There are so many laptops for music production out there but, unfortunately, many of them are just too expensive. This is why we have put together a list of affordable laptops that you can add to your digital audio workstation.
You can consider any of the items below when looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production. Bear in mind that the laptops for graphics design and animation are also ideal for music production.
Apple 13” MacBook Pro
Apple 13” MacBook Pro is one of the best out there and you should go for this laptop when looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production.
The first model of this laptop became available for sale in 2015. The laptop has a 13 inches screen display and one of the best tools that a music producer will need.
Apple 13” MacBook Pro is lightweight and easy to carry about. Its 13 inches screen also makes it more portable.
The laptop comes with a 7th generation 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel i5 processor with SSD. It is designed to perfectly load and handle several programs and software suites at the same time.
Additionally, the Apple 13” MacBook Pro features 8 GB RAM and you can even upgrade it to 16 GB of RAM.
Pros:
- Apple 13” MacBook Pro is lightweight; it only weighs 2 lbs
- The laptop also offers fast importing and launching of programs, thereby making it wonderful for music production
- The battery life is very long.
Cons:
- It is expensive and this can put off many potential buyers
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
You will also fall in love with Microsoft Surface Pro 4. It is a laptop with a difference. The laptop is also produced by one of the best laptop manufacturers in the world. You can consider buying this laptop when looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production.
The processor is Intel i5 and it is strong enough o run a series of music programs and software suites. The laptop is similar in certain areas to the Apple 13” MacBook that we discussed above. However, Microsoft surface Pro 4 came with a 3 GHz processor, which is faster than what obtains in the Apple laptop.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 features a 12.3 inches display and it is a lot lighter than the Apple laptop described above. Its compact design also makes it stand out.
Pros:
- The processor can generate very high speed
- The laptop is compact and has a small size. As a result, you can carry it along easily
Cons:
- Microsoft Surface Pro 4 has a display of 12.3 inches and relatively smaller than many others in the same category
Dell XPS 13 9360
Dell XPS 13 9360 is one laptop you can always trust for all your music production needs. If you are looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production, you will never regret it if you go for this laptop.
Aside from being affordable, the laptop is highly functional. The RM is 8 GB and this makes it powerful enough to meet all your needs for the perfect laptop for music production.
It is built solidly and able to withstand rough usage. Do not forget that it is from one of the best laptop manufacturing companies in the world today, Dell.
Dell XPS 13 9360 features a 13.3 inches display with screen touch capability. The processor is a 7th generation dual-core i5 processor.
The laptop comes preinstalled with Windows 10 operating system and it is user-friendly
Pros:
- Dell XPS 13 9360 has a very fast processor that enables you to get the job done faster
- It is among the most affordable top-quality laptops out there today
- It is a compact laptop and one of the most portable around
Cons:
- None
Apple 13.3” MacBook Air
Apple 13.3” MacBook Air is outstanding in all sense of the word. It is a compact laptop and you can, therefore, carry it about as you deem fit. The laptop is also lightweight and it will not be difficult to move it about or travel with it.
Apple 13.3” MacBook Air comes with 8 GB of RAM and the screen display is 12 inches. The laptop is installed with a 5th generation 1.6 GHz Intel for an i5 processor. The processor features a turbo boost and it helps to improve the processor speed.
You should always keep the temperature low by using it in a well-ventilated space. The storage speed is faster than what you can get in a typical notepad.
The thinness of the laptop is one other feature that makes it unique; it is only 0.68 inches in thickness.
Pros:
- Apple 13.3” MacBook Air features turbo boost for faster processor speed
- The battery life is also very long
- It is a super-thin laptop for music production
Cons:
- It does not perform as impressively as the music production laptops with a 7th generation processor.
Lenovo IdeaPad nY700
This is one laptop that you will surely fall in love with. It is one of the most portable laptops around and it is worthy of consideration when looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 has a high spec processor and this makes it run fast and smoothly. Its storage space is up to 1TB and its speed is impressive.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 is a non-SSD laptop for music production and its process is the 7th generation quad-core Intel i7 processor.
The laptop has 8 GB of RAM and this is adequate to handle all the programs and software you may want to use on the laptop.
Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 may not be as compact as many other laptops in the same category, but it is designed to give good value for money.
Pros:
- Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 runs on an Intel i7 processor
- It is space is as high as 1 TB
- The laptop also looks durable
Cons:
- It is wanting in terms of compactness when compared to some other brands of laptops for music production
Razer Blade Stealth
Razer Blade Stealth is an impressive quad-core laptop and it is designed to give you good value for money. The laptop features an 8th generation i7 Intel processor and its speed is highly impressive.
The laptop is one of the fastest of all the laptops you can ever use for music production and also comes with touchscreen functionality.
Razer Blade Stealth has a 13.3 inches screen display and its hard drive is 256 GB. Its RAM is 16 GB on the other hand.
You will find the laptop to be useful for all manners of digital audio works and it can meet your needs for a heavy-duty music production tool. The battery can equally last for up to 6 hours.
Pros:
- Razer Blade Stealth features 16 GB of RAM
- It also comes with an 8th generation Intel i7 processor
- The screen has touchscreen functionality
- Its battery can last for up to 6 hours after a full charge
Cons:
- The laptop is only able to meet the minimum requirement of a laptop for music production
Lenovo Yoga Book
If you are a music producer looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production, you will never regret it if you opt for Lenovo Yoga Book.
The laptop features an inbuilt touchpad keyboard and will serve you for years to come. The laptop can equally be used as a graphical tablet and stylus.
The laptop runs on an Android operating system. As a result of this, it is unable to run many of the heavy software used for music production, especially the software requiring Apple or Windows operating system.
The size of the laptop is small, but it has limited capabilities. The internal storage is very big at 64 GB. You can even extend the memory using an SD Card.
Pros:
- The android operating system in Lenovo Yoga Book is highly impressive
- The price of the laptop is also competitive
- Lenovo Yoga Book is very light and also small in size. So, it is easy to move about
- The storage capacity is huge
Cons:
- It cannot run many of the programs and software for music production since many of the programs require Windows or Apple operating system.
Dell XPS Thin and Light
Dell XPS Thin and Light is one of the best laptops out there for anyone involved with music production. You can simply buy this if you are looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production.
Dell XPS Thin and Light has 16 GB RAM, which is very impressive. It also comes with touchscreen functionality. The laptop processes your works and programs fast and this makes it just perfect for music production.
The 7th generation Intel quad-core processor adds more value to this laptop. The memory is very fast and it can deliver an incomparable processing speed.
However, the size of the laptop is big. Its display is 15.6 inches. Additionally, Dell XPS Thin and Light comes with two USB 3.0 slots and a Thunderbolt 3 multi-use port.
The laptop is compatible with a modern audio interface, which makes it one of the best tools for music production.
Pros:
- Dell XPS Thin and Light has 16 GB of RAM
- It can also process your programs speedily
- Additionally, its input and output options are impressive
Cons:
- The display is very wide at 15.6 inches.
ASUS ROG STRIX
ASUS ROG STRIX is reliable for anyone looking for the best laptop under 500- for music production. While it is good for music production, it can also work perfectly as a gaming laptop.
The laptop features decent FPS rates when being used for playing games. It equally has a wonderful processing power that makes it just perfect for music production.
You will fall in love with its generous storage space, which is up to 1 TB hard drive and 256 GB SSD. The RM is, however, 16 GB and this ensures the laptop can run very fast. This huge RAM makes it one of the best laptops for your audio workstation.
ASUS ROG STRIX weighs as much as 5 pounds and it is very solid. So, it is built to last for a long. You can also carry it about without hassle.
Pros:
- ASUS ROG STRIX has a RAM of 16 GB
- It equally features a high-speed processor
- Each unit comes with 4 USB slots
- The storage space is also huge
Cons:
- The laptop tends to be big; its screen is 15 inches.
Alienware AW15R3-7001SLV-PUS
Alienware AW15R3-7001SLV-PUS is one of the best to consider when looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production. While the laptop is great for music production, you can also use it for gaming purposes.
The laptop can generate great processing speed just perfect for different categories of music production tools and software. It runs on a quad-core Intel i7 processor and can boot efficiently, which makes it a perfect addition to your digital audio workstation.
The battery in Alienware AW15R3-7001SLV-PUS can last for up to 11 hours, which is very great. The laptop is equally strong enough to manage several plugins at the same time.
The RAM is 16GB and the storage capacity is 1TB. The price is equally not on the high side. Alienware AW15R3-7001SLV-PUS will undoubtedly give you good value for money.
Pros:
- The RAM is 16 GB
- It also has a huge storage capacity of 1TB
- Alienware AW15R3-7001SLV-PUS9 is a highly affordable laptop
- The battery can equally last for up to 11 hours
Cons:
- None
Conclusion
The information we have given above would have opened your eyes to the best set of laptops you can consider for music production without breaking a bank.
If you are looking for the best laptop under 500 for music production, you can go for any of the laptops that we have reviewed above and there is a 100% assurance that they will all give you good value for money.
However, it is important to pay close attention to their pros and cons so that you can make informed decisions when buying any of the laptops.
