If you have been out of the loop on creator laptops, where have you been until now? This lovely piece of tech in the computer market has been evolving significantly, and in this blog, we will answer what a creative laptop is and why you must have it if you are a digital creative!
No matter your industry, the right equipment always makes a difference. Creative professionals previously relied on desktop PCs for tasks because laptops tended to overheat or didn’t pack enough bells and whistles to run complex software.
However, the modern laptop has become exceptionally portable and powerful, thanks to its cutting-edge internals and high-quality builds. Not to mention that the RAM and storage space have also been greatly improved. Now, laptop manufacturers are specifically making so-called “content creator laptops” for all the professional designers, YouTubers, and photographers around. So, it’s all about having desktop-like power and features to create things that a regular laptop would struggle with.
What is a Creator Laptop?
As said earlier, a creator laptop is a device designed for those who need to handle heavy-duty content creation activities like video and audio editing, graphic design, 3D rendering, game development and more. The best Creator laptops have several differences compared to traditional laptops and come with some trade-offs.
These machines come equipped with dedicated features geared towards creators. They also include high-quality, colour-accurate displays for precise visual work and often come with innovative functionalities, i.e. pen support for digital artists. However, they might be thicker and bulkier than other laptops due to the power-packed hardware and lower battery life because of heavy workloads.
Why Should You Get a Creator Laptop?
Over the past few years, more and more people have devoted themselves to content creation on a personal and professional level. However, when faced with the demands of high-end creativity tasks, the typical laptop simply cannot tackle everything creators throw at it. Therefore, the category of creator laptop was introduced.
Hence, if you are into content creation, you’ll need a laptop to handle various applications, including photo/video editing, music production, 3D graphics, CG design, game development, and stylised image development. Creative laptops possess robust hardware and boast features that could take your efficiency to new heights.
Here is why you need to choose one:
Performance: The Biggest Selling Point of a Creator Laptop
Creative software is generally intensive and requires your computer to perform at a higher level. If you just use a standard laptop for demanding work, there is always a possibility that your system could crash and become less efficient , and you’ll lose your work. Plus, if your computer is struggling to keep up, you won’t be able to do any work.
That’s why high speed and better performance are the notable characteristics of a creator laptop. The high performance comes from the fast CPU and GPU, so when choosing a new laptop, you need a model with an Intel Core i7 H series CPU and an NVIDIA GTX/RTX 40 series GPU. The H series i7 processor is because it performs 20% better than the U series i7 processor, featuring more processing cores and clock speed, which are important for applications like Adobe Premier Pro. If you’re an animator constantly into rendering, you should go for a higher-end GPU like the Nvidia RTX 4090 Ti. This will give you the punch you need!
Thermal Design: Built to Handle the Grind
The heat management system of a creative laptop is designed this way so there can be no drop in performance, no matter how demanding the software is running. The poor thermal design may result in system throttling, which means low productivity.
When choosing a laptop for creators, consider multiple heat pipes, dual system fans, and multiple air vents with the improved form factor. The more heat pipes used in the thermal system, the more heat could dissipate from the CPU/GPU via dual fans, and the more efficient a laptop becomes.
RAM and Storage: Unleash Creativity Without Lags
Aside from CPU and GPU, RAM and storage are also primary components of a creator laptop’s hardware. Most applications need considerable RAM; choose the creator laptop with at least 16GB. As for storage, pick SSD over HDD, as SSDs are faster and can dramatically reduce the time required to process those file exports. Look for a laptop with a minimum of 512GB SSD. Lastly, ensure your laptop has two M.2 slots for future storage expansion.
Displays: The Key to Precision
Colours are not vitally necessary for everyday computing activities like working on documents, spreadsheets, etc. However, for content creators, colours are something that makes a difference. Luckily, most creator laptops come pre-calibrated to provide the most accurate colours.
Another important factor is the colour gamut, which describes the range of colours within the spectrum of colours that are identifiable by the human eye. When considering colour reproduction, choose a model with a broader colour gamut, such as AdobeRGB 100% or DCI-P3 100%. This gives you more options to customise the colours on the screen.
Regarding display resolution, you should go for a 4K resolution or higher to future-proof your device. With the rising popularity of high-resolution content like 4K or even 5K movies, a higher-resolution Creator laptop ensures compatibility with current and future content standards.
Connectivity: Create without Limitations
When buying a laptop, connectivity is often overlooked; for designers and artists, connectivity can be even more important because, for their projects, they need to have their devices connected with several peripherals and external monitors.
Without enough I/O ports, there will be less efficiency, which will also mean spending extra pounds on cables and other essentials. Therefore, choosing a model with versatile connections such as HDMI 2.0, DP 1.4, RJ-45, or Thunderbolt 4 is advisable. Opt for a laptop with a UHS-II capable SD card reader for photography or high-quality video capture.
Portability: Take Your Workflow on the Go
Despite all the reasons given above, portability or mobility is the bigger selling point of the Creator laptop. A lighter weight makes it easier to carry the laptop around, while a longer battery life reduces the need to look for power outlets or have the power adapter all the time.
Laptops for creatives are made to be portable. You can easily slip your creator laptop into a backpack and work from any location. While not quite as slim and light as some ultraportable traditional laptops, creator machines are power-packed, and many weigh less than 2 kg.
While 2kg may not seem light, for a high-performance laptop that requires more parts or materials to manage the heat from the CPU or GPU, it’s a good bet; similarly, a 7-hour battery life strikes a balance between power and portability, considering that more powerful CPUs and GPUs consume more power.
3 Best Creator Laptops to Get in 2024
To help you decide to buy, we have handpicked the top 3 best laptops suitable for every kind of content creator. Our list includes mobile workstations and portable power stations. However, no Chromebook is included because most video editing applications don’t work on Chrome OS, and these applications need a dedicated GPU.
Below are our recommendations for the best Creator laptops you can buy today.
Apple MacBook Pro (2023) M2 – Best Apple Laptop for Creatives
The MacBook Pro M2 takes the top spot in our list of the best laptops for artists and creative professionals. While they might not be geared toward gaming, Apple laptops are preferred for music production and video editing. The MacBook’s lightweight design, sleek aesthetics, and high-end performance make it an ideal choice for music producers, and the new MacBook Pro 14-inch M2 is no exception.
It is a well-crafted Apple Creator laptop with ample processing power for power-intensive tasks. While its design remains consistent with previous models, it is renowned for its sharper display, spacious keyboard, and elegant touchpad.
The MacBook Pro (2023) is powered by the latest M2 chips configured with 32GB of unified RAM and 512GB of storage; your workflow will be smoother. The MacBook Pro also features a high-output 3.5mm headphone jack for easy-driving headphones. The cooling fans operate quietly, ensuring minimal noise disruptions.
The best part? The high-end graphics chips on MacBook Pro M2 excel in music production and offer great value for editing videos and 3D rendering, thanks to the Liquid Retina XDR display. HDR content appears stunning, with vivid, lifelike details. The laptop has thinner borders than previous models, so you’ll have an immersive viewing experience.
ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo – Best Budget Creator Laptop
Each ASUS Creator laptop supports powerful CPU and graphics, plus a user-friendly keyboard, mouse and display screen to give you everything for your digital endeavours. ASUS ZenBook Pro 14 Duo features two touchscreens, enabling exceptional workflow and multitasking.
The gorgeous 4K OLED main display has incredible colour accuracy and deep blacks, and the secondary ScreenPad Plus provides additional workspace for tools, timelines, and reference materials. It easily handles intensive video editing and 3D rendering because of its top-of-the-line specifications, which include robust Intel Core i9 processors, dedicated Nvidia RTX 30 series graphics, and 32GB of RAM. While the dual-screen design may not be for everyone, the ZenBook Pro 14 Duo OLED is an appealing option for creatives seeking more screen real estate and a smooth workflow.
ASUS creator laptops have a unique feature called ASUS Dial, which is a rotary input mechanism placed next to the touchpad—or built-in one in the case of DialPad—that allows for simple use of creative software capabilities. This capability works with Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Photoshop Lightroom Classic, After Effects, Illustrator, Microsoft 365 programs, entertainment software, and internet browsers.
Furthermore, the colour-accurate 2.8K OLED panel with framerate rates of 120 Hz or greater results in stunning images. These high-quality displays reduce the need for a costly professional monitor to see your work.
MSI Creator Z17 – Best Overall
The MSI Creator Z17 brings you desktop-like power without being so hard on your pocket or decked out in flashy RGB lighting. It has the latest 12th Generation Intel Core i9 processor to handle demanding work. The QHD+ 165hz display with a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut provides excellent image quality and responsiveness for users who value colour accuracy and fluid graphics.
Despite its strength, the MSI Creator laptop Z17 is compact and light, measuring 0.748 inches and featuring a long-lasting 90Whr battery. Overall, MSI Creator Z17 is a compelling choice for creative professionals, which simply means they carry 8K video output capabilities and a sharp touchscreen with powerful, well-cooled internals from one of the best laptop brands for creatives.
Final Remarks
As the name indicates, Creator laptops are creative devices with a unique blend of power, portability, and features tailored to meet the demands of content creation tasks such as video editing, graphic design, 3D rendering, and game development.
We can differentiate these laptops from traditional laptops in terms of dedicated hardware components and innovative functionalities that are designed especially for creative workflows. From powerful CPUs and GPUs to high-resolution displays and plenty of connectivity options, these laptops breeze through intensive creative software.
We have recommended some of the best Creator laptops available in the current market. While many factors play into why you might choose one laptop over another, every machine has its strengths, and you’re bound to love any of them.
Best of Luck!
