By Robin Owens 14 days ago, Hardware
What is the best cheap laptop for Ableton?
Ableton is a popular software designed for producing music. It is used for performing many music creation tasks, including composing, recording, mixing, editing, spinning, etc. If you are looking for the best laptop for music production, you should pay attention to its specs to make the right choice.
A good device should run the software without annoying lags and other issues. This guide will help you find the best options in the market that meet your music production needs.
Before writing this article, I consulted with professionals who often use such music production programs, like Ableton, Bitwig Studio, Steinberg Cubase, etc. If you are wondering what aspects you need to consider when purchasing a great laptop for Ableton, read this guide carefully and you will be able to choose the perfect model for all music production tasks.
CPU: Intel 8th-Gen | GPU: NVIDIA | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6 -inch | Weight: 4.39 lbs
⊕ Can run even demanding games
⊕ A great choice of I/O ports
⊕ Convenient keyboard
⊖ Lack of webcam
The ROG Zephyrus is a great laptop that features slim metal chassis and lightweight design. This model performs great and can even run demanding games.
It has a 240Hz refresh rate, comes with a PCIe NVMe SSD and a Pantone Validated screen with narrow-bezels, which ensures reliable functioning and a trouble-free performance. Besides, this device utilizes a 9th Gen Intel Core i7 processor that makes it even more powerful.
CPU: HP® | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 512GB | Display: 17 -inch | Weight: 7.12 lbs
⊕ Appealing look
⊕ Sleek and lightweight design
⊕ Great IPS panel
⊖ Battery is not durable
Regarded as the best laptop for Ableton, the OMEN by HP features a sleek, portable design for enjoyable gaming and music production. Fitted with Nvidia GTX graphics and an Intel Core processor, this model is a perfect laptop for smooth gameplay and trouble-free performance.
Equipped with a narrow-bezel screen, the OMEN by HP also boasts an updated thermal cooling system. This model also offers easy access to the internals so that you could upgrade your device easily. You can remove the internals with the help of just a few screws, which is a great advantage.
CPU: GeForce GTX | GPU: Nvidia | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 15.6 -inch | Weight: 5.29 lbs
⊕ Excellent performance
⊕ Quite convenient keyboard
⊕ Reasonable price for a GTX 1060 GPU
⊖ Sound system could be better
The Acer Predator Helios is a cheap laptop for recording music that can handle various creative tasks. The laptop is fitted with a great selection of ports, including HDMI 2.0, USB Type-C, USB 3.1 and the Mini Display Port.
Besides, the Acer Predator Helios supports the Waves MAXXAudio technology for excellent sound performance. Moreover, the laptop comes with the advanced 4th Gen AeroBlade 3D Fan technology, which allows it to cool the entire system more effectively.
CPU: Core i7 | GPU: Nvidia | RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 14 -inch | Weight: 2.20 lbs
⊕ As quick as thicker ultraportables
⊕ Trackpad functions smoothly and accurately
⊕ Very thin and ultra-light
⊖ Reflective screen
The LG Gram 14Z90N-U is a popular laptop for Ableton that features a range of advanced features, has an ultra-slim construction and a lightweight body. Such a design makes this model quite portable and ergonomic.
The laptop is fitted with a powerful Intel processor, great memory and a long-lasting battery for solving various tasks, gaming, designing, video editing, music production, etc.
CPU: Intel® Core | GPU: Radeon™ | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 16 -inch | Weight: 8.23 pounds
⊕ Great quality
⊕ Excellent resolution
⊕ Lightweight and thin construction
⊖ Poor scrolling performance
The Apple MacBook Pro is a great device that features a 15-inch 1080p display screen with a touch bar for playing music, videos, etc. Fitted with a powerful 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, the device can solve even complex tasks quickly.
It features 16 GB of RAM along with a 512 GB SSD, which makes this model the best laptop for Ableton. The MacBook has enough memory for storing numerous audio and video files. Besides, the laptop is equipped with a battery that can last up to 10 hours.
CPU: Intel Ice Lake Core i5 | GPU: Nvidia| RAM: 16GB | Storage: 512GB | Display: 13.4 -inch | Weight: 12.47 pounds
⊕ Excellent performance
⊕ First-class 4K screen
⊕ InfinityEdge bezels, a webcam
⊖ Poor battery life
Featuring the latest Intel Dynamic Tuning Technology, the Dell XPS boasts impressive performance and can cope with various tasks. Besides, the laptop comes with an adaptive engine that changes the power of the CPU based on the workload thus increasing the productivity of the device.
The Dell XPS allows watching high-quality Dolby Vision content without any issues. This highly functional laptop for Ableton has a solid body that is complemented with a carbon fiber palm rest. Besides, many users appreciate its excellent 16:10 InfinityEdge display.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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ROG Zephyrus
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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OMEN by HP
Compact |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Acer Predator Helios
Modern |
CHECK PRICE → |
To choose the best laptop for Ableton, you need to check if it has a set of features for running this popular music production software. A laptop with minimum specs won’t be able to run Ableton without lags.
Firstly, a laptop should have a minimum Core i5 processor. Memory is also essential, especially if you are looking for the laptop for Photoshop, so choose the device with at least 8 GB of RAM. A good SSD should be your priority as well. Besides, opt for models with an HDD of 1TB. For music production specialists, the choice of ports is very important.
Pay attention to laptops that support USB 3.0/ Type C connection, have an HDMI port and a 3.5mm audio input/output. A good video card is not a key factor for running Ableton, but it matters a lot if you are shopping for the best laptop for photo editing on a budget.
As Live 10 is 64-bit only, this music creation software requires a maximum of 16 exabytes of RAM.
It uses 64 cores.
Live 10 can effectively function on Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 8 (64-bit) and Windows 7 (SP 1- 64-bit) platforms.
When the CPU load gets too high, a laptop can’t buffer audio within the selected buffer rate, which results in a crackling sound.
