Hey _____,
I would have included your name, but I simply can't guess (fill in the dash for me ;) ), even if I don't know your name, I am very sure you've been procrastinating, and contemplating on the best budget-friendly Laptop to buy for music production and recording.
If you are on this page for a high-end laptop, I cover your part as well, and before you spend unnecessary cash on a high-end laptop, let me guide you through the needful and understanding of what you need to know before selecting the best music production system that suits you.
Don't buy any music production laptop without Reading the "Things To Consider Before Buying a Music Production Laptop" section (Use The Table of Content).
Let's go over the top ten best music-making laptops on the market...
Note: The list is divided into two sections, the first top-five laptops on the list are costlier than the following five.
First on the list is...
1. Dell Xps 15
Dell Xps comes in various sizes, I recommend going for 15 models (when you see 13, 15, 17 next to the laptop name, it means the screen size) because they are much stronger, with 10th Gen Intel Core i7 running at a whopping 5GHz (plus 6 cores), it means you can run intensive tasks at a much faster rate.
Xps 15 is solidly built with 16GB of memory, which means you have more memory storage and get the content you need quickly when producing music or when tracking multiple recordings in your home studio.
Also, if you feel you need more Ram storage, it's extensible, you are also given up to 512GB SSD space for storage and high-performance responsiveness to access and run your music production software quickly and efficiently.
The battery life on this laptop is great to provide you with long production if you aren't near outlets, and or want to produce without charging.
Kindly double-check your Daw O.S requirement before purchasing this, as I said, the majority are cross-platform (compatible on PC and Mac), but some aren't.
You might be wondering why PCs are on the top list of the best music production laptop on this page, and that is because they are currently the best in terms of music production, they are easily extensible, have better support, and are cost-effective.
►Dell Xps 15 Specifications:
- CPU: Intel Core i7 10th Gen
- CPU Speed: 5 GHz
- RAM Size: 16 GB
- Disk Size: 1 TB
- Graphics Description: Dedicated
- Style: 15.6" Standard
- Graphics Card Ram Size: 4 GB
- Max Screen Resolution: 3840x2400 Pixels
- Enjoy a 16:10 display that features a stunning edge-to-edge view, now with 922k more pixels on 4K Ultra HD-plus.
- Equipped with 100% Adobe RGB, 94% DCI-P3 color gamut, VESA certified DisplayHDR 400, and Dolby Vision, this display delivers more than 16 million ultra-vivid colors that are 40 times brighter than ever before
- With a 62% larger touchpad, 5% larger screen, and 5.6% smaller footprint, every element is carefully considered—from its inlayed stainless logos to its high-polished diamond-cut sidewalls
- Integrated Eyesafe display technology helps reduce harmful blue light.
- Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is tough, damage resistant, durable, elegant and allows for no flex in its display
2. Asus ZenBook Pro 15
Asus is the best when it comes to excellent customer support (quickly resolve issues with your system), and the Zenbook Pro 15 is available with an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 (6 cores), and up to 4.5GHz, which is very powerful in handling intensive tasks when producing larger music project or working with lots of intensives music production plugins.
I'll be honest here:
I use an Asus laptop myself for production, and what I like about it is not only the rigid design but also how powerful it is in terms of battery performance, and speed.
With up to 16GB ram, you can work with tons of plugins without no hassle, it also uses a lithium-polymer battery, and is optimized to provide up to 9 hours of battery life for productive tasks. If you want to work in a faster and more efficient environment, I recommend getting a Laptop with SSD support, Asus Zenbook Pro 15 comes with 512GB SSD, meaning you have more robust storage for accessing data faster during music production.
If you would be working with tons of intensive plugins, I recommend you go for this.
It is designed for gaming, which means it is very powerful and faster in processing, and it would be a better investment in the long run for your music production needs.
►Asus ZenBook Pro 15 Specifications:
- CPU: 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510U Quad-Core Processor
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.9 GHz
- RAM Size: 16GB LPDDR3 RAM
- Disk Size: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Graphics Coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
- Style: 15.6" Standard
- Graphics Card Ram Size: 4 GB
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- Number of USB 3.0 Ports: 3
- Innovative ScreenPad: 5.65-inch interactive touchscreen trackpad that adapts to your needs for smarter control and multitasking
- App Switcher on ScreenPad: easily move docked windows between your main display and ScreenPad display
- 15.6 inch wide-view Full HD 4-way NanoEdge bezel display
- Latest 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510U Quad Core Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.9 GHz) with NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Max-Q discrete graphics
- Fast storage and memory featuring 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD and 16GB LPDDR3 RAM
Coming Up...
3. Apple MacBook Pro 16
No doubt, MacBook Pro 16 is one of the fastest and most powerful Laptops on the market, and I guess you know well about MacBook, it has a strong battery life, is much thinner and lightly designed, it also runs with a 6-Core Intel Core i7, providing an insane speedy performance.
With 16GB Ram and 512GB SSD, this will elevate your music production ability to a whole new level of performance, stability, easiness, and portability, to say the least, this is more than enough if your Daw is compatible or runs on Mac (Do your checking before buying, make sure your Daw supports Mac ).
It also comes optimized with longer battery life, meaning you have no problem if you aren't charging your system, and can work productively for hours.
Although Mac is great for music production, the drawback is that you won't be able to upgrade SSD when you feel you need more storage space like PCs, you also won't be able to upgrade your Ram, it's been soldered and cannot be renewed after purchase.
The only solution is to buy a new one with more storage space, and more Ram space, which would be very costly.
This model would hold you up for a couple of years, and serve the purpose of its function, and if you need more space right at the start, check out different storage sizes.
►Apple MacBook Pro 16 Specifications:
- CPU: 9th generation Intel Core i7
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.5 GHz
- RAM Size: 16GB RAM
- Disk Size: 512GB SSD
- Style: 16" Standard
- Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
- Ninth-generation 6-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
- Stunning 16-inch Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory
- Ultrafast SSD
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Six-speaker system with force-cancelling woofers
- Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
- Up to 11 hours of battery life
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Up next...
4. Razer Blade 15
Razer is known for manufacturing gaming hardware and is pretty new to the Laptop market, the fact they are new makes them build stronger PC's from the ground up.
There are different models of the Razer Blade, I selected the 15 models because they strike the balance of power and portability.
Razer Blade 15 is built for performance, and powered by an 8th gen Intel Core i7 (6-core processor), which is ready for the heavy task when producing music, recording, or tracking multiple things at the same time.
What I like about this model is the large storage space of 1TB HDD which also enjoys the speed of a 128GB SSD, which gives a faster and more responsive performance.
This model is good for you if you would be working with tons of intensive plugins and needs a larger storage space.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU: The new GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is up to 70% faster than RTX 2070 SUPER laptops and can deliver 100 frames per second at 1440p resolution
- 12th Gen Intel Core i7 14-Core CPU: Experience cutting-edge power with the newly released Intel Core i7-12800H processor with up to 4.8GHz of Turbo Boost for unrivalled performance to take on the most demanding gaming and creative tasks
- QHD 240Hz Display: High refresh rate meets high resolution to provide a responsive gaming experience that comes with a greater level of detail and no screen-tearing thanks to NVIDIA G-SYNC
- DDR5 4800MHz Memory: 50% faster than the previous genertion, enjoy a quicker, smoother experience when loading applications, running games, and performing other everyday PC tasks
- Next-Gen Vapor Chamber Cooling: Upgraded with more exhaust fins, quiter fans, and a larger liquid capacity, the new Blade 15 performs cooler and quieter than ever before
- Advanced Connectivity: Connect, play, and share effortlessly thanks to the built-in HDMI 2.1 port, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, and UHS-III SD card slot plus Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity
5. Alienware 17
The name sound badass right? Yh, It is! Alienware is an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 (6 Cores) and has up to 8GB Ram depending on the type you want, this machine is super slim, and features a high-end processor in high-performance gaming technology, Gaming laptops are usually stronger, and as a music producer, you should definitely branch or buy one if you are serious with music production.
I don't know if you will ever need up to this, Alienware 17 comes preloaded with 1TB HDD + 256 GB SSD for robust storage, and for accessing data faster during music production.
Alienware 17 is perfectly optimized for longer battery life during a productive task, It is a 17-inch laptop, and would capture your workflow nicely, and smoothly.
17 or 18 inches laptop aren't always portable to move around, I love sticking with 15 most of the time (or adding an external display if the need arise), but if you would like to work on a wider-screen laptop for music production, 17 inch is a perfect place to start.
The Laptop Listed above are mostly high-end music production and recording laptop and are all worth the investment, sometimes, budgets don't play their games nicely.
►Alienware 17 Specifications:
- CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H
- CPU Speed: Up to 2.5 GHz
- RAM Size: 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Disk Size: 1 TB HDD + 256 GB SSD
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1060 Graphics Card, Up to 6 GB GDDR5
- Style: 17. 3” LCD
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
So...Let's see a lesser budget-friendly laptop, and we are starting with...
6. ASUS VivoBook S Ultra Thin
Asus brands are always top-notch, I have said it before, and I will say it again, their customer support is the best, hands down! The VivoBook Ultra Thin is a sleeky-designed Laptop and has a professional look. It's a 15.6 screen laptop, and also lightweight which makes it very portable.
It also has two most important features you need for music production - 265 SSD for robust storage, and an i7 processor, for speedy performance.
What I love about this laptop is that you can open it up, swap or add memory or even extend your SSD drive when you need more storage (Important!)The downside of this laptop is that it sometimes becomes hotty when CPU usage becomes high or when working with intensive plugins, but not to the point where it becomes annoying.
ASUS VivoBook S Ultra Thin Specifications
- RAM Size: 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Disk Size: 256 GB SSD
- Style: 15
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- Powerful and efficient 8th Generation Intel Core i5-8250U Processor 1.8 GHz (Turbo up to 4.0 GHz)
- 15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) Wide View color-rich display.Wireless Data Network 802.11AC Bluetooth 4.1 Battery:3 Cells 42 Whrs Battery
- High performance 256GB SSD and 8GB DDR4 RAM
- Slim 14.2" wide, 0.7" thin; 0.3" ASUS Nano Edge bezel with 80% screen-to-body ratio
- Comprehensive connections including USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen 1), USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and HDMI; Dual band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
Upcoming...
7. HP Envy x360 15.6
Hp Envy is an affordable music production laptop that looks nice with an amazing battery life which is said to last up to 11 hours when working with lower intensive tasks.
This laptop is so portable, and you can work in various modes - from Laptop mode to Tent mode, to Tablet mode, and a stand mode, very handy if you love portable stuff, and love working anywhere as you go. With a CPU of 2.2Ghz, and 8GB DDR4 ram, you should be able to run your project with no problem, but note, it becomes laggy when running larger projects, if you are just beginning, it's a good fit for you.
►HP Envy x360 15.6 Specifications
- CPU Speed: Up to 2.5 GHz
- RAM Size: 8 GB DDR4
- Disk Size: 256 GB
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics Integrated
- Style: 15.6
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- AMD Ryzen 5 2500U: AMD Quad-Core Ryzen 5 2500U Processor, 2.0GHz Base Frequency, up to 3.60GHz, 6 MB Smartcache
- Expanded Storage: 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 SDRAM, 256GB PCle Solid State Drive, Can Exactly Reach Your Expectation
- HP Envy X360 15: 15.6" Full HD ( 1920 x 1080 ) IPS Touchscreen WLED Display, Boasts Impressive Color and Clarity, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 Graphics Integrated
- External Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone/microphone Combo Jacks, 1 x microSD Media Card Reader
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64 bit, Built-in FHD IR Webcam, 802.11ac (2x2), Bluetooth 4.2, Backlit Keyboard, Windows Ink, up to 10.5 Hours Battery Life
Up next...
8. Acer Predator Helios 300
Helios 300 is not an Ultra-thin laptop, but lighter than regular laptops with gorgeous displays. This beast is an Intel i7 8th Gen laptop with up to 16GB DDR4 ram that is more than enough for just about anything.
It's also as an accessible slot for hard-drive or SSD if you need more storage, although it comes bundled with 256 SSD storage space which can get you up and running for just about anything when producing.
Helios 300 is claimed to have 7 hours of battery life, which is a marketing claim, it actually lasts for 3 - 4 hours when working with intensive programs, if low battery life isn't a problem for you or you don't mind plugging in your system most of the time when producing, I would highly recommend this laptop.
►Acer Predator Helios 300 Specifications:
- CPU: 8th Generation Intel Core i7
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.1 GHz
- RAM Size: 16 GB DDR4
- Disk Size: 256 GB
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Overclockable Graphics with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
- Style: 15.6
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- Aspect Ratio:16:9
- Extreme Performance: Crush the competition with the impressive power and speed of the 11th Generation Intel Core i7-11800H processor, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads to divide and conquer any task or run your most intensive games
- RTX, It's On: The latest NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (6GB dedicated GDDR6 VRAM) is powered by award-winning Ampere architecture with new Ray Tracing Cores, Tensor Cores, and streaming multiprocessors supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate for the ultimate gaming performance
- Blazing-Fast Display: This 15.6" Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS LED-backlit display with 16:9 aspect ratio features an incredibly fast 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms Overdrive response time for the gamers who demand the best visual experiences
- Internal Specifications: 16GB DDR4 3200MHz memory (2 DDR4 Slots Total, Maximum 32GB); 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD (2 x PCIe M.2 Slots/1 x 2.5" Hard Drive Bay Available)
- Prioritize Your Gameplay: Intel Killer DoubleShot Pro with Ethernet E2600 and Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i lets you use Wi-Fi and Ethernet at the same time, and have total control over priority traffic to maximize speed, throughput, and control
- Cooling Perfected: Acer Helios 300 uses a 5th Generation AeroBlade Fan with 89 blades designed to increase air intake and keeps your system at a nice, cool temp. Also, allowing you to maximize your performance by reducing throttling for better sustained performance.
- With Alexa Show Mode, you can use your PC as a full-screen interactive experience that features rich visuals and lets you talk to Alexa from across the room.
- Superior Sound: DTS:X Ultra enhances your favorite games, movies, and music with high-end surround sound through the dual speakers, and an authentic audio experience when you use your favorite headphones
- Ports For All Accessories: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 and USB Charging), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Power-off Charging), HDMI 2.1 with HDCP support, Mini DisplayPort 1.4, Headphone/Speaker/Line-out Jack, Ethernet (RJ-45), DC-in for AC Adapter.The Right Fit: 14.31" W x 10.04" D x 0.90" H; 5.07 lbs; One-Year International Travelers Limited Warranty (ITW); Up to 6 hours Lithium-Ion Battery Life (Battery life was tested using video playback)
Coming up...
9. Dell Inspiron 15 7000
Inspiron 15 7000 comes with an Intel Core i7 (up to 4.5Ghz), and up to 8GB of Ram which is powerful to run large projects when producing.
You are also preloaded with a 256GB SSD storage space to store multiple things at the same time, and as usual, you can swap memory or SSD when the needs arise.
What I love about this mode is that it can hold you for as long as possible when you aren't charging (7 hours of battery even with intensive tasks).
it's not that portable and makes noise when working with CPU heating tasks, if you don't mind the portability issue, you can opt-in for this one.
►Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Specifications
- CPU: 9th Generation Intel Core i7
- CPU Speed: Up to 4.5 GHz
- RAM Size: 8 GB 2666MHz DDR4
- Disk Size: 256 GB
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with 3GB GDDR5 Graphics
- Style: 15.6
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- Powerful 7th-generation Intel Quad-Core i5-7300HQ 2. 50 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3. 50 GHz
- 8GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory, 1TB 5400 RPM hybrid hard drive with 8GB Cache
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 with 4GB GDDR5, Optical Drive not included, backlit keyboard
- 15. 6-Inch full HD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display with IPS technology, HDMI
- Windows 10 Home (64-bit), 2-in1 media card Reader and USB 3. 0, 802. 11AC Wireless LAN + Bluetooth 4. 2, Dual Band 2. 4&5 GHz
And I'll be rounding up the list with...
10. Lenovo Thinkpad 15
Lenovo ThinkPad comes in different series, I solely picked this because it's affordable, powerful, and also portable (Work with it from anywhere).
This super lighting Pc is packed with an 8th Generation Intel Core i5 (4 cores), 1.6GHz processor, and can be extended to a whopping 32GB Ram.
It also has plenty and enough space for up to 256GB SSD, and 1TB hard disk.
If you need an affordable, portable, and latest cutting-edge laptop, I'll recommend you go for this but have it in mind that it's not optimized for larger projects, it would really help you if you are just getting started.
and...
You have the toolbox right up there with you, go ahead and select the one that fits your need, if you want a high-end system for music production and recording, check out the first top 5 systems on the list, and if you want a less budget-friendly system, check out the second top 5 laptops on the list.
►Lenovo Thinkpad Specifications:
- CPU Speed: Up to 3.70 GHz
- RAM Size: 8 GB
- Disk Size: 256GB M.2 NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
- Graphics Description: Dedicated
- Style: 15.6" Standard
- Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Pixels
- 15.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS 250nits Anti-glare Non-touch, Integrated AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
- AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-Core Processor, 2.10 GHz (up to 3.70 GHz), 4MB L3 Cache
- 8GB 2400 MHz DDR4 Ram, 256GB M.2 NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
- 1 x USB Type-A (USB 2.0), 2 x USB Type-A (USB 3.1 / USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1 x USB 3.1 / USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Supports DisplayPort and Power Delivery), 1 x HDMI, 1 x microSD card slot
- Windows 10 Pro, 1 Year Warranty, Headphone & Microphone Audio Jack, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Lastly...
Things To Consider Before Buying a Music Production Laptop
First off, DAW system requirements are one of the essential parts you'll likely overlook, for example, you might be contemplating whether to choose a Mac or PC for production.
Both are very powerful, and great music has been achieved on both O.S platforms, what you are missing is if your DAW is a cross-platform application software (Compatible with both Operating Systems).
If you haven't picked your DAW of choice, check our page on choosing the best music production software that suits your needs, and make sure you double-check the specification requirements.
Make sure you are also reviewing the O.S requirements (very important), and that leads us to the reason you should know your O.S and Daw System Requirements.
Here's why:
- Not all DAWs or music production software is cross-platform (Compatible with both Operating Systems).
- Some DAWs support both PC and Mac, while some are Mac-only, and PC-only interchangeable.
To sum up, do not make the mistake of buying a laptop before researching whether your DAW of choice supports your O.S or not.
Let's move on to...
CPU Cores/Processors
CPUs are rarely discussed when it comes to newbies getting a system for music-making, most of the time, you want to get one system, and start laying down your hit tracks creatively, considering you aren't factoring in the high-end gear set-up.
Even if you don't know anything about CPU, or you don't care, you should at least know the functions or the specific requirements as this may help you in selecting the right one for your need and also increases your system performance.
The CPU is one of the most important factors when considering the selection of a laptop. It is the primary factor in your ability to run DAWs with larger projects, the more CPU cores, the better your music production software performance.
The question is, which should you choose? Go for multiple cores (the Core itself is a processor, it processes data), the more core you have, the better performance, although some factors affect CPU performance like clock speed, and temperature (nothing to worry about, already researched the best ones for you).
If you want to top your music-level gaming with high-speed performance, here's what you need...
- Multiple cores (either quad-core or more)
- 2.2Ghz (reasonably okay), 2.5Ghz (better), > 3.0Ghz ( higher performance).
Note: The speed of the processor is measured in gigahertz, the more gigahertz you have, the more speed you get.
Always be wary of how you choose, more CPU speed doesn't necessarily mean better; in fact, it can make things worse.
A 2ghz quad-core (4 cores) would be slower than a 3ghz dual cores (2 cores). Already bored you with techy stuff (Drop comments if you're confused).
Moving on to...
RAM
Processor and Ram work concurrently, Ram is just like a hard drive, but faster than a hard drive, Also, it doesn't store information for long, it stores data and then passes it to the CPU for processing.
The more Ram you have, the more information you can save, in that case, here's the amount of ram you need as a music producer...
- A minimum of 8GB Ram is probably enough for Large projects.
- 16GB is even better, if you aren't working on large projects (and I mean extensive projects), you won't likely need this.
- 32GB is way too much for most, and you are probably wasting resources, but if you are the type using lots of samplers plugins, Larger libraries, Rompler plugins, and lots of heavy intensive plugins at once, then 32GB is more than enough.
It's cool to know what you need in other to make an effective decision.
Up next is an...
Hard Drive
You remember I said Rams are like a hard drive but don't store information on a long-term basis, this is where hard drives are useful, they are used to store information on long-term bases, and you'll probably need the right amount of space to run a DAW properly.
Also, there are two types of drives. We have an HDD (hard disk drive) and SSD (solid-state drive), HDD is slower compared to an SSD, but that doesn't mean you can't use HDD, this is what I recommend...
- Minimum of 256GB HDD (Okay, if you aren't moving lots of data)
- Minimum of 500GB HDD and 256GB SSD (Better and high-speed performance).
Note: If you are using both HDD and SSD, install your DAW program on SSD as it would handle processes faster than hard-disk drives.
To conclude, you also need...
USB Port
USB is used to transfer data to, and fro from your laptop, they can also be used to power studio components, you can always use an audio interface if you are concerned about line input, e.g. connecting Multiple Instruments, Mic, e.t.c.
If you are not concerned about lots of midi components, you should be fine with your default USB ports (Most modern laptops come with 3 or more, and that's okay).
I guess you don't expect...
Screen Size
This is an added tip, from personal experience, screen size doesn't matter if you are beginning, even if you picked a smaller screen, you could always expand with an external monitor display of various sizes. Screen size indicates the size of your DAW workspace, and this is what you need...
- 13, or 15 inches are okay for a start (remember you can add an external screen if you want to track multiple things), and they are also portable.
- If you want to stick to your laptop screen, 17 or 18 is sufficient (not portable).
This brings us to the end of the things you need to know before selecting a music production and recording laptop, and now I am going to list the top ten best music-making laptops on the market. (Before you go further, ask questions using the comment box below if you find it hard to judge which to select).
Good luck with the music, and I wish you the best!