Whether you’ve been using Photoshop for years or just started exploring its features, chances are you use Photoshop at least occasionally. So, which is the best budget laptop for photoshop? We have written a complete guide to help you choose the best budget laptop for graphic design.
Laptops are portable computers that are used to work on the go. They are usually smaller than desktop computers and are designed to be easy to carry around. The most common form factor is the notebook computer.
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are two of the most popular graphics software programs available today. Both are very powerful tools that allow users to create professional-looking images and illustrations. However, they require high-performance hardware to run smoothly.
The following list contains some of the top-performing laptops for Adobe Photoshop and Illustrators.
The Best Budget Laptop For Graphics Designing
1. Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming Notebook – $499
Dell has launched a new series of laptops in the Inspiron range that will be perfect for graphic designers. The latest model from this series is the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 gaming notebook. It comes with an Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M GPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 1TB HDD. This combination makes it one of the most powerful laptops available on the market today. The price starts at $499.
Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core i7- 7700HQ
- Memory: 8GB (2 x 4 GB) 1600 MHz memory; 12GB (3 x 4 GB) 2400 MHz memory
- Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
- RAM: 16GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 2133MHz
- Hard Drive: 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive
- Optical Drive: DVD Super Multi Blue-ray RW/DVD+RW Combo
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS display
- Battery: 60WHr battery capacity
- Dimension: 14.9 inches height x 11.5 inches width x 0.8 inches depth
- Weight: 5 pounds
- Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0
- Other Features: USB 3.0 Type-A port, HDMI port, VGA port, SD card reader
Pros & Cons
The Pros:
- • High-performance graphics
- • Excellent value for money
Cons:
- • No dedicated graphics card
- • Short battery life
- • No Ethernet jack
- • Limited storage space
2. HP Pavilion g6 Notebook -$429
HP has also launched a new line of laptops in their Pavilion series that will be ideal for graphic designers. The newest model in this line is the HP Pavilion g6 Notebooks. It comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H processor, Radeon RX Vega M Graphics, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB SSD, and 1TB HDD. This combination makes it one of the fastest laptops available on the market. The price starts at only $429.
Specifications
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3550 H
- Memory: 8GB DDR4 RAM
- GPU: Radeon RX Vega M
- Storage: 128GB solid-state drive
- Display: 13.3-inch HD touch screen
- Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
- Battery: 90 WHr battery
- Dimensions: 13.3 inches height x 9.1 inches wide x 0.96 inches deep
- Weight: 4.7 lbs.
- Connectivity: Two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, RJ45 LAN port, microSD card slot
- Other Features: Backlit keyboard, webcam, speakers
Pros & Const
The Pros:
- • Excellent value for the money
- • Good build quality
- • Fast performance
- • Long battery life
- • Easy connectivity options
- • Quiet operation
The Cons:
- • Not much storage space
- • No dedicated graphics cards
- • No Ethernet jack
- • No wireless adapter included
3. Lenovo Ideapad 330S Notebook – $399
Lenovo has introduced another new line of laptops in the IdeaPad series that will be great for graphic designers. The new model in this series is the Lenovo Ideapad 330s Notebook. It comes with an eighth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics, 8GB DDR4 memory, 256GB SSD, and a 1 TB HDD. This combination makes this model among the fastest laptops available on today’s market. The price starts from $399.
Specification
- Processor: Intel Pentium N3710
- Memory: 8GB Memory
- Graphics Processor: Intel UHD 620
- RAM: 8GB DDR4 SDRAM
- Storage: 256GB Solid State Drive
- Display: 15.6-inch Full HD LED Screen
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OS
- Battery: 6-cell Li-ion battery
- Dimensions: 12.26 inches high x 8.95 inches wide x.79 inches thick
- Weight: 4.03 lbs.
- Connectivity: One USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI Port, RJ45 LAN port
- Other features: Wireless-AC, 720p Webcam, Speakers
Pros & Cons
The Pros :
- • Good design
- • Great performance
- • Good build quality, sturdy
- • Good battery life
- • Good connectivity options
- • Easy to use
- • Affordable
- • Lightweight
The Cons:
- • No Ethernet port
- • No dedicated graphics
- • No hard disk
- • No DVD/CD writer
- • No extra accessories
4. Dell XPS 15 Laptop – $799
Dell has come up with yet another new line of laptops which are very popular amongst graphic designers. The latest model in this line is called the Dell XPS 15 Laptops. These models have been designed keeping in mind all the requirements of graphic designers. They feature powerful processors, large screens, good graphics, excellent connectivity options, and long battery life. The price of these laptops starts from $799.
Specifications
- Processor: Intel Core i7 6700HQ Quad-Core (2.8 GHz)
- Memory: 16 GB DDR4 2400 MHz
- Storage: 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD IPS Touchscreen
- Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
- Battery: 47WHr Lithium-Ion Battery
- Dimensions: 11.9 inches width x 14.9 inches length x 0.75 inches depth
- Weight: 4.7 pounds
- Connectivity: Four USB Type C Ports, SD Card Reader, HDMI Port, RJ 45 LAN Port
- Other Features: Dolby Audio Premium Speaker System, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, Fingerprint Sensor
Pros & Cons
The pros:
- • Excellent performance
- • Large display
- • High-resolution screen
- • Powerful processor
- • Long battery life, fast charging
- • Good touchpad
- • Good sound quality
- • Affordable
- • Good connectivity options and easy to use
- • Excellent design
- • Very lightweight
- • Available in different colors
Cons:
- • No dedicated graphics card
- • No Ethernet port or CD/DVD drive
- • No DVD player
- • No Ethernet cable
- • No extra accessories like a stylus pen
- • No USB-C ports
5. Apple MacBook Pro 13″ – $1,299
Apple has launched its latest line of Mac Book Pro laptops in 2016. This year they have released the new version of their famous MacBook Pro laptops. These models have been specially designed keeping in mind all your needs as a graphic designer. These laptops feature a powerful processor, large screen, good graphics, long battery life, and many other things. You can buy one of these laptops starting at $1299.
Specifications
- CPU: Dual-core Intel Core i5
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics Processor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
- Disk Space: 500 GB Hard Disk Drive
- Screen Resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
- Operating System: macOS Sierra
- Battery Life: 7 hours
- Connectivity: Two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, RJ 45 LAN port
- Other features: MagSafe power adapter, speakers, webcam, microphone
Pros & Cons
Pros :
- • Fast processing speed
- • Good storage space
- • Good battery life
- • Very lightweight
- • Good keyboard
- • Good touchpad
- • Available in different sizes
- • Available in different color options
- • Good connectivity options, easy to use
- • Cheap
- • Easy to carry around
- • Many useful features
- • Available in various configurations
- • Available in different versions
Cons:
- • Small size
- • No Ethernet port, no CD/DVD drive
6. HP Spectre x360 13t – $1,199
HP has also launched its latest line of laptops which are specially designed to meet the requirements of graphic designers and photographers. The latest model in the series is called the HP Spectre x360 13. It comes with a powerful processor, great graphics, a high-resolution screen, long battery life, etc. You can get one of these laptops starting from $1199.
Specification
- CPU: Intel Core i5-7300U
- RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
- Hard disk: 256GB Solid State Drive
- Optical drive: None
- Screen: 13.3-inch Full HD Anti-Glare Display
- Bluetooth: Version 4.2
- Speakers: Stereo Speakers
- Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.2
- USB: 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, MicroSDXC reader
- Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI output, VGA output, RJ45 LAN port
- Other features: Fingerprint sensor, Pen & Touch support
Pros & cons
Pros:
- • Great build quality
- • Excellent battery life
- • Good screen
- • Good touchpad, keyboard
- • Available in different configurations
- • Available in various colors
- • Available in different price ranges
- • Good connectivity options
- • Lightweight
- • Good touch sensitivity
- • Good noise cancellation technology
- • Available in different languages
- • Available in different types
- • Can be used on both Windows and Mac OS
Cons:
- • Not available in certain countries
7. Lenovo Yoga 720 15.6-inch – $999
Lenovo has recently introduced a new range of laptops under the brand name “Yoga”. All the laptops come with an excellent design, very thin body, good display, and long battery life. They are perfect for people who want to travel light but still need a powerful computer. The newest model in this range is the Lenovo Yoga 720. It has a 15.6-inch screen with full HD resolution, dual cameras, and a fingerprint scanner. You can get one starting from $999.
Specification
- Processor: Intel Core M3-8100Y
- Ram: 8GB LPDDR4 2400 MHz
- Storage: 512GB SSD (SATA)
- Display: 15.6″ FHD IPS LED Backlit Widescreen
- Camera: Front: 5MP 1080p; Rear: 8MP 1080p
- Connectivity: Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, microSD card slot, USB Type C
- Other features: Dolby Audio Premium, Dolby Vision HDR10+, a multi-angle stand, stereo speakers, pen input, voice control
Pros & cons
Pros:
- • Long battery life
- • Thin and light
- • Screen is bright
- • Good performance
- • Dual camera
- • High-quality audio
- • Available in different colors
- • Available in many configurations
- • Available at affordable prices
Con’s:
- • Not suitable for heavy users
- • No DVD or Blu Ray player
8. Dell XPS 13 9370 – $999
Dell has just announced its most powerful notebook yet, the XPS 13. This device combines power, design, and innovation into one package. It comes with a large 13.3-inch touchscreen display, making it easy to use even when you’re working outside. This device is powered by a 7th Gen Kaby Lake processor, giving it a smooth performance. It also has a discrete Nvidia GTX 1050 GPU that gives it an incredible gaming experience. With a RAM capacity of 16 GB, this device will surely give you all the resources you require. Moreover, it comes with fast storage space as well as a backlit keyboard. The only downside is that it does not have any DVD drive. But, if you don’t mind losing out on some features, then you can buy this device right away.
Specifications
- CPU: 7th generation Intel® Core™ i5-7300HQ Quad Core Processor
- RAM: Up to 16GB DDR4 RAM @ 2400MHz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1050 Graphics
- Memory: Up to 32GB eMMC
- Screen Size: 13.3” diagonal
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- Bluetooth Version: 4.1 + BLE
- WLAN: IEEE 802.11ac wireless network standard
- WiFi: Wireless N
- Network Connections: One GbE RJ45 port, two optional USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (Type A), and one optional USB 3.1 Type-C port
- Graphics Card: Integrated Intel® UHD Graphics 620
- Hard Drive: 256 GB PCIe* M.2 SSD
- Battery Life: Up to 9 hours**
- Weight: Starting weight 2.95 kg / 6.59 lbs
- Dimensions: Starting dimension 300 x 200 x 14 mm / 11.81 x 7.87 x 0.55 inches
- Colors: Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold, Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, Orange, Brown, Gray
- Price: $999 USD
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- • Powerful
- • Great design
- • Large screen size
- • Excellent battery life
Cons:
- • Only available in black color
9. Acer Aspire V Nitro Series – $799-$899
The Acer Aspire V Nitrogen series includes three devices. The first one is the Acer Aspire V Nitros 500 which is a great device for those who do not want to spend much money but still want a decent laptop. The second one is the Acer Aspir V Nitros 510 which is a bit more expensive than the previous one. Finally, the third one is the Acer Aspires V Nitros 630. The Acer Aspire V Nitrogens are equipped with AMD
Conclusion
If you are looking to buy the best budget laptop for adobe photoshop or illustrator, this article helps you choose the best one. Graphics designers need more ram and faster processors than your average user would need. So, we recommend buying the top models in each category. Most laptops for graphic design are expensive, so we suggest saving up money first and then buying the best budget laptop for graphic design. However, you need to choose the one that suits your budget and graphic design needs.