Acer ConceptD 7 review | Creative Bloq
Our Verdict
While the Acer ConceptD 7 is a pricey investment, we think it’s one of the best laptops for 3D work in particular, retaining high performance without costing the earth.
For
- Good value
- Impressive specs
Against
- Design not for everyone
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
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The Acer ConceptD 7 is part of Acer’s series of laptops and desktop aimed at designers and creatives. It’s a 15.6-inch laptop with a 4K screen that has lovely thin bezels around the side.
But how good is it overall? Is it as good as some of the best laptops for graphic design? We tested it to find out.
Acer ConceptD 7 key specs
– 15-inch 4K colour-accurate display
– Intel Core i7-9750H (six cores)
– Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 Max-Q
– 32GB RAM
– 1TB SSD
Acer ConceptD 7: Specs and ports
- Acer ConceptD 7 (15.
6-inch Black) at Amazon for £1,864.33
Inside it’s fitted with an Intel Core i7-9750H, GeForce RTX 2080 Max-Q with 32GB of memory and a 1TB PCIe SSD. It’s a great laptop specification. The Intel Core i7-9750H is a six-core processor, running at 2.6GHz with a 4.5GHz Turbo Frequency.
The RTX 2080 Max-Q in the ConceptD has 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM and a 735 MHz clock speed, a big step down from the 1,515 MHz clock of a desktop RTX 2080, even though it still has the same 2,944 shaders, 46 ray tracing cores and 368 Tensor Cores.
It’s also well equipped with ports. Unlike a certain fruity company, Acer has sensibly stuck with three traditional USB-A ports, squeezed in a proper Ethernet port, and still offers Thunderbolt connectivity over its USB-C port. HDMI and DisplayPort outputs give you display output options too.
Do you like the look of it? (Image credit: Acer)
The looks might divide opinion though. While the ConceptD 7 is encased in a solid metal chassis, which feels good to use with a comfortably sized trackpad and keyboard, we found it a tad on the ugly side.
Acer has contrasted the white chassis with a bright yellow/orange backlit keyboard, but aside from the two angled corners there are few other interesting design features of note.
More noticeable is the large space directly under the display which makes the screen look as if it’s been squashed upwards. Even though other laptops have the same area under their display, it looks worse on the ConceptD 7 because of the white casing.
The ConceptD 7 has a colour-accurate screen that looks a lot better than most desktop displays, presenting 100% AdobeRGB colour coverage that simply looks fantastic. A colour-accurate display is an oft-overlooked component of a design rig, so its inclusion on the ConceptD is definitely a worthy addition.
Acer ConceptD 7: Should I buy it?
This isn’t the only option from Acer, of course. Acer’s ConceptD range also includes a (black) ConceptD 9 Pro, a higher spec 17-inch RTX Studio laptop that swaps the GeForce for a Quadro RTX 5000, the Core i7 for a Core i9 and raises the maximum SSD storage to 2TB.
And at the other end of the scale there’s a ConceptD 7 with an RTX 2060, smaller 512GB SSD and just 16GB of memory for £2,299.
While the ConceptD 7 is still a pricey investment, we think it’s one of the best laptops for 3D work in particular, retaining high performance without stepping over the £3,000 line.
Read more: Razer Blade 15 Advanced Model review
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10
out of 10
Acer ConceptD 7
While the Acer ConceptD 7 is a pricey investment, we think it’s one of the best laptops for 3D work in particular, retaining high performance without costing the earth.
A veteran from the days of the 8-bit ZX Spectrum, Orestis is always interested in the fastest, slickest way to make computers do new and exciting things.
Dell XPS 13 review (9310)
Our Verdict
Thin and compact it may be, but the Dell XPS 13 9310 is proving itself a worthy addition to its line and a capable laptop for creative workflows… as long as you’re not doing anything too complex.
For
- Extremely portable
- Great performance
- Excellent keyboard, trackpad and fingerprint reader
- Bright and beautiful touch screen
Against
- Runs hot during intensive tasks
- Lacking in ports
Why you can trust Creative Bloq
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
It can feel, sometimes, like the new Dell XPS 13 9310 is defying the rules of science.
While this Ultrabook is small, thin and gorgeous enough to be easily overlooked by those who need something robust and powerful, it’s a lot more capable than it seems. It’s capable enough, in fact, to see you through some of your photo editing and 4K video editing tasks while you’re on the go – or at least its higher-end configurations are.
Not that we’re taking a dig at its size and design, of course. We appreciate that the Dell XPS 13 9310 is portable and compact enough to be extremely travel-friendly, and stunning enough with that signature woven look to show off to clients, colleagues, and even strangers at a cafe. At the same time, this is also a classic example of how you mustn’t judge a book by its cover.
Portable, attractive, and most importantly, powerful enough to handle creative workloads, the Dell XPS 13 9310 is a necessary addition to your content creation arsenal, especially if you need one that you can effortlessly slide into your backpack or travel bag before boarding a flight.
In fact, we rate the Dell XPS 13 so much, it holds a firm spot in our pick of the best laptops for graphic designers.
- Dell XPS 13 (9310) (13.4-inch 8GB RAM) at Amazon for £1,103.72
Dell XPS 13 review: Price
Even today, we still have to pay a premium for portability, and that’s certainly the case here – though that isn’t going to be a surprise if you’re already familiar with Dell’s flagship prosumer line.
The Dell XPS 13 9310 starts off at £898/$999, which gives you an 11th-gen i3, Intel Xe graphics, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage, alongside a 1080p non-touch display. That’s pretty pricey for a configuration that you won’t likely enjoy editing images or video with, as it will certainly eat up a chunk of your workday just exporting them.
The higher you go up the configuration ladder, however, the more this portable Ultrabook is worth your money. It keeps relatively the same weight while giving you more power and, therefore, a better performance that’s more suitable for creative workloads.
The configuration we tested here, which boasts an i7 processor, 16GB memory, and 512GB storage while keeping the same integrated graphics, is a whopping $1,619/£1,549.
For around the same price, if only slightly higher, its direct competitor, the MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 will give you a much more robust chip touting an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU alongside the same amount of memory and storage. There’s also the MacBook Air M1, which will set you back a couple of hundred quid/bucks less than the Pro for pretty much the same specs. Though both options do mean you’ll be switching over to the macOS ecosystem if you’re a Windows OS user.
If, on the other hand, you’d like to stick to a more affordable Windows option, the Acer ZenBook 13 is among the best value 13-inch laptops out there, setting you back several hundred dollars less than the Dell XPS 13 9310 and both MacBooks for a similar configuration.
Dell XPS 13 review: Power and performance
The Dell XPS 13 9310’s lower configurations are unlikely to handle graphically-demanding tasks smoothly.
However, this higher specced one does a decent job, even though it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card. The 11th-generation Intel Core i7 and 16GB of memory do help, allowing it to do a decent job of tackling Lightroom and Premiere Pro tasks.
During testing, it’s able to handle batch processing and exporting of high-resolution images, as well as 4k video rendering admirably. Realistically, this laptop is never going to be as snappy as a notebook or desktop PC with a discrete graphics card – first, because it simply physically cannot deliver that much speed or power, and second, because it doesn’t have enough space in its thin chassis for better airflow, which means its components can potentially throttle due to heat. And, it definitely gets pretty hot when performing intensive tasks.
(Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
Still, the Dell XPS 13 9310 is able to handle such creative workloads, albeit slower and perhaps not as smooth and elegant as say a MacBook Pro 14-inch.
It takes about 28 to 30 seconds to import 55 high-resolution RAW images in Lightroom, and more than 3 minutes and 30 seconds to export all of them in JPEG at 7952 x 4472 resolution with minimal editing and 15 seconds to export them in RAW. That’s while Google Chrome is streaming content. Without media streaming, it cut that down to about 3 minutes and 15 seconds.
Meanwhile, it took about 18 minutes to transcode a 10-minute 4K video to 1080p in Handbrake and about 7 minutes and 41 seconds to render and export a 10-minute-34-second 4K video in Premiere Pro.
For a laptop that wasn’t really designed for graphics-intensive processes, the Dell XPS 13 9310 surprisingly holds its own
That isn’t exactly fast, but it hasn’t done a bad job, either. Giving credit where it’s due, for a laptop that wasn’t really designed for such graphics-intensive processes, the Dell XPS 13 9310 surprisingly holds its own. We’ve also seen this run 20 Google Chrome tabs – three of which were streaming 4K content – without stuttering or showing signs of slowing down.
And, as long as you’re not hoping to do 3D design or 8K video editing on it – or hoping to use it as your primary computer, for that matter – it’ll definitely meet your expectations in terms of performance.
This laptop is more for seeing you through your productivity and creative needs when you’re away from home or commuting to and from work. This is a joy to travel with and work on when on the go, thanks to its blissfully thin and light form factor.
We only wish that the battery life is better. Dell promises up to 8 hours and 12 minutes of battery life on this 4K model (and up to 14 hours on the FHD+ one). However, it falls a bit short of that, mustering a 7-hour-and-41-minute’s worth of power on the PCMark 10 Battery Life. Best not to leave that charger at home. Luckily, the charger itself is just as compact as well.
Dell XPS 13 review: Display
While the Dell XPS 13 9310 comes with a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display and a 3456×2160 OLED touch one, the 13.4-inch UHD+ (3840 x 2400) InfinityEdge touch display on our review unit might just be the sweet spot.
It boasts a glorious 600-nit peak brightness, making it much brighter than most laptop displays out there, 100% sRGB and 90% DCI P3 color gamut, VESA certified DisplayHDR 400, and Dolby Vision.
That’s more than enough to get you by when tackling your creative workloads and consuming media at the end of the day. The HDR is well-executed, even if it’s only HDR 400, as you can really see the difference in dynamic range when watching content, especially those with Dolby Vision support. Video editors might find the 90% DCI P3 coverage a bit lacking, but then again, this laptop is never meant to be their main tool anyway.
The Dell XPS 13 boasts a glorious 600-nit peak brightness, making it much brighter than most laptop displays out there (Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
This display is not only stunning to look at; it’s also got more screen real estate thanks to those impossibly-thin bezels. Having upgraded for the 2019 display, the line now has a 16:10 display that’s 6.8% larger while keeping the laptop’s form factor as compact as ever.
It’s not necessarily the most ideal aspect ratio for streaming content. However, it certainly lends itself well to creative and productivity workflows.
Dell XPS 13 review: Features
Of course, no media consumption is complete without speakers. On that, the Dell XPS 13 9310 has a set of great ones. The two 2.5W speakers built into this small and thin laptop might not be much next to a proper set of external stereo speakers, but the sound they produce is detailed and clear with decent soundstage and plenty of volume – more than enough for you to clearly hear dialogue from across the room.
While we’re on the subject of peripherals, you will appreciate the premium keyboard and trackpad on the Dell XPS 13 9310. The keyboard itself is a pleasure to use, comfortable and satisfying while also fast and accurate and with decently-sized keys. Meanwhile, the trackpad feels luxurious to touch while also incredibly reliable. You’ll be glad to know that even if you don’t pack your keyboard and mouse, you won’t miss them thanks to this keyboard and touchpad combo.
The Dell XPS 13 trackpad feels luxurious to touch (Image credit: Michelle Rae Uy)
We only wish that the webcam offers a resolution higher than 720p. A 1080p resolution at this point, especially with everybody now relying on video calls, feels necessary. However, it’s still a great webcam, delivering crisp and clean video quality with minimal noise even in low light situations, face tracking, and an HDR feature you can toggle on.
The only thing that might disappoint creative professionals and hobbyists here is the measly number of ports. There are only two Thunderbolt 4 ports here, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a microSD card slot. To make up for that, somewhat, Dell has included a USB adapter. However, it doesn’t really add another port; it just gives you another type on hand.
Dell XPS 13 review: Should I buy it?
The Dell XPS 13 9310 is a premium notebook worthy of its steep price tag. But, whether or not you should invest in it depends on what you need a laptop for.
This Ultrabook is a surprisingly powerful one, capable of handling even the more intensive 4K video rendering, albeit at a slower, less snappier pace. This means that it’s more than enough for less graphically-demanding creative workflows – as well as your everyday productivity tasks and media consumption.
That combined with the fact that it’s completely travel-friendly and comes with all the right, top-notch features that render being tethered to a desk bedecked with peripherals unnecessary make the Dell XPS 13 9310 just as great of a tool for creative professionals as it is for users whose computing needs aren’t as demanding.
But, rather than serving as the main machine for all your editing and graphic design needs, it’s best for less intensive and on-the-fly workflows when on the go.
Read more:
- The best Dell monitors available now
Dell XPS 13 (9310): Price Comparison
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9
out of 10
Dell XPS 13 (9310)
Thin and compact it may be, but the Dell XPS 13 9310 is proving itself a worthy addition to its line and a capable laptop for creative workflows… as long as you’re not doing anything too complex.
Los Angeles-based Michelle is a writer and photographer. She regularly writes for TechRadar, Steve’s Digicams and Techlicious, and is currently a freelance SEO and Production editor for TechRadar.
TOP 5 best laptops for designers
How to choose a laptop
for a designer? Is it possible to find a good budget option or should I immediately look after a Mac?
Can you just buy a gaming laptop and use it for design? Answers to these and others
questions can be found in this article.
The easy way to choose a laptop
You don’t have to be a computer expert to find the right laptop for your design and creativity.
computer hardware. There are more
an easy way – you can choose one of the NVIDIA Studio certified models.
A similar sticker on a laptop indicates that the model has been certified by NVIDIA Studio and meets
high
requirements of professional designers and artists.
NVIDIA Studio laptops can handle the toughest graphics tasks. In addition to productive
RTX video cards, they
equipped with calibrated displays with a high 97-99% coverage of sRGB, Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 standards.
Studio notebooks use the latest generation of processors from Intel – Core i5, i7
and i9or from
AMD – Ryzen 5, 7 and 9. They have from 16 GB of dual-channel RAM and are equipped with fast SSDs
at least 512
GB.
In Studio laptops, everything is subordinated to comfortable work: a minimum of distracting backlighting, discreet and beautiful
external
appearance, high-quality materials of the case.
Display
You can choose a laptop according to the diagonal of the display:
- 13-14 inches – mobile options for those who often use a laptop on the road;
- 15.6-17.3 – the golden mean, as they are quite comfortable at work at the table and in
road; - over 17.3 are rare and are suitable as a full replacement for a stationary
computer due to the large weight and dimensions.
Display resolution
The minimum display resolution today is 1280×800, the default is 1920×1080, and anything above
– already depends on the user’s requirements for a laptop. The larger the diagonal of the display, the
a good resolution is more important so that the picture is not pixelated.
Matrix
Even a productive laptop for a designer will be practically useless without a good matrix
– unless you use it with a connected monitor. The main types of matrices today
day:
- IPS/IPS Retina;
- WVA/SVA;
- TN.
The most budget option is TN. It has a fast response, but distorts the color reproduction. IPS
provides high-quality color reproduction, but is more expensive. Also on sale were laptops with
OLED displays with excellent color reproduction and contrast, but so far they are rare.
Type of surface
Another eternal question – matte or glossy? Touch screen laptops
can only be glossy. The glossy screen has its own significant plus: bright, but
natural colors. But the minus is very noticeable: in the sun or by the window, such a screen will be very
glare, nullifying this advantage.
Matte screens can be slightly muted, but they behave better in the sun, maintaining
contrast and colors. However, if the screen is not touch, choose between matte and glossy
stands at will and the conditions in which the laptop will most often be used.
When choosing, you should also take into account the technical characteristics: brightness of at least 300 nits, contrast
from 1000:1, color gamut of at least 50% in AdobeRGB and at least 70% in sRGB.
Dimensions
compact for almost daily wear, travel and road presentations.
At
If necessary, you can connect an additional monitor to your laptop and comfortably do your work
on a large display.
Video card
The video card is a key component that determines the performance and comfort of working with
graphics.
Playing videos and viewing 3D models, rendering and even banal scaling of photos,
it all falls
on the shoulders of the GPU. Moreover, the higher the resolution, the greater the load on the GPU. Extremely
It is important to
the video card coped with the tasks at the right resolutions.
Notebooks with integrated graphics often slow down even when processing photos,
so for design
they don’t fit. High performance and comfort can only be provided by laptops with a full
discrete
video card.
A modern card should accelerate artificial intelligence tools and
ray tracing,
which will save you time when editing and rendering. GeForce RTX graphics cards can do both
other.
Choose a graphics card based on your needs:
- Entry-level solutions with the GeForce RTX 3050 and 3050 Ti are enough for 2D design, photo processing and
video editing in
resolution up to 4K. - Medium 3D projects and 6K video will require higher performance models with
GeForce RTX
3060, RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti. - Large 3D, CAD and 8K video projects require laptops and PCs based on high performance
video cards with large
video memory: GeForce RTX 3080, RTX 3080 Ti and NVIDIA RTX A5000.
Processor
Processing large amounts of data requires a fast and powerful processor.
Which to choose?
- Intel Core i3 and AMD Ryzen 3 for less demanding work such as web design or
simple photo processing; - Intel Core i5 and AMD Ryzen 5 are quite productive and popular among designers;
- Intel Core i7 and AMD Ryzen 7 can handle 3D graphics, interior design and more
demanding tasks; - Intel Core i9 and AMD Ryzen 9 are suitable for the most demanding programs and tasks, including 3D,
video editing and processing, game development.
RAM
multitasking mode. Programs for creating and editing graphics use a large
the amount of RAM (RAM or RAM), especially when working with 3D and video.
- 8 GB – minimum for web design, work in Photoshop and other editors;
- 16 GB allows you to lay a performance margin if you buy a laptop for several
years; - 32 GB – this volume is enough not only to work with graphics, but also video processing,
installation, creation of 3D objects.
If possible, it is better to buy a laptop with a performance margin. Alternative – choose
upgradeable model. Some manufacturers leave a few free slots for
memory sticks. If all the slots in the selected laptop are already occupied, you can increase the volume over time
RAM, replacing the strips with new ones.
Drive
For fast loading and performance, you need a fast SSD with a capacity of 512 GB or more. But for big projects
this is not enough, and more capacious SSDs will significantly increase the cost of the laptop. HDD is slower
it costs less. As a compromise, you can buy a laptop with a 256 GB SSD and a HDD of 1
TB: the first will be responsible for the speed of work, the second – for data storage.
Or purchase and install an HDD separately if there is a free slot.
Other characteristics
When choosing, you should also pay attention to other characteristics.
For example, MacBooks offer impressive performance, battery life and
ease of use, but are equipped with a minimum set of ports and are quite expensive. Someone’s everything
suits, someone prefers a laptop with the maximum number of available connectors of different
type.
Noise levels and a good cooling system are linked, because the greater the load
– the more noisy the cooling will work, especially when rendering video and other
resource intensive processes.
Weight matters if the laptop is to be carried around frequently. Backlight, design and color of the laptop
not so important, but the presence of a stylus for the touch screen can be useful.
Best laptops for designers
In most cases, a regular gaming laptop will be fine as a design laptop, but we decided
pick up already
ready-made options in different price categories.
(Choose 5 laptops suitable for designers from the range of the site. Describe each model:
short description,
processor, video card, monitor, RAM, internal memory, interfaces, additional
features.)
1. Apple’s best designer laptop – Apple MacBook Air Retina M1
Apple’s thin and light laptop boasts not only a stylish design, but also high performance for such a compact body.
Processor
Apple’s new laptop features a powerful eight-core proprietary M1 chip in a compact and lightweight design. The performance of the processor made it possible to speed up the laptop by 3.5 times, and the graphics performance increased by 5 times. The absence of fans and an energy-efficient chip ensure longer runtimes.
Video card
There is no discrete graphics card here, but the integrated graphics core and Neural Engine machine learning technology allow the processor to efficiently process graphics, video, and even play games – however, this is still a gaming laptop.
Display
The 13-inch 2560×1600 Retina display delivers accurate colors and is suitable for graphics work, while its portability and battery life make it a great choice for those who frequently take their laptop to presentations or work away from a power outlet. Display brightness – 400 nits, support for P3 color gamut and True Tone technology is comfortable for work and play.
RAM
The reviewed version has 8 GB of memory, also available in a 16 GB configuration.
Accumulator
A fast 256 GB SSD is enough for projects, but if you want, you can choose a MacBook model with more storage – 512 GB, 1 or 2 TB.
Interfaces
The laptop received 2 Thunderbolt and 3.5 mm connectors. An adapter is required to connect other devices. There is support for DusplayPort and USB 3.1.
Additional features
The Apple MacBook Air Retina M1 comes with a backlit Magic Keyboard and Force Touch trackpad. Touch ID is responsible for data security.
2. Best value for money laptop: –
Asus TUF Gaming F15
Powerful laptop for those who want high performance and the ability to play modern games without restrictions. Asus TUF Gaming F15 has an aggressive gaming design that underscores the gaming flair.
Processor
The 11th Gen Intel Core i511400H processor with 6 cores and 12 threads is suitable for everything from gaming to content creation.
Graphics card
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 ray tracing graphics card delivers powerful gaming performance for even the most complex scenes, 3D graphics and more.
Display
15.6” IPS panel with good color reproduction, 19 resolution20x1080 – we have a classic desktop laptop. The 144Hz display refresh rate in supported games will allow you to respond to enemy actions in a timely manner.
RAM
16 GB of RAM is enough to run and work even in resource-intensive applications and games.
If desired, it can be expanded up to 32 GB.
Drive
The notebook has a 512 GB SSD.
Interfaces
It’s easy to connect all the necessary devices to Asus TUF Gaming F15 laptop: 3.5 mm headphones, latest HDMI 2.0b connector, 3 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports, Thunderbolt 4 / DisplayPort, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C / DisplayPort, RJ45 LAN network connector.
Additional Features
The laptop features stylish backlighting with dedicated WASD keys, intelligent noise reduction technology and software from DTS.
3. Best budget laptop –
HP Victus 16-d1059ci (6K317EA)
Slim laptop with a non-gaming yet solid design and a large 16.1-inch display.
Processor
Powered by a 12th Gen Core i5 12500H 12-core processor, it delivers powerful performance from everyday tasks to games and resource-intensive applications.
Video card
Powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti graphics card delivers high performance in all conditions, and ray tracing support adds realism even in complex scenes, rendering lights, shadows, surfaces, reflections.
Display
The 16.1-inch IPS display is bright enough at 250 nits with a refresh rate of 144Hz. A large diagonal with a fairly modest size will appeal to those who are looking for an alternative to a desktop computer with a monitor. Display resolution – Full HD 1920×1080.
RAM
The amount of RAM in this model is 16 GB, which is enough for games or work with graphics.
Drive
Standard SSD capacity is 512 GB, so if you need a larger drive, choose a model with the appropriate specifications. Optionally, you can install an additional SSD in the M.2 slot.
Interfaces
HDMI, RJ-45 LAN, card reader, 3.5mm headphone jack, 3x USB 3.0/USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB Type-C.
Additional features
Efficient cooling system allows you to play even the most resource-intensive games without overheating the equipment. The laptop is equipped with Bang & Olufsen speakers and HP Audio Boost.
4. Best small laptop – Apple
Macbook Air
Retina M1 13 2020
Light, sleek, powerful – and for the first time with Apple’s own M1 processor.
His small
dimensions and weight
allow you to take it with you everywhere, and the impressive capabilities of the combined main and graphic
processor
turn it into a real machine for creating graphics. If you wish, you can add some money and
buy Pro version
with Touch Bar. Of the shortcomings – a small number of ports.
Processor
The classic slim design houses Apple’s first proprietary M1 chip, whose computing
opportunities outweigh
previous MacBook models several times.
Video card
The corresponding part of the M1 processor is responsible for processing graphics, providing an increase
productivity in 5
once.
Display
Gorgeous 13.3 IPS Retina display with a resolution of 2560×1600 does not distort colors, leaving the picture
juicy and
natural.
RAM
Here 8 GB of RAM, which, combined with a fast processor, provides a good
performance for
such a small laptop.
512 GB SSD – not ideal for a workstation, but for a powerful mobile solution
fit. Ready made
projects can be transferred to an external drive.
Interfaces
2x USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3, 3.5mm combo audio jack.
Additional features
The Touch Bar model makes it even more convenient to work in various programs, but it also costs more.
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 Best budget laptop for graphics In their assortment you can always find powerful models at an affordable price. This laptop features entry-level discrete graphics, a massive 1000GB hard drive and a powerful 11th Gen Intel Core i7 1165G7 processor.
Processor
The 11th Gen Intel Core i7 1165G7 processor is a processor with 4 cores and 8 threads that provides good performance and is suitable for designer tasks.
Video card
The entry-level MX450 video card with 2GB of video memory installed in the laptop will cope with the work in graphic programs, you can also play with it, of course, not on ultras.
Display
15.6″ IPS display with 19 resolution20x1080.
RAM
8 GB of RAM will be enough for work, if you wish, you can add an additional bracket.
Drive
The notebook comes with a large 1000 GB HDD.
Interfaces
Card reader, HDMI, 3.5 mm headphone jack, USB 2.0, USB 3.2 are available for connecting devices.
Additional features
The notebook has an enlarged trackpad and numeric keypad for easy input and commands.
Read our blog on Yandex.Zen
all
products
Top 5 laptops for designers in 2023
Read 5 minutes
Choosing the right laptop can greatly increase the efficiency and quality of a designer’s work. Working in graphic editors, creating 3D models and video editing require high performance and power of the device
When choosing a model, there are a number of characteristics that determine its ability to effectively perform such tasks.
In this article, we’ll talk about what to look for when choosing a laptop for a designer, as well as why Nvidia Studio driver support is important.
- Gigabyte AERO 16
- Gigabyte AORUS 15
- RAZER Blade 15 Base
- Lenovo Legion 5
- Dream Machines RS3070
Artyom Tukanov, forcecom.kz
Important Features
Processor
The processor is one of the most important components of a laptop for designers. The more powerful the processor, the faster the calculations will be made and the processing of graphic files will occur. The ideal choice would be Intel Core i7 or i9 processorswith an H prefix, as they will provide maximum performance when working with graphics.
Graphics Accelerator
Graphic editors, 3D modeling and video editing require a discrete graphics card. Nvidia RTX graphics cards that support the Nvidia Studio driver perform best, as they have a lot of processing power and support technologies that optimize and speed up graphics work.
Nvidia Studio driver
Nvidia Studio driver support is important for creative notebooks. NVIDIA Studio is a software and driver suite designed to improve the performance and optimize the performance of desktops and laptops for creative professionals such as design, animation, video editing, and more. This means that the drivers and applications included with NVIDIA Studio are specifically tuned for graphics processing and provide the best performance for those tasks.
RAM
To work with graphics and video, you need a large amount of RAM, as design programs require a lot of resources to work. It is recommended to choose laptops with 16 GB of RAM and above.
Screen size
The 15.6” screen size is the golden mean between notebook portability and usable display area. Devices with a 14” screen are lighter, but its size may seem insufficient for comfortable work. Models with a diagonal of 17.3” are comfortable to use only if they do not require frequent carrying.
Display resolution
Screen resolution is very important, as it is one of the indicators that affect image quality. To work with graphics, you should choose laptops with a screen resolution of Full HD, QHD or 4K.
Matrix type
There are three basic matrix types: TN, IPS and VA. The advantage of the first is in the response speed, but it does not differ in high image quality, so the choice of designers usually stands between IPS and VA. Both matrices have excellent image quality, but more often than not, IPS is still preferred by professional designers because of the best viewing angles.
Storage
For designers, it is important to have fast access to large files, so it is better to choose laptops with SSD storage. The hard drive can be used for additional file storage. In most cases, models with a 512 GB SSD and, if possible, with an additional hard drive will do.
Ports and interfaces
Some designers may use external devices such as monitors, external hard drives, or digital cameras.
Therefore, it is important to have enough options on the laptop to connect them. When choosing, you should pay attention to the presence of various ports, such as USB, HDMI, Thunderbolt, etc.
Design Notebooks
Below are five laptops that are great for graphics and video work
Gigabyte AERO 16
Designed specifically for digital media creators. Inside is a powerful Intel Core i7-12700H processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card. The model has a 16-inch 4K OLED display with 100% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space. The laptop is equipped with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Other benefits include support for 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Monitor 23.8” Sanc M2453 (temporary promotion) will be a nice gift with purchase.
Gigabyte AORUS 15
According to the manufacturer, this is the world’s first laptop with Microsoft Azure AI technology based on artificial intelligence. AI optimizes the GPU and CPU for the best performance.
Responsible for performance is an Intel Core i7-12700H processor, Nvidia GeForce RTX3070 Ti discrete graphics, and 32GB DDR5 RAM. The laptop also has a fast 1TB NVMe storage for instant system and application loading. AORUS 15 features a Full HD IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate. In addition, the laptop has a variety of ports including Thunderbolt 4, USB-A, USB-C and HDMI for maximum flexibility.
Monitor 23.8” Sanc M2453 (temporary promotion) will be a nice gift with purchase.
RAZER Blade 15 Base
This model is useful for the designer not only at work, but also at leisure, because the laptop is positioned as a gaming laptop. Features a powerful Intel Core i7-11800H processor. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card helps with graphics processing. The model has a 15.6-inch Full HD display with a frequency of 144 Hz, which provides excellent color reproduction and image quality. The RAZER Blade 15 Base comes with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD.
There is a backlit keyboard, as well as HDMI and Thunderbolt ports.
Lenovo Legion 5
Also a gaming laptop with the necessary features for a designer. Powered by an Intel Core i7-12700H processor with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics. Comes with a 15.6″ superb QHD display with 165Hz refresh rate. Inside the case is 16 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. Lenovo Legion 5 has HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports with DP support.
Dream Machines RS3070
Powerful laptop suitable for graphics processing and use as a design tool. The same Intel Core i7-12700H acts as the central processor. The amount of RAM is 16 GB. The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is responsible for the graphics. The Dream Machines RS3070 is equipped with a WVA display 1 with wide viewing angles. The resolution of the matrix is \u200b\u200bFull HD, and the refresh rate is 144 Hz. Of the additional features of the laptop, the set includes HDMI, Displayport, Mini Displayport ports, as well as USB Type-C and Type-A.