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. 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.
The Following are the Best Laptops for Design Students (2021):
- Apple MacBook Pro M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD
- Razer Blade 15 Base Laptop i7- RTX 2070 Max-Q
- Alienware m15 R3 Laptop
- ASUS TUF Dash 15.6 Laptop
- Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 - Laptop
- Gigabyte AERO 17 Laptop i7- 32GB RAM
- MSI Modern 14 Laptop - i7- GeForce MX450
- AORUS 15G (WB) Performance Laptop
- HP Pavilion Laptop 17-inch
- Razer Blade Pro 17 Laptop i7- RTX 2080 SUPER
- ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 Laptop
- OMEN 15 Laptop-RTX 2070 Super Max-Q
- MSI Creator 15 inch Laptop
- Acer Predator Triton 300 laptop
- GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC
Apple MacBook Pro M1 13-inch, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD |
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| CPU | Apple M1 chip; 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores; 16-core Neural Engine |
| GPU | M1 8-core GPU |
| Display Size | 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology |
| Display Resolution | 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch |
| RAM | 8GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 256GB |
| Operating System | MacOS |
| Ports | Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports with support for: Charging, DisplayPort Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40 Gbps), USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.41 x 11.97 x 0.61 inches |
| Weight | 3 Pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Battery Life |
| Cons | NA |
Razer Blade 15 Base Laptop i7- RTX 2070 Max-Q |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512 SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 3, USB type-A and type-C ports, and HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.98 x 0.78 x 9.25 inches |
| Weight | 8.7 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Price |
| Cons | Weight |
Alienware m15 R3 Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10875H |
| GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super 8GB |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB RAM |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x Thunderbolt 3, 1x HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.2 Output, 1x Mini-Display Port 1.4, 1x Micro SD Card Reader, 1x Audio Out |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.87 x 14.19 x 0.81 inches |
| Weight | 5.51 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display |
| Cons | Weight |
ASUS TUF Dash 15.6 Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-11370H |
| GPU | Nvidia RTX 3070 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 40 GB SO-DIMM |
| Storage Space | 2TB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.17 x 9.92 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 4.41 pounds |
| Pros | Performance |
| Cons | |
Dell Gaming G3 15 3500 - Laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inch |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB 2933MHz DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512 GB M.2 [PCIe] NVMe (SSD) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10 x 14.39 x 0.85 inches |
| Weight | 5.18 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display |
| Cons | None |
Gigabyte AERO 17 Laptop i7- 32GB RAM |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10870H Octa Core |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Ports | 3 USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 mini Display Port, Thunderbolt 3 (Type-C), SD Reader, 1 x Microphone Jack, 1 x Headphone Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.6 x 15.6 x 0.84 inches |
| Weight | 5.5 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display Quality |
| Cons | Weight |
MSI Modern 14 Laptop - i7- GeForce MX450 |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-1165G7 |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce MX450, |
| Display Size | 14 Inches |
| Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1 TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Ports | USB, Thunderbolt, Headphone Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 0.67 x 12.56 x 8.67 inches |
| Weight | 2.87 pounds |
| Pros | Lightweight, Good performance, Latest Processors |
| Cons | NA |
AORUS 15G (WB) Performance Laptop |
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| CPU | 10th Gen Intel i7-10750H |
| GPU | RTX 2070 Max-Q |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB, HDMI, Audio Out |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 20.47 x 13.82 x 5 inches |
| Weight | 4.85 pounds |
| Pros | Very Good performance |
| Cons | NA |
HP Pavilion Laptop 17-inch |
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| CPU | 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10750H Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16gb |
| Storage Space | 256GB |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | USB Type-C 10Gbps signaling rate (USB Power Delivery, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge), 3 SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate (HP Sleep and Charge), RJ-45 Ethernet Port, 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo, AC smart pin, HDMI 2.0 |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11.1 x 15.94 x 1 inches |
| Weight | 6.07 lbs |
| Pros | Performance |
| Cons | Storage, Weight |
Razer Blade Pro 17 Laptop i7- RTX 2080 SUPER |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10875H Processor: |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | 4K 3840 x 2160 Pixels |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, UHS-III SD Card Reader, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Windows Hello, and Thunderbolt 3 |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 15.55 x 10.23 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 10.56 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display Quality |
| Cons | Weight |
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 Laptop |
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| CPU | 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 4K UHD |
| RAM | 16 GB of RAM |
| Storage Space | 1 TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | USB, Ethernet, Audio |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.1 x 9.7 x 0.9 inches |
| Weight | 5.5 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display Quality |
| Cons | Weight |
OMEN 15 Laptop-RTX 2070 Super Max-Q |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512GB |
| Operating System | Windows |
| Ports | SuperSpeed USB Type-C(R) (DisplayPort(TM) 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge), 3 SuperSpeed USB Type-A, RJ-45, 3.5mm Headphone/microphone combo (DTS: X(R) Ultra), AC smart pin, Mini DisplayPort(TM), HDMI 2.0a |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.17 x 10.36 x 0.79 inches |
| Weight | 5.12 lbs |
| Pros | Display, Performance |
| Cons | n/a |
MSI Creator 15 inch Laptop |
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| CPU | 15.6 Inches |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 |
| Display Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Display Resolution | 3840 x 2160 Pixels |
| RAM | 32 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Ports | Thunderbolt, USB, Ethernet |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 21.9 x 13.3 x 3.4 inches |
| Weight | 4.63 pounds |
| Pros | Performance, Display Quality |
| Cons | NA |
Acer Predator Triton 300 laptop |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-10750H 2.6GHz Hexa Core Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | USBs, Ethernet, HDMI, Type C, Audio Out |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 23 x 14 x 3 inches |
| Weight | 4.41 pound |
| Pros | Performance, Good Price |
| Cons | NA |
GIGABYTE AORUS 15G XC |
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| CPU | 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10870H (2.2GHz - 5.0GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 |
| Display Resolution | 1920 X 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-C), 1 x Mini DisplayPort 1.4 | 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A), 1 x HDMI 2.1 |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 9.6 x 14 x 0.9 inches |
| Weight | 4.4 pounds |
| Pros | Performance |
| Cons | |
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