Many think highly spected laptops are suitable for the production of music. Oh, they’re okay. High-performance hardware must operate DAW and DJing software efficiently, but not all high-end laptops are equipped to produce a successful music laptop. So, what is the best cheap laptop for music production exactly? And, given that most skilled music producers use their work on MacBook, do you consider wasting your money on an expensive MacBook, or will a windows computer fulfill your requirements?
Here is a complete laptop guide for the best cheap laptop for music production to answer all your questions, which will help you buy your next laptop for music.
First of all, purchasing a music laptop is not an easy job. You must be very cute with the hardware as DAW software needs resources, and you must also take care of various other things, such as laptop fan noise, the number of ports available, and more. We’re going to talk about all these essential aspects of the best cheap laptop for music production later in this guide, but before we finish:
Acer Aspire E 15 (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production 2022)
Acer is an excellent brand with reliable, quick computers. The Aspire E 15 is equipped with an Intel Core i5 3.4GHz 8th generation processor, an Nvidia GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5 VRAM Graphics Cards, a 1920 x 1080 widescreen display, 8GB memory (dual slot machines), a 256GB solid-state drive, a double-layer re-writable DVD, a webcam.
| Processor | 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U |
| Ram | 8GB RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 15 Hours |
The battery remains charged for up to 10 hours. Bluetooth is included in the Aspire E 15, allowing you to connect your compatible Bluetooth MIDI instruments and other devices to the computer.
A solid-state drive (SSD) increases the laptop speed considerably. Solid-state drives have no moving parts, so files are much faster than standard hard disk (HDD). Many laptops have difficulties slowing down once they get full of files and programs, so a strong state drive prevents it.
The Intel Core i5 processor is one of the quicker to navigate and use your DAW and plugins. Both the solid-state drive and laptop memory can be upgraded with a dual-slot memory.
HP Business 15.6 Touchscreen (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production US)
The HP Business 15.6 touchscreen laptop is one of the best budget laptops in the world. HP is a brand that many music producers and computer users have trusted in general and that I found to be the most reliable and well-built computers for HP.
A 3.6 GHz AMD CPU, 8GB of RAM, 1 TB hard drive, webcam, HDMI, and Radeon R7 graphs are included in the HP Business Laptop. It is a fast laptop lighting that can handle a heavy load of plugins in your favorite DAW.
| Processor | Quad-Core AMD A12 |
| Ram | 8GB DDR4 |
| Storage | 1TB HDD |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 5 Hours |
You have plenty of storage with a 1 TB hard drive for project files and music software. RAM 8GB is enough to run plugins without slowing down your computer. If you have graphics-heavy plugins, the Radeon R7 graphics card should not be a problem either. On Windows 10, the laptop is running.
Of course, the essential feature is the touchscreen, so I rank this laptop so high. With a laptop with a touch screen, your workflow is much more efficient as you have an opportunity to break with a mouse.
The touch screen facilitates faders and knobs in your DAWs and plugins and speeds up mixing and mastering.
One of the main problems with this laptop is that it slows down after many programs and files. This can be corrected by switching out a solid-state drive from the hard drive.
DELL INSPIRON 15 (Best Laptops for Music Production 2022)
Dell may be the biggest name or at least linked to HP. The Dell Inspiron 15 3580 is the business’s latest budget model and can be the best cheap laptop for music production.
It’s a bit bulkier than other laptops for music production at 14.96 x 10.09 x 0.89 inches. But while slimmer and lighter alternatives are available, the Inspiron features are worth the extra pack.
| Processor | Intel 2-Core 4205U |
| Ram | 8GB |
| Storage | 1TB HDD |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 Hours |
Let’s first address the 1TB hard drive. Although it is a large amount of storage for a $429 laptop, this is not a solid-state drive. However, you can upgrade it to an SSD later on.
Second, the 15.6′′ HD display is backlit with LED lights and designed to withstand blindness. A large and clear screen is ideal for viewing your software in your home studio settings to your next gig.
The Inspiron is constructed with four Intel processors to provide a 1,80GHz essential computing speed to keep things fast. Moreover, the 8GB DDR4 RAM can control your music software running without overheating for a long time.
The 3580 has everything you need when you’re ready to plug in the hardware and pump your audio out. This laptop has ports, 3 USB ports, an SD Card Reader, an HDMI port, RJ45, and an audio jack with headphones and microphones.
ASUS VIVOBOOK 15 (Best Laptop for Music Production Under $1000)
In 2022, the Asus VivoBook 15 is in bang for your buck. The VivoBook 15 is only priced at $399 and offers impressive features.
Just look at the screen’s size, which is the same length as Dell Inspiron 15 3580. Furthermore, your virtual studio looks excellent on the NanoEdge four-sided display.
| Processor | Intel i3-1005G1 CPU |
| Ram | 8GB RAM |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 Hours |
The Asus brings power without the price functionally. Your music production program will run like a breeze at a speed of 3.4 GHz and DDR4 SDRAM.
The standard VivoBook 15 features 8GB of memory and Windows 10S, Although it only executes Microsoft Store apps, the device can be turned off in “S” mode.
The VivoBook 15 is exceptionally convenient for transport due to the scale, weight, and revolutionary ErgoLift hinge. The laptop is 14.10 x 9.10 x 0.80 cm long and weighs just 3.75 lbs.
The laptop also offers convenient features such as quick loading and a backlit keyboard.
The speakers on the Asus 15 pack an astonishing bass punch. There are ports to select from when connecting instruments and speakers (USB 3.2 Type C, USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 2.0, and HDMI).
Apple 13″ MacBook Pro (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production)
The MacBook Pro is the start of our review list. This modest model was first launched in 2015 and made for a thin and lightweight 13-inch option, which is light enough and covers all portability boxes. With a dual-core Intel i5 processor in the 7th Generation 2.3 GHz and an SSD, the MacBook Pro can quickly load and run several software suites.
| Processor | 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 |
| Ram | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB SSD |
| Display | 13-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours |
This one comes with just eight ram gigs, which are not spectacular but can be upgraded to 16. We have included this in our public opinion reviews. While we feel that ram is on the lightest side, it is still a decent choice for those who want to digitally penetrate a new concept until it vanishes into the ether. It’s also the best choice for the people who have a studio built and only want to access collaborative ventures, have a look at partnerships or edit away from the office.
It has an excellent 10-hour battery life, which is another advantage for managing the working load. If you are not a heavy sample producer and do not expect to run an orchestral workload, this has the minimum requirements for most common DAWs.
We like the spring butterfly keyboard’s response that works perfectly as a virtual keyboard if you don’t have a remote control or midi-keyboard.
Razer Blade Stealth (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production US)
The Razer blade stealth laptop is another quad-core model on the market and features an impressive 8th-generation i7 Intel processor. It is one of the fastest laptops to be processed in this article.
| Processor | Intel Quad-Core i7-8550U |
| Ram | 16GB RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours |
The touchscreen provides versatility in user-friendly navigation and is perfect for curling on the sofa to finish editing. It is also fit for 16 concerts, making it much more fitting for various shared digital audio workspaces and a beatmaker who produces heavy samples.
It has a storage capacity of 256 GB and is small and highly portable, with a screen size of 13.3. The battery life is about 6 hours.
ASUS ZenBook (Best Laptops for Music Production)
ASUS ZenBook UX331FA again is a versatile windows laptop, and it is highly recommended to music students and DJs because it is an incredibly lightweight computer weighing just £2.5. However, its lightweight architecture is not the only reason it can be listed; there is a lot more. Let’s talk about it in-depth, then.
| Processor | Intel Core i5-8265U Quad-Core 8th Gen |
| Ram | 8GB LPDDR3 RAM |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 13.3-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 10 Hours |
The laptop boasts a 13.3-inch Full HD screen with broad 170-degree viewing angles, making it easy for the screen to see as the guitar or other musical instruments play and records audio. The screen also features an anti-light coating that protects the eyes from strains during prolonged work.
A newly released laptop runs on the current Windows 10 OS and packages powerful hardware to run most DAW and djing applications comfortably. Driven by the 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8265U 1.6 GHz quad-core processor with 6MB cache, it can be thrown in its turbo mode at up to 3.9GHz.
The system storage is handled with a fast and powerful 512GB SSD, which is adequate for most audio needs. The 8GB RAM on this ASUS ZenBook is managed by multitasking and application processing, which serves as an integral feature of any music production laptop. However, it does not have an impressive GPU, but its integrated Intel UHD graphics make it possible to run music production software smoothly.
Connectivity choices must not be limited to any laptop intended for music production. Following the above maxim, the ASUS ZenBook UX331FA contains ample port number to connect all your audio equipment and peripherals. The computer also has a fingerprint sensor that secures all your music and other information generated.
This laptop’s only drawback is that ASUS has soldered all of its components on the motherboard to make it slimmer and lighter for you not to upgrade your RAM or install an extra storage drive in this laptop. But the laptop performed very exceptionally in our tests. Hence, it is recommended to the DJs and musicians searching for a pocket-friendly ultrabook for making music, the ASUS ZenBook UX331FA-AS51 laptop.
Acer Swift 3 (Best Cheap Laptop for Music Production)
Not all passions have to be reduced to prices. Therefore, we studied the market thoroughly and filtered the best cheap laptop for music production in the budget. Acer Swift 3 is one of these budget laptops, costing less but offering more.
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 4700U 2.0GHz Octa-Core |
| Ram | 8GB LPDDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 512GB SSD |
| Display | 14-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 11 Hours |
Driven by the new AMD Ryzen 7 octa-core processor, coupled with an 8GB RAM card, the laptop handles 512GB of SSD-storage, accommodating your media files. There’s no question about the laptop’s output when it comes to music production, but even if you’re trying to play games, Acer Swift 3 won’t mislead you because it comes with powerful integrated AMD Radeon graphics.
The monitor has a 14-inch Full HD display that is bright and dark enough to function in all lighting conditions. It comes with a backlit keyboard for work sessions late at night. Battery life remains one of the most critical features, with the Swift 3 offering a single charge battery life of up to 11 hours.
Talking about the laptop’s multimedia features, it has DTS-powered stereo speakers. It guarantees better sound quality with decent coverage. However, when compared to other devices in the section, the speaker performance is a little low. It still produces distortion-free audio, however, and can easily play high-end FLAC files. The laptop also has all the requisite ports and slots to connect audio, midi, and other audio equipment to your hearing systems.
The Acer Swift 3 is below $600 and still provides anything to meet all of the music producers’ studio requirements. Therefore, it is the best cheap laptop for music production.
Lenovo 320 IdeaPad (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production)
With a 15.6-inch HD display, the Lenovo IdeaPad 320 would be another great laptop for any music creation routine, which is less than $500. Although it looks the same as the previous IdeaPad laptop, this laptop is filled with state-of-the-art updates and enhancements.
| Processor | Powerful 2.7 GHz AMD Quad-Core CPU |
| Ram | 8GB DDR4 RAM |
| Storage | 256GB SSD |
| Display | 15.6-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 Hours |
It consists of a Quad-Core 2.7 GHz AMD A12-9720P Processor of the latest generation and 8GB RAM. It works and runs super fast, as it has 256GB of SSD storage. The storage of Solid State Drive (SSD) is five times faster than traditional HDD storage.
Lenovo provides some of the best and most trustworthy laptops on the market. The Lenovo 320 IdeaPad is a 15.6-inch, medium-saving laptop with an elegant design that can be used for cutting-edge music creation by any visual media maker.
Due to a furious, fast, and powerful CPU with four keys at 2.7 GHz, a great deal of RAM, modern GPU, and a lot of modern SSD Storage (256 GB). You are confident that all music applications, plugins, and apps are loaded with high performance and instantaneous load without any problems.
Samsung Notebook 9 Pro (Best Budget Laptop for Music Production US)
We are going ahead with the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro, a cool smaller laptop with a 2-in-1 look, which can be tucked into tablet mode with an intuitive touch screen. The Notebook 9 Pro features the new “7th Gen Intel i7 Processor”, which allows you to work, build, and almost any multiple-task production calls.
| Processor | Intel Core i7 Titan Platinum |
| Ram | 8 GB |
| Storage | 256 GB |
| Display | 13.3-inch Full HD |
| Battery Life | Up to 8 Hours |
This is why the Notebook 9 Pro is labeled one of the best cheap laptop for music production. It also has a graphics card Radeon 540 that allows graphics to pop off the display – if you ever mix your music digitally.
As we said earlier, the Notebook 9 Pro is available in tablet mode if you ever need a change of pace while also providing an intuitive “S Pen” that improves touchscreen appearance. This can also be helpful if you intend to perform live and want a different flow of work.
The storage capacity is a mighty 256GB, which should be sufficient unless you want to store more important files like movies. You will possibly have to purchase additional storage. In general, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pro is a pretty good music laptop and provides some versatility other than those in this guide.
Laptop for Music Production Buyers Guide
Without being especially technologically inclined, scrolling through computer system specs can be overwhelming and maybe even daunting for others. To make the market navigable, the following might be helpful.
What Laptop Should I Buy For Music Production?
Finding a suitable laptop to produce music ultimately reduces to a few essential factors which digital audio workstation you intend to use and what operating system you prefer.
As you can see, each DAW has its requirements, but often it doesn’t take into account any additionals you might need to run or external plugins. VST instruments can be challenging to operate when they are heavily layered, especially with orchestral suites.
The samples and loops used would also take a lot of space to store and preferably come from a solid-state drive to be opened and accessed much more quickly.
Generally, you can look at approx. 16-32GB of RAM with reasonable clock speeds, some DAWs are working well and use 8GB of RAM as a guideline, and this will be enough for many hobbyists, but you will probably want more for better performance.
Most common DAWs are only running on i5, 2.3 GHz dual-core processors. The processor your laptop has is therefore very critical for its audio production efficiency.
Often DAW itself limits OS options, even though there are a range of software alternatives, such as VM (Virtual Machines), to emulate other OS that could function if you are sufficiently intelligent and have no option.
The device you are using is merely preferable, and while many claim that Mac is the musical mac-daddy, most DAWs can run on most of the operating systems. There are very few technological variations. Macs are just as vulnerable to utter loss of data and hard reset crashes as the other viable alternative. We can also add that after prolonged use, MacBooks will overheat and often need adapters for non-Apple compatible devices.
You have to remember the I/O features you may not need to plug in your mouse or keyboard, but you have to think a lot about what you want to attach to run on your selected DAW. (Some people prefer an add-on of a standard mouse as it is simpler than a mouse pad to use. In this case, you already have a single USB link to start with most of the DAW, which needs an audio interface to record an audio track from an XLR or TRS, which is typically operated by a bus and requires a high-performance, high-speed connection.
There are many models there, all of which are appropriate for their music production standards. We have tried to choose those with audio production capabilities; some of them outshine other models. If you are serious about music production, you are likely to be looking at about the $1200+ mark.
Best Budget Laptop For Music Production?
Unfortunately, in the audio processing environment, the quicker, the better, to prevent crashes or lack of delay in the middle of recordings. In this article, the top laptops for audio production all make for reasonably priced budget choices.
The best value for money will be Alienware and Razor Blade Stealth, both of which are high-end laptops with decent sound processing capacity, superior CPUs, fantastic clock speeds, equal RAM and storage. However, they’re not exactly cheap.
Our list’s cheapest choice is the Lenovo Yoga Book, a tablet but does not run the complete DAW on an Android operating system. It is the right choice if it is cash that matters to younger users and others oddly related to songwriting. There is a good range of applications for simple audio production that have great content. If your budget doesn’t hit the $1000 mark, it might be a perfect base for you.
Which Is Better For Music Production – Laptop or Desktop?
Ultimately, best cheap laptop for music production, mainly as it can be updated and integrated quickly. While much more competent, they have their disadvantages, which means that they have to be built and stay where they are. It’s a worthwhile investment if you wish for a home studio, but we live in a modern world that is always on the move and can take your work with you is as valuable.
If you already have a lab, a laptop for creating music is an essential tool to take these hours of editing with you in a more comfortable setting.
Some great laptops have their smaller footprint and the flexibility of setting up a shop in any case at a time, but genuinely capable individuals with the perfect set of specs will put you back over $25,000.
You need one with a decent number of USB ports (ideally 3.0 or Thunderbolt), fast memory speeds, a great processor, 16+GB of RAM, and proper SSD storage when you invest in your new laptop, which can handle specifically your DAW workloads.
Conclusion
Many excellent laptops are good at running apps for music creation. Seek a budget laptop and never miss RAM, CPU, and a hard disk or solid-state drive.
With a fast, powerful processor, you can work efficiently and save several minutes from waiting just to run your machine. RAM helps you to use more plugins in your DAW and works with your CPU.
If it is not fast enough for your CPU, you will have problems like latency when registering, and if your RAM is not large enough, issues such as your plugins will run slowly or fail. That’s why it is so essential to have a good computer.
That said, don’t forget to look at older computers, particularly Apple ones. They can be just as good as new machines, and if you buy something renovated or used, you can save even more money.
To find out more about the best cheap laptop for music production to help you select the best laptops and desktops on your budget, please check out our articles and guidelines shortly!
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