get even more out of every click.

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Lenovo Ideapad L340

Lenovo-IdeaPad-L340

Our L340 Gaming laptop is powered by a 9th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and features a fully loaded NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card with a boost clock speed of up to 1371 MHz.

The Ideapad L340 Gaming laptop comes equipped with an 8GB DDR4 RAM and a 512GB NVMe SSD. With a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 Full-HD resolution, you can enjoy favorite media on your screen with crystal clear clarity.

With Dolby Audio Premium and Harman speakers, you can expect to hear every detail loud and clear, with a 360° sound.

Experience a new dimension of sound with Dolby Advanced Audio by Lenovo. An immersive sound solution that includes a range of technologies that are designed to deliver an optimal listening experience.

Pros
  • Matte IPS panel, decent gaming performance, bright display with good contrast, good keyboard, good battery life
  • Sleek design for a gaming laptop, Sufficient cooling, Backlit keyboard with large keycaps, Adequate price
  • Stylish design, Great cooling capacity, Energy efficient, DVD-RW drive on board
Cons
  • Budget build quality, TN panel should be avoided, Overshadowed by its competitors
  • Uncomfortable keyboard, All-plastic build, Conservative approach towards performance, No IPS panel options 

The laptop features Dolby Audio Premium technology with a high-quality audio output and support for Dolby Audio encoding, decoding, and Dolby Atmos surround sound playback.

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Razer Blade 15

Razer-Blade-15-Base-Gaming

The Razer Blade 15 Base is the ultimate gaming laptop to play AAA titles with its 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q graphics.

The Turing GPU architecture gives you up to 5.0 GHz max turbo and 6 cores, delivering the ultimate in next-generation gaming performance. The 15.6″ Full HD display is thin bezel and gives you cinematic-quality visuals.

It comes with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 3ms response time so you can see every detail. The laptop is ultra-portable at 4.3 lbs and has a full-size keyboard with n-key rollover so you can perform at your peak.

The 16GB of RAM and the 512GB of SSD storage allow you to store your favorite games and media.

The laptop also has a built-in webcam and microphone so you can video chat or broadcast online. If you want to connect to your other devices, you can use the Bluetooth 5.0, 2 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2, and Intel Wireless-AC 9560 for connectivity.

The Razer Blade 15 is a full-fledged PC power-house in a slim, slick form factor. The next generation mobile processor and graphics card, combined with a slim thermal design, make the Razer Blade 15 a truly portable powerhouse.

Pros
  • Beautifully minimalist
  • 300Hz refresh rate
  • 2933MHz memory better than contemporaries
  • Well-calibrated DCI-P3 4K OLED display
  • Better extended warranty options
  • Very powerful
Cons
  • 16GB memory / 1TB storage is a little light
  • Very warm palm rests and keyboard when gaming
  • Very expensive

The CNC aluminum unibody frame houses incredible performance in the most compact footprint possible, while remaining remarkably durable and just 0.78″ thin.

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ASUS TUF Dash 15

ASUS TUF Dash 15

The ASUS TUF Gaming Laptop brings together powerful components and gaming-centric features to deliver a high-performance mobile machine with a design that is both durable and stylish.

The TUF Gaming laptop includes a 6-core Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and a 15.6” Full HD IPS-Type display.

It also has the gaming-centric features that gamers demand including a durable thermal cooling system and an RGB-backlit keyboard.

ASUS TUF Gaming Laptops are specially designed and tested for military-grade durability, so you can play your best game, wherever you go.

Rigorously tested for reliability and durability, the TUF Gaming FX505 and FX705 laptops feature the latest 11th Generation Intel Core processors, the Intel TUF Gaming WCU graphics amplifier, and a 15″ wide-view display with a 1920×1080 resolution and an optional 120Hz refresh rate.

Along with the short-stroke system, this laptop provides the best response and touch feedback for a smooth and seamless experience while playing games.

Pros
  • Relatively good battery life
  • Quiet cooling fans
  • Smooth 240Hz screen
  • Good thermal management
  • Battery life lasts beyond a workday
  • Optional USB-C charging
  • Plenty of ports
Cons
  • No webcam or biometric features
  • McAfee antivirus bloatware comes preinstalled
  • Low-powered Nvidia RTX 3070

Its durability is further ensured by the generous use of the latest hard-wearing materials and an all-metal, MIL-STD-810G certified chassis.

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Dell XPS 15

Dell-XPS-15

The XPS 15 is the smallest and thinnest 15″ laptop on the planet. Don’t let that fool you though; with the latest 10th Gen Intel® processors, the XPS 15 has the power to keep up with your business.

A large and beautiful InfinityEdge display puts the XPS 15 in a class of its own. The quad-speaker system is the most powerful in a laptop, and the best sounding XPS ever.

Other high-end features include an eye-safe display for the most comfortable viewing experience possible, two Thunderbolt™ 3 ports for data transfer and display output, and a 4K Ultra HD webcam that works with Windows Hello.

The XPS 15 is a laptop with an award-winning design, and it has the technology to match.

The Dell XPS 15 is ideal for customers who want a stylish, high performance laptop with the latest technology, but don’t want to spend a small fortune.

With an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 15.6″ display, the XPS 15 offers a mobile workstation-esque experience, with the power to edit full HD videos or handle virtual reality content.

Pros
  • Great sound quality
  • Bright, vivid, 16:10 display
  • Comfortable keyboard
  • Attractive premium chassis
  • SD card reader still included
Cons
  • Only three USB-C connections
  • Expensive
  • Runs a bit hot

It also comes with a 360 degree convertible form factor, so it can be used as a tablet if desired. It’s no wonder why this laptop has a 4.6 star rating on Amazon.

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MSI GF63

MSI-GF63-THIN-9SCX-005

The MSI GF63 is a slim, lightweight, and portable gaming laptop with 15.6-inch FHD display and Max-Q technology for desktop-class graphics performance.

It features an Intel Core i7-9750h 2.6 – 4.5GHz processor, up to 16GB DDR4 2666MHz memory, and 512GB NVMe SSD.

It also has a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4G graphics card with Max-Q Design technology for desktop level gaming graphics performance and a single-fan cooling system. Amazon Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-066 is a high gaming laptop that combines the latest technology and high quality for users to enjoy the ultimate gaming and multimedia experience.

Fully equipped with a 15.6 inch display with Acer ComfyView technology and HD resolution of 1920 x 1080, supporting NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 graphics card.

Pros
  • Sleek design for a gaming device, IPS panel with high contrast ratio (Innolux N156HCA-EAB), Lightweight (1.86kg), Lack of aggressive PWM (Innolux N156HCA-EAB)
Cons
  • Upgrading voids the warranty, The screen is super dim (Innolux N156HCA-EAB), Terrible charging plug placement

Armed with the latest Intel Core i7-9750h processor and a high-performance solid-state drive, the MSI GF63 Thin 9SC-066 can meet all your needs in both gaming and multimedia.

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2021 Apple MacBook Pro

2021-Apple-MacBook-Pro

The MacBook Pro gets a massive leap forward with the Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chip that delivers up to 3.7x faster performance to fly through pro workflows quicker than ever. Up to 32-core graphics with up to 13x faster performance for graphics-intensive apps and games.

With 8th-generation Intel Core processors, MacBook Pro achieves up to 17 hours of battery life so you can get more done during a single charge.

And with next-generation professional-grade AMD Radeon Pro graphics, MacBook Pro delivers up to 4x faster performance for pro apps like Final Cut Pro and up to 11x faster performance for pro apps like DaVinci Resolve.

That’s why MacBook Pro is built to take advantage of the new Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chip to process graphics and machine learning faster than ever.​

Touch ID with Apple Pay, True Tone display, and a new Barometric Tilt Sensor, the new MacBook Pro is the most powerful and versatile notebook you can buy.

The new MacBook Pro includes up to 64GB of unified RAM and up to 8TB of PCIe-based SSD storage, so you’ll experience superfast performance, even when working with large files and complex games.

The brilliant Retina display features a high contrast ratio for deep blacks and bright whites, and a wide color gamut for a vibrant and vivid viewing experience.

A new thermal architecture enables the fastest SSD storage in a notebook, so you’ll start up, launch apps, and load files more quickly, as well as experience longer battery life and cooler system operation.

Pros
  • Incredible performance
  • HDMI output and SD card reader
  • Huge leap in graphics performance over earlier M1 systems
  • Function keys replace the Touch Bar
Cons
  • Configuration upticks are expensive
  • Obtrusive camera notch

The Touch Bar gives you a new dynamic way to use your Mac, and new Touch ID technology allows you to unlock your Mac quickly and easily, and even make secure Apple Pay purchases within apps.

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The Frequently Asked Questions

Why additional cores wouldn’t guarantee exceptional graphic designing performances?

Graphic designing is a single-core process and therefore best initiated by CPUs that offer higher clock speeds for the single core as well as support for overclocking.

The more cores a CPU has, the better it is at multitasking – and frequently graphic designers take on multiple projects at once so an 8-core processor might not necessarily be cost-effective, nor would an 8-core processor offer any additional benefit over somebody with a 6 or 4 core i7 chip.

Do you need high RAM for graphic designing?

When it comes to graphic design a computer’s CPU does most of the heavy lifting. Memory is used by programs like Photoshop and Illustrator for any time-intensive work.

You’ll likely experience fewer lags or freeze-ups when you have enough memory, so additional memory is always advisable for a more professional setup.

It’s sometimes challenging to know how much you actually need as it can get expensive, but as a designer you don’t want to skimp on hardware – after all, your output depends largely on your equipment.

Why should you invest in a good display?

A Color calibration tool shows you how colors will appear on your monitor, so a display that covers at least 72 percent NTSC is necessary to check the brightness of your vector and raster designs.

If you’re creating images for online viewing or print, consider a monitor that supports at least 100 percent sRGB color gamut.

Is an SSD a must for graphic design?

A good laptop for graphic design must have a fast solid-state drive because these drives load data and files more quickly than your conventional hard disk drives.

Solid state drives featuring the NVMe technology come with read and write speeds that are well above the standard SSD connection speeds.

These kinds of SSDs are thinner than some of their predecessors, allowing them to fit into more compact laptops that can be easily carried around if you’re looking to travel often.

Verdict

Graphic designing can be an enjoyable and highly profitable career as long as you have a powerful computer. However, if you don’t enjoy graphic design and would prefer to pursue a different field, then you should probably look for another way of going about your business.

Depending on the kind of computer or laptop you want to buy and the type of graphic design that you do, it might be helpful to research other pre-made computers so that you find one that has what you need at a price that is both affordable and within your budget.

  • If you are looking for a notebook that can double as your laptop and gaming console, one of the best options out there is the Razer Blade 15.
  • If you feel that 16GB RAM might not be enough for your multitasking needs, then the Legion Y540 from Lenovo is a better choice for you.
  • If you’re looking for decent gaming performances without going overboard in the GPU department, MSI’s GF63 can get you to where you need to be.
  • If the screen size isn’t the primary concern, the Surface Book 3 from Microsoft is arguably one of the better-looking laptops for professional graphic designers.

The team at Applique Design Labs wants to make sure that you get the best possible graphic design experience. Maybe you can leave a comment on which device you’re getting?

If there’s another device that should be added to our guide, our team regularly moderates and updates it.

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