Are Gaming Laptops Good for Graphic Design? All You Need to Know

The first question that arises in the mind of a gamer who wants to jump into the freelancing market and graphic designing is – “Are Gaming Laptops Good for Graphic Design”. This guide will teach you how to buy the perfect gaming and graphic designing Laptop. Generally, gaming laptops are not built for Graphic Design. Still, the main components of an excellent gaming laptop, such as the Graphic Card(GPU), Processor, and RAM, can easily handle your graphic designing applications.

Before I go in-depth, let’s learn about the terms “gaming laptop” and “graphic design”.

What is a Gaming Laptop?

A laptop designed to run high-end games with a high-performing GPU, CPU, and RAM.

Gaming laptops, unlike standard ones, are more powerful and provide better performance. These devices have high-resolution, color-accurate, and sharp displays with high frame rates of up to 240 Hz.

What is Graphic Design?

Graphic Design is a form of visual and communication process through illustration, photography, typography, and infographics. Graphic design involves using tools such as Adobe applications and graphic elements to create various types of art. It is used across various fields, such as magazines, newspapers, theatres, etc.

What Should a Graphic Designer look for in a Laptop?

The most crucial specifications and components that a graphic designer should look for are:

1. Operating System
2. RAM
3. Graphic Card (GPU)
4. Processor
5. CPU
6. Screen Size 
7. Screen Quality
8. Storage Speed

Gaming laptops vary from model to brand, but the essential components such as memory, graphic card, processor speed and screen should be your focus.

What are Hardware Specifications for Graphic Design?

The minimum graphic requirements are:

• CPU: Intel Core i7 or i5.
• Display: 15 inches or larger and 1440 x 900 pixels at minimum.
• RAM: 8 GB minimum, but 16GB is highly recommended.
• Storage: 250GB minimum is enough for beginners, while professionals need higher disk storage.
• Video Card: For 3D projects and video production, a dedicated video card is required, and it enhances laptop speed for heavy graphical elements, illustrations, and animations
• External Storage Drive: An external drive with at least twice the size of your internal storage to create a backup.

How Much RAM is Required?

A minimum of 8 GB is required for graphic design. The higher the RAM, the faster your laptop will process. However, 16-32 GB RAM is recommended.

Can Gaming Laptops Run Photoshop?

Gaming laptops can run photoshop smoothly and your Laptop’s performance will depend on the tasks you are doing. It is understandable that if your laptop can run games like Fortnite easily, running software like photoshop will be no hassle.

What Operating System is best for Graphic Design?

According to pro graphic designers, a fast desktop and user-friendly OS is essential for fast and better workflow. Older OS like Windows 7 and Mac OS X, in my opinion, are the best choice for graphic designing applications. Most graphic applications are optimized for Windows and Mac OS X and are much faster on the newest versions.

Conclusion

Winding up with the article, the most critical components that you have to look out for are:

• Processor
• Storage
• RAM
• Display Quality and Size
• GPU

Laptops with these options are available at affordable prices. Let us know what your thoughts are about this in the comments below.