Graphic design, these days, is much easier than child’s play. With the help of a few tools and a moderate-level laptop, everyone can edit and do a bit of photo editing, even if it involves adding a filter or two to images. But if you are thinking of taking it to the professional level, then you should look for the best graphic designer laptops available in the market that fit your budget.
The choices and options for the best laptop for graphic design vary from designer to designer, but there are a few main things to focus on, including:
- disk speed
- screen resolution
- Processor speed
- Memory
1.Disc speed
The speed of the storage drive plays a crucial role in the performance of your device. High speed ensures your programs start faster and run without delay. Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid State Drives (SSDs) are the two options available to anyone looking for the best laptops for graphic design applications.
Hard drives are magnetically coated metal disks that spin at much higher speeds. In terms of shape, they resemble turntables. Solid state drives, on the other hand, have no moving parts. They are based on a wide variety of memory chips.
Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Hard drives are cheaper than SSD drives. In fact, you can get the same amount of storage as an SSD, but at less than half the price. Solid state drives are very durable and much faster than hard drives as they have no moving parts.
Therefore, if you plan to use hard drives, make sure they meet the minimum drive speed requirement of 7200 rpm. While for storage, a 1TB drive is more than enough, but 2TB wouldn’t be a bad choice either.
2. Screen resolution
As for the capabilities of your monitor, all you need to do is make sure they have a resolution of at least 1280*800 pixels. Anything lower than this is not acceptable and you will not be able to run the software of your choice.
Also, a wide range of display devices on the market are Twisted Nematic (TN) panels, as they are very cheap and consequently much more common; but the color quality they produce is not good. Therefore, your search for great graphic design laptops will only be fruitful if your device’s display is based on a VA (Vertical Alignment) panel or an IPS monitor.
If you decide to go above that, Retina displays can also be a great option. In fact, many Apple laptops come with Retina-ready displays. You can gauge the awesomeness of a retina display by the fact that a regular monitor has a standard resolution of 72 PPI (pixels per inch), but a retina display can go as high as 401 PPI.
3. Processor speed
At the moment, the software required for graphic design is very resource intensive and will require any system with more than 1 GHz of processor (or CPU) speed. Anything more than that is strongly recommended (since 1 GHz is just the minimum limit). And if you can afford it, then you’re better off looking for an even faster machine.
4. Memory
Don’t confuse it with storage memory stuff as it is something completely different. You got it! We are talking about RAM which acts as the forefront of the mind of the system. For the purpose at hand, 8 Gigabytes of RAM provides the optimal environment for most programs, but go higher if you can afford it.
RAM vs Graphic Design Laptop Processors (Which Should Go Higher?)
As we mentioned before, these values are just the minimum, but there is never any denying the fact that it can improve your system even more. Since the CPU is already in the GHz range, it is unlikely that you will notice an observable increase in computer performance by going for a higher processor. Therefore, this money can be spent in a much better way, if you opt for 16 or 32 Gigabytes of RAM.
Should you go for a MAC or Windows based laptop?
It’s a common misconception that Macs are the perfect machines for artists looking for laptops for graphic design, while Windows devices are better suited for official purposes. While it is true that Apple has been ruling the market for decades, that is why this misconception gained such popularity, but to say the same thing today would be nothing but a biased and outdated statement.
In fact, almost all graphic design software and applications work perfectly on both OS X and Windows. However, Windows devices are highly customizable and affordable. Also, it helps if your operating system is compatible with that of your customers. So the final answer depends on how you answer these questions: How much can you afford? What are you comfortable with?
Bottom line:
Keep in mind that the laptop you choose shouldn’t be “cool looking,” it should meet your needs. Once you’ve selected the best graphic design laptops, all you’ll need is education, hard work, practice, and talent.