Laptops for Design Students (2024)

Top Best Laptop recommendations for Design Students

Design, is one of the best courses you can study today. Here, we’ll look at the best Laptops for Design Students. Apart from pen and paper, a lot of design happens digitally. You need a laptop that you can use for prototyping, designing, rendering and 3D Designs.

Some of the software used by design students include 3DS Max, SolidWorks, Sketchup, Cinema 4D, Blender and many more.

We’ve come up with a criterion for the best laptops recommendations for Design Students. This includes, performance, build quality, battery life, weight and display size. When it comes to performance, this list, contains only laptops that ensure that you can use majority of the commonly used 3D Design Software.

An Intel Core i5, is the minimum. With that, you get fast boot times, fast performance when using the various design software, in addition to fast load times. When it comes to the RAM 4GB laptops is the minimum listed here. This ensures that you can run multiple programs at the same time without performance issues. You can intuitively switch, for example, from your browser to blender without the program lagging.

For design students, a GPU in a laptop is crucial. With that, you can have fast rendering times, in addition to improved performance in programs that offload some of the CPU work to the GPU.

The display size and quality, is a crucial part in a design laptop. Not only should it be color accurate, but also large enough to ensure that you can effortlessly work on your digital designs. Preferably, you should get a laptop with at least a 14 inch display.

Since many students are constantly on the move, having a lightweight laptop ensures that you can, for example move from class to library, then to the coffee shop easily. This list has some lightweight laptops for consideration to those who value a lightweight laptop.

This list has laptops that have a minimum of 5 hours of battery life. This is with moderate usage. Having CPU intensive programs running can drastically reduce this. Having long battery life, helps in ensuring that you can use your laptop for a full day in college without the need for sitting next to a power outlet.

In this list of best laptops for design students, you can get brands such as Apple, Asus, Microsoft Surface, Dell, Gigabyte, Lenovo, HP, Acer and more.

You can also take a look at the best laptops for Content Creators in addition to the best laptop for Adobe Premiere Pro.

Best Laptops for Design Students (2024):

Contents

acer Nitro 17 Gaming Laptop AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS Octa-Core CPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

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CPU AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS Octa-Core
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
Display Size 17.3"
Display Resolution QHD 165Hz IPS Display
RAM 16GB
Storage Space 1TB Gen 4 SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports hdmi, usb, Ethernet, Audio
Dimensions (L x W x H) 15.76 x 1.1 x 11.55 inches
Weight 6.61 lbs
Advantages Performance
Disadvantages Weight

Acer Predator Helios 16 Gaming Laptop 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

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CPU 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060
Display Size 16"
Display Resolution 2560 x 1600 165Hz G-SYNC Display
RAM 16GB DDR5
Storage Space 1TB Gen 4 SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports USB, Audio, Ethernet, HDMI 2.1
Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.15 x 0.98 x 10.88 inches
Weight 5.73 lbs
Advantages Display Quality, Performance
Disadvantages RAM

ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 OLED Laptop 15.6” FHD Touch Display, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti gpu, 16GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD

ASUS-ZenBook-Pro-15-OLED-Laptop-15-FHD-Touch-Display,-AMD-Ryzen-9-5900HX-CPU,-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3050-Ti-gpu,-16GB-RAM,-1TB-PCIe-SSD
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CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
Display Size 15.6 inch
Display Resolution 400 nits FHD OLED NanoEdge bezel touch display
RAM 16GB
Storage Space 1TB PCIe SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports HDMI 2.0b, USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 3.2 Type-C, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0, and 2-in-1 card reader
Dimensions (L x W x H) 13.94 x 9.37 x 0.7 inches
Weight 7.30 lbs
Advantages Good performance
Disadvantages Quite heavy

MSI GS66 Stealth Gaming Laptop, 15.6 QHD 165Hz Screen, Intel Core i9-11900H 8-Core Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB Graphics, 64GB RAM, 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD

MSI-GS66-Stealth-Gaming-Laptop,-15-QHD-165Hz-Screen,-Intel-Core-i9-11900H-8-Core-Processor,-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3070-8GB-Graphics,-64GB-RAM,-1TB-PCIe-NVMe-SSD
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CPU Intel Core i9-11900H 8-Core Processor
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 8GB Graphics
Display Size 15.6"
Display Resolution QHD 165Hz Screen, ‎2560 x 1440 Pixels
RAM 64GB
Storage Space 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with Display Port, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45 Connector, 1 x Mic-In/Headphone-Out Combination Jack
Dimensions (L x W x H) 1 x Thunderbolt 4, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C with Display Port, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45 Connector, 1 x Mic-In/Headphone-Out Combination Jack
Weight 11.7 pounds
Advantages Good performance, Quality display
Disadvantages Might be heavy for some people

Asus TUF 15.6 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti 16GB RAM 512GB SSD

Asus-TUF-15-144Hz-FHD-Gaming-Laptop--11th-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-11800H--NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3050-Ti--16GB-RAM--512GB-SSD
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CPU Intel Core i7-11800H
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
Display Size 15.6 inches
Display Resolution 144Hz FHD
RAM 16GB
Storage Space 512GB SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports USB, Ethernet, Audio, HDMI
Dimensions (L x W x H) ‎14.2 x 10.1 x 1 inches
Weight 5.07 pounds
Advantages Performance, Design and Build Quality
Disadvantages n/a

ASUS ROG Strix G16 Gaming Laptop 16 FHD+ 165Hz (Intel 13th Gen Core i7-13650H, 64GB DDR5 RAM

ASUS-ROG-Strix-G16-Gaming-Laptop-16-FHD+-165Hz-(Intel-13th-Gen-Core-i7-13650H,-64GB-DDR5-RAM
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CPU 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13650HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB GDDR6
Display Size 16" FHD+
Display Resolution 1920 x 1200) IPS Anti-glare
RAM 64GB (32GB x 2) DDR5 4800MHz RAM
Storage Space 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort / power delivery / G-SYNC, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, Thunderbolt 4 support DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1 FRL, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, Ethernet Port RJ-45; Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions (L x W x H) 13.9 x 0.89 x 10.39 inches
Weight 5.51 pounds
Advantages Very good performance, Quality display, Good build
Disadvantages Quite heavy for some people

Dell G16 7630 Gaming Laptop - 16-inch (2560 x 1600) QHD+ 165Hz 3ms Display, Intel Core i9-13900HX

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CPU Intel Core i9-13900HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB
Display Size 16 inches
Display Resolution ‎2560 x 1600 pixels
RAM 16GB DDR5
Storage Space TB SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports HDMI, USB, Ethernet, Audio
Dimensions (L x W x H) 11.37 x 14.05 x 0.98 inches
Weight ‎6.01 pounds
Advantages High performance, Quality display, Reasonably priced
Disadvantages

Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop 12th Gen Intel i7-12700H GeForce RTX 3060 Laptop GPU 17.3 Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display 16GB DDR5 512GB Gen 4 SSD

Acer-Predator-Helios-300-Gaming-Laptop--12th-Gen-Intel-i7-12700H--GeForce-RTX-3060-Laptop-GPU--17-Full-HD-144Hz-3ms-IPS-Display--16GB-DDR5--512GB-Gen-4-SSD
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CPU 12th Gen Intel i7-12700H
GPU GeForce RTX 3060
Display Size 17.3"
Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
RAM 16GB DDR5
Storage Space 512GB Gen 4 SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 1 - USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 and USB Charging), 2 - USB 3.2 Gen 1 (One With Power-off Charging), 1 - USB 3.2 Gen 1, HDMI 2.1 with HDCP support, Mini Display Port 1.4, Headphone/Speaker/Line-out Jack, Ethernet (RJ-45), DC-in for AC Adapter
Dimensions (L x W x H) 15.72 x 11.63 x 1.09 inches
Weight 6.61 lbs
Advantages Performance
Disadvantages Storge

Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD Display, AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti

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CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti
Display Size 15.6 inches
Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 Pixels
RAM 16GB
Storage Space 512 GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports Built-in 720p webcam with e-shutter, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 4 USB, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, RJ45 Ethernet
Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.27 x 10.26 x 0.89 inches
Weight ‎5.29 pounds
Advantages Very good performance
Disadvantages Storage sapce

MSI Alpha 17 17.3 144Hz Gaming Laptop AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 16GB RAM 512GB SSD AMD Radeon RX 6600M 8GB GDDR6

MSI-Alpha-17-17-144Hz-Gaming-Laptop-AMD-Ryzen-7-5800H-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-AMD-Radeon-RX-6600M-8GB-GDDR6
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CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
GPU AMD Radeon RX 6600M 8GB GDDR6
Display Size 17.3 Inches
Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
RAM 16 GB DDR4
Storage Space ‎512 GB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports USB, Ethernet, Audio
Dimensions (L x W x H) 23.6 x 14.1 x 4.4 inches
Weight 10.83 pounds
Advantages Large display
Disadvantages Quite heavy, little storage space

HP - Victus 15.6 FHD 144Hz Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i5-12450H - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 - HDMI 2.1 - Type-C - Mica Silver wHDMI (32GB RAM 2TB PCIe SSD

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CPU Intel Core i5-12450H
GPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
Display Size 15.6 inches
Display Resolution FHD (1920 x 1080), 144 Hz, 9 ms response time, IPS, micro-edge, antiglare
RAM 32GB
Storage Space 2TB PCIe SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 1x SuperSpeed USB Type-C 5Gbps signaling rate (DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge) 1x SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge) 1x SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate 1x RJ-45 1x Headphone/microphone combo 1x AC smart pin 1x HDMI 2.1
Dimensions (L x W x H) ‎14.09 x 10.04 x 0.93 inches
Weight ‎6.78 pounds
Advantages Large storage, quality display, affordable
Disadvantages

ASUS TUF Gaming 17.3 FHD 144Hz Laptop, Intel Core i5-11260H (Beats i7-8750H), 32GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD, RGB Backlit Keyboard, GeForce RTX 3050

ASUS-TUF-Gaming-17-FHD-144Hz-Laptop,-Intel-Core-i5-11260H-(Beats-i7-8750H),-32GB-RAM,-1TB-PCIe-SSD,-RGB-Backlit-Keyboard,-GeForce-RTX-3050
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CPU Intel Core i5-11260H
GPU GeForce RTX 3050
Display Size 17.3 inches
Display Resolution FHD 144Hz Laptop
RAM 32GB
Storage Space 1TB PCIe SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, 1x USB Type C, 1x Headphone jack, 1x HDMI, 1x LAN RJ45. Wireless-AX + Bluetooth, Eclipse Grey. Bonus 32GB SnowBell USB Card.
Dimensions (L x W x H) 15.72 x 10.59 x 0.98 inches
Weight 5.73 pounds
Advantages Large display, Good performance
Disadvantages Quite heavy

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gaming Laptop, 16 WQHD IPS 165Hz Display, GeForce RTX 4070, Intel 13th Gen i9-13900HX

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CPU 13th Gen Intel Core i9-13900HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (8GB GDDR6)
Display Size 16-inch
Display Resolution 2560 x 1600)
RAM 64GB DDR5 SDRAM
Storage Space 2TB + 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 2 x USB Gen 2 Type-C, 4 x USB Gen 1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Headphone/microphone combo
Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.31 x 10.25 x 1.06 inches
Weight ‎5.6 pounds
Advantages Good performance, Quality display
Disadvantages N/A

LENOVO Legion Pro 5i Gen 8 Gaming Laptop, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, Intel Core i7-13700HX

LENOVO-Legion-Pro-5i-Gen-8-Gaming-Laptop,-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-4070,-Intel-Core-i7-13700HX
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CPU Intel Core i7-13700HX
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
Display Size 16 INCHES
Display Resolution 2560 x 1600
RAM 64GB DDR5
Storage Space 2TB + 2TB SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 4 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2 x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Headphone/microphone combo jack
Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.3 x 10.25 x 1.05 inches
Weight 5.51 pounds
Advantages Performance, Storage
Disadvantages Quite pricy

MSI GF63 15.6 Thin FHD 144Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel i5-11400H, 16GB RAM, 512GB PCle SSD, Geforce RTX 3050 4GB)

MSI-GF63-15-Thin-FHD-144Hz-Gaming-Laptop-(Intel-i5-11400H,-16GB-RAM,-512GB-PCle-SSD,-Geforce-RTX-3050-4GB)
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CPU 11th Gen Core i5-11400H
GPU GeForce RTX 3050 4GB
Display Size 15.6"
Display Resolution FHD 144Hz IPS Display
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage Space 512GB PCle SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 1x USB Type-C, 3x USB Type-A, 1x RJ45, 1x Headphone/Microphone Port
Dimensions (L x W x H) 14.13 x 9.99 x 0.85 inches
Weight 4.10 lbs
Advantages Good performance
Disadvantages Weight

MSI Crosshair17 17.3 144Hz FHD Gaming Laptop Intel Core i7-11800H RTX3050TI 16GB 512GBNVMe SSD Win10

MSI-Crosshair17-17-144Hz-FHD-Gaming-Laptop-Intel-Core-i7-11800H-RTX3050TI-16GB-512GBNVMe-SSD
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CPU Intel Core i7-11800H 8 Core 2.4 - 4.6GHz
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX3050 TI Laptop GPU 4G GDDR6
Display Size 17.3 inches
Display Resolution Thin Bezel FHD, IPS-Level 144Hz, 72% NTSC
RAM 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 3200MHz; 2 Sockets
Storage Space 512GB NVMe SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports USB, Ethernet
Dimensions (L x W x H) 0.95 x 15.68 x 10.76 inches
Weight 5.07 pounds
Advantages Performance
Disadvantages NA

HP Victus 16-E0161NR AMD RYZEN 7 5800H 3.2GHZ 16GB DDR4-3200 MHz 512GB PCIe NVMe 16.1” FHD 144HZ NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti

HP-Victus-16-FHD-IPS-Display-Gaming-Laptop-Intel-6-Core-i5-11400H-NVIDIA-RTX-3050-GDDR6-20GB-RAM-DDR4-1TB-M
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CPU AMD RYZEN 7 5800H
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti
Display Size 16.1”
Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage Space 512GB PCIe NVMe
Operating System Windows 11
Ports USB, Ethernet, Audio, HDMI
Dimensions (L x W x H) 23.5 x 13.82 x 2.8 inches
Weight ‎7.78 pounds
Advantages Good performance
Disadvantages Heavy

GIGABYTE AERO 15 OLED YD - 15.6 UHD 4k AMOLED IPS, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8GB GDDR6, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

GIGABYTE-AERO-15-OLED-YD---15-UHD-4k-AMOLED-IPS,-Intel-Core-i7,-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3080-Laptop-GPU-8GB-GDDR6,-16GB-RAM,-1TB-SSD (2)
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CPU 11th Gen Intel Core i7-11800H (2.3GHz~4.6GHz)
GPU NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6
Display Size 15.6 inches
Display Resolution UHD 4K, 3840x2160 Samsung AMOLED Display
RAM 16GB Memory (64GB Max)
Storage Space 1TB SSD
Operating System Windows 10
Ports USB, Ethernet
Dimensions (L x W x H) 9.8 x 14 x 0.78 inches
Weight 5.07 lbs
Advantages Very good performance
Disadvantages

Razer Blade Pro 17 (17.3 QHD 165Hz, Intel i7-11800H, 64GB RAM, 2TB PCle SSD, GeForce RTX 3070 8GB)

Razer-Blade-Pro-17-(17-QHD-165Hz,-Intel-i7-11800H,-64GB-RAM,-2TB-PCle-SSD,-GeForce-RTX-3070-8GB)
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CPU Intel i7-11800H
GPU GeForce RTX 3070 8GB
Display Size 17.3 inches
Display Resolution QHD (2560x1440)165 Hz, 100% sRGB, 6mm bezels Display
RAM 64GB
Storage Space 2TB PCle SSD
Operating System Windows 11
Ports 3 x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 2 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps / USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x RJ-45(2.5Gp), 1x Headphone/Microphone
Dimensions (L x W x H)
Weight 6
Advantages Good performance
Disadvantages Quite heavy

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