Best Laptop Computers For Music Production: In this post, we’re going to look at the top five Laptops for Music Production available on the market today. This list was compiled using our own judgment, research, and consumer feedback. When narrowing down the top options, we analyzed their quality, features, and values. So, here are the top five Best Laptops for Music Production.
1. Dell XPS 13 (9310) FHD+ Touch Laptop
Our top Laptop for Music Production is the Dell XPS 13. This latest addition to Dell’s powerful XPS series is one of the first ultraportable laptops to include Intel’s latest 11th Generation “Tiger Lake” CPUs, which provide fast, efficient processing performance as well as long battery life.
What’s more, the 16 GigaBytes of memory and a 512 GigaByte solid-state drive are more than sufficient to help any music producer blaze through the workday. The XPS 13 is remarkably thin and yet feels satisfyingly strong, if not particularly lightweight, in terms of design. However, it utilizes very high-quality materials and a sleek design.
This is pretty much the ideal laptop for any on-the-go creative who doesn’t want to sign up for Apple’s “walled-garden” compatibility limitations. Thanks to its sleek design, impressive screens, and powerful spec, it seems to be the closest Windows alternative to an Apple MacBook Pro. This unit is, however, much like the Pro, is restricted a little by having only two USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 support, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader.
This means you will probably need an adapter or dongle to plug in an external monitor or USB Type-A peripherals. On the upside, the DELL delivers very similar levels of style, quality, and performance to the MacBook Pro, but by using Windows as its OS, it becomes much more versatile for all kinds of projects.
Furthermore, the addition of a quality screen with eye-safe technology makes all activities on this laptop a joy. Lastly, the Wi-Fi 6 connection capabilities are outstanding and make working on even large projects effortless. Overall the Dell provides a wide range of high-end features that are ideal for any music producer.
Pros
- It has a sleek
- understated design
- Its high-resolution screen is excellent
- Its hardware is top of the line
- It’s highly compatible
Cons
- Although it does have more than the Mac, additional ports would still be welcome.
The Dell XPS 13 is a brilliant all-rounder that is capable of taking on even the most demanding media tasks. It’s recommended for those looking to balance performance with versatility.
2. Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip and 8GB RAM
The MacBook Pro has long been a top choice for Music Producers of all stripes; it’s unquestionably an attractive device for all kinds of creative working professionals thanks to its well-executed features.
This unit keeps to the typical Apple high-quality design but improves on certain aspects. It is still available in a sleek silver color that will fit in regardless of whether you are doing a set on stage or are in a meeting. This all-metal design is durable and feels high-quality. Any Media Editor or Music Producer who needs to take this on a daily commute or between studios or shows will find it to be an amazing travel companion that allows them to work at full productivity even when on the go will find it to be an ideal travel companion.
Despite its sturdy design, it’s light enough in your backpack that you won’t even notice it’s there, yet hefty enough to survive a few punches. In addition, the display is as bright as ever. With a resolution of 2,560 by 1,600 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio, Apple’s 13.3-inch Retina Display is used to its full potential. This is far higher than the full HD resolution of most mainstream laptops.
The MacBook Pro also includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth support, making it quick to connect and browse the web wirelessly and transfer and upload even large music files while out and about. One thing to keep in mind is that there aren’t many physical connections on the MacBook PRO: there are only two USB Type-C ports on the left and a headphone jack on the right, but this shouldn’t be an issue in most cases.
Moreover, this laptop uses the new 8-core Apple-designed M1 chip, which provides a giant leap in CPU and machine learning performance. This new in-house Apple-made chip does seem to perform streets ahead of its competition. It promises an unprecedented boost in speed, performance, and battery life thanks to combining CPU, GPU, and memory into one chip, significantly reducing power usage and delivering a hugely optimized computing experience.
These custom-made components provide astonishingly fast processing power and make it far speedier than most laptops in this range. It’s also significantly more efficient than before, with a battery life of up to 20 hours. With this product, you can undertake every task with complete confidence in your hardware.
Pros
- Its full aluminum construction is durable
- Its display screen is excellent
- Its powerful chipset makes it brilliant for Professional Music Production
Cons
- It has limited connection ports
The Apple MacBook Pro has all the features needed for professionals in the music industry to keep in the game.
Still haven’t found a Laptop for Music Production that meets your needs? Keep reading because we’ve got a lot more in store for you.
3. CUK ASUS ROG Strix G17 Gaming Laptop
The third product on our list is the CUK ROG Strix Scar 17 While most laptops on the market focus on maximizing portability, this ROG Strix Scar still puts performance first and foremost. This Asus-built product is a 17-inch laptop that isn’t overly bulky but certainly has the internal space and cooling required for some seriously high-end parts.
It comes equipped with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX Eight-Core Processor that ensures your laptop can process data at extremely high speeds, thus increasing your work output and saving time. Not only that, but the large 32 GigaBytes of DDR4 3200 MegaHertz RAM mean that you can run multiple programs at once without a problem.
This is all topped off with a 1 terabyte hard drive so you can save all your tracks and recent projects without issue or needing to compress the files. Overall the hardware in this unit makes for blazing-fast media editing while also making great use of the laptop’s 300 Hertz display. This 17.3-inch, full HD IPS panel is not only roomy but very advanced.
The display features an insanely high 300 Hertz refresh rate, which makes it much easier to stare at waveforms all day without straining your eyes. Also, it means this product is fit for enthusiasts who want to use their laptops for things other than music production. The machine’s components are more than up to the task of high-end gaming, so the impressive screen won’t be wasted, even if aimed at a niche audience.
The port placement is a little odd, but the essentials are there. The left side includes two USB 3.1 ports, while the right side has no traditional connections. The rest are all in the rear, including another USB 3.1 Type-A port, a USB-C port, an HDMI connection, an Ethernet jack, and the power connector. This makes linking up to a DJ rig or connecting up your portable studio very simple indeed.
Pros
- It’s packed with powerful hardware
- It has a large high-frequency screen
- Its port array is highly practical
Cons
- It weighs over 6 pounds so isn’t the lightest thing to carry about with you.
The CUK ROG Strix Scar 17 is a powerful device for media editing as well as recreational activities like gaming.
4. Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition Laptop
Up next in fourth place is the Razer Blade 15. This unit is the most advanced mobile workstation for creative professionals from Razer to date. They’re a company better known for its high-end gaming machines. Yet, the new Razer Blade 15 Studio Edition is ideal for music production in every way.
It features a superb aluminum design, once again demonstrating that Razer knows what they’re doing when it comes to making attractive and practical products. Also, it happens to have one of the best screens you can get on a laptop. Inside, you’ll find a new 10th generation 8-core Intel Core i7 10875H processor and the mighty Nvidia Quadro RTX 5000 graphics card.
Already this makes it a beast of a machine, but when combined with the 32 GigaBytes of RAM and a 1 terabyte solid-state drive, it makes this one of the most powerful laptops on the market today. This unit is undoubtedly aimed at creative professionals who do a lot of very intensive rendering and editing. The level of polish and performance you get from the Razer is pretty much unrivaled.
What’s more, the screen is particularly good for zooming right in on waveforms, it’s a 4K touchscreen OLED that supports 100-percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut, and it’s nicely bright, producing accurate colors. All in all, you’re getting the kind of power you’d ordinarily find in a desktop PC, but in a thin and lightweight laptop.
Furthermore, the battery life doesn’t suffer too much from the powerful components. This goes a long way to making the Studio Edition pretty much unbeatable as a mobile workstation. This powerful laptop lets you chew through demanding tasks very efficiently and should prove an excellent investment.
Pros
- It’s an extremely powerful product
- It has a premium design
- Its display is excellent
Cons
- Its high-end and costly components make it overkill for most tasks.
The Razer Blade 15 is an insanely powerful and sleek laptop that can handle anything you throw at it.
5. MSI GF63 Thin Gaming Laptop
The fifth product on our list is the MSI GF63 Thin Gaming Laptop. Music Production is a complex process and nowadays requires a lot of computing power to ensure you can put out tracks with ease. The MSI is certainly one of the more respected names when it comes to powerful laptops, so it figures that their flagship mid-range has every internal component you need for music production.
The MSI GF63 is the perfect blend of performance and aesthetics. It would make an excellent laptop for anyone wishing to use their laptop for live DJ performances or as a portable studio. The GF63 is one of the more portable powerhouse laptops available. MSI has managed to pack a lot of firepower into a machine that weighs only 4.10-pounds; this makes it perfect for the traveling music maestro.
The only problem with this lighter weight is that the battery is smaller, so it will only last unplugged for 4-6 hours when running intensive programs. However, performance-wise, it’s outstanding. It has a 2.4 GigaHertz i5 processor that’s reliable and fast enough to cope with any task. One of the best things about the MSI is the potential to upgrade as your needs change.
It comes with 8 GigaBytes of DDR4 RAM installed, but with space to house up to 64 GigaBytes, you can easily future-proof your rig pretty cheaply. This implies that your laptop might increase in size as your live sets or studio sessions do.
What’s more, the notebook features all of the essential ports, including three USB 3.1 ports, a USB 3.1 Type C port, the all-important headphone and microphone jack, in addition to an HDMI port, and Ethernet.
Lastly, MSI has done a stellar job squeezing in a 15.6-inch display into a 14-inch frame here. Its backlit keyboard combined with its narrow bezels makes the GF63 like a sleek and powerful machine.
Pros
- It is light and portable
- It has upgradable components
- It has plenty of ports
Cons
- Its battery life is fairly low.
The MSI GF63 is a valuable addition to anyone wanting to create music long into the future.
