The 5 Best Laptops for Animation Reviewed

Unless you’re a regular Charles Shalz and plan on spending every waking minute of your life working on paper, you’re going to need a great laptop for the job.

Even then, bringing your creativity to life is no walk in the park, and it’s not easy for your computer either.

Unfortunately, not every laptop is going to be all that functional when it comes to the animating process.

You need something that is compatible with all your specialist software and fast enough to keep up with your talent and workflow.

No matter what your niche is in the animation world, your laptop needs to be packing some serious specs.

It’s likely you’re going to end up looking at some top of line machines, but comparing computers at similar market levels can be mind-numbing.

So, to keep that mind in tip-top condition, we’re reviewing the five best laptops for animation.

We’ll also include a buyer’s guide and a brief FAQ section, so you can get back to what matters: breathing life into the inanimate.

Best Laptops for Animation

1. Razor Blade 15 Advanced Model Gaming Laptop

Our top pick is a relatively new release packed with everything you could ever want or need to excel at your craft.

The pixels refresh 300 times a second in this insanely powerful 15-inch FHD display. This is guaranteed to give you the most accurate and detailed visuals possible.

It also has 4K OLED touchscreen capabilities. This means that every sub-pixel has its own light source, giving you pristine contrast and true blacks.

This thing has an incredibly advanced 8-core 10th gen. i7-10875H processor perfect for rendering and for completing single tasks or multitasking flawlessly. Due to its intended gaming application.

It also boasts GeForce RTX 2080 Super MQ graphics capabilities. This is the quality of graphics required to run the most complex and highly visual games in full quality.

It has up to 1TB of internal storage and 16GB DDR4 memory which is a really great built-in capacity. If that’s not enough, it has both USB and Thunderbolt connectivity, making it easy to use in conjunction with external hardware.

It also runs with wifi 6 ability which works 4 times as fast in congested airwaves. You can work in your favorite coffee shop and maintain that essential high-speed internet connection.

This laptop is state of the art and it’s not cheap. In a nutshell, this laptop is our number one pick because it’s pretty much everything you need and more. Ideally, though, we’d like an extra half hour on the 5 ½ hour battery life.

2. MSI GS66 Stealth 10SFS-032

Our next pick is a new in series laptop and winner of the 2020 computer design award.

It’s portable, it’s sleek, and it’s incredibly powerful, perfect for giving you that extra edge required for excellence.

It has a very impressive 10th Gen 8-core i9 processor, the most advanced on our list. It’s going to provide the fastest possible functioning on the market.

The Stealth offers a truly seamless experience. The base CPU speed is 2.4GHz, but after boost, it maxes out at an astonishing 5.3GHz.

The screen is another area where the Stealth (ironically) shines. It has a 15.6-inch anti-glare FHD display with a 300Hz refresh rate like our top pick, but the response rate is so good it feels even faster.

The graphics are powered by such intense software, you probably can’t say it in a single breath: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q 8G GDDR6.

MSI Stealth has 1TB NVMe SSD storage and a 16GB DDR4 memory capacity, just like our top pick. This is more than enough short and long-term memory for consistently smooth performance during your animation work.

This stealth warrior also has one of the biggest laptop batteries on the market. Despite the Stealth’s power and intensive features, you’re still going to get around 7 hours from a single charge, which is awesome!

It was a really difficult choice for the top spot between the Stealth and the Razor Blade. They’re both brilliant machines. We ended up going with the Razor Blade because its focus on display quality was slightly more impressive.

That said, the Stealth is around $500 cheaper.

3. Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop

Our number two pick is an amazing product for the price.

It’s another machine designed for optimum gaming performance that gives you everything you’ll need to run your animation software without a hitch.

The screen is 15.6 inches wide with a 144Hz FHD display and 1920 x 1080 resolution designed for perfect clarity. In addition, it comes loaded with a 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics capability.

This isn’t just great for gaming. It’s perfect for illustration, graphic design, animation, and more.

It has a 6-core i7-10750H processor which, combined with the advanced cooling system, should be able to handle even advanced and taxing software for long periods of time. Add that to a 7-hour battery life and you’re set.

The Predator comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM which will be more than capable of handling lots of multilayer editing. Unfortunately, you only get 256GB of long-term SSD storage, so you should probably look into buying an external hard drive.

Connectivity shouldn’t be a problem with this chunky design with its four USB ports and single HDMI port.

This is the perfect laptop for animation if you’re on a bit of a budget. It’s roughly ⅓ of the price of our top pick. Considering the power you get in this little tank, the price is nothing short of miraculous.

4. Asus Rog GU502GW AH76 Zephyrus M

Coming in at number three is another up-market laptop with everything you need for a smooth unimpeded workflow.

This ultra-slim design still boasts a 15.6-inch screen with 1920 x 1080 resolution and GeForce RTX graphics.

Running the show is the 9th Gen i7 hexa-core processor that facilitates insanely fast frame speed for video performance and tons of power for running all your intensive software without any drag or glitching during the animation process.

The 16GB DDR4 RAM means really fast bootup speeds and software launching, and you’ll be able to do a ton of multilayer editing and multitasking too.

The 1TB SSD storage should also be more than enough for program installation, leaving you space to save your creations internally.

For a very light and portable laptop, the Rog is packing a lot of heat. This is why it has such an advanced cooling system. The fan has a dust protection function and 3 power modes. If you feel you’re pushing it too hard, just up the fan level and keep pushing.

The Asus Rog is perfect for an animator that wants something as slimline and sleek as possible. It’s lightweight and incredibly durable, perfect for the commute to work.

It’s not exactly affordable, but a computer this powerful in and this compact wouldn’t have even been a possibility a few years ago.

Where this one lets us down a little bit is the battery life. It only has around 4 ¾ hour charge, so you might want to work somewhere with a plug socket handy.

5. Gigabyte Aero OLED SA-7US5130SH

Our last spot is filled by a super-powerful laptop with unparalleled X-rite Pantone certified color accuracy and a 3mm ultra-thin bezel.

Let’s take a look under the hood. It’s got a 9th Gen i7 hexa-core processor just like our third pick.

With a base speed of 2.6GHz and turbo speed of 4.5GHzthis laptop will smooth out the functioning of any software.

It has 16GB RAM which is as you’ve probably noticed a pretty standard size for a laptop that will handle the running of your animation software without slowing the system down.

It does have a reasonably small 512GB SSD storage capacity, but that’s more than enough for your software and a few projects.

They’ve kitted the Aero with an ultra-slim bezel maximizing your screen real estate here. Thanks to the thin-line surround, you end up with a 15.6-inch Samsung UHD 3840 x 2160 OLED display.

This kind of clarity will add precision to your work other computers simply don’t have the pixel quality to supply.

To top things off, with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti graphic performance, your animations will be poetry in motion.

This is another really impressive portable laptop with all you’d ever need to excel in your craft. The main reasons it lost out to the Rog are its 5lbs weight, 25 minute shorter charge, and its lower SSD storage.

Of course, it does have some things over the Rog. The Aero has a much higher resolution for example.

We just felt that at a certain quality, the human eye won’t notice much improvement there, whereas, you’ll definitely notice the weight and lack of storage.

Laptop for Animation Buyers Guide

Shopping for a laptop can be incredibly difficult, especially if you’re not a ‘techy’ kind of person.

Even if you spend most of your work mastering complex animation software, you’re not going to know much about a computer’s functionality.

Before you know it, you’re up to eyes in esoteric number/letter combinations and jargon, and you just want to cry.

Well, here’s a little buyers guide that can help you decipher the codes and reveal the perfect laptop.

Budget

Having a budget is always good. You can find what you’re looking for much faster.

It’s especially helpful when shopping for computers due to how many models are released.

If you find a laptop you really like but can’t afford, just look for an older iteration with a smaller price tag.

Processor

The processor or CPU is the hardware engine at the heart of your laptop.

It controls every single operation and defines the speed at which they function. A powerful processor is essential for running more intensive programs at a smooth and professional level.

Due to the power requirements of laptops with advanced processors, they often have shorter battery life. They can run anywhere between 2 and 7 hours, whereas a laptop with a rudimentary processor will run 10 + hours.

We recommend you only look for laptops with at least an 8th generation i7 processor.

Or, if you’re looking for an alternative to Intel systems, Ryzen 5 3600 X or above are great for animation.

SSD Storage

SSD storage refers to the long term storage capacity of your laptop.

This is often confused with RAM memory, but they’re completely different. All your saved files and installed programs take up your SSD storage space.

If you don’t want to rely on external hard drives, you’ll need a laptop with large SSD.

We recommend choosing something with 512GB SSD storage. If you can’t find one in your price range, make sure you don’t go below 256GB.

You’ll need that as a minimum to install your programs as well as use all your computer’s other functions.

RAM

RAM refers to the short term memory of a computer.

Think about a typical ‘undo’ function on a Word or Pages document. That’s an example of RAM working. It’s super fast functioning and temporary. It is not saved beyond a certain amount of time.

It’s responsible for all the data management in real-time. The higher the RAM the faster your computer…computes so to speak.

This is one of the most important specifications to consider when buying a laptop for a specialized purpose. Typically, animation software uses quite a lot of memory to allow extensive editing and retrievable layers.

We recommend choosing a laptop with at least 8GB, but 16GB + will be far more efficient and provide a much more enjoyable working experience.

Size

As a visual artist, you’re going to need a fairly large screen to help you be the best you can be. You should try to find a laptop with a 15-inch display or above.

This should be a large enough panel for long stints of animation work. You could go as small as 14 inches if you need to, but any smaller and it might make things a little difficult.

Resolution

Resolution of a computer is defined by the number of pixels that make up the display.

A high-resolution display will have crisp clear lines. Low-resolution displays will be blocky and ill-defined. Think about old video games.

Obviously, a high-resolution display is going to be invaluable when it comes to animation.

You need your image to be as sharp and accurate as possible. We recommend a minimum of FHD 1920 x 1080, but preferably you should be looking for something with FHD 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Battery Life

A long battery charge is a great thing to look for in a laptop no matter how it’s going to be used.

One of the best things about a laptop is its portability, and a short battery life diminishes that practicality.

As mentioned above, sometimes a high power processor will really drain the juice of your battery. That’s not to say a good laptop with a lengthy battery life doesn’t exist.

For animation, you should try to find a laptop with at least 5 hours, although the longer the better.

The last thing you want in the middle of a good session is a sudden shutdown. You risk losing your flow and any unsaved data. We’d say an 8-hour battery life is perfect.

Operating System

An operating system controls the resources of your computer. It’s like the software General commanding all the troops. No computer program can run on its own.

Without a competent operating system, your computer will experience frequent crashes. The operating systems in most computers are likely to be Windows or MacOS.

For animation, you should be looking for a minimum of a Windows 8 or a macOS X Mojave operating system. If you want even better functionality, we recommend Windows 10 or macOS Mojave.

GPU

GPU stands for Graphics Processing Unit. It can be a built-in part of the circuitry or it can be inserted into a dock as a separate card.

These are known as integrated and dedicated GPUs. An integrated GPU shares memory with the computer and thus is slightly limited. A dedicated GPU has its own memory bank.

A lot of gamers who need incredibly accurate and quick graphics opt for external GPUs. This is why if you want a laptop for animation, a gaming laptop is a perfect choice. Other laptops won’t even have a port for a GPU card.

The GPU is responsible for the representation of 2D data, panning your display, and zooming functions. It’s second and equally important job is fluidly decoding and rendering any 3D animations. So, as you’ve probably guessed, a good GPU is essential for your work.

Now, you will be able to run your software with an integrated GPU, but ideally, you need a dedicated GPU with around 2GB of independent memory.

Portability

Portability is only particularly important if you plan on taking your laptop on the road with you.

This is another reason why a gaming laptop is perfect for animators.

Gaming is a very social thing so manufacturers work hard on minimizing overall size and weight to facilitate this. A gaming laptop will almost always be thinner and lighter than a standard laptop.

Realistically, anything that weighs above 10lbs is going to be a pain to transport. We suggest 5lbs or below for a comfortable commute.

Frequently Asked Questions

What computers do Pixar animators use?

Pixar animators don’t use typical computers in-office.

They’ll use what’s known as render farms. These are a collection of computers with dedicated rendering functions.

How much RAM do I need for 3D animation?

16GB should be more than enough for a lot of 3D work; however, complex scenes with a lot of objects and characters may require 32 or even 64GB RAM.

What animation software is good for beginners?

There are many programs that animators use, but not all are beginner friendly. Watch this video to see a list of great beginner animation programs:

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