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Choosing the Best Laptop for Graphic Design

The best laptop for use by graphic designers won't be the average laptop you find everywhere in the electronics store, and it won't be a tiny PC tablet or Eee PC; it must have certain features. A lot of these features are prized by gamers as well as by graphic designers. I know because I'm a gamer who also uses Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator (and has used Corel Draw and InDesign).

1. RAM

If you are a complete beginner to choosing a computer, just remember that the most important thing in a good laptop is RAM. Start low at 4GB and aim higher. The higher you go, the more programs you will be able to run in the background. Graphic designers, like gamers, want lots of RAM.

2. Video Card

If you use your laptop for graphic design, you might be able to get away with a less expensive video card than a gamer might demand. Compromise on the video card if you must, rather than on RAM.

3. CPU

You'll want a more-than-decent CPU (something with four cores or higher). Intel Core i5 or i7 is good. "Haswell" refers to fourth-generation processors like those in the 2014 MacBook Pro, which were a big step up from earlier "Ivy Bridge" and "Sandy Bridge" Intel processor lines.

4. Screen Size

As a graphic designer you need room to work. If you choose a laptop with a 13-inch screen, you'll regret it pretty quickly. Go for a diagonal measurement of 15 inches or more.

5. Portability

In the last couple of years, laptops have become lighter and their batteries can go a longer time between charges. They have become way more portable, which can be fun. Then again if you do graphic design in an office or home setting, portability may not be a major consideration for you.

6. Color Quality

Depending on what kind of graphic design you do, color quality might be more important for you than for a gamer. IPS displays are better than older types.

The Apple MacBook Pro is perhaps the best laptop for graphic design. The 2014 version features a fourth-generation Intel Core i7 processor that's very fast in any application environment.

RAM is important, and the new MacBook has a whopping 16 GB of RAM along with a 256 GB hard drive. MacBooks made in 2012 and later have powerful batteries that can run seven hours or more on a single charge, which is great if you intend to take the laptop with you on the road.

Also, if you get tired of work, you can play the latest games, since the MacBook integrates a high-end graphics card that's just great at ripping through graphically appealing virtual worlds. The high-resolution Retina display is beautiful and incredibly detailed at 2880 x 1880 pixels.

On the price side, it might be a bit expensive (at $1999 new), but since this is an Apple, you are getting lasting value for your money.

An Older MacBook Pro Could Be an Option

Macs keep their value longer than some other computers. Consider the 2012 MacBook Pro if you can get one. It doesn't have the Retina display, and it has the decent NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M video card instead of the excellent Intel Iris. But, like the new MacBook Pro, it is lightweight and runs seven hours or more on one battery charge, and it should cost about $1000 less.

Alternatives to Apple for Graphic Design Laptops

Other laptops besides Apple's, of course, carry the newest Intel processors and technology while remaining highly portable, and with some exceptions they cost much less than an Apple. "Ultrabook" is a term for laptops by various makers with Intel processors that meet certain standards for weight and battery life. They often carry SSD drives, which are lighter and up to ten times faster than regular hard drives, and consume less energy. Ultrabooks can be used for most tasks, and with their powerful processors, RAM, and hard drives, they can handle graphic design programs like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.

From Lenovo, for under a grand (or over a grand, depending on the options), you get a top performance and entertainment laptop that can be used for gaming, graphic design, watching movies, surfing the web--pretty much anything that springs to mind.

The Lenovo Y50 is a great desktop alternative, if not a desktop replacement laptop.

It has an Intel Core i7 processor, comes with 16 GB of system memory pre-installed, and runs Windows 8.1 straight out the box.

It comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 960M 4GB graphics card.

There's also an integrated 720p HD webcam so you can chat in HD with friends and family.

The Lenovo Y50 is sold in at least four different versions (mostly without an optical drive, if that matters to you). One complaint about the Lenovo Y510-Y50 series has been the quality of the display, particularly the color. If you need super-accurate color for your graphic design work, some recommend the Y50 with IPS display: this version is more than $1000 but still a good value if the Mac is out of reach.

The ASUS ROG G751JL-DS71 is marketed as a gamer's laptop, being a proud member of the Republic of Gamers line from ASUS, but it's great for anyone who wants a powerful laptop. Good gaming laptops integrate all the latest hardware so they can run all the latest games at high resolutions and quality settings.

The ASUS G751JL was designed to run modern games at full speed, so it will run pretty much anything else flawlessly and is a great choice for any designer.

It comes with an Intel i7 4700HQ 2.6Ghz processor, 16 GB DDR3 of installed RAM, and a huge 17.3-Inch screen. Of course, screen size is important for a designer. The more pixel real estate, the better you can see your designs and work with everything.

This laptop carries an Nvidia GTX965M 2GB GDDR5, a top-of-the-line graphics card choice for gamers and enthusiasts alike.

The ASUS ROG line is actually my favorite laptop of the three, perhaps because I am a gamer as well as a graphic designer. I use a slightly older version, the ASUS G750JW-DB71, and it performs with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator like you wouldn't believe.

Top Five Graphic Design Programs

I kept on wondering what the most-used graphic design software was, and after a bit of research, I found the top 5:

Adobe Photoshop

InDesign

Corel Draw

Quark Express

Adobe Illustrator

Vote in the poll below for your favorite graphic design software!