Once you try your hand at graphic work, it becomes clear that not all laptops are created equally. Even a basic photo editing program can overwhelm an ill-equipped laptop. Running image, video, or animation programs requires your laptop to manipulate and decipher complex shapes. Animation is a remarkably complex process that involves significant technical power. This process can be too demanding for any ordinary laptop.
The best animation and graphic design laptops have a dedicated graphic card (GPU). The GPU is a powerful component that speeds up how quickly your laptop can create images and videos. GPUs are essential because they free resources from your central processing unit (CPU), which prevents your laptop from slowing down. Powerful GPUs also come with additional Virtual Random Access Memory (VRAM), increasing your ability to display and render complex images, shapes, and colors.
Here are the five best laptops for animation and graphic design with the power to handle all types of visual work:
1. ASUS ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED
The ASUS ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED is an excellent laptop that allows you to work professionally. It is ideal for animation and graphic design thanks to a powerful processor that goes up to Intel Core i9-12900H. In addition, it includes the NVIDIA RTX A3000 12GB GPU. In addition, it provides support for up to 64GB of RAM. These powerful specs enable the user to run various complex image, video, and animation programs.
The ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED also comes with an incredibly fast SSD drive that goes up to 4TB. Its sophisticated technology decreases boot times, allowing you to start applications faster. Animators will appreciate the large 16-inch 4K display, which combines 4K resolution with OLED technology. The colors on the ProArt Studiobook Pro 16 OLED are Pantone Validated. Plus, the display is optimized to emit 70% less blue light to protect your eyes.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 17
The Lenovo IdeaPad 17 is a budget laptop for designers best used for stop motion animation or 2D animation. This laptop uses the 8th generation Intel i3 CPU, the Intel UHD 620 GPU, and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. These solid specs can run animation or graphic design software with ease.
The Lenovo IdeaPad comes with a large HD 17.3-inch display with 1600 x 900 resolution. The large screen makes this laptop ideal for designers that work with multiple animation programs simultaneously. The large display is also easy on the eyes during long work sessions. For storage, this laptop uses a 1TB HDD.
3. Acer Predator Helios 300
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is an ideal laptop for animation, and visual effects work. This laptop uses the Intel i7 CPU with 8 cores and a 24MB Intel Smart Cache, which helps your laptop manage multiple programs simultaneously. Animators and graphic designers will appreciate this laptop’s modern specs.
The Predator Helios 300 also comes with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 GPU with an additional 6GB of VRAM, making it easier to deal with complex graphic images. Designers will enjoy the 15.6-inch full HD display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate and 100% coverage of the sRGB color space. This laptop also comes with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
4. ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED is one of the most powerful laptops on the market for artists and designers. This laptop comes with a unique dual-screen design, making it easy to optimize your workflow. The full-width 4K ScreenPad Plus allows you to manage multiple applications without disturbing your work on the main display.
This device uses a 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen with a customizable sRGB color gamut. The display also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, the standard used in the motion picture industry. Thanks to the powerful Intel i9 CPU with 14 cores, you’ll have no problem running editing or animation programs. The Zenbook Pro 14 Duo OLED also includes up to GeForce RTX™ 3050 Ti, a professional-grade GPU. It comes with an additional 4GB of VRAM to optimize all graphic operations.
5. MSI GP65 Leopard
The MSI GP65 Leopard is a high-quality laptop ideal for users that need power. The GP65 Leopard is powered by the Intel i7 CPU with 6-cores and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with an additional 6GB of VRAM. With the fast CPU and dedicated graphic card, you’ll have no issues rendering large animation files.
This laptop also comes equipped with 16GB of RAM to help with multitasking. The MSI GP65 Leopard uses a vibrant 15.6-inch display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate optimized to reduce screen tearing and motion blur.