What Laptops and Tools Are Suited For Graphic Designers

   Not all laptops are tailor made for Graphic Designers. Users will find most of these features in gaming laptops. You can’t buy any laptop that has high specs and use it for Graphics. It should have the necessary tools that Graphic Designers need.  You can’t have a small sized laptop for this purpose.  The size is very important because you want to get all the details clearly and properly formed.

    Here Are Some Of the Features You Must Consider:

1. CPU - For Designers, they must get a better than average processor. An Intel i5 Or i7 would be just  be right or the fourth generation Haswell processors that are found on the Apple MacBook Pro 2014 model. Make sure to buy Quad-core processors. Make sure that it is an SSD.  SSD drives don’t have magnets. Magnets can erase your data.

2. GPU – The GPU’s are seen on top of the Graphics Card. Some of the Best GPU’s are the following: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970; NVDIA GeForce GTX 980; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980; NVIDIAGeForce GTX 750 Ti; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780.  GPU is a single-chip processor and is used for essentially for 3-D applications and creating images.

3. RAM – Random Access Memory is essential for having a good functioning computer. The more RAM the better. I recommend 8 – 16 GB of RAM. When you have more RAM , you can run more programs and this makes the job easier for Designers.

4. Video Cards – It is an expansion card that permits the computer to deliver information to a video display device.  Video cards need not be expensive but do not cut down on your RAM.

5. Screen Size – Your screen Size must be 15 – 17 inches. Do not compromise. You need more space to work with.

6. Compact – You must have a laptop that is convenient to carry around. Lighter is better.  When a laptop is light, it will have a longer battery life. If you are doing graphics work in your home or office, this  may not be much of a concern.

7. Color Quality – Graphic Designers must have good color quality and that is why it is better to use IPS display.

    The Apple MacBook Pro is a very good laptop to acquire, the version 2014 comes with an Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz( 4^th generation ) . It has a fast processor. This laptop comes with a 16GB DDR3L of RAM with a 256GB Hard Drive, Intel Iris Pro Graphics. It has an attractive looking display – IPS Retina Display, 2880 x 1880. It has wireless connectivity ( 802 11/a/b/g/n Wi-FI, Bluetooth 4.0 ).  The Operating System is OS X Mavericks. Battery can last for 8 hours. This will cost $2,000. Designers can also acquire the 2012 model that has 7 hours of battery life and it will cost $,1000.

    The Lenovo Y50 ( Model 59440654 with IPS Display ). This version is really good because it has an IPS Display and it cost just a bit over $1000. It comes with a CPU: Intel 17-4720HQ (2.6 GHz ). It has 1TB SATA Drive. The RAM is 16GB. The OS is Windows 8.1. You can upgrade it t Windows 10. It has 4GB of Graphics Card and it’s GPU is an NVIDIA GTX 960-M. The Hard Drive has 1TB SATA and this version has a 1920x1080pixels IPS. The average battery is 5 hours. This is what Lenovo says. This laptop also has a 720p HD webcam.  You can use this for chatting.  This laptop performs well when doing graphics intensive work.

    From Asus you have The ASUS ROG G75I-JL-DS71 which a gaming laptop that can be used for graphics design. It is a very powerful laptop.  This laptop comes with an Intel i7-4700HQ 2.6GHz CPU, 16GB of DDR3 RAM and it has a large 17.3 inch screen which is very appropriate for a Graphic Designer. It has 1024 GB of Hard Drive. It uses the NVIDIA GTX965 M 2GB GDDR5. The Display is an IPS FHD 1920x1080. For Connectivity purposes it has a 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The Average Battery life is 2 hours. The Operating System is Windows 8.1 upgradeable to Windows 10. This is a laptop that will surely give Graphic Designers a great performance. This can cost as much as $1,200.

  There are five Graphics Design Programs that are quite good: 1. Adobe Photoshop 2. InDesign  3. Corel Draw 4. Quark Express  5. Adobe Illustrator. Take your pick. This write-up is just a guide and I am not personally recommending any of these tools or Laptops.