The occupation implies its own requirements for technology. For example, to pick up a decent laptop to work with graphics is not so easy. This is because the corresponding software consumes a lot of resources, and even the screen should be as correct.
What should designers pay attention to when choosing a working laptop?
- A high-performance processor. Since software, as we have noted, “heavy.
- Discrete graphics card. It is on the video card lion’s share of the load when working with graphics and rendering, so it is better to choose a discrete.
- A quality screen. With the correct color rendering and good coverage of the working digital spaces (for example, 100% sRGB). If we are talking about printing or graphic design, the screens can be certified – for example, Pantone or TÜV Rheinland.
- High-capacity SSDs. Graphic projects take up a lot of memory, so it is better to have at least 512 GB “on board”.
- The cost of the laptop depends largely on the model of video card. And in this regard, the latest AMD discrete graphics cards look especially attractive. They already offer excellent performance, and in combination with Ryzen processors, they even look great.
It is all about several proprietary AMD technologies, revealing all the potential of this duo. These include AMD SmartShift technology, which links the processor and graphics for faster response to different workloads, and AMD Smart Access Memory technology, which allows the processor to use fast graphics card memory via PCI Express interface. And all together, they provide a noticeable performance boost in many common tasks.
Best laptops for the designer
Of course, not to take advantage of all the advantages of such a combination would be unforgivable. Therefore, in our top top laptops for designers there are quite a few devices with AMD processors and graphics cards. We will start with them.
MSI Delta 15 A5EFK-038RU
Relatively light and compact model with good performance.
This is one of the smallest notebooks in our selection. With its small size of 357 x 247 x 19 mm and a weight of 1.9 kg the device is perfect for working on the go or in a co-working space. The aluminum casing and lid are made of aluminum, so frequent transportation is not a problem.
The laptop is equipped with a 15.6-inch IPS-display with a high refresh rate of 240 Hz and the classic for such a diagonal resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. This model uses a powerful 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which is accompanied by a video card Radeon RX 6700M. 16 GB of RAM on the laptop is enough for any task a designer may have. As a nice bonus, you get a roomy 2 TB SSD, and its battery lasts for a long time (the manufacturer gives a guideline of about 13 hours of video playback).
HP OMEN 16-c0007ur.
The versatile notebook that will suit most designers
The HP OMEN 16-c0007ur, even though it’s considered a gaming laptop, will actually be a great working tool for a designer. It is a compromise option for when you need good performance, but the budget is very modest. The notebook is quite suitable for work both “on the go” and in the office, and especially attractive with its 16.1-inch display with Full HD resolution in a relatively compact size of 369 x 248 x 23 mm and weighing 2.36 kg.
At the heart of the laptop is a productive six-core AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor combined with a Radeon RX 6600M graphics card and 16 GB of RAM. This is quite enough for medium difficulty projects, and the battery of the device is enough for a whole day of work – up to 9 hours.
ASUS TUF Gaming A17 FA706QM-HX029W
The notebook is ideal for those who like to work at home or in the office.
Another notebook from the gamer series can be a full-fledged PC replacement. It has a large 17.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and is quite large – 399.2 x 268.9 x 24.8 mm, so it is best suited for those who are used to working at home or in the office, without frequent travel.
For this, the gadget has everything you need. Its large screen, on which you can easily see the smallest details of the entire composition, is complemented by a fast 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor. For graphics, a powerful GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card is used and the amount of RAM reaches 16 GB. There is also a high-capacity SSD for 1 Tbyte.
The color gamut of the screen is not record, sRGB 67%, AdobeRGB 50%. Therefore, for polygraphy, you may want to consider another option.
Acer Aspire 7 A715-42G-R4GR
A fast notebook for those who like to save money
This is the most inexpensive laptop in the top, but it doesn’t look budget at all and offers everything a designer needs for normal work. This and a high-quality IPS-display with a diagonal of 15.6 inches, and a fast graphics card GeForce RTX 3050, and a very good processor AMD Ryzen 5 5500U. Except that the laptop does not have as much RAM as we would like, but for its money it still looks a very “tasty” offer.
One of the secrets of such economy is the absence of a preinstalled operating system, but in today’s world, this is unlikely to be a problem. The laptop cannot be called small. Its dimensions are 254,5 x 363,4 x 23,2 mm, and its weight is 2,15 kg. That is, you can still carry it around, but not as comfortable as the same MSI Delta 15. There will also be no problems with autonomy: the laptop can work up to 8 hours without recharging.
Lenovo Legion 5 17ACH6H
No-compromise solution for home or office that can handle any task.
The notebook uses a large 17.3-inch Full HD screen, is built on the extremely fast AMD Ryzen 7 5800H 8-core processor along with a GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card and offers 16 GB of RAM. This “monster” can handle any most complex projects, and working with it is a pleasure.
Lenovo Legion 5 has only one minus. More precisely, two – the big size 398,6 x 290 x 26,2 and the weight of 2.98 kg. So you are unlikely to have the desire to take it far beyond the walls of the house or office, and even more so to take this gadget on a trip. And its battery life is unlikely to allow this – the laptop battery is enough for 4.5 hours of work. But, as we have already noted, the weight and size make this model attractive mainly for stationary conditions, which means that the outlet will be somewhere near.
ASUS VivoBook PRO 16 M7600QC-KV060
Suitable for designers who care about the perfect display of objects on the screen.
It’s not the most affordable option, but it’s very close to the ideal. Unlike many other models, it uses a 16-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2560×1600 and brightness to 500 nits. Why is brightness so important? With such a display, the designer will be comfortable to work with even in high ambient light – for example, by the window. At the same time, the color gamut is also almost exemplary: 100% DCI-P3, there is certification Display HDR True Black 500 and Pantone Validated.
In terms of hardware, everything is good here too: powerful 8-core AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, able to overclock up to 4.6 GHz, works in tandem with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card. There will be plenty of RAM (16GB), and a fast SSD will hold 1TB of information.