When it comes to buying a laptop for music production, you have to look for certain factors like the operating system you are going to use, music production software you are comfortable with and your budget. Though it may be tough to pick the best laptop for music production and recording within your budget, we have hand-picked top 7 best laptops for music production and recording for every budget, which you can consider buying.
Gone are the days when you had to rush towards special recording studios equipped with latest music production gadgets to compose or produce a song. Thanks to the modern technology as anyone can now compose music sitting in their homes using one of the best laptops for music production. All you need to do is to buy a laptop that has all required specifications and fits your budget.
A competent laptop can perform multiple tasks, and their easy accessibility in the market makes them more preferable than a computer. Production of music using a laptop requires heavy applications for editing and composition and, a best music production laptop is capable of running such applications.
To help you narrow down your search, we have short-listed top 7 best laptops for music production in 2017 and things to consider while buying the best laptop to produce music. However, the final choice will be yours depending upon the specification charts mentioned below.
Contents
- Things to Consider While Buying the Best Laptop for Music Production:
- Processor
- RAM
- Hard-drive
- Operating System
- Other Suggestions
- Our Pick of Top 7 Best Laptops for Music Production
- 1. Acer Swift 7
- 2. ASUS ROG
- 3. MSI GP62MVR Leopard Pro-406
- 4. Razer Blade Stealth
- 5. Asus Zenbook 3
- 6. MSI GT72 Dominator Pro-448
- 7. Apple MacBook Pro
- The Pro Review from TechReviewPro
Things to Consider While Buying the Best Laptop for Music Production:
There are few things you must take care of while purchasing a laptop for music production and composition:
Processor
Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a crucial component of a computer. The processor will control all of the editing, production, and compositions. The faster processor will help you take care of heavy production software and can control many plug-ins at a time. Intel’s i7 processors are considered fastest processors these days.
RAM
RAM size also plays a significant role in the performance of a computer. The more RAM you have, the better performance your laptop will exhibit. It is recommended to pick a laptop having at least 8GB of RAM to cope up with modern-day software and vast music production libraries. But luckily, most of the laptops come with an extra RAM slot. Thereupon, if you are on a tighter budget, you can buy a laptop with relatively lesser RAM size and upgrade it later.
Hard-drive
Hard-drives are responsible for fast writing speed and performance. Though the purchase of a laptop with larger hard-drive capacity is not necessary as external hard drives and USBs can take care of additional data quickly, yet the bigger hard-drives are better to use heavy programs on the computer.
The real difference comes regarding hard-drive types. Nowadays, SSD has taken the place of traditional HDD hard-drive because of its speed and fast data transfer rate. Therefore, it is recommended to look for a laptop that offers an SSD hard-drive. Also keeping in mind that SSD hard drives are pretty expensive and they offer less space than a traditional hard disk.
Operating System
The choice of an operating system is entirely up to you. Fewer people prefer Mac OS X over Windows laptop while the majority of them opt for a laptop with Windows OS in it. If you are looking for a relatively simpler operating system and price is not your primary concern, then you should go for Mac OS. In contrast, if you want a fully customizable system to satisfy your needs and you find it difficult to operate Mac OS, then Windows OS laptop is the answer for you. There are other OS options available in the market too including Chrome OS and Linux OS. It all depends on your interest which one you choose.
Other Suggestions
Since you will be doing a lot of production work involving editing, merging, mixing and modifying, therefore, you need a good screen size to handle all this at one place. A 15-inches laptop is the least you should be looking for, and a 17-inches laptop is even better.
Some people prefer a backlit keyboard as they have to work in the dark mostly and others are not concerned about it. It all depends on your interest.
Battery life is another important aspect you must consider while buying a laptop for music production. If you move around very often, then you need a laptop with more battery life. If you work at home, then you can keep your laptop plugged in, and battery life does not matter much.
Lastly, you should also look for the USB ports while buying your favorite machine. USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt ports have taken the place of old USB ports. They are known for their extremely fast data transfer rate.
Our Pick of Top 7 Best Laptops for Music Production
1. Acer Swift 7
- 7th Generation Intel Core i5-7Y54 Processor 1.2GHz (Up to 3.2GHz)
- 13.3" Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen IPS CineCrystal LED-backlit Display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
- 8GB LPDDR3 Memory, 256GB SSD
- Windows 10 Home
- Up to 9-hours Battery Life
Slim & Handy, Long Battery Life, Low Price
The company claims Acer Swift 7 to be world’s thinnest laptop. With 13.3-inches screen size, this laptop has an FHD IPS display for a better working experience.
Acer Swift 7 comes with Windows 10 Home pre-installed in it. This ultra lightweight laptop has an enhanced scratch resistance Gorilla Glass 4 display for more durability and life.
Processor
It has a 7th Generation Intel Core i5 1.2GHz Processor for an incredibly fast speed. The processor can boost up to 3.2GHz to take care of extra load.
RAM
8GB of RAM has been chipped in this system.
Hard-drive
For faster writing and data sharing speed, 256GB of SSD hard-drive has been installed in it.
Another feature which needs some mentioning is the battery life of Swift 7 which is more than 9 hours. You can take your laptop wherever you want without worrying about charging it.
The company has also provided two USB 3.1 Type-C ports in this laptop to ensure the fast data transfer rate and device charging. Acer Swift 7 also has a wide precision touchpad to provide you more space to move the cursor around, and the scrolling and clicking capabilities have also been improved. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Screen Size | 13.3 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 8 GB LPDDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics 615 |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 2.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 12.8 x 9 x 0.4 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 9 hours |
Price: $900 on Amazon.com
Click here to buy this laptop for music production!
2. ASUS ROG
- 7th-generation Intel Core i7 quad-core processor and with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB graphics
- 17-inch panel with wide 178° viewing angles and Windows 10 pre-installed
- 1TB 7200RPM HDD for fast performance and large storage space
- Aura RGB-backlit scissor-switch keys offering 2.5mm of travel distance for tactile keystrokes; 4 zones of lighting control
- 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi for superior bandwidth and stability; Bluetooth 4.0, USB Type-C Gen 2, Up to 5 hours battery life.Storage:"256GB SATA3 SSD 1TB (5400 RPM)"
Powerful GPU, Wide Viewing Angle, Aura RGB-backlit Keys
Whether you are a hardcore music producer or love playing games in your spare time, ROG Strix GL553 can take care of both hobbies with ease.
Having 15.6-inches of screen size, ROG STRIX GL553 has been given a new look by the company in 2017, and the keyboard style has been entirely modified. ROG Strix GL553 comes with Windows 10 Home pre-installed. It can prove to be the best machine for Windows operating system lovers.
Processor
It features the 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and GTX 1050 graphics for powerful performance and flawless production experience.
RAM
It has a large RAM size of 16GB. With this laptop in your lap, you do not have to worry about the processing speed of applications.
Hard-drive
The laptop is shipped with 1TB of HDD for fast performance and large storage capacity.
The plus point of this laptop is its wide 178 degrees viewing angles. You can not witness any color shift while you are viewing it from extreme positions. Moreover, the ROG Strix GL553 comes with an Aura RGB keyboard fitted into it which is a rare feature in laptops. It is rigged with 4-zone customizable lighting to enhance your music production experience. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 2.8GHz |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Hard Drive | 1TB |
| Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 5.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 10 x 15.1 x 0.8 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 5 hours |
Price: $1018 on Amazon.com
Click to Buy this laptop for music production!
3. MSI GP62MVR Leopard Pro-406
- Display: 15.6" Full HD | eDP Vivid Color 1920x1080 | Operating System: Windows 10.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8-3.8GHz).
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA's GTX 1060 3G GDDR5.
- RAM: 16GB (16GB x1) DDR4 2400MHz | Hard Drive: 256GB M.2 SATA.
- Special features: Cooler Boost 4 | Steel Series White Backlight Keyboard | Nahimic 2 Virtual Surround Sound., Maximum Memory Capacity: 64GB
7th Generation Processor, VR Ready, Enhanced Cooling, True Color Technology
Having the screen size of 15.6-inches, the Leopard Pro-406 will look familiar to those who have used MSI’s laptops before, since the design is similar to its predecessors. It comes with the latest Windows 10 pre-installed in it.
Processor
For a flawless and ultra-fast music production experience, it features an Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz processor which boosts up to 3.8GHz when the workload is too much.
RAM
The RAM fitted by the company in this model is 16GB.
Hard-drive
This particular model comes with the 256GB of SSD hard-drive. Solid State Drive is best for writing the data speedily. For additional storage capacity, you can look for an external hard-drive or a USB drive.
Overall, this laptop can be the first preference of MSI brand lovers because they know the quality of these machines. The only thing that can make them think twice before buying it is the price tag. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR4 |
| Hard Drive | 1024 GB Hybrid Drive |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Nvidia |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 6.5 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 15.3 x 10.5 x 1.6 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 5-6 hours |
Price: $1200 on Amazon.com
Buy this laptop for music production!
4. Razer Blade Stealth
- Razer Blade Stealth - 12.5" 4k UHD Display (16GB/512 GB SSD)
- Incredibly thin 0.52" CNC aluminum chassis
- 12.5" 4k UHD Touch Display with 3840 x 2160 resolution
- Intel Core i7-7500U - 2.7GHz/3.5GHz (Base/Turbo)
- Razer Chroma Keyboard with 16.8 million color options
The Ultimate UltraBook, 4k Display, Touchscreen
The incredibly thin Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook has a CNC aluminum chassis which encapsulates the most visually stunning 4k ultra high-resolution display.
It offers deep color saturation with the 352 PPI display along with wide viewing angles of up to 170 degrees. Whether you want to produce music or edit a song, the laptop is designed for amazing visual clarity and blazingly fast performance.
The company ships this laptop with Windows 10 OS. However, you can switch the operating system to your liking.
Processor
It has an Intel Core i7-7500U 2.7GHz processor that has a turbo boost up to 3.5GHz.
RAM
It is equipped with 16GB of RAM which is good enough to handle all the music production software at once.
Hard-drive
Having incredibly thin (0.52-inches) aluminum chassis, the Razer Blade Stealth offers a 512GB of flash memory which can help you process your files in seconds.
For easy and fast data sharing, the Blade Stealth features a Thunderbolt 3 port. The Razer Blade Stealth makes it easy for you to connect all of your devices with a single cable. With the ability to connect production peripherals to Razer Blade’s additional ports, you can quickly revolutionize your laptop into a full music production studio. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Screen Size | 12.5 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 3840×2160 pixels |
| Processor | 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Hard Drive | 512GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 2.8 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.52 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 7 hours |
Price: $1450 on Amazon.com
Buy this laptop for music production!
5. Asus Zenbook 3
Ultra-Thin, Ultra-Light, Latest & Speedy Processor
An ultra-portable notebook computer ASUS ZenBook 3 features an attractive and catchy Royal Blue design, slim and ultra-light construction, and a bright and sharp non-touch IPS display.
At 12.5-Inches, it has a superb trackpad which is gigantic and responsive, and that is what you do not expect in such an incredibly thin device.
To match the latest technology, the company is shipping Asus Zenbook 3 with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro operating system.
Processor
It is powered by the blazing-fast Intel seventh-generation 2.7GHz Core i7 processor, which offers an impressive power and performance, including Ultra HD 4K video manipulation and playback.
RAM
ZenBook 3 is equipped with a 16GB of system memory.
Hard-drive
An incredibly speedy and ultra-modern 512GB PCIe and NVMe-based solid state drive have been shipped with this model.
Besides, its astonishingly thin frame also has a single USB Type-C connectivity port. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 Pro |
| Screen Size | 12.5 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM |
| Hard Drive | 512GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | Intel HD Graphics |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 2.1 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 7.5 x 11.7 x 0.5 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 9 hours |
Price: $1499 on Amazon.com
Buy this laptop for music production!
6. MSI GT72 Dominator Pro-448
- Display: 17.3" 120Hz 5ms Full HD | Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 1920x1080 | Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i7-7700HQ (2.8-3.8GHz)
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA's GTX 1070 8G GDDR5. Use both wired and wireless networking with Killer DoubleShot Pro
- RAM: 16GB (8GB x2) DDR4 2400MHz | Hard Drive: 256GB M.2 Sata + 1TB 7200rpm
- Special features: Cooler Boost 4 | Steel Series Full-Color Backlight Keyboard | True Color Technology | Nahimic 2 Virtual Surround Sound | Killer DoubleShot Pro
7th Generation Processor, RGB Keyboard, Enhanced Cooling, True Color Technology
MSI GT72 Dominator Pro-448 is another good pick in MSI’s latest series. It comes with Windows 10 pre-installed in it.
Processor
It comes with the 7th generation Intel Core i7 2.8Ghz processor which boosts up to 3.8GHz. The 7th generation Intel Core H series delivers much faster performance over previous generations.
RAM
A 16GB of RAM has been installed in this model to handle heavy software and programs with ease.
Hard-drive
This model like all other latest models comes with 256GB of SSD hard-drive which offers better and speedy performance.
Other features of MSI GT72 Dominator Pro-448 include Cooler Boost 4, True Color Technology, Color Backlight Keyboard and Nahimic 2 Virtual Surround Sound.
Conclusively, if this laptop fits the budget of people who have already used an MSI laptop, they will surely pick this model as well. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Screen Size | 15.6 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Processor | 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 16GB |
| Hard Drive | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA’s GTX 1060 3G GDDR5 |
| Card Description | Dedicated |
| Wireless Type | 802.11 A/C |
| Item Weight | 9.6 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium ion battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 4-5 hours |
Price: $1599 on Amazon.com
Buy this laptop for music production!
7. Apple MacBook Pro
- 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
- Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
- 512GB Pie-based SSD
- 16GB 2133MHz Memory
- Radeon Pro 455 with 2GB memory
If you are an Apple fan, then this new MacBook Pro 2017 with touch bar is something you must consider buying!
Apple never disappoints its customers regarding quality and performance. The only thing that can bother being an Apple customer is their high prices. This year’s products are even more expensive than the previous year’s products.
MacBook Pro 2017 comes with Mac OS Sierra pre-installed in it. Sierra is known as one of the most user-friendly operating systems in the market.
Processor
It has a 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor to take your music production experience to the next level. The processor can be further boosted up to 3.5GHz.
RAM
It comes with a 16GB of RAM.
Hard-drive
512GB of SSD hard-drive has been installed in this model. There is another model in the market with 256GB of SSD hard-drive which can save you up to $400. You can pick any of them!
Besides that, it has four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports for blazing fast data transferring and a backlit keyboard for those who prefer to work in the dark. See all specs and features.
| Operating System | Mac OS Sierra |
| Screen Size | 15.4 inches |
| Max Screen Resolution | 2880 x 1800 pixels |
| Processor | 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR3 |
| Hard Drive | 256GB SSD |
| Graphics Coprocessor | AMD Radeon Pro 450 GPU (2GB GDDR5) |
| Card Description | Integrated |
| Item Weight | 4 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 9.5 x 13.8 x 0.6 inches |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery |
| Average Battery Life (in hours) | 10 hours |
Price: $2200 on Amazon.com
Click to buy this laptop for music production!
The Pro Review from TechReviewPro
So here you go! That was a collective guide of top 7 best laptops for music production and composition in 2017. Although there are tons of other laptop models available in the market, you can not risk your money without knowing the right specifications and hardware of a laptop and whether a particular model will address your needs entirely or not.
Thus, check out and grab one from the above list of best laptops for music production and you will not be disappointed at all.
Happy Buying!
