Best Laptop for Recording – The choice is up to you, but hopefully this list of good laptops for making music has provided you with a solid amount of options of laptops (some more expensive and others being more budget friendly) for what you’ll need in order to make the right purchase based on the best laptops for music production in 2021.
Remember that there’s no right or wrong answer and that whatever you end up choosing will be based on what is best for you and your needs.
OVERVIEW
Let’s first keep in mind our budget. When it comes to music production computers in general, whether you’re in need of a desktop computer or laptop, it’s going to cost you some money. With the specifications needed nowadays to run music software, we’ll be honest — prices tend to run near the thousand dollar mark, especially if you aren’t building a music computer from scratch and instead buying pre-built rigs (laptops are definitely harder to build, too). We’ve definitely seen some budget-friendly laptops that just make the cut, but they do give us the minimum “specs” without much leeway. It’ll be up to you if that’s OK to know when you’re buying the investment.
ROUND UP
As with any music recording gear, we always recommend saving up some more money and being patient if you’re able — this is a long-term buy (especially in our case today with laptops — it’s going to be the center piece of your studio. If you’re just starting out, we recommend mixing value with power. You can read our beginners music production laptops for a better list in that regard if so).
back to menu ↑1.OEM Lenovo
Features
- Processor: Intel Quad Core i7-10510U (1.8GHz - 4.9GHz, 8MB Cache)
- Features: 24GB RAM, 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, Fingerprint Reader, Backlit Keyboard
- Display: 15.6" FHD (1920x1080); OS: Windows 10 Pro; Graphics: NVIDIA Quadro P520
- Warranty: 3 Year Lenovo Warranty / 3 Year Oemgenuine Limited Warranty
- Memory Upgrade | * - View Product Description for complete details and notes
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2.Apple MacBook
Features
- Apple-designed M1 chip for a giant leap in CPU, GPU, and machine learning performance
- Get more done with up to 20 hours of battery life, the longest ever in a Mac
- 8-core CPU delivers up to 2.8x faster performance to fly through workflows quicker than ever
- 8-core GPU with up to 5x faster graphics for graphics-intensive apps and games
- 16-core Neural Engine for advanced machine learning
- 8GB of unified memory so everything you do is fast and fluid
- Superfast SSD storage launches apps and opens files in an instant
- Active cooling system sustains incredible performance
- 13.3-inch Retina display with 500 nits of brightness for vibrant colors and incredible image detail
- FaceTime HD camera with advanced image signal processor for clearer, sharper video calls
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3.ROG Zephyrus
Features
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Max-Q 6GB GDDR6 with ROG Boost (Base: 982MHz, Boost: 1198MHz, TDP: 60W)
- AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS processor (8M Cache, up to 4.3GHz)
- 15.6” 240Hz 3ms PANTONE Validated IPS-Type Full HD (1920x1080) display
- 16GB DDR4 3200MHz RAM | 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD | Backlit Precision Gaming Keyboard | Windows 10 Home
- 0.8” thin, 4.63 lbs ultraportable form-factor
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4.Razer Blade
Features
- Blaze Through Games and Content Creation: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Max-Q 4GB VRAM graphics, Quad-Core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7 Processor, and 16GB dual-channel memory.
- Designed for Mobility: Ultra-thin, light and incredibly durable with a CNC unibody aluminum frame and long battery life.
- Full HD Thin Bezel Display — Visually stunning matte Full HD screen with 100% sRGB color saturation for gaming and entertainment.
- Razer Chroma Keyboard and Precision Touchpad: Keyboard featuring single-zone RGB lighting with 16.8 million color options, and a precision glass touchpad.
- Complete Connectivity: Includes Thunderbolt 3, USB-C, USB-A, Wireless AX, Windows Hello infrared camera, and dual-array mics.
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5.CUK GF65
Features
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H Six Core Processor (12MB Cache, 2.6GHz-4.5GHz) 45W
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz | Hard Drive: 1TB NVMe Solid State Drive
- Keyboard: Single Backlight with Anti-Ghost Key+ Silver Lining | Operating System: Windows 10 Home x64
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 | Display: 15.6" Full HD IPS-Level 144Hz 45%NTSC Thin Bezel Display (1920 x 1080)
- 32GB RAM / 1TB NVMe SSD Upgrades | 3-Year CUK Limited Warranty (View warranty section below for more details.)
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6.MSI GE75
Features
- 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H Processor, Windows 10 Home (64-bit) Operating System
- 17.3" FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz 3ms 100% RGB Display, 8GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Graphics
- 32GB DDR4 RAM Memory, 1024GB NVMe Solid State Drive
- Intel Wi-Fi 6 201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.1, 720P HD Webcam, Killer Gaming Network E3100 (10/100/1000 mbps) Ethernet LAN, Steel Series RGB Backlight Keyboard with Anti-Ghost Key + Silver Lining, 6-Cell 51Wh Li-ion Battery
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI-Out, 1x Media Card Reader, 1x Mic-In/Headphone-Out
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7.Dell Inspiron
Features
- 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8550U Quad-Core 1.80 GHz Processor (Turbo 4.0 GHz, 4 Cores 8 Threads, 8 MB SmartCache)
- 13.3 in Full HD IPS TrueLife LED-backlit touchscreen (1920 x 1080), 10-finger multi-touch support
- 256GB SSD | 8GB DDR4 2400 MHz | Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Windows 10 Home | Backlit Keyboard | Gray
- Dell Factory Refurbished | One Year Dell Warranty
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8.HP Laptop
Features
- 15.6-inch HD touchscreen
- Intel Core i5-7200U
- 8GB memory/2TB HDD
- Up to 8 hours battery life
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9.Dell XPS
Features
- 13.3" FHD (1920 x 1080) Infinityedge Touch Display
- Intel 7th Gen Kaby Lake i5 7200U Dual-Core;
- 8GB of 2133 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM, 128 GB M.2 SATA SSD;
- Built-in Webcam,USB 3.0, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 via USB Type_C, Card Reader: SD family, Network: None, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1;
- Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
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10.Lenovo Yoga
Features
- 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad-Core Processor 2.8 GHz (max boost speed up to 3.8GHz) 6MB Cache, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics 2GB Dedicated Video memorry
- 15.6-inch 4K IPS 10-point multitouch screen, Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 resolution Widescreen LED, Convertible 360° flip-and-fold design, Stylus Capable Screen, Windows Ink Capable, Stylus not included
- 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133 MHz, 512GB Solid State Drive, Backlit keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, Thunderbolt port for connecting advanced monitors and external drives, NO Optical Drive
- Ultra-fast 802.11 A/C WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, 1USB Type-C port, 1 SuperSpeed 10Gbs USB 3.1 port, 2X high speed USB 3.0, 1x Combo audio jack, JBL Stereo Speakers with Dolby Audio, HD webcam with two microphones
- Windows 10 home 64 bit, Weighs4.41lbs, measures 0.8" thin, Battery life up to 8 hours, Color: Silver
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Best Laptop for Recording – BUYER’S GUIDE
When looking for a laptop for music production, there are several things you must take into consideration:
- Operating system: Do you want a Mac? A Windows computer? Or do you want something with a different operating system, like Ubuntu, for example? This all comes down to personal preference but it also has to do with the DAW you’ll be using. Some DAWs only work with Mac, some only work with Windows.
- Your DAW: What’s your DAW of choice? Is it compatible with Mac or Windows or both? Is it hard to navigate through on a smaller screen? Does it require a computer with a lot of memory or CPU when using plugins?
- Your plugins: You may already have experience working with different audio plugins in your DAW. You may already have a suite of plugins in mind that you’d like to use. Think about them. Are they graphics-heavy? Do they require a lot of computer power?
- How you mix: Are you the type of person who likes to use only a few plugins, or do you come up with elaborate signal chains? Do you typically make songs that have many audio tracks, or just a few?
- Preparedness for future projects: Who do you anticipate working with? Will they want or need a lot of plugins? Will they likely have a lot of audio tracks?
- Studio size: How big is your studio? Are you a bedroom producer, or do you have a professional-grade studio to work in?
- Portability: Do you plan on taking your computer with you to work on projects at other studios or while you’re on the go, or will it stay in one location?
Once you’ve considered these factors, you can now make a decision based on what your answers are to the questions above. You’ll need to focus on the following:
- CPU.
- RAM.
- Storage drives.
- Graphics cards.
CPU
CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. The CPU is the main component of a computer that processes instructions. It is made up of many circuits and a chip that performs calculations to execute every task you do on your computer. CPU affects the speed of your computer and how much work it can take on.
back to menu ↑RAM
RAM stands for Random Access Memory. As its name suggests, RAM is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly. RAM chips only remember information when a computer is powered on, so it’s used for storing information that a computer is working on only in the very short term.
back to menu ↑Storage drives
There are two types of storage drives: hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD). Both are for long term file storage.
- A hard disk drive is a storage drive that has spinning, moving parts and uses that to access the information. There are hard drives with different rotation speeds. Depending on the speed, it will either be quite fast, or it could be slow. Hard drives slow down as you put more and more files on them.
- A solid state drive is a storage drive that has no moving parts, just like a thumb drive. This means it’s extremely fast and efficient at locating and storing files. Solid state drives don’t slow down like hard drives do.
Graphics cards
A graphics card outputs graphic information to your computer screen. All computers have something called integrated graphics, which uses the CPU to output graphics to your screen, but that slows down your computer a lot and usually integrated graphics don’t have enough power to do much more than load images while browsing the web. A graphics card can do much more, like loading videos and games.
back to menu ↑Frequently Asked Questions
back to menu ↑Is Mac better than Windows or vice versa?
This is more of a personal preference thing. Some people like Apple computers better and others like Windows. Both Mac and Windows laptops have their own specifications, and that means that some Windows models will have better specifications than some Mac models and vice versa. Windows laptops for music production are just as good as Mac laptops as long as you do your research on the technical specifications.
back to menu ↑Are gaming laptops a viable option for music production?
Absolutely. If anything, gaming laptops are more than capable of running DAWs, plugins, and storing project files.
back to menu ↑WRAP UP
For any DJs or traveling musicians reading this, weight – and portability – is likely to be another major factor. After all, some of the highest spec, beefiest laptops in the world also weigh a fair amount, and your shoulders will quickly tire of lugging those behemoths around.
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