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The best laptops for design: Top choices for graphic designers & architects

If you want to run programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, CorelDRAW, Blender without overheating and complete time-consuming tasks more efficiently, here you will learn what you need to know to choose the right laptop.

Updated 01/07/2026

Size

If you want to move around often with your laptop, choose something between 13.3” to 14.5”, while if portability is not that important, choose a larger screen for more clarity and comfort, such as 15” to 17”.

Processor

Here you will need something very powerful. If you are on a budget, a Core i7 or Ryzen 7 will handle the use of most programs satisfactorily.

However, if you are interested in 3D graphics rendering and video editing in fast times, it is worth investing in a Core i9 or Ryzen 9, since it is also the most powerful generation of processors.

RAM

A value for money solution is to find a laptop with at least 16GB RAM, since it will ensure smooth operation, even in heavy multitasking.

However, if you are involved in programming or run programs such as Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, CAD, MATLAB, R and Python, choose 32GB, since you will see a noticeable difference in speed and performance.

Graphics card

In case you do not deal with video editing, you will be fine with the integrated graphics card that will be in your processor.

However, if your needs involve graphics, video and motion, then the laptop should have a dedicated graphics card for maximum performance.

Prefer the latest generations of cards from Nvidia and AMD, the RTX 40 & 50 series and RX 7000 & 9000 series respectively. If you want maximum performance and a future proof laptop, invest in RTX 4080 & 5080 or RX 7700 &RX 9700.

Storage

If you store files that take up a lot of space such as video, choose a model with at least 1TB of storage.

For more basic use, 512GB will be sufficient, since you can always get an external SSD to easily carry with you everywhere.

And if you are an Apple User?

In case you prefer Apple products and software, as well as their top-notch display, then we won’t tire you out.

If you mainly want to do photo editing and video editing as a hobby, the Macbook Air is sufficient. If you are going to do 3D graphics, animations and time is money, prefer to go for a Macbook Pro, since besides handling heavy tasks better, the display is quite a bit brighter.