So, we all are here to learn a bit about the current market for the best cheap laptop for artists! Well, art can be of so many different types - it could be 2D, or it may be 3D. If it is 3D artwork, we will need the processing ability of a monstrous amount of image processing and rendering. The word 'cheap', my friends, will not be applicable in this case. On top of that, if you are talking about game modeling, you can forget about even mid-range computers! So, when it is cheap, it can be defined in so many ways, but for now, we will mention a few laptops for our artist friends with both - deep and shallow pockets. We do not want any of our readers to be disheartened, do we? So, without further ado, we embark on our journey of 'Cheap' laptop discovery!!
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Behold New Apple MacBook Pro. It is a beauty in its design and a beast in its hardware. It comes with a superfast 9th generation hexa core Core i7-3720QM with a base frequency of 2.6 MHz which maxes out at an astonishing 4.5 MHz and 12 MB of L3 Cache memory. You get a DDR4 16 GB RAM of 2666 MHz bus speed. RAM is upgradable to 64 GB max. It has a 512 GB / 1 TB SSD. It has a LED-backlit 16-inches IPS display that supports 3072 x 1920 resolution.
This display runs on a dedicated 4 GB GDDR6 AMD Radeon Pro 5300M, which can automatically switch to its default built-in graphics unit Intel UHD Graphics 630. The battery can run the laptop for 11 hours. Charge once, and you are suitable for the day. Apart from all these, you get Thunderbolt USB C ports - 4 for display and charging, generation 2 USB 3.1, WIFI, and Bluetooth 5.
Acer brings to you its Aspire E 15, a new entrant in the Aspire E lineup. It is one of the best choices for artists. It comes with a fairly new 8th generation Intel dual-core Core i3-8130U, formerly known as Kaby Lake R. It comes with 2 cores with hyperthreading technology. That means it can handle threads double the number of cores. Its base frequency starts at 2.20 GHz but can get a boost up to 3.40 GHz clock speed. Its Intel Smart Cache is 4 MB. Just because it is a dual-core machine, do not underestimate its muscle power.
It comes with a dual-channel DDR3 2133Hz 6 GB RAM and a 5400RPM 1 TB SATA hard disk. Its 15.6 inches 1920 x 1080 widescreen LED-backlit Full HD display runs on an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620. Apart from these, it has an M-Disc enabled double-layer DVD RW drive, SD card reader, 2 built-in sound speakers, True Harmony from Acer, WIFI, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 3.1 x 1 type-C generation 1, USB 3.0 x 2 ports, HDMI port x 1, and a battery that supports you for 13.5 hours straight. Charge once and forget your charger at home. You also get an HD Web camera at 1280 x 720 with HDR. Overall, it is a suitable laptop for artists.
You walk into the shop and take a look at the ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 from Asus. I assure you, if it is your first time looking at this device, you will definitely be interested. I break it down for you. It comes with a 9th generation Hexa-core Core i7-9750H, formerly known as Coffee Lake. This processor has 6 cores with a base frequency of 2.60 GHz, which can run up to 4.50 GHz clock speed. It comes with an Intel Smart Cache of 12 MB.
This muscular device comes with a humongous 16 GB DDR4 of a 2666Hz bus speed and a 1 TB solid-state flash memory. Now, here comes the main attraction - a secondary display cum touchpad: ScreenPad Plus - a 14 inches secondary "4K touch" matte display. This will give you an experience of control like never before. You can have your apps customized with endless possibilities. It has a 15.6 inches Ultra HD with 4K support from a dedicated 6 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. It has a slim bezel with a NanoEdge design. It comes with a palm rest that you can detach if you need and an Asus stylus pen.
This new installment from Dell is a bit like a delightful confusion. I will tell you later why. First of all, let us begin with its processor. It comes with a 7th generation Dual-core Core i5-7200U that can handle 4 threads and has a base frequency of 2.50 GHz, which maxes out at 3.10 GHz clock speed. It has a 3MB Smart Cache. This device comes with a DDR4 2.4 GHz 8 GB RAM and a 1 TB hard disk of 5400 RPM. It has a 15.6 inches True-life HD display that runs on an integrated Intel HD Graphics 620, which has a maximum memory of 32 GB. Apart from this, it has a DVD read-writer.
HP is one of the most mainstream notebook manufacturers. This particular laptop from HP Pavilion comes with a 7th generation dual-core Core i3-7100U processor with a base frequency of 2.40 GHz and a 3 MB Smart Cache memory. It has a muscular DDR4 8 GB RAM and 1 TB hard disk. It has a 15.6 inches HD diagonal 1366 x 768 WLED touchscreen. The screen supports ten-finger multi-touch support. This laptop gets you on an average of 6 hours of battery backup.
If you are talking about a lightweight portable productivity laptop, then Microsoft's Surface Go is the one. It is small and portable, and sleek in design. It is a box of battery life. Let us start with the screen. It is a 12.4-inch 3:2 aspect ratio PixelSense™ touchscreen display that gives you an excellent viewing experience along with super portability.
The device comes with a 10th generation Quad-core Core i5-1035G1 processor that can handle 8 threads and has a base frequency of 1.00 GHz that can go up to a whopping 3.60 GHz clock speed. It has 6 MB of Smart Cache memory. The processor is supported by a very high-speed LPDDR4 3733 Hz 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB solid-state flash memory. These make the device mean, fast and furious in performance! The battery life extends up to 13 hours. Charge once, and you may forget the charger back home and relax and spend the time in your artistic creativity.
If you love stylish looks, good hardware, and excellent portability mixed with productivity, then HP's 2020 Chromebook x360 is the one for you. This Chromebook comes with a dual-core Core i3-8130U processor with a base frequency of 2.40 GHz and a maximum frequency of 3.40 GHz. It can handle 4 threads and has a 4 MB of Smart Cache. A DDR4 2400 Hz 8 GB RAM supports the processor. It has 64 GB eMMC, which is efficient for portable devices and enhances storage ability.
Its display is 14 inches Full HD micro-edge IPS display that can fold 360 degrees, and it supports multi-touch. The display runs on an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620. It is pretty much what an artist can wish for. Think about walking the streets and looking for inspiration. The Chromebook is in your hand. Suddenly you see something that catches your attention, and you want to start drawing. Chromebook will give you that flexibility and mobility.
HP never fails to present us with great products. HP's Spectre x360-13t is one such product. Along with a stylish dark-ash sleek design, it has a quad-core 8th generation Core i7-8550U. It has four cores and can handle 8 threads. Its base frequency starts from 1.80 GHz and ends at a maximum of 4.00 GHz clock speed, and has an 8 MB Intel Smart Cache memory. It has 16 GB DDR3 memory and a 512 GB solid-state hard disk. It also has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics card, and it supports a 14-inch micro-edge with a corning glass. It also had a Stylus. It has 14-hour battery support.
Dell brings out another magic product from its top hat - Dell XPS 13 - 13.3. What draws your attention is the display. Almost bezel-less design, 13.3-inches UHD 4K Infinity Edge Touch display. In this device, Dell has used the 8th generation Quad-core Core i7-8550U processor, which is backed up by a base frequency of 1.80 GHz to 4.00 GHz and an 8 MB Smart Cache memory. It has a considerably large LPDDR3 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. It has an integrated Intel Ultra HD Graphics 620 with 1 GB Graphics RAM. Officially Dell guarantees 12 hours of battery support.
You walk into the shop and take a look at the ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 from Asus. I assure you, if it is your first time looking at this device, you will definitely be interested. I break it down for you. It comes with a 9th generation Octa-core Core i9-9980HK, formerly known as Coffee Lake. This processor has 8 cores with a base frequency of 2.40 GHz, which can run up to 5.00 GHz clock speed. It comes with an Intel Smart Cache of 16 MB. This muscular device comes with a humongous 32 GB DDR4 of a 2666Hz bus speed and a 1 TB solid-state flash memory.
Now, here comes the main attraction - a secondary display cum touchpad: ScreenPad Plus - a 14 inches secondary "4K touch" matte display. This will give you an experience of control like never before. You can have your apps customized with endless possibilities. It has a 15.6 inches Ultra HD with 4K support from a dedicated 6 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card. It has a slim bezel with a NanoEdge design. It comes with a palm rest that you can detach if you need and an Asus stylus pen. There is a built-in Infrared camera that can do facial recognition.
Another ultra-slim beauty from Asus in the ZenBook lineup. This unit draws your attention with its striking 13-inch Full HD display with NanoEdge bezel. In today's world, portability and a larger screen-to-bezel ratio is the norm. Asus can read the minds of its buyers, and ZenBook reflects that. Let us first have a look at the processor.
An Intel processor runs the laptop. It has quite a few variations. It comes in Core i5 and i7 variants. The Core i5 lineup has 2 variants - 1135G1 and 1135G7. Both of them have 8GB of RAM and 256 SSD with a Full HD display. The 1135G7 variant of Core i5 also comes with an OLED display variation. Only the 1 TB SSD variant (with 16GB of RAM) of Core i7-1165G7 has a Full HD display, and the other two variants from Core i7 are the 8 GB and 16 GB (both of them have 512GB SSD). The 1135G1 has four cores running at a clock speed of 3.6 MHz with 6 MB of cache memory, and on the other hand, 1135G7 has a whooping 4.2 MHz clock speed and a 12 MB cache memory.
The RAM is a speedy DDR4 type. This lineup has a built-in camera that can recognize your face during the login process with Windows hello. All the variants come with a numeric backlit Touchpad and a backlit keyboard. They all have an ErgoLift hinge that will let you set the notebook the way you wish. Super portability with only about 2.45 pounds. Military-grade materials have made this model very durable.
Deciding what could be the best cheap laptop for artists can be difficult if you do not know anything about mobile computers. Let us have a look at what kind of hardware you may need.
We all know the name of the big players. So there is no need to name them here. Just remember to buy dual or quad-core with hyperthreading technology if you are a 2D artist. But if you are working with 3D animation or image or design, then you will need to do better. Buy a hexa core or an octa-core processor. Be sure to buy the recent generation. You will have better support.
You have to deal with RAM at the same time you decide on the type of GPU you need. You will need bigger RAM for integrated GPU, and for dedicated GPU (as they already have dedicated memory), you can buy smaller RAM. As you are an artist, I would suggest purchasing a dedicated GPU.
But buy a faster and bigger RAM without any hesitation. You can choose either LPDDR4 or DDR4 RAMs. For 3D workload, buy at least 16 GB, and for 2D, go with 8 GB RAM.
You may need to be on the move all the time, with your friends or colleagues. So, find better battery life. Do not buy a battery that cannot support you for at least 8 hours straight. Ask around in user forums to find out the real picture. Often, you will not get what is officially advertised.
Buy the best display and at least a 15-inch one. It should be 4K UHD or FHD with anti-glare so that you can work outside in the sun if needed.
You should buy an SSD. But you can also get a SATA and SSD combination if you have the opportunity. You can get a bigger size SATA at a smaller price compared to an SSD.
No.
Yes, it will be valid in Israel.
Not possible.
Yes, it comes in two variants. The newest model does have a Core i9.
It supports only up to 1 TB.
You need to play a bit with the setting. Connect the pen and then go to the settings.
ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 15.6” 4K UHD NanoEdge Bezel Touch, Intel Core i7-9750H, 16GB - Walmart, Etsy, eBay
2021 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, Apple M1 Pro chip with 10‑core CPU and 16‑core GPU, 16GB - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 – 15" Touch-Screen – AMD Ryzen 7 Surface Edition - 32GB Memory - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay
ASUS ZenBook Duo UX481 14” FHD NanoEdge Bezel Touch, Intel Core i7-10510U, 16GB RAM, 1TB - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - Walmart, Etsy, eBay
HP Envy x360 Convertible 15.6-inch Full HD Touchscreen, 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U, - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay
Lenovo Flex 5 14 2-in-1 Laptop, 14.0" FHD Touch Display, AMD Ryzen 5 4500U, 16GB RAM, - Walmart, Etsy, eBay
When you have a lot of options within your budget range, making decisions will always be difficult. In this case, it is very important to know exactly what you want or what exactly is your workload. That is why we have talked about the best cheap laptop for artists here. We discussed the strength of each and every computer and pointed out what the strong points are. We hope you will be able to make a wise decision based on the information we gave you here. Happy shopping!
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