Laptops for Music Production in 2021
best laptop for music production under 500

Gone are the days when people were using different instruments for music production. The most important thing you need in this world of advanced technology is a laptop to make a song.

You can’t use any laptop, but you need the best laptop for music production with the right software to create the right music for your listeners. Music production requires a lot of applications and software to edit and design the music.

You need a laptop with a fast processor, HD graphics, high RAM, high memory, and HD display to fulfill these requirements. Searching for the best laptops for music production is not an easy task as you have to perform immense research while considering all options.

To reduce your time and efforts, here we have compiled a brief list of the top 10 laptops for music production.

Review contents

Things to consider before buying a good laptop for music production

When you are looking for a computer for music production and recording price tag is not enough. There are many things you should consider.

Many budget-friendly laptops are available on the market, but they give a limited performance with minimum specifications.

Before jumping out and spending your money on a system, we recommend looking for a laptop covering the essential “must-have” specifications. Here are some things you should consider before buying a music production laptop:

Processor

As the CPU is the heart of a computer. The performance of your system’s CPU matters. For audio and music production, get the fastest processor you can afford.

For most recording software, you’ll need a laptop with multi-dual or quad-core processors.

Operating System

You can use both Windows and macOS for music production, but going with MacOS is probably be the best option.

Many people in this industry prefer a Mac over a PC because they are more stable. However, if you’re confused between both, we recommend you read this guide by MacWorld, which describes the comparison of macOS High Sierra and Windows 10.

RAM

For music production and recording purpose, you need more RAM. This is important for handling your software. So, we recommend you go for a minimum of 8GB or more.

If you are going to buy a laptop for audio recording, make sure that you can add more RAM in the future if required.

Hard Drive

For music recording, make sure that you get the correct hard drive.

Always choose your hard drive wisely. For example, give preference to SSD storage instead of the hard disk drive to handle the demands of transferring audio data.

So, without any further ado, here we go…

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Top 10 Best Laptops for Music Production

Apple 16″ MacBook Pro, 512GB SSD – Best Mac for Music Production

Apple 16″ MacBook Pro, 512GB SSD
Apple 16″ MacBook Pro, 512GB SSD

Apple has been known for its high-quality products. Regarding content creation, Apple MacBook Pro is the first preference for all professionals, including music production. It offers high-end technology and features that make it one of the best laptops for music production.

It is a 15-inch thin and lightweight laptop that truly redefines the word portable. A retina display gives you more vibrant colors and brightness that doesn’t strain your eyes compared to other laptops. The laptop is sported with a 2.6GHz 6-core Intel Core i7 processor paired with the 16GB of RAM and 4GB dedicated AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics card, making it good enough for music production and recording.

For storage, the MacBook Pro comes with 512GB of SSD storage suitable for storing large media files or audio software. In addition, it offers 10 hours of battery life for extended usage without needing to be plugged in. If you have a large budget and like the usability of OSX, then MacBook Pro is the best ultrabook for music production you can get.

Hardware Specifications of Apple 15″ MacBook Pro, 256GB SSD
Processor 9th-Generation Intel Core i7 6-core Processor 2.6GHz
RAM 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage 512GB SSD
Display 16″ FHD Retina (3072×1920) Display
Graphics AMD Radeon Pro 5300M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory and automatic graphics switching, Intel UHD Graphics 630
Operating System macOS BigSur
Battery Life Up to 10-hours
Weight 4.3 pounds

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ASUS TUF FX505DU Gaming Laptop

ASUS TUF FX505DU Gaming Laptop
ASUS TUF FX505DU Gaming Laptop

The ASUS TUF FX505DU comes in various screen sizes and hardware specifications. This ASUS model is a high-end and powerful laptop that can be pretty handy for music-making. This is a 15.6-inch laptop with a full HD display having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is not only suitable for music production. You can even use it for streaming, video editing, etc. It is also one of the best laptops for video production.

The laptop is powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 3750H processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It also has an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 8GB GDDR6 dedicated graphic card. It is also sported 16GB DDR4 RAM making it very snappy for demanding music projects. In addition, it comes with the combination of a 1TB hard disk drive and 256GB of SSD that make it one of the most powerful laptops.

It weighs only 4.8 pounds so, you can easily fit it into your backpack if you are a traveling gig musician. Overall, it is tough to beat this laptop in terms of hardware specifications and performance as it is one of the best 15-inch laptops for music production you can buy right now.

ASUS TUF Gaming F17 Gaming Laptop, 17.3” 144Hz FHD IPS-Type Display, Intel Core i5-10300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, RGB Keyboard, Windows 10, Bonfire Black, FX706LI-ES53

$849.99
$749.99
 in stock
7 new from $749.99
2 used from $699.00
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

ASUS TUF Gaming F17 Gaming Laptop, 17.3” FHD IPS-Type Display, Intel Core i5-10300H, GeForce GTX 1650 Ti, 8GB DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, RGB Keyboard, Windows 10, Bonfire Black, FX706LI-RS53

$849.99  in stock
7 new from $824.99
1 used from $779.00
Free shipping
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of ASUS TUF FX505DU Gaming Laptop
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Quad-core Processor (up to 3.9GHz)
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage 256GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD
Display 15.6″ FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 8GB GDDR6
Operating System Windows 10 Home x64
Battery Life Up to 10-hours
Weight 4.85 lbs

HP Spectre x360 15t – 2-in-1 Laptop

HP Spectre x360 15t - 2-in-1 Laptop
HP Spectre x360 15t – 2-in-1 Laptop

No list of laptops would be complete without mentioning at least one HP model. This HP Spectre x360 is a popular pick if you’re not buying Mac. This 15-inch 2-in-1 laptop with a beautiful and sleek design allows you to use it as a normal laptop or tablet.

The graphics on this laptop are equipped with NVidia GeForce GTX MX250 2GB graphics suitable for music recording, video editing, or light photoshopping. It sports the latest 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, making it ideal for recording & producing music. The Spectre also comes with 16GB of DDR4 RAM, powerful enough to handle multitasking. For storage, the laptop comes with 1TB of fast SSD to store all your applications and software locally on the computer.

The only downside of this laptop is that it has limited USB ports, and you might need to get a USB hub. But, it might not be deal-breaking for everyone as there are all other ports and slots available. In addition, the Spectre truly shines in terms of battery life. Offering 12-hours of battery life, it is the perfect laptop for users looking for a  music production laptop.

HP - Spectre x360 2-in-1 15.6" 4K Ultra HD Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 512GB SSD - HP Finish In Dark Ash Silver, Sandblasted Finish

$1,399.00  in stock
4 used from $1,399.00
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Newest HP Spectre x360 15t Touch 10th Gen Intel i7-10510U, Pen, 3 Years McAfee Internet Security, Windows 10 Professional Key, 4K IPS, HP Warranty, 2-in-1 Laptop PC (16GB, 1TB SSD, Dark Ash)

 out of stock
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as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of HP Spectre x360 15t 2-in-1 Laptop
Processor 10th Generation Intel Quad-Core i7-10510U Processor (Up to 4.9GHz)
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage 1TB PCI NVMe M.2 SSD
Display 15.6″ FHD 4K UHD WLED-backlit (3840 x 2160) Touchscreen Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce MX330 Graphics
Operating System Windows 10 Home 64
Battery Life Up to 12-hours
Weight 4.83 lbs

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Asus ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop

Asus ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop
Asus ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop

This is another high-performing ASUS ultrabook on our list of best laptops for music production. Based on performance, this laptop gives an excellent performance as of previously mentioned ASUS laptop. We’ve already discussed that the Asus ZenBook comes in various models based on their hardware specifications. Although, all the models are capable and perfect for audio creation.

The Asus ZenBook 14 UX434F is a 15.6” gaming laptop packed with a 10th generation i7 processor, which is excellent for the price. Though featuring 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, this model offers two times less storage than the previously mentioned ASUS laptop. But we can’t ignore its robust features that give us a reason to include it on our list of top laptops for music production.

Apart from NVIDIA’s latest GeForce MX250 2GB graphics card, it comes with a bunch of other unique features like a backlit keyboard with ambient light control that also makes this laptop a gaming monster along with a pro-choice for music production and recording.

ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim Laptop 14” FHD NanoEdge Bezel Display, Intel Core i7-1165G7, NVIDIA MX450, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, ScreenPad 2.0, Thunderbolt 4, Windows 10 Pro, Pine Grey, UX435EG-XH74

$1,449.99  in stock
3 new from $1,449.99
6 used from $542.80
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

ASUS ZenBook 14 Ultra-Slim FHD Laptop 400nits NanoEdge Bezel Display AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, Radeon Graphics, NumberPad,Backlit Keyboard,Win 10 Pro, Tikbot (16GB RAM | 1TB PCIe SSD | Tikbot Accessory)

$1,139.79  in stock
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Asus ZenBook 14 UX434F
Processor 10th-generation Intel Core i7-10510U Processor, Up to 4.9GHz
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage 512GB SSD
Display 14″ FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) 4-way NanoEdge bezel Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB graphics
Operating System Windows 10 Pro
Battery Life Up to 9-hours
Weight 2.78 lbs

 

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Razer Blade 15

Razer Blade 15
Razer Blade 15

If you are looking for a portable and powerful machine, no problem. Because Razer Blade 15 is the best lightweight and budget laptop for music production, it seems more suited for a gamer. This Razer Blade laptop comes with a 15.6-inch full HD display with a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor, making it a serious gaming machine. In addition, it has a 1080p IPS display to get the audio recording works done.

The laptop has 16GB of RAM, a speedy type of RAM. It sports NVidia GeForce RTX 2070 with a Max-Q design and 8GB of memory. The laptop is backed by 512GB of SSD for storage to provide speed and capacity. The laptop comes with a single-zone backlit keyboard giving it a solid gaming look. The laptop also offers fast USB Type-C and USB 3.0 ports for quickly transferring applications and other data between your external drive and laptop.

With a battery that offers you up to 8 hours of usage, the Razer Blade 15 is an ideal budget laptop for music production and gaming purposes.

Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, 15.6" FHD 1080p 120Hz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, CNC Aluminum, Chroma RGB Lighting, Black

$1,499.00  in stock
2 new from $1,499.00
3 used from $999.99
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Razer Blade 15 Advanced Gaming Laptop 2021: Intel Core i9-11900H 8-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, 15.6” 4K OLED, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD - CNC Aluminum - Chroma RGB - THX Spatial Audio - Thunderbolt 4

$3,699.99  in stock
1 used from $2,999.99
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Razer Blade 15 Laptop
Processor 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10875H 8-Core Processor (Up to 5.1GHz)
RAM 16GB DDR4
Storage 512GB SSD
Display 15.6″ FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) IPS Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q Design VR Ready 8GB GDDR6
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 8-hours
Weight 4.48 lbs

Lenovo Legion Y540

Lenovo Legion Y540
Lenovo Legion Y540

Lenovo Legion Y540 is a rugged laptop for music production under $1500. It sports a 15.6-inch full HD display with an anti-glare coating for a better viewing experience. It comes with solid construction with a black body and white-backlit keyboard giving it a perfect look for a music production laptop.

The laptop is powered by the 9th Generation Intel Core i7 processor paired with a massive 24GB of RAM to handle your software easily. For storage, this laptop comes with 512GB of PCIe solid-state drive and a huge 1TB of a hard disk drive which is more than enough memory and storage space for the most crucial software packages.

It comes with 4GB of powerful NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card makes it perfect for handling multiple applications for music production and gaming.

Lenovo Legion Y540 15.6" Gaming Laptop 144Hz i7-9750H 16GB RAM 256GB SSD GTX 1660Ti 6GB - 9th Gen i7-9750H Hexa-Core - 144Hz Refresh Rate - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti 6GB GDDR6 - Legion Ultimate S

$1,079.00  in stock
6 new from $1,079.00
3 used from $989.00
Free shipping
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as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Lenovo Legion Y540 Gaming Laptop: Core i7-9750H, NVIDIA RTX 2060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD, 15.6" Full HD 144Hz Display

 out of stock
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as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Lenovo Legion Y540 Laptop
Processor 9th Generation Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H Processor (Up to 4.50GHz)
RAM 24GB DDR4
Storage 1TB HDD + 512GB PCIe SSD
Display 15.6″ FHD LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) IPS Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 5-hours
Weight 5.1 lbs

Dell XPS 7390 13-Inch

Dell XPS 7390 13-Inch
Dell XPS 7390 13-Inch

 

Dell XPS series is a famous laptop series for music production and video editing laptops. This newest Dell XPS 13-Inch model is a thin and lightweight ultrabook packed with a high-performance processor and graphics, making it one of the best music production laptops you can buy.

This is an ideal music production ultrabook for those people who have to travel more often. It comes with a 10th Generation Intel Core i7 processor and the latest Intel UHD graphics, making it a perfect gaming and music production machine. In addition, this Dell laptop comes with 16GB of RAM and a massive 512GB of SSD storage which would be suitable for music production.

Based on its overall specifications, including good battery life and lightweight, the Dell XPS 7390 is one of the best laptops for music production of 2022.

Dell XPS 13 7390 Laptop: Core i7-10710U, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 13.3" Full HD IPS Touch Display, WiFi AX, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10

$1,697.77  in stock
3 new from $1,697.77
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Dell XPS 13 7390 13.3" Intel Core I7-10710U (6-CORE, UP to 4.70Ghz) 512GB PCIe SSD 16GB RAM FHD 1080P IPS WiFi 6 AX Windows 10 Professional

 out of stock
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as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Dell XPS7390 13-Inch Laptop
Processor 10th Generation Intel Core i7-10710u Processor (Up to 4.6GHz)
RAM 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage 512GB PCIe SSD
Display 13.3″ 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) InfinityEdge anti-glare touch display
Graphics Intel UHD Graphics
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 8-hours
Weight 2.8 lbs

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, Newest Version

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, Newest Version
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, Newest Version

 

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is specially designed with high-end features so you can effectively use it for music or audio creation. If you’re a professional music composer and prefer a Windows-based laptop over MacBook, then this ultraportable notebook is best for you. Here is a variance of Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 available with 512GB of SSD.

It is powered by the latest 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. In addition, it sports 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage which is more than enough for seamless multitasking with reliable storage.

For the graphics, the laptop comes with Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics, which boosts the graphics handling performance of this laptop. If you have a large budget, then this would be the best ultrabook for music production you can buy.

Hardware Specifications of Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
Processor 10th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor, 1.8GHz
RAM 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage 512GB SSD
Display 13.5″ PixelSense (2256×1504) Display
Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 11.5-hours
Weight 2.79 pounds

Lenovo IdeaPad L340

Lenovo IdeaPad L340
Lenovo IdeaPad L340

The Lenovo IdeaPad L340 is a powerful and pocket-friendly music production laptop with many high-end specifications. The latest 9th Generation powers the laptop Intel Core i7 clocked at 2.6GHz. With 8GB of RAM, the IdeaPad L340 delivers all the processing power needed for effortless multitasking. It comes with a 15-Inch full HD display having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a 45% Color gamut.

It has Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 dedicated graphics, excellent for gaming and other high-end applications. In addition, it comes with powerful Dolby ATMOS speakers that deliver the loudest, most transparent audio possible from a thin and lightweight device, making it a complete package for music production.

Overall, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340 is a perfect budget all-rounder laptop to get anyone started with music production.

Lenovo Ideapad L340 Gaming Laptop, 15.6 Inch FHD (1920 X 1080) IPS Display, Intel Core i5-9300H Processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB Nvme SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, Windows 10, 81LK00HDUS, Black

$969.99
$789.00
 in stock
9 new from $769.99
2 used from $979.99
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Lenovo - IdeaPad L340 15 Gaming Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 - 256GB Solid State Drive - Black

$665.90  in stock
14 new from $654.99
4 used from $620.00
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Lenovo IdeaPad L340
Processor 9th Generation IntelCore i7-9750h Processor (Up to 4.5GHz)
RAM 8GB DDR4
Storage 1TB HDD + 256GB NVMe SSD12GB SSD
Display 15.6-inch (1920 x 1080) full HD IPS Display
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB GDDR5
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 9-hours
Weight 4.85 lbs

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Ultra-Slim Laptop for Music Production

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 - Ultra-Slim Laptop for Music Production
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Ultra-Slim Laptop for Music Production

 

If you are looking for a powerful and portable machine for audio creation and recording, then this Microsoft Surface Pro 7 would be a perfect choice for you. It is one of the best-in-class laptops to use in various modes so that you can type, draw, and work more naturally.

Powered by a 10th generation Intel Core i7 processor, clocked up to 1.8GHz, this laptop on the list can rightly be titled as a “Best Budget Music Production Laptop.” The Surface Pro 7 comes with a 12.3-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 2736×1824. In addition, the laptop comes with Intel Iris Plus 640 graphics that make it suitable for editing 4K videos.

For connectivity, it is equipped with USB-C and USB-A ports that give you more reliability for connecting to displays, docking stations, and charging.

Although it is a budget-friendly laptop, it offers a long-lasting battery of 10.5 hours, making it one of the best laptops for music production you can buy for under $1500.

Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD (Latest Model) – Matte Black with Black Type Cover, Model: QWV-00007

$1,329.98
$664.18
 in stock
5 new from $664.18
3 used from $779.69
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am

Microsoft 12.3" Surface Pro 7 2-in-1 Touchscreen Tablet, Intel Core i7-1065G7 1.3GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Windows 10 Pro, Platinum

$1,060.99  in stock
4 new from $1,060.99
Amazon.com
as of December 2, 2023 1:31 am
Hardware Specifications of Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Processor 10th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor, 1.8GHz
RAM 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3
Storage 256GB SSD
Display 12.3″ PixelSense (2736 x 1824) Touchscreen Display
Graphics Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Life Up to 11.5-hours
Weight 2.79 pounds

Read Next – Top 10 Best Gaming Laptops Under 1000 $

Final Thoughts

Picking one of the best laptops for music production would be unviable. It all depends upon your own experience and usage whether a machine is the best fit for you or not.

A premium display, HD graphics, and fast processor perfectly sum up what the best laptops for music productions should offer.

We think our short review of music production laptops will help you find the best machine.

If you still need any suggestions or guidance related to the laptops, feel free to ask and leave a comment below.

Read Next – Top 10 Best Gaming Laptops Under $400

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Kevin Johnson
Hi, I'm Kevin Johnson, an author for TheComputerGeeks.org. I'm obsessed with all things related to computer monitors, from LCDs to LEDs, touch screens, and gaming. I've been writing about these topics for years and am passionate about helping people learn more about the latest in computer monitor technology. From selecting the right monitor for your needs to troubleshooting any issues you might be experiencing, I'm always here to provide helpful guidance. I always look for the latest monitors to share all my findings with our readers. I am a computer geek and proud of it. From building my custom rig to figuring out what's wrong with your PC, you can count on me for top-notch service at an affordable price. Whether you're looking for someone who knows his way around technology or wants help fixing the basics, like setting up email accounts, I'm here to serve. So if you need a reliable tech support professional in Denver, call Kevin today!