What is the best laptop for Substance painter and designer? Here, we’ll answer this question. When it comes to shading and texturing, the industry standard, is Substance painter and Substance Designer. Designer is used to come up with the textures while painter is for texturing and shading models. The developers of these programs, have listed the minimum specifications. However, to optimally use the software, you require a more powerful laptop. This is because you will also use other animation, VFX and modelling software.
Criteria used for best laptop for Substance Painter recommendations include; not less than 8GB of RAM, 4GB of VRAM, Intel Core i7 or equivalent. Apart from these main features, other specifications we’ve taken into account include the display quality and resolution, the storage type and capacity, in addition to future proofing.
You can also have a look at the best laptop for Maya and the best laptop for Houdini.
Best Laptops for Substance Painter & Designer (2023):
Best Performance Laptop for Substance Painter
GIGABYTE A5 X1 - 15.6 FHD IPS Anti-Glare 240Hz - AMD Ryzen™ 9 5900HX - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6 - 16 GB Memory - 512 GB PCIe SSD |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Mobile Processor |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD 1920x1080 IPS-level |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 512 GB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1 x HDMI 2.0 (with HDCP), 1x mini DP 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 (Type-C) over USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1 x USB 2.0 (Type-A), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (Type-A), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 (Type-A) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.15 x 14.21 x 1.36 inches |
| Weight | 4.68 pounds |
| Advantages | Outstaning performance |
| Disadvantages | Storage Space |
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 |
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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 |
Best Intel Core i7 Laptop for Substance Painter
MSI GE76 Raider Gaming 17.3 Thin Bezel IPS FHD 144Hz Laptop, 12th Core i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD, Backlit Keyboard, GeForce RTX 3060 6GB |
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| CPU | 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12700H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Graphics with 6GB GDDR6 video memory |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD 144 Hz Display 1920 x 1080 resolution boasts impressive color and clarity. Anti-glare Energy-efficient LED-LCD screen |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage Space | 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1x USB Thunberbolt 4 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 1x HDMI-Out 1x SD Card Reader, 1x Mini-Display Port mDP v1.4, 1x Ethernet Lan (10/100/1000 mbps), 1x Mic-In/Headphone-Out Grey Bonus 32GB SnowBell USB Card. |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11 x 2 x 2 inches |
| Weight | 6.39 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance, Display Quality |
| Disadvantages | Quite expensive |
Best Ryzen 7 Laptop for Substance Painter
Lenovo - Legion 5 - Gaming Laptop - AMD Ryzen 7 5800H - 16GB RAM - 512GB Storage - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti - 15.6 |
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| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 512GB Storage |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB, Audio, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 21.25 x 13.5 x 3.38 inches |
| Weight | 5.29 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | Storage capacity |
Best Mid-Range Laptop for Substance Painter
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 | |
Best Budget Laptop for Substance Painter
ASUS TUF Dash F15 Ultra Slim 15.6 Gaming Laptop, 144Hz FHD, Intel i7-11370H(Up to 4.8GHz), NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD |
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| CPU | Intel i7-11370H(Up to 4.8GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3050 Ti |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | FHD (1920 x 1080) , 144Hz Refresh Rate, 16:9, anti-glare IPS display, Game at pro speed with a lightning fast IPS-level panel |
| RAM | 16GB 3200MHz |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | Ethernet, USB, Audio, HDMI |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.17 x 9.92 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 4.41 lbs |
| Advantages | Lightweight with large storage |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
Best Laptop for Substance Painter Students and Beginners
MSI GF63 Thin 3050 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD 144Hz IPS Display, 11th Gen Core i5-11400H, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD |
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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 | 1TB PCIe 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 | 8 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | Weight |
Best 17 Inch Laptop for Substance Painter
MSI GE76 Raider Gaming Laptop 17.3” FHD IPS 144Hz 11th Gen Intel 8-Core i7-11800H 64GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 3060 6GB |
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| CPU | Intel 8-Core i7-11800H |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3060 6GB |
| Display Size | 17.3 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD IPS 144Hz |
| RAM | 64GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 USB4, 1 x USB-C 3.2, 3 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x HDMI (Supports 4K @ 120Hz, 8K @ 60Hz), 1 x MiniDP 1.4, 1 x SD Card Reader (XC/HC), 1 x Killer 2.5Gb Ethernet, 1 x Audio Combo (1/8") |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 10.57 x 15.63 x 1.08 inches |
| Weight | 6.39 pounds |
| Advantages | Display performance |
| Disadvantages | Heavy |
Best 16 Inch Laptop for Substance Painter
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro Gaming Laptop 16 WQXGA 2K IPS 165Hz 500nits AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 7-5800H 16GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 3070 8GB |
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| CPU | AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 7-5800H |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3070 8GB |
| Display Size | 16" |
| Display Resolution | WQXGA 2K IPS 165Hz 500nits |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 3x USB-A 3.2, 1x USB-A 3.2 (Always On), 1x USB-C 3.2 (support data transfer and DisplayPort 1.4), 1x USB-C 3.2 (support data transfer, Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1x Headphone / microphone combo jack (3.5mm) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.02 x 10.41 x 1.07 inches |
| Weight | 5.4 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance, Quality storage |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
Best 15 inch Laptop for Substance Painter
MSI GP66 Leopard Gaming Laptop 15.6 144Hz Full HD+LCD Display (Intel i7-11800H 8-Core, 64GB RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD, RTX 3080 8GB |
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| CPU | Intel i7-11800H 8-Core |
| GPU | RTX 3080 8GB |
| Display Size | 15.6" |
| Display Resolution | Full HD (1920x1080) 144Hz Refresh Rate |
| RAM | 64GB DDR4 SODIMM |
| Storage Space | 2TB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 3 USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 HDMI, 1 mini Display Port, No Optical Drive, Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14 x 10.5 x 1.2 inches |
| Weight | 4.73 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | Quite pricy |
Best 4K Laptop for Substance Painter
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 |
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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 | |
Best Lightweight Laptop for Substance Painter
MSI GF65 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD 144Hz Display, Intel Core i5-10500H, 32GB DDR4 Memory, 1TB PCIe SSD, GeForce RTX 3060 |
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| CPU | Intel Core i5-10500H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Display Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920x1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 2 x SuperSpeed USB Type-C 5Gbps signaling rate | 2 x SuperSpeed USB Type-A 5Gbps signaling rate | 1 x HDMI 1.4b | 1 x RJ-45 | 1 x headphone/microphone |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.27 x 8.94 x 0.72 inches |
| Weight | 4.1 pounds |
| Advantages | Affordable, Good performance |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
Best 64GB RAM Laptop for Substance Painter
Razer Blade Pro 17 (17.3 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 |
Best 32GB RAM Laptop for Substance Painter
HP 15.6 HD Micro-Edge Laptop，8-Cores AMD Ryzen 7 5700U(up to 4.3GHz), 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD |
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| CPU | 8-Cores AMD Ryzen 7 5700U(up to 4.3GHz) |
| GPU | AMD Radeon |
| Display Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 Pixels |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 |
| Storage Space | 1TB PCIe SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | Wi-Fi 6 (1x2 and Bluetooth 5.2 combo, 1 x Multi-format SD media card reader, 720p HD Camera |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14.11 x 9.53 x 0.78 inches |
| Weight | 5.49 pounds |
| Advantages | Performance, Affordable |
| Disadvantages | n/a |
Best Large Storage Laptop for Substance Painter
Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 FHD Display, Intel 8-Core i7-11800H(Beat AMD Ryzen 7 5800H), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti, Windows 11H, Z&O HDMI Cable (64GB RAM 2TB SSD |
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| CPU | Intel 8-Core i7-11800H |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050Ti |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | FHD Display |
| RAM | 64GB |
| Storage Space | 2TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | USB-C, 4 USB, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, RJ45 Ethernet |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | |
| Weight | 5.29 lb |
| Advantages | Good performance, Large storage |
| Disadvantages | Quite expensive |
Best Long Battery Life Laptop for Substance Painter
ASUS TUF Dash 15 (2022) Gaming Laptop, 15.6†144Hz FHD Display, Intel Core i7-12650H, GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB DDR5, 512GB SSD |
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-12650H |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3060 |
| Display Size | 15.6 inches |
| Display Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 |
| Storage Space | 512GB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C (Gen2), 2x USB 3.2 Type-A (Gen1), 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x 3.5mm Audio Jack, 1x LAN |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 13.94 x 9.88 x 0.81 inches |
| Weight | 4.41 lbs |
| Advantages | Lightweight and well designed |
| Disadvantages | Storage capacity may be inadeqauet for some people |
Best Stylish Laptop for Substance Painter
Asus ROG Strix G17 G713 Gaming Laptop 17.3” FHD 144HZ IPS AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 7 4800H (Beats i7-10750H) 32GB RAM 1TB SSD GeForce RTX 3060 |
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| CPU | AMD Octa-Core Ryzen 7 4800H |
| GPU | GeForce RTX 3060 6GB |
| Display Size | 17.3” |
| Display Resolution | FHD 144HZ IPS |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 1TB SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Ports | 3 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x USB-C 3.2 (DisplayPort / Power Delivery / G-SYNC), 1 x HDMI 2.0b, 1 x RJ45 Ethernet, 1 x Audio Jack |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 11.1 x 15.11 x 1.11 inches |
| Weight | 5.95 pounds |
| Advantages | Good performance |
| Disadvantages | Heavy |
Best Windows 11 Laptop for Substance Painter
Lenovo Legion 5 5 Pro 16 WQXGA 2K IPS 165Hz G-sync (8-Core Ryzen 7-5800H, RTX 3070 8GB, 32GB RAM, 2TB PCIe SSD) |
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| CPU | Ryzen 7-5800H |
| GPU | RTX 3070 8GB |
| Display Size | 16" WQXGA |
| Display Resolution | 2560 x 1060) 165Hz IPS Anti-glare, 16: 10, 100% sRGB Display, HDR 400, FreeSync, G-SYNC, DC dimmer |
| RAM | 32GB |
| Storage Space | 2TB PCIe SSD) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 |
| Ports | 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (One always on), 2 x USB 3.2 Type-C (with the function of DisplayPort 1.4), 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x RJ-45, 1 x Audio Combo Jack, 1 x E-Shutter button, 802.11AX (2 x 2) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 14 x 10.4 x 1.1 inches |
| Weight | 5.07 pounds |
| Advantages | Quality display, good performance, long battery life |
| Disadvantages | Quite expensive |
You should also have a look at the best laptops for Blender in addition to the best laptops for Cinema 4D.
