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The laptop/pc you are using is arguably the most important piece of gear in your studio. We know that choosing the right laptop for your production needs can be a very hard and frustrating task. So, we wrote this article to make it easier for you to come to an informed decision 🙂
How to choose a music production laptop
There are 3 factors you should consider before purchasing a music production laptop. The first two are: Your DAW and your travel needs.
To determine your standing with the first two factors you should ask yourself two very important questions.
The first is what DAW are you using, and the second is are you going to be traveling with your laptop.
The DAW question will determine your laptop’s operating system. If you are working with logic you are obviously going to pick a Mac and if you are working with programs such as Ableton or fl studio you are probably going to go with a windows operated laptop.
The travel question will determine if you will choose a rather light laptop or a bulkier one which is in most cases more powerful.
A powerful laptop is also essential if you are a VST intensive producer. From our experience, the more power the better and most laptops we owned didn’t work simply because they were too weak for VST intensive production.
That’s why we believe the most important thing you should look for is a good CPU and minimum of 8GB of RAM.
We know that it might get confusing and frustrating but don’t worry this is where we come in!
We have tested dozens of laptops in our studio and we proudly present you with our top 10 list of best music production laptops in the world.
The Top 10 Best Music Production Laptops in The World 2018
| Laptop Name | CPU | RAM | GPU | Memory | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple 15″ MacBook Pro (Editor's Choice) | 2.9GHz intel core i7 | 16GB | Radeon Pro 560 | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
| MSI GS63VR | i7-7700HQ | 16GB | GTX 1060 | 256 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD | Check Price |
| ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW | i7-6700HQ | 16GB | GTX 960M | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
| Lenovo Legion Y520 | i7-7700HQ | 16GB | GTX 1050Ti | 256 GB SSD + 2 TB HDD | Check Price |
| Razer Blade (Editor's Choice) | i7-7700HQ | 16GB | GTX 1060 | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
| HP 15-ay018nr | i7-6500U | 8GB | intel HD 520 | 256 GB SSD | Check Price |
| ASUS VivoBook Pro N580VD-DB74T | i7-7700HQ | 16GB | GTX 1050 | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
| Acer Aspire E15 | i5-7200U | 8GB | Geforce 940MX | 256 GB SSD | Check Price |
| ASUS ROG G752VS-XB72K | i7-7820HK | 16GB | GTX 1070 | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
| Dell XPS 15 (Editor's Choice) | i7-7700HQ | 16GB | GTX 1050 | 512 GB SSD | Check Price |
1. Apple 15″ MacBook Pro – Best Overall
We won’t get into the Mac and pc war in this post but we can definitely tell you that when it comes to music production mac always wins.
The new MacBook Pro (see lowest price) features a 2.9GHz quad-core i7 processor with turbo boost up to 3.9GHz which is more than enough for 99% of music production tasks.
The 16 GB of 2133 MHz RAM doesn’t hurt either and from our experience, you get almost no crashes even when using a lot of VSTS and effects.
Apple products are generally overpriced and to be completely honest with you the MacBook Pro is no exception.
However, we can’t deny the fact that the MacBook is designed to perfection. Its 512 SSD allows for one of the most reliable, smoothest experiences when working in your DAW or surfing the web.
PROS:
Powerful
Almost all producers can tell you the following story which goes like this: they produce a great track, forget to save and then the DAW unexpectedly crashes. It happened to us many times in the past but not with the MacBook Pro!
Maybe it’s the combination of the powerful i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM or maybe its the smooth MAC operating system.
We don’t know for sure, but what we do know is that the MacBook Pro is a very reliable laptop and we can count the number of crashes we have experienced with it on one hand.
512 GB SSD
Apple’s decision to go with an SSD instead of a normal hard drive definitely pays off! As you might already know SSDs or solid state drives are the fastest storage units in today’s market and are much faster and more reliable than your normal hard drives.
The quality SSD in the MacBook Pro means that the mac boots up much faster than other laptops. It also means your laptop will run more smoothly and if you download your sample libraries and VSTS on the SSD you are going to enjoy very fast load times!
The SSD also helps with music production. So, if you will download your sample libraries and VSTS on the SSD you are going to enjoy very fast load times!
Thin/Light
At only 4.02 pounds or 1.83KGs, the MacBook Pro is the ultimate solution for the traveling producer or DJ that is looking for a beautiful lightweight laptop.
Graphics Card
The Radeon HD 560 means the MacBook Pro is also capable of high definition gaming and graphics editing work.
Retina Display
The MacBook pro’s gorgeous 2880×1800 retina display means you can fit a few DAWs or other music production software at once. it also means you will enjoy a high-end viewing experience overall.
CONS:
Mac OS
The mac operating system’s extreme reliability and smoothness come at a cost. As you may already know most computers in the world are windows operated and for that reason, many programs don’t have Mac support yet.
Price
As with almost all of Apple’s other products, the MacBook Pro is expensive and in our opinion, it is a little overpriced.
We will pay the extra dollar any day though, as the reliability, smoothness and gorgeous design are just too good to pass on!
Bottom Line
The MacBook Pro’s sleek design and immense power make it the ultimate solution for those of you who are looking for an all in solution and are working with a mac compatible DAW such as logic.
Pick the MacBook Pro if
You are working with a MAC compatible DAW such as logic and have a high enough budget.
Don’t pick the MacBook Pro if
You are working with a non-MAC compatible DAW or your budget is not high enough.
Check out the latest reviews and price of the Macbook Pro on amazon
2. MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro-230 15.6″ – Best for gaming and production
The GS63VR is considered a high-end gaming machine and is capable of running virtual reality and 4k gaming with ease. From our experience, the GS63 is not only good for gaming, it’s 16GB of RAM and powerful i7-7700HQ CPU make it a beast in the studio as well!
The I7-7700HQ is among the most powerful laptop CPUs in the world.
If you do purchase the MSI you can forget about CPU spikes as they really don’t happen.
As we have said before, the GS63 is a gaming laptop and its powerful GTX 1060 GPU is capable of running many of the latest games on max settings while maintaining 60 Frames per second.
To be completely honest with you, the GS63 is probably a lot more than you need for most studio applications and from our experience most laptops in this price category run almost as smooth as the more expensive ones.
In our opinion, you shouldn’t get the GS63 if you don’t plan to game with the laptop as well.
PROS:
Metal Chasis/Build Quality
When we first got the GS63 we were amazed by how well built it was. From its prestigious metal chassis to its beautiful brush-like finish, the GS63 feels like a million bucks!
Powerful
The GS63 16GB of RAM and powerful I7-7700HQ makes it one of the strongest laptops on our list. We are sure the GS63 will be more than sufficient for 99% of your studio work. For us personally, the GS63 never crashed when using Fl studio or Abelton live even when we loaded dozens of VSTs at once.
SSD
The GS63 comes with a 256 SSD as you may already know SSDs or solid state drives are the fastest storage units in today’s market and the GS63 features a 256GB SSD as well as a normal 2TB hard drive.
That means you can install your DAW, VSTS, and samples on the SSD and get a much faster experience when loading those VSTS/Samples and experience fewer crashes.
The other 2TB are there for movies, games, music etc.
Design/Lightweight
You may not agree with us but in our opinion, the GS63 is absolutely gorgeous! we really dig the rather simplistic gamers design. The GS63 is also relatively light (around 3.75Lbs or 1.7KG) and is great for traveling and moving around the studio with ease.
Built-in DAC
The MS G63 packs a high-quality built-in DAC by Sabre. The Dac supports up to 24bit/192KHz. It is also stated that the DAC can drive high Ohm headphones “and drives high-quality headset from 16ohm to 600ohm which gives up to highest sound detail, up to 122dB DNR unmatched by PC” (From MSI’s website)
CONS:
Price
The G63 is definitely not cheap 🙂
Design
As we have said before we think the GS63 is gorgeous. However, we do recognize that some of you might not agree with us and we know that the rather flashy design is not for everyone.
Bottom Line
The MSI GS63 is the perfect those of you who are looking for the all in 1 package that will serve you for years to come.
Pick these if
You are a music producer/gamer that is looking for an ultra high-end experience and you have a high enough budget.
Don’t pick these if
You don’t plan to play games with your new laptop.
Check out the latest reviews and prices of the GS63 on amazon
3. ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW – MacBook Like performance at a fraction of the cost
Asus is probably our favorite laptop manufacturer, so when we first got our Zenbook pro UX501 we had high expectations.
And it’s probably the best option for those of you who are looking for a highly portable music production laptop which can also be used for djing.
The Zenbook Pro features a gorgeous 4K display, Quad-core I7 6700HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512 SSD drive making it an ideal laptop for music production.
The Zenbook also features a GTX 960M which is a powerful graphics card capable of running some of the most popular games at 60FPS+.
Asus is our favorite laptop manufacturer because of their laptops reliability and build quality. The Zenbook pro is no exception and it looks very similar to Apple’s MacBook Pro which is a big plus for us 😉
The similarity between the two is obviously no coincidence and we believe the Zenbook Pro is the smartest option for those of you who are looking for an apple like design and incredible performance for a relatively low price! (see lowest price)
PROS:
Power
The most important factor you should consider in a music production laptop is that it does not freeze or crash when producing. The Zenbook Pro UX501 i7-6700HQ CPU and 16GB of ram are more than enough for most music production tasks.
From our personal experience with the Zenbook, it only crashes when loading an absurd amount of VSTS (40+) and effects into a single project.
Design/Build Quality
We feel like Asus’s Design team tried to copy Apple’s iconic MacBook look and as you can tell they succeeded. The Zenbook feels surprisingly similar to our 15″ MacBook pro and some of our peers mistake it for a MacBook. The build quality is also up to par with our MacBook Pro.
4K display
A 4k display on a laptop at this price category is almost too good to be true and to be completely honest with you it is too good to be true.
The Zenbook screen does not display true 4k, instead, it uses an RG/BW Pentile matrix which means half of the pixels are not really there. The Zenbook still renders 3840×2160 pixels and will fit all of your music production software on the screen.
The colors also pop out really well and look great when gaming, watching a movie or when hanging around in your favorite DAW.
Overall the display is much better than we expected for a laptop at this price category.
Portable
The ZenBook Pro UX501 is probably the most portable laptop on this list. Its surprisingly long battery life to and lightweight build make the ZenBook Pro our go-to choice when traveling.
SSD
The ZenBook’s 512GB SSD also surprised us as you don’t really see 512GB SSDs in this price category.
If you have ever used a computer with an SSD you will probably agree with us when we say you can’t go back after trying an SSD and the ZenBook definitely delivers an ultra smooth experience when producing or when casually surfing the web.
CONS:
GPU
Although the GTX 960M is a pretty powerful Graphics card and is suitable for gaming, don’t expect to run the latest games all maxed out.
Bottom Line
As you can probably tell we really love the Zenbook UX501 and are surprised by how much Asus could pack into such a lightweight laptop.
In our opinion, the Asus Zenbook UX501 is the perfect choice for those of you who love Apple’s iconic design and need a powerful laptop to handle all of your music production for a fraction of the cost of a MacBook Pro.
Pick the ZenBook if
1. You love Apple’s MacBook and want the windows version of it 😉
2. You are looking for a powerful laptop which is also highly portable and will serve you for years to come
Don’t pick the ZenBook if
You plan to play high-end video games on ultra settings.
Check out the latest reviews and prices of the Asus Zenbook on Amazon
4. Lenovo Legion Y520 – Best low-budget laptop for music production and gaming
Lenovo’s legion Y520 specs simply don’t match its price and it is probably the most underpriced laptop on our list.
The legion Y520 Is listed as a gaming laptop and features a 15.6-inch display, I7-7700HQ CPU, GTX 1050Ti GPU, 16GB of RAM with the option to upgrade to 12GB or 16GB, 256GB SSD and a 2TB Hard drive.
As you can see the Y520’s specs are not something you would expect on a laptop this cheap. (see lowest price)
And in our opinion, the Y520 is the most powerful laptop you will find for its respective price category.
But the immense power comes at a cost, the screen is not as vibrant as it should be.
The colors don’t pop out as some of our other laptops and we feel like the screen is definitely the Achilles hill of the Y520.
However, we still believe the Legion Y520 is a steal and if you are a music producer/DJ the relatively poor screen wouldn’t affect you as much as it would affect a graphics designer or a gamer.
PROS:
Power to price ratio
The Y520 is definitely the most powerful laptop you will find for its price category and we believe the Y520 is the perfect choice for those of you who need a lot of power for the lowest price possible.
As we have mentioned before the Y520 I7-7700HQ and 16GB of RAM make it a very powerful laptop and from our experience crashes or CPU spikes are pretty rare when working in FL Studio or Ableton Live.
Sure, the power you get with the Y520 doesn’t match some of the other more expensive laptops on this list.
However, we can’t deny how good the price is and would like to note that if our list was based on the “bang for your buck” factor the legion Y520 would be the definite winner.
Design/Build Quality
The specs are not the only thing that surprised us. When we first opened the Y520’s box we were struck by how expensive the laptop looked. From its beautiful finish to its incredible keyboard the Y520 definitely looks and feels a lot more “expensive” than it actually is.
SSD
From our experience, it’s really hard to find laptops with a decent SSD at this price category.
In our opinion, Lenovo has done an excellent job with the Y520 and we feel like they really put in the time in order to get a very powerful, good-looking laptop priced at a very reasonable price.
The 256GB SSD proves our point even more and from our experience with the Y520 DAWs such as Fl studio, Ableton Live or pro tools run very smoothly and load up much faster than some of our other non-SSD laptops.
You can also expect faster sample-library load times and a generally better user experience when casually using the laptop.
CONS:
Display
As we have mentioned before the Y520’s screen did not meet our expectations and we disappointed when playing games or watching movies on the Y520.
Bright colors such as red or green don’t pop as much as you would expect them to and there’s a slight yellow tint in certain games.
However, In our opinion, the screen is definitely sufficient for music production and we could barely tell that the screen was lacking when using FL Studio or Ableton Live.
Bottom Line
The Lenovo Legion Y520 would definitely take our first spot if it was based on the “bang for your buck” factor alone and believe the Y520 is the ultimate solution for those of you who are looking for a surprising amount of power for a relatively low price.
Pick The Y520 if
You are looking for the most power for the dollar, and plan to mostly use the laptop for music production and gaming.
Don’t Pick The Y520 if
1. You have a higher budget and are looking for more power.
2. You are a graphic designer.
Check out the latest reviews and prices of the Legion Y520 on amazon
5. Razer Blade – Best for Fl Studio
Razer is probably the biggest gaming gear brand in the world. And a few years ago, Razer started their amazing platform for music producers called razer music.
We personally got a lot of value from the razer music platform and really loved the guides by some of the greatest EDM artists of our time. (Deadmau5, Dyro, Metro Boomin, Feed me)
Razer also partnered with image line which is the company behind FL Studio and decided to give everyone who purchases a new Razer blade a free copy of FL studio 12 which retails for around 200$!
In our opinion, Razer has done an incredible job with razer music and are thankful for their contributions to our community!
The Razer blade itself is absolutely gorgeous and when we first laid our hands on it we were astonished by how sleek and bad ass it looked. Plus the keyboard is the best we have ever tested on a laptop!
The Razer blade is light, sleek and is definitely an overkill for most music production tasks. However, we believe it’s better to have an excess of power than a lack of power 😉 plus it’s the only laptop that never crashed once while using fl studio 12!
PROS:
Immensely powerful
The Razer Blade (see lowest price) features an I7-7700HQ Intel CPU, GTX 1060 GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. (Option to go with 1TB or 256GB as well)
These specs are not something you would expect from a 0.7 inches (1.778 cm) thick laptop and we honestly don’t know how Razer managed to fit all the components into such a small chassis.
The powerful CPU and 16GB of RAM obviously has a lot to do with the blade’s power but from our tests, the blade performed a little worse when working on other non-FL studio DAWs such as Ableton Live or pro tools.
The performance was still great with these DAWS but we truly think the blade is the ultimate laptop for all of you FL Studio users out there.
Design/Build Quality
The Razer blade’s build quality is second to none, As we have mentioned before we were struck by how expensive the blade feels to touch and the Anti-ghosting keyboard is just out of this world! The fact that the blade’s keyboard is RGB back-lit doesn’t hurt either.
The chassis itself is made out of aluminum and is very durable it will remain in almost perfect condition even after falling 8 feet (Happened to us).
Portable/Lightweight
As we have mentioned before the Razer blade chassis is made out of lightweight aluminum and is only 0.7 inches thick. The combination of lightness and low thickness make the Razer blade the most portable laptop on our list.
We sincerely believe the blade is the ultimate solution for DJs and traveling producers due to its high portability.
Great For Gaming
The Razer blade’s GTX 1060 is one of the most powerful GPUs on the market and is capable of running most of the latest games on maxed out settings, you can even play Virtual reality on the Blade as it is VR ready.
CONS:
Price
The Razer Blade is a little over priced 🙂
Fan Noise
From our experience, the Razer blade can get a little noisy when gaming, when producing, however, the blade is pretty quiet.
Bottom Line
The Razer blade is in our opinion one of the most beautifully designed laptops on the planet and we believe it’s the ultimate weapon for all of you FL Studio users out there!
Pick the Razer blade if
Your budget is high enough and you are an FL Studio user looking for the smoothest production experience.
Don’t pick the Razer blade if
You don’t plan to do any gaming.
Check out the latest reviews and prices of the Razer Blade on Amazon
6. HP 15-ay018nr 15.6-Inch
We know most of you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a new laptop. The HP 15-ay018nr made it out into our list because it is one the best budget-friendly laptops currently in the market. (see lowest price)
You are probably skeptic about such a low-cost laptop performing in the studio.
We were also skeptical but we can tell you that the HP 15 is well built and packs enough power for most music production tasks!
In our opinion, the HP 15 is definitely the ultimate solution for beginners or hobbyists and we are amazed by how cost-effective it is!
The HP 15 features a pretty powerful i7-6500U CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
The battery lasts us an average of 5-6 hours and we are astonished by the fact that this laptop retails for such a low price.
Sure, the HP 15 is not as powerful as the MacBook Pro or the Razer blade but for the price, it’s probably the best you will get.
We definitely recommend this one for those of you who are looking for a budget-friendly music production laptop.
PROS:
Price
As we have mentioned before the HP 15-AY018NR is very affordable and we think its a definite steal!
Power to Price Ratio
If you would normally ask us to recommend you on a good music production laptop we definitely wouldn’t imagine recommending a laptop in this price range . But, the HP 15 is a game changer and it packs a lot of power for its price!
From its i7-6500U to the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD the HP 15 can handle most music production tasks and won’t fail you 90% of the time.
However, if you are using a lot of VSTs and effects you might need more power than the HP 15 has to offer.
Backlit Keyboard
You wouldn’t expect a laptop in this price category to offer a fully backlit keyboard and to be completely honest with you the backlighting on the HP 15 is not as great as some of the other laptops on this list. However, the fact that a laptop in this price category even has back lightening blows our mind.
As we have mentioned before a Backlit keyboard is in our opinion a necessity for music production, and we are very thankful to HP for creating the perfect budget-friendly laptop for music production!
Build Quality
A recurring theme with this laptop is how cost effective it is and it is most evident when touching it for the first time. The build quality absolutely amazed us and the laptop feels very luxurious to touch.
CONS:
Graphics Card
The HP 15 uses the native Intel 520 HD graphics GPU. from our tests, most games won’t run properly on the HP 15 and we definitely don’t recommend this laptop for you gamers out there.
Bottom Line
HP 15-ay018nr 15.6-Inch is probably the best laptop you will find in this price category and in our opinion, the HP 15 is a definite steal.
Pick the HP 15 if
1. You are only going to produce music with the laptop, watch movies, surf the web and listen to music.
Don’t pick the HP 15 if
1. You are using a lot of VSTS and effects.
2. You intended to game or do graphic design.
Check out the latest reviews and prices of the HP 15 on Amazon
7. ASUS VivoBook Pro N580VD-DB74T – Gaming-like performance in a sleek package
Asus is probably the most innovative laptop brand in recent years. We personally own a few products from their new ROG gaming peripherals line and a few of their laptops, as of a few months ago we also own the VivoBook Pro (see lowest price).
The VivoBook specs are similar to those of most mid-tier gaming laptops and we absolutely love the more laid back design when traveling or collabing with others.
The reason the Asus Vivobook is on our list is that we think that it’s the perfect option for those of you who are looking for a laptop capable of intensive music production and gaming without the flashy design of most other gaming laptops.
The VivoBook features an I7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM, GTX 1050 GPU, 512GB SSD and a 15.6″ 4k screen.
As we have mentioned before these specs are almost identical to some of the other gaming laptops on this list.
And that’s why we call the Asus VivoBook a gaming laptop in disguise 🙂
PROS:
Powerful
As we have mentioned before the VivoBook is basically a gaming laptop in terms of performance and it definitely doesn’t disappoint when producing or gaming.
The VivoBook’s 16GB of DDR 4 RAM and powerful I7-7700HQ CPU allows it to run smoothly even when running dozens of VSTS and effects.
We love producing on the VivoBook when traveling and we are thankful to Asus for packing incredible performance in such an elegant design.
4K Screen
The VivoBooks is one of the most underpriced laptops on our list and the 4K screen proves this point. We personally couldn’t find a laptop with such good specs and a 4K screen at this price.
The 4K Screen allows us to fit multiple DAWS and recording software on the screen. It also looks great when watching movies, Surfing the web or playing games.
We are absolutely astonished by the fact that you can get such a quality screen for such a low price.
Versatile
The VivoBook truly is limitless and you can do almost anything you want with it. Whether it be music production, gaming or graphic design the VivoBook is up for the task.
From our research, the VivoBook is one the cheapest options if you are looking for a great Macbook-like laptop for a fraction of the price.
Quiet And Smooth
As with most new Asus laptops, the VivoBook runs smoothly and quietly these two attributes have a lot to with the VivoBook’s great specs and 512GB SSD.
We find the VivoBook to be a flawless laptop and we still didn’t run into any “fatal errors” such as blue screens or sudden crashes.
At least for us, the noise factor becomes most evident when traveling and we really appreciate the fact we can produce in public and avoid the occasional request to turn down the volume, which is obviously not possible with some other laptops.
CONS:
Battery Life
The battery won’t last long for intensive gaming or movie watching, If you plan to use the laptop for music production, the battery will last you longer but still not as long as some of the other more expensive laptops on our list.
Bottom Line
The Asus VivoBook is the ultimate gaming laptop in disguise and we think its the perfect solution for those of you who are looking for incredible performance in an elegant package.
Pick the VivoBook if
You are looking for great performance but you don’t want a flashy design.
Don’t pick the VivoBook if
You are looking for a more flashy/edgy design.
Check out the latest reviews and price of the Asus VivoBook on Amazon
8. Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575G-57D4 15.6-Inches – “Best bang for you buck”
Acer are in our opinion the Toyota of the laptop world and just like Toyota cars Acer laptops are reliable, cheap and rather simple.
The Acer Aspire E 15 is one of the cheapest laptops on our list (see lowest price) and is very underpriced compared to the competition.
It has a 7th Gen Intel Core I5-7200U CPU, Geforce 940MX, 8GB of DDR4 memory and a 256 GGB SSD.
As you can probably tell this is one of the weakest laptops on this list but for a good reason, the price is one of the lowest on our list!
From our experience, Acer laptops never get “fatal errors” such as blue screens or OS failures and our personal Aspire E 15 is still going strong after almost an entire year.
Sure the aspire E 15 is not as powerful as the other more expensive laptops on our list but for the price, you won’t find any better.
We definitely recommend the E 15 for those of you who are starting out in the production game or those of you who are not using a lot of VST soft synths such as massive, serum or sylenth 1.
PROS:
Price
We can guarantee you won’t find a better laptop for music production in this price category and take our hats off to Acer for building such a high quality laptop for this price.
The reason we think the E 15 is underpriced is that you simply don’t find specs this good on laptops this cheap. From its 8GB of Ram and i5-7200u CPU to its 256GB SSD. the E 15 is one of the most underpriced laptops we have ever seen and we are happy Acer has given all of us an opportunity to produce and even game at such a low price.
Battery Life
The Acer Aspire E 15 stated battery life is up to 12 hours, we can personally vouch for it and we have previously experienced 10 and 11 hour long casual web browsing sessions with the Aspire E 15.
As for music production, however, the battery will last you significantly less (4-5 hours instead of 10-11).
Smooth/Quiet
All the laptops on our list run smoothly and the aspire E 15 is no exception it runs DAW such as fl studio or Ableton live with ease. Load times are short and we don’t get a lot of CPU spikes when working on VST light projects.
From our experience, the fans are quiet and won’t get too noisy unless you play games such as League of legends or Overwatch.
Build quality
When we first touched the E 15 we were confused, its a low end laptop yet it felt like a 1000$+ one. the hinges are super smooth and the fiber-like finish on the back looks and feels incredible.
A recurring theme with this laptop is how underpriced it is and the build quality definitely matches this narrative. In general, the E 15 feels and looks great and we are thankful there’s such a low-cost option for those of us who are looking for a great laptop which looks and feels like a million bucks.
CONS:
WiFi Connectivity Issues
We have personally never experienced this problem but some of our friends who own the E 15 encountered some wifi connectivity issues.
Power
The i5-7200U CPU will not handle VST intensive music production and we do not recommend the E 15 for professional mixing engineers or EDM artists who use a lot of soft synths in their productions.
Bottom Line
The Acer Aspire E 15 is the perfect option for those of you who are looking for an entry-level laptop for music production and are looking to enjoy the reliability Acer is known for.
Pick the E 15 if
You are mostly recording and don’t really use a lot of VST soft synths such as Serum, Massive or Sylenth 1 which tend to tax the CPU.
Don’t Pick the E 15 if
You are using a lot of VST soft synths/effects and need more power.
Check out the latest prices and reviews of the E 15 on Amazon
9. ASUS ROG G752VS-XB72K – Most powerful
Asus’s recent wildly successful ROG (Republic Of Gamers) product line is simply incredible and we own several ROG laptops and so of ROG’s gaming peripherals.
The ROG G752 is our personal favorite out of all the ROG laptops. Maybe it has to do with its striking resemblance to a space ship 😉
All kidding aside the G752 is one impressive laptop, When we first got our G752 we knew it was beautiful and expected good build quality and performance.
To say the least, the G752 absolutely blew all of our expectations! Its build quality is out of this world and its probably the most well-built laptop we own.
From its beautiful steel like brush finish to its incredible keyboard and sturdy hinges the G752 is built to perfection.
The futuristic looks do not hurt either 🙂
If we had to put our finger on one thing that swayed our eyes towards the G752 it would probably be the incredible Desktop-like specs.
The G752 features an overclocked I7-7820HK, GTX 1070 GPU, 512GB of PCIe SSD and a beautiful 120HZ 17-inch screen.
As you can already tell the G752 is one powerful beast and it mirrors the performance of some high-end gaming desktops!
The overclocked I7-7820HK is definitely an overkill for almost all music production tasks and we never get any CPU spikes, lags or crashes working on Fl studio or Ableton Live.
Even though the G752 is marketed as a gaming laptop it can handle almost any music production task. We like to compare the G752 to James Bond as they can both go through almost impossible tasks and do it with style 🙂
As we have mentioned before the G752 can handle everything from VR gaming and 4K gaming to Graphic design and most importantly intensive music production.
We know you will absolutely fall in love with it if your budget is high enough (see lowest price) 🙂
PROS:
Immensely powerful
The ROG G752 is the strongest laptop on our list and will literally handle any music production task you will throw at it!
As we have mentioned before the G752’s I7-7820HK CPU, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD mirror the performance of some high-end gaming desktops.
Just to put things into perspective image line the company behind Fl studio stated that anything above 9000 in the cpubenchmark.net is considered strong. The I7-7820HK scores a whopping 10132!
And that’s not all, the I7-7820HK inside the G752 is overclocked so you can expect an even better performance!
Build Quality/Design
From its spaceship-like design to its incredible keyboard and stylish metal like brush finish the G752 is the most well-built laptop we own and we can’t stress enough how great it feels to touch and look at!
Great build quality does not always mean the laptop will be sturdy, with the G752 its definitely not the case and we can confidently say it will hold its own even when dropping it from up to 4-6 ft. (Yes it happened)
As we have mentioned before the G752 is the strongest laptop on our list, We would also like to add that it’s our favorite in terms of looks and build quality.
Smooth/Quiet
Since the ROG G752 is built for VR and Intensive 4K gaming music production is nothing for this heavy beast.
We can literally run dozens of soft synths such as Massive, Serum, Sylenth 1 and Nexus 2 and the G752 will not break a sweat. Even the MacBook Pro and Razer blade will struggle on a rare occasion.
Our G752 never struggled, Not even once and we have personally never run into any kind of issues other than the high weight of the laptop.
We believe the G752 flawless performance can be attributed to the G752 I7-7820HK CPU which is one of the most powerful CPUs on the laptop market. The 512GB SSD and 16GB of ram just seal the deal and make the G752 one of the smoothest running laptops we have ever tested.
Simple tasks such as turning the laptop on or opening your DAW of choice become a lot easier and faster than all the other SSD laptops on our list.
CONS:
Weight
The only con of the G752 is that it’s quite heavy and a little hard to carry around. We wouldn’t recommend traveling with the G752 but it is definitely possible as we have done it ourselves on multiple occasions in the past.
Bottom Line
The G752 is the strongest laptop on our list and will handle any task you will throw at it.
Pick the G752 if
You want it all and don’t want to compromise on anything.
Don’t Pick the G752 if
You are looking for a more lightweight laptop or don’t want to spend a few thousand bucks on a new laptop.
Check out latest reviews and prices of the G752 on Amazon
10. Dell XPS 15 – Best for DJs and travelers
Simply put the Dell XPS 15 is the most well-built Dell laptop we have ever used. Our personal XPS 15 has experienced dozens of flights and car rides and it still remains in perfect condition.
In addition to the excellent build quality, the XPS 15 features one of the most vibrant 4k touchscreens we have ever seen on a laptop.
We can confidently say its an absolute joy watching movies or just surfing the web with the XPS 15.
You are probably wondering how powerful the XPS 15 is and if it will handle your music production needs.
The answer to that is a definite yes.
The XPS 15 features an I7-7700HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and a GTX 1050 GPU.
As you can probably tell most of the other laptops on this list have almost the exact specs as this one and it’s for a very good reason.
From our tests, these are the optimal specs for music production, PLUS the combination of 16GB of RAM and an I7 CPU works wonders for music production!
The XPS 15 is a little pricier than some of the other laptops with similar specs (see lowest price). So, before buying it, you have to ask yourself if you are willing to pay a little extra for the superior build quality and a 4K touchscreen.
PROS:
Build Quality/Portability
As we have mentioned before the XPS 15 is built to perfection and it’s our go-to choice when traveling long distances (flights). The XPS 15’s bezel measures at only 5.7mm which is 59% thinner than the MacBook Pro.
The XPS 15 is also very light (3.9 pounds) and is one of the most portable laptops we have ever owned.
The build quality itself is out of this world and in our opinion, pictures don’t do justice with the XPS 15. When we bought our XPS 15 on Amazon we were mostly interested in the specs and the incredible screen.
However, when we actually put our hands on it we were shocked by how good it felt in our hands and how durable it was.
We think the incredible build quality has to do with the combination of the aluminum chassis and the extreme attention to detail.
Powerful
As we have mentioned before the XPS 15 is very powerful and will handle almost any music production task you will throw at it. As you already know from the beginning of this article, the I7-7700HQ CPU is one of the most powerful laptop CPUs. And from our experience, it’s one of the most reliable CPUs for music production.
In addition to a powerful CPU, you get 16GB of RAM a 512GB SSD and a GTX 1050 Graphics card. All of these components make it so the XPS 15 is also capable of gaming and even graphic design.
Gorgeous Display
As we have mentioned before the 15.6″ 4K Touchscreen display is one of the most vibrant and colorful laptop displays we have ever witnessed.
You may think that a beautiful display won’t contribute to your music production and you will probably be right.
However, we believe most of you intend to use the laptop for other activities too (web surfing, movies or even gaming) and are confident the XPS 15 will give you one the best viewing experience you have ever had.
CONS:
Price
As we have mentioned before the incredible build quality and 4K Display come at a cost. And at this price the XPS 15 is definitely not cheap.
Bottom Line
The Dell XPS 15 is one of the most reliable laptops we have ever owned. It’s gorgeous display and remarkable performance makes it one of our all time favorites.
Pick the XPS 15 if
You need a lot of power for music production but also care about build quality and a good display.
Don’t pick the XPS 15 if
You don’t really care about build quality and don’t mind settling for a regular HD screen instead of the XPS’s 4K one.
Check out latest reviews and prices of the Dell XPS 15 on Amazon
And that’s the last one 🙂 We hope you have come to a decision and wish you a wonderful day!
If you have any questions or need more help don’t hesitate to comment below 🙂
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