Finding the right laptop for music production can be a daunting task especially if you don’t know what to look for. But, it’s still a must to pay careful attention when choosing a laptop if you want to get through a full set or a hours-long mixing session with a laptop that can match your beat.
That said, there’s a lot that goes on in choosing a capable DJing laptop. You need a latest generation processor, lots of RAM, even more storage space, and better yet, a dual SSD and hard drive combination. This will allow you to run all your DAW (digital audio workstation) without latency, as well as store all your samples and files.
It’s also ideal for the laptop to be rugged enough that it can get you through stage performances and long road trips, while of course being portable enough that it’s not burdensome. With all these requirements, however, your choices can get pretty limited. So, to help you find the best laptop for DJing, we listed our top picks below, along with a handy buying guide.
Our Favorite Laptops for DJing
We have gathered the best laptops for music production for you to skip the hassle of looking and searching for a laptop suitable for your DJ career. Check out these 8 DJ laptops below:
Apple 13″ MacBook Air
Our top pick for the best computer for DJing is none other than the Apple Macbook Air, and here’s why: the best thing about using a Macbook Air for DJing is that it doesn’t come with a fan, which will be very beneficial for DJ’s. Having no fan means that there won’t be any unnecessary and bothersome noise as you play your music.
Even without a fan, this computer comes with an M1 chip which prevents the laptop from heating up. In other words, nothing can ever interrupt you from creating your very own music with this Apple Macbook Air laptop, making it the best Macbook for music production.
You can also create stunning and crisp music with the Dolby Atmos speakers that give out clear sounds every time. You can gear up your microphones and your headphones without the need of purchasing extra accessories for plugging them up. Lastly, with the RAM of 8GB, which is faster than Intel, you can also do other extensive tasks aside from creating music.
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Graphics: Intel HD6000
- SSD Storage
- Memory: 8GB
- Comes with two USB ports
- With Thunderbolt 2 port
New Apple MacBook Pro
We started off the list with an Apple Macbook Air, and now let’s talk about a higher variant – the New Apple Macbook Pro. This Macbook for music production comes with an outstanding Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, so you can be sure that all your needs for your DJing career will always be addressed.
It might not be the most advanced variant, but we trust this Macbook Pro for music production and its reliability when it comes to making music and more. In fact, it’s also our pick for the best laptop for animation. In addition to that, this particular model is much more affordable than other Macbook Pro models.
MacBook Pro’s are very popular for DJs simply because of the company’s reliability when it comes to their laptops’ operating systems, processors, and hardware. The best thing about it is that the laptops are manufactured solely by the company under rigorous testing processes to keep the quality always at its peak.
- Processor: Intel Core i9
- Screen: 16” retina display
- Features a Touch ID
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M
- Storage: 8GB SSD
Dell 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop
Here’s another one of the best laptop for audio production: the Dell 15.6-inch Gaming Laptop is not just made for your DJ-ing career, but it can also meet your demands on gaming and other multimedia tasks since it comes with a quad-core processor powered by a 6th- Generation Intel i5 to keep you always on the go on your music career.
The high-end NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M video card also lets you seamlessly play under high settings, which is amazing if you’re a fan of triple-A games. Aside from creating music, video editing, gaming, and transcoding will always be efficient and seamless using this laptop. As a matter of fact, it’s also in our list of the best laptops for web design – that’s how good it is.
To top it all off, it even features a high-speed storage in the form of an SSD, and as you know, SSDs can perform much faster than HDDs. With this gaming laptop’s outstanding specifications, it can run even the most demanding music software for your DJing career.
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
- RAM: 8 GB DDR3L
- Storage:256 GB SSD
- Screen: 15.” FHD IPS with anti-glare features
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
Microsoft Surface Pro 7
Some people feel that the Surface Pro 7 cannot keep up with a professional DJ’s career demands. We beg to differ – we know that Microsoft is just new to the laptop manufacturing field, but we can truly rely on their laptops’ responsiveness and advanced features, especially when it comes to the Microsoft Surface Pro 7.
The laptop is very sleek-looking, making it look like it would underperform especially during hardcore working and music-creation. But, we want to bust that myth because the Surface Pro is surely perfect for a DJ when it comes to fast processing and responsiveness, making it worthy of being a choice for the best laptop for making music.
As a matter of fact, there are quite a few features that make this laptop ideal for DJs – not to mention the best laptop for writers – such as the tablet and studio mode features. Plus, this laptop can inspire you to work wherever you want to because of its portability. It also prides itself on its long battery life that can run for 6 hours straight without stopping.
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8 GB
- Convertible as a tablet
- With studio mode feature
- With free surface pen
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop
If you are looking for a portable laptop that you can easily bring anywhere, you can take the Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop as one of your top choices. Manufactured with an Intel Core CPU with the latest 10th generation variant, DJing, studying, or working are all easy tasks with this laptop.
You can let your creativity widen and your inspiration grow deeper as you create your music with the vast and bright 15.6” FHD screen featuring thin bezels. It’s the perfect blend of lightweight and portable without compromising on reliability and efficiency.
With this music laptop’s intelligent performance, your audience will always enjoy the music that you play at every gig. It’s very fast processing will never let you down, especially during the times when you need to multitask and work harder on your DJing career.
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8 GB
- Memory: 256 GB
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Screen: 15 6″ Full HD
- Graphics Card: Intel UHD Graphics 620
ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71
Another amazing laptop for recording music is the ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71, which prides on its splendid sound output that all DJs would love. Aside from the stunning sound, it is also very reliable, it responds quickly, and it is very powerful overall.
One thing to note is that it only comes with 256GB of SSD storage, so if you need a higher storage capacity, you’ll have to invest in an external hard drive. That said, its 8GB of RAM ensures that all your music software won’t come lagging every time you have your gig.
More than that, the fast and powerful Intel Core i5 will never ever leave you hanging in every music that you play. You can play your music for up to 10 hours, so even if you forget to bring your charger, you can still play your music without worrying about your laptop shutting down.
- Processor: Intel Core i7
- RAM: 16 GB
- ROM: 1 TB 7200RPM
- Screen: 15.6” IPS FHD
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Microsoft Surface Pro (5th Gen)
We know that some DJs are not just DJs at night. They can sometimes have a full-time day job, or they might also be students having a side job as a DJ. If you are like what we have mentioned, then you can have the Microsoft Surface Pro to give you all the productivity that you need to have – whether it’s music, studies, or office tasks.
This laptop for music production also features a long-lasting battery life and superb performance through the Intel Core 5th generation processor, and it also has stunning aesthetics, not to mention a convertible feature, too.
We also love that it comes with a studio mode feature, so you can work and create wherever you go. It even runs a fast and efficient Windows operating system that is best for its compatibility with most of the music software that DJs use.
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 4 GB RAM
- Storage: 128 GB SSD
- Screen: 12.3” PixelSense
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
Lenovo Yoga Book
Last but not the least in our review of the best laptop for music production, you will surely be stunned by the uniqueness of the Lenovo Yoga Book. It is convertible and it is powered up by Intel Atom with quad-core features that can perform even with extensive multitasking.
With an impressive speed of 1.4GHz, you can even video stream using this laptop, thanks to the Turbo Boost features. This laptop for music production is manufactured with an entry-level graphics card and RAM, although if you are planning to increase the clock speed of your laptop, you can easily upgrade it to 2.4 GHz.
This laptop is built with a stunning magnesium alloy for the best aesthetics. You can also benefit from the 64GB of upgradable drive storage that you can expand up to 128GB through a microSD card. This is one of the most portable and lightweight convertible laptops for making music that you could ever have.
- Processor: Intel Atom x5-Z8550
- RAM: 4 GB
- ROM: 64 GB
- Screen: 10.1″ IPS touchscreen
- Comes with a microSDXC reader
- Supports Bluetooth 4.0
How To Find The Best Laptop For Music Production
We have created this intensive guide to help you break down everything that you need to consider before choosing the best laptop for making beats. If you’re not very familiar with the technical specifications that you need to know, just read through the guides above to help you understand them better.
Hardware Specs
The hardware specifications of your DJ computer will say a lot about its performance. The entry-level hardware for a music laptop should be at least an Intel Core i5 with 2.3GHz. Most laptops having this kind of processor can handle applications that need tons of memory and processing to function without a glitch.
For the RAM, it is important to choose good laptops for DJing with a starting RAM of 8GB. Since you would be using a laptop for music production, it is advisable to get one with an upgradable RAM, so you can move up to 16GB in case you need to.
Lastly, let’s talk about the type of hard drive to choose. It is always a better choice to get an SSD instead of an HDD since it boots up faster. For starters, 128GB of storage is already enough for starting DJs, but for professional ones, you might have to opt for 512GB of storage for an excellent performance.
Recommended Specs
The best laptop for Serato DJ software is one with at least an i3 processor with a 2GHz speed, along with 4GB of RAM. The same goes for Virtual DJ. Meanwhile, for Traktor Pro, you’ll need a slightly more advanced processor – at least a 2GHz Intel Core i5 – although when it comes to the RAM, 4GB should also suffice.
Of course, if you want the best, a 13-inch laptop with an Intel Core i7 CPU would give you excellent performance, working together with a 512GB SSD hard drive.
Software
If you’re still unsure of what laptop to get, you can check the website of whichever music software you’re using and find out their system requirements. You can always choose the bare minimum requirements, but if you have the budget, then you can go for a more advanced laptop.
Build Quality
There’s no need to give so much importance to the design, since you should focus more on the specifications of the computer. Of course, there are tons of good laptops for recording music that give out superb aesthetics without compromising the quality of the hardware. For instance, Alienware and Apple are popular brands among DJs.
One thing that you must watch out for is the cooling system. Some laptop brands can suffer from inferior cooling systems that can be bothersome to DJ’s who play music for hours. So, do make sure that the laptop that you are choosing has great ventilation, and is dustproof too. You’ll also want to pick a laptop with tougher and harder outer material.
Portability
For DJs, a portable and lightweight laptop is a must. This profession usually requires an individual to travel most of the time, so having a smaller yet powerful laptop can be very beneficial.
Connectivity
Ports are one of the most important things a DJ needs. An adequate amount of ports will allow you to insert your equipment conveniently. Checking the number of ports thoroughly will save you from the hassle of purchasing a separate port expander to plug in your DJing equipment.
Other Factors To Consider
Another important factor to consider is the screen size of your laptop. Using a laptop with a small size screen can be uncomfortable, especially if you’re working in a poorly lit area. Though, in terms of resolution, 1280×800 is a decent resolution already. But, if you can afford to get a laptop with a higher resolution, by all means go for it.
Also, check if the laptop you’re purchasing has enough backlighting especially if you usually have daytime gigs. Some laptops produce glares when used in bright areas, so don’t forget to check on these features.
Battery life is also very crucial for a professional DJ. You don’t want your laptop to shut down after just a few hours of performing, right? Getting a laptop with long battery life lets you play on the go, even without your charger.
FAQs
What makes a good professional laptop for DJing?
Windows or Mac operating systems are a professional DJ’s usual preferences when it comes to laptops. The laptop also has to have a great resolution, a decent-sized screen, and adequate ports to cater a DJ’s music production needs.
What should I buy for DJing aside from a laptop?
If you’re a DJ, getting a great pair of high-performing headphones will go well with your laptop. You need to have crisp and clear sounds to make sure that your music turns out just the way you want it to be. Also, you can invest in some mixers, speakers, turntables, and more.
Are touchscreen laptops suitable for DJing?
This really depends on your preference. If you think you can easily manage through a laptop with touchscreen features, then go for it. Using a gaming laptop can also be beneficial, depending on the features that you are going for.
Final Thoughts
Being a DJ is not an easy task, that’s why choosing the best laptop for DJing requires tons of things to look out for. All in all, it will depend on how you want to use your computer and the music software that you will be using. You don’t exactly need to but the most high-end one, just something that will suit your music and career needs.
There are so many options when it comes to a suitable laptop for DJing. Thanks to the continuous innovations in technology, everyone now has access to high-end laptops for their DJ career without breaking the bank. Before making up your mind on the laptop that you want to purchase, always think about the software and hardware that you need.
