When I first started making music, you'd have been laughed at for suggesting that you use a laptop to run your studio. Thanks to recent developments in chip technology enhancing CPU power and chipset efficiency, using one of the best laptops for music production is no longer the limiting factor it once was. In fact, I use a MacBook Pro in my home studio and take it to work in professional recording studios.
If you want the best overall laptop for making music, then I think you should go for the Apple MacBook Pro M5. It’s an absolute beast of a machine, but it will cost you a pretty penny. If you’re set on a MacBook but lacking budget, the Apple MacBook Neo delivers incredible performance on a much lower budget. Ideal for musicians doing smaller projects or just getting started with production.
For Windows users who want the ultimate in power, the Asus ProArt P16 delivered phenomenal performance in my testing, has a stunning screen, and can double as a video editing machine. It’s not cheap, though, so check out the MSI Katana 15 HX if you want a cheaper Windows laptop that can handle production tasks as well as being a great gaming machine.
The key specs for music production laptops are the CPU and RAM, which are crucial for ensuring solid performance when crafting music. For Windows users, I’d recommend at least an i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU (but preferably an i7 or Ryzen 7), with at least 16GB of RAM - more is always better, though. Mac users will find any of the Silicon chips sufficient, as well as 8GB of Apple’s unified memory being plenty for the majority of music production tasks. Of course, more is always better.
Looking to make a saving? We're tracking all of this season’s biggest music gear bargains on our Black Friday music deals page.
I've been recording bands since the mid-noughties, cutting my teeth with an M-Audio M-Track 2 and a copy of Cubase 5 on Windows XP. Since then, I've used various laptops to record music for bands across the UK, covering everything from djent to jazz. As a MusicRadar writer, I've reviewed three of the laptops in this guide, and over 50 different bits of music production gear including studio monitors, studio headphones, audio interfaces, and more. Before becoming a writer, I spent five years in the music retail industry working for Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, providing expert advice to musicians.
Best overall
💻 The MacBook Pro M5 16" is the ultimate music-making laptop if you can afford one. It delivers a simply staggering amount of power for running an incredible number of plugins, while the 16" screen is an absolute joy to work on, and there's plenty of connectivity for additional screens, hubs, your interface, and any other accessories.
✅ Buy if you want the best of the best and money is no object: Max out one of these beasts and you'll certainly pay for it, but you'll also have the most capable, future-proofed machine on the planet.
❌ Avoid if you want something more down to earth: There are much cheaper and still very capable Apple (and non-Apple) laptops out there.
Overview
Featuring improved battery life, Apple Intelligence, and some serious performance gains, the Apple MacBook Pro M5 16-inch is undoubtedly the best laptop for music production in the world right now. Is it overkill for most users? Probably. But this is the machine to buy if you want to future-proof yourself and enjoy your mobile music-making to its fullest.
Build
The look and feel of the MacBook Pro M5 is simply sumptuous, with the whole thing put together beautifully. The aluminum unibody gives it a real feel of durability, and the slick looks are second to none. It is heavy, though, so bear in mind if you're traveling a lot, you might find the 14-inch version a tad more portable.
There are plenty of ports available for connecting your audio interface and any other peripherals you have thanks to three Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, with a dedicated HDMI if you need to hook up to a larger screen, and an SDXC card slot should you need some additional storage.
Features
Both 16" Pro models offer a great music production experience with their large 16.2" displays - the biggest screens bar just one model in this round-up - but, really, you are looking at a big price difference compared to other Macs here. The screen is fantastic though, and if you're working exclusively on the laptop screen then that extra real estate will come in handy on projects with lots of plugins.
Memory options range from 48GB to 128GB of unified memory, with the 40-core GPU configuration providing an insane memory bandwidth of 614GB/s. It even features a built-in DAC that supports 32-bit audio and converts up to 96kHz, so you can work sans audio interface.
Performance
During our stress tests, we played 525 channels of samples and loops with resource-heavy VSTs in Logic Pro, and only pushed the user-associated CPU load to a paltry 56%. The performance is really quite stunning, and it remained highly responsive during playback, letting us multitask seamlessly without any stuttering.
In a separate test, we processed duplicated 32-bit/192kHz field recordings with reverb and compression, and the MacBook Pro only overloaded after reaching a stonking 226 active tracks. The machine was virtually silent throughout, and although the cooling fan was active during heavy loads, we were barely able to hear it.
Battery life
Like everything else the MacBook Pro does, the battery performance is nothing short of stellar. For daily driver tasks like emailing clients and general admin, three hours of use resulted in just a 6% drop in battery.
When using it for heavy production work, around five or six hours of work in Logic Pro resulted in just a 50% drop in battery. It means you can rely on the MacBook Pro to keep going off charge for at least a full day on a single charge.
"Computationally, on a bang-per-buck basis, the MacBook Pro M5 Max clearly and coolly delivers. For my part, I do not see a lifetime in which I naturally reach the limits of what this device is capable of. In my stress-testing, I vastly exceeded the bounds of practicality or even plausibility with respect to what a studio stint or production session of mine could ever require. But this raises the question of whether this device’s outsized capabilities – and the outsized costs associated with them – are necessary for the vast majority of musicians and producers, professionals included."
Read more: Apple MacBook Pro M5 review
Test |
Verdict |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Display |
Big and clear |
★★★★★ |
Connectivity |
A decent range of ports |
★★★★☆ |
Performance |
Power for all tasks |
★★★★★ |
Battery life |
Up to 24 hours |
★★★★★ |
Best budget
💻 The MacBook Neo is for the musician who wants an Apple machine on a budget. Available for well below a grand, it's got plenty of power for processing simple audio tasks and is lightweight and compact for taking it to mobile recording sessions or working on the go.
✅ Buy if you want an Apple machine on a budget: The MacBook Neo is the ideal starter laptop for musicians who want a Mac but don't have the budget for the more expensive Air and Pro models.
❌ Avoid if you're an advanced music-maker: If you're regularly crafting big productions using sample libraries and heavy VSTs, then you'll hit the limits of this laptop pretty quickly.
Overview
Apple MacBooks have gotten so good that the MacBook Air of today is now on par with the previous generation MacBook Pros. With the previous entry-level laptop now being so powerful and costly, the Apple MacBook Neo has been launched. For my money, it's the best budget laptop for music production available right now.
Build
It looks and feels like a MacBook when you first pull it out of the box. It's got the durable-feeling aluminium unibody chassis with rounded edges, and is available in a nice variety of color schemes that will appeal to a wide range of music makers. The 13-inch screen is small, but vibrant with 500 nits brightness rating plenty for working in brightly lit spaces.
There are a few cost-cutting measures here, though. The keyboard doesn't light up, which might be troublesome for those who don't know their shortcuts off by heart. The trackpad also lacks the 'force touch' action of the more expensive Air and Pro models.
Features
The Neo features a six-core A18 Pro chip, which is similar to that used in the more recent iPhones. It's got a 5-core GPU and is only able to utilise 8GB of unified memory. You can't upgrade it at the checkout which limits its use for power users with huge sample libraries.
It's also very restricted in terms of connectivity, with just two USB-C slots. Only one of them is high-speed, so you'll definitely need to invest in a USB hub if you want to use MIDI keyboards and external hard drives.
Performance
In our tests, the MacBook Neo performed impressively, handling 171 tracks with around 140 stock plugins in Logic Pro before suffering a system overload. It's important to bear in mind that Logic is very well integrated, so I wouldn't expect to get this kind of performance using Pro Tools or Ableton.
Nonetheless, it's still really impressive, and for beginners or those doing simpler productions, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as a great starter production laptop. It feels like a proper Apple laptop with a slick overall feel and precise keybed and touchpad.
Battery life
The quoted battery life of 16 hours seems realistic if you're just browsing with Safari and working on documents, but for music production tasks this number is a lot lower. We managed to deplete the battery in a couple of hours working on a full mix, so you'll want to keep the 20W charger handy if you're planning on doing any serious work with the Neo.
"I had high hopes for the MacBook Neo when it was first announced, and I’m very happy to say it does not disappoint. It’s really great value for money considering the amount of processing power you get, and for simpler recording tasks, it performs admirably. It’s lightweight, looks great, and has many of the features of the more advanced and costly MacBook Air, making it well worth considering if you want an Apple machine on a budget."
Read more: Apple MacBook Neo review
Test |
Verdict |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity |
You'll need a hub |
★★★☆☆ |
Display |
Not the biggest, but very clear |
★★★★☆ |
Performance |
Great for beginners |
★★★★☆ |
Battery life |
Only a few hours off charge |
★★★☆☆ |
Best Windows
💻 The Asus ProArt P16 is ideal for musicians who want the same level of power a MacBook offers but don't like working on macOS. It's astoundingly powerful, looks super sleek, and has a very rugged build quality which means you won't mind chucking it in a backpack to take on the go.
✅ Buy if you want a high-performance Windows machine: In my testing the ProArt P16 easily dealt with hundreds of tracks, making it great for heavy music-making tasks.
❌ Avoid if you record in the same space that you mix: When under load the fans on the P16 are pretty loud, which could potentially ruin a recording.
Overview
Despite the popularity of MacBooks for music production, using a Windows laptop is not the disadvantage it once was. Today’s Windows laptops deliver phenomenal power, and the Asus ProArt P16 is one of the most powerful non-Apple laptops I’ve had my hands on in the last few years.
Build
It’s a very sleek-looking laptop, eschewing the gaudy styling you find on some Windows machines for a subtle all-black aesthetic. A 16-inch 4K OLED screen means that even Pro Tools’ ancient UI looks super sharp, but it is very glossy, so you’ll need to adjust it in brightly lit spaces. There’s a lot of venting on the bottom, so it will get warm in your lap under heavy load, and when the fans kick in, it can get pretty loud.
Performance
There’s a good amount of touchpad space, plus the addition of an additional circular control which can cover some additional functionality in apps like Photoshop and Da Vinci. It’s a shame there’s no dedicated functionality for any music-making apps though. I found the keybed to be nice and comfortable, with the backlighting helping me find my way around in lower light. The short enter button isn’t my thing, but it doesn’t take long to adapt to.
In my D-Verb test the ProArt P16 delivered a phenomenal performance, only maxing out when I ran 400 tracks with 5 instances of D-Verb each, which is a staggering 2,000 plugin instances. I’ve never used that many plugins in one session, so there are few music-making tasks the P16 will be unable to handle.
Battery life
As you might expect for a laptop with this much power, the battery life isn’t exactly staggering. I got 6 hours out of it which included setup, the demanding stress tests, and the recording of a demo for my band which I think is pretty decent. If you’re going for an all-day session though, you’ll want to keep the (rather bulky) charger handy.
“Whether or not musicians should go for this over a similarly priced MacBook is merely a case of what operating system you prefer, because the Asus ProArt 16 has plenty of power to compete with silicon chip Apple machines, and it has that professional look sans any garish RGB lighting. It really is a viable alternative for those who don’t want to commit to the Apple ecosystem.”
Read more: Asus ProArt P16 review
Test |
Verdict |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity |
Plenty of connectivity options |
★★★★★ |
Display |
Large and high definition |
★★★★★ |
Performance |
Loads of great features but loud fans |
★★★★☆ |
Battery life |
Up to 6 hours |
★★★★☆ |
Best portable
💻 The Apple MacBook Air M4 is the perfect match for music makers who want ultimate power in an easily transportable laptop. My review model absolutely smashed the stress tests I put it through, and it's an incredibly lightweight and compact unit overall.
✅ Buy if you want a laptop to make music on the go: With its super lightweight and incredibly rugged chassis, this is the perfect laptop to take to studios and mix on the move.
❌ Avoid if you use a lot of peripherals: With just two Thunderbolt ports you’re going to quickly run out of ports, and for some, carrying an additional hub could be annoying.
Overview
The Apple MacBook Air M4 is ridiculously powerful considering it’s ultra light weight, and absolutely makes the case that a laptop can replace a traditional desktop as the hub of your studio, allowing you to take your plugins and project anywhere and everywhere. If you’re after an option for making music in the go, then it doesn’t come much better than this.
Build
Like all MacBooks, the design is super sleek, and the all-aluminium chassis ensures that it’ll put up with any abuse it might suffer out on the road. Surprisingly, this sturdiness doesn’t make it all that heavy either, with the MacBook Air M4 weighing in at a mere 1.51 kg (3.3 lbs). The layout is simple and will take little adaptation if you’re moving over from a Windows machine.
Features
With an M4 chip that delivers 38 trillion operations per second, it'll effortlessly handle pretty much any music production task you can throw at it. It also features an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) specifically designed to handle AI tasks like stem separation or sample management.
In terms of connections, there's not a huge amount here, so power users will definitely want to pair it with a USB hub. With just two Thunderbolt 4 ports, you're going to need more space to add an audio interface, MIDI pad controllers, and an SSD if you use them.
Performance
The backlit keyboard delivers that classic comfort and performance in low light, making this a machine you really can use anywhere. The screen is an absolute delight with plenty of detail to help you pick out waveforms in detail and edit your productions. The trackpad retains a similar feel to previous Apple laptops, providing a great level of control, with a decent amount of space to move around in.
When performing the D-Verb test on this laptop I only ended up getting an error when I hit around 500 tracks, each with 5 instances of D-Verb running on it. That’s a whopping 2,500 plugins, which I’m willing to bet is more load than 99% of music-makers would ever use. Safe to say this laptop has an incredible amount of power that means it will last for years and years without starting to feel slow.
Battery life
The battery life on all of the Silicon-equipped MacBooks is astoundingly good as the design allows for RAM to be shared between the CPU and GPU, which prevents any bottlenecks in processing power. It still had plenty of charge despite me using it to install various bits of software, running my stress tests, and creating some music in the box. It’s another feather in its cap that makes it a brilliant machine for making music on the move.
“As far as modern music-making machines go, the Apple MacBook Air M4 is an amazing choice for any kind of musician or producer. It’s got more than enough power to keep you in business for at least the next 10 years, whether you’re crafting EDM in the box with a pair of headphones, or recording a full band with an audio interface and set of monitors.”
Read more: Apple MacBook Air M4 review
Test |
Verdict |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity |
Only two Thunderbolt ports |
★★★★☆ |
Display |
Beautiful display |
★★★★☆ |
Performance |
Performs incredibly well |
★★★★★ |
Battery life |
Up to 18 hours |
★★★★★ |
Best 2-in-1
💻 The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is for the musician who wants a laptop that can double as a tablet. This 2-in-1 Surface Pro 9 is seriously powerful, so you can moonlight with it for live sound purposes, or just use it as an additional screen in part of a larger system.
✅ Buy if you prefer a touch screen: This one also doubles as a tablet, so if you want a device that can also serve as your entertainment and work machine, this is definitely one to look at.
❌ Avoid if you don't need a touchscreen: Why pay for something you don't need or want?
Overview
For Windows fans, their range of crossover tablet-slash laptops is a left-field but potentially powerful option when considering your next music production laptop. Powerful enough to serve as the hub of your home production suite, it's also great for those who moonlight as live sound engineers when you separate it down into tablet form.
Build
The screen is stunning thanks to its 120Hz refresh rate, meaning that everything looks incredibly detailed and runs smoothly. It's got ten-point multi-touch capability too, offering some neat features for producers that allow you to quickly make adjustments without having to reach for the mouse. The ability to split it quickly and turn it into a tablet is a great feature in general, whether you're using it for music production or not.
Features
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 is an absolute beast of a machine, coming with a 12th-gen i7 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 256GB SSD drive, making it more than a match for vast music projects on the go or in the studio.
Performance
In our tests, it performed admirably with a huge Pro Tools project, running well over 200+ tracks at an ASIO buffer size of 64 before we began to notice any pops and clicks. Compatibility is excellent as well, as at the time of writing there are no known issues with plugins and Windows 11, unlike a certain popular OS.
The overall feel of Windows 11 is really nice, and it delivered smooth performance for us throughout our tests. It's a great option if you need a tablet for certain tasks but still want to retain that laptop feel when you sit down to mix, although it does give it a weird weight distribution, as the top of it is heavier than the bottom in laptop mode.
Battery life
We found the battery life did pretty well, but was nowhere near the stated 15.5 hours when mixing a track. As usual, these figures are probably just for browsing, so it's not much of a surprise to find it not lasting as long. It definitely held its own but wasn't as long-lasting as some of the MacBooks on offer here.
If you're not willing to go the MacBook route, and you want something ultra-versatile, then the Surface Pro 9 is a great option. The ability to split it and use it as a tablet might be a tick in the box for any producer moonlighting in live sound too.
“Looking at it from a pure performance perspective, the Surface Pro 9 is a high-powered laptop/tablet that will easily handle any task a music producer throws at it. We came across zero issues in terms of compatibility or errors in our tests, and it’s got a hefty CPU and a healthy complement of RAM to manage huge projects with ease, delivering reliable performance consistently.”
Read more: Microsoft Surface Pro 9 review
Test |
Results |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity |
Just two USB-C ports |
★★★☆☆ |
Display |
Beautiful screen, with touch functionality |
★★★★☆ |
Performance |
Awesome performance when mixing |
★★★★★ |
Battery life |
Very usable battery life |
★★★★☆ |
Best for gaming
💻 The MSI Katana 15 HX is for the musician who's also a hardcore gamer. Delivering plenty of power for both music-making tasks and gaming, so you can run Cyberpunk 2077, this powerful laptop is the perfect go-between for work and play.
✅ Buy if you want power: Gaming laptops need to be supremely powerful, which is what makes this one such a great option for monster music projects.
❌ Avoid if you're a casual music-maker: All that power could be unnecessary for the majority of hobbyists, and it comes at a cost too.
Overview
If you need an accessible machine that can double as a gaming rig alongside your music production tasks, the MSI Katana 15 HX is a great shout. Base models come in around the £/$1k mark and can be spec'd for more power if you have the budget.
Build
Constructed from a hardy black plastic, I like that the Katana eschews that typical gamified RGB-heavy design for something that looks a bit more professional. You're certain you won't get any funny looks if you pull it out during your next recording session. It's not the most portable, being quite thick and weighing in at around 2.7kg.
The keyboard is really satisfying to type on, and the dedicated number pad is great for those Pro Tools-specific shortcuts. It's also got a four-zone RGB lighting system, so you can customise how it looks to your specific needs.
Features
With an Intel chip and Nvidia RTX graphics, it's got a potent combination of CPU and GPU that makes it just as good for music-making as it is for playing the latest Call of Duty. It's also got plentiful connectivity with three USB-A ports, a USB-C port, HDMI, Ethernet, and a 3.5mm headphone port.
Admittedly, the screen probably lets it down a little bit here. It's not as bright as some of the other laptops we tested, and while fine for gaming, you definitely wouldn't want to colour grade a video on it. If you're connecting to an external monitor this won't be a problem, but video editors might want to look elsewhere.
Performance
Even at the base level, the Katana will make light work of music production tasks. It's not as fast or as slick as the Apple laptops in this guide, but then you wouldn't have the huge number of gaming options the Katana offers.
For the money, the gaming performance is fantastic, with it scoring highly on GPU hogs like Cyberpunk 2077 and Alan Wake II. With that in mind, the base level 256 GB SSD will have producers running out of space pretty quickly, especially if you're balancing a huge plugin collection alongside your games.
Battery life
Gaming laptops are never typically great for battery life, and the Katana is no different. With that in mind, you'll want to keep your charger handy wherever you're working, as you're likely to run out pretty quickly. Heavy use can drain the battery in less than three hours, so be wary of that.
Test |
Results |
Score |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity |
Great variety of ports |
★★★★★ |
Display |
Usable screen could be brighter |
★★★★☆ |
Performance |
Incredibly powerful |
★★★★★ |
Battery life |
Amongst the shortest here |
★★★☆☆ |
Spec comparison
Struggling to decide which laptop to go for? Here's a side by side comparison of all the models in this guide to help you narrow it down.
Model |
CPU |
RAM |
Storage |
Battery |
Screen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple MacBook Pro M5 |
M5 Pro / M5 Max |
24GB - 128GB |
1TB - 8TB |
Up to 24hrs |
16.2" |
Apple MacBook Neo |
A18 Pro |
8GB |
256GB - 512GB |
Up to 16hrs |
13" |
Asus ProArt P16 |
AMD Ryzen AI 9 |
32GB - 64GB |
1TB - 2TB |
Up to 10hrs |
16" |
Apple MacBook Air M4 |
M4 |
16GB - 32GB |
256GB - 2TB |
Up to 18hrs |
15.3" |
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 |
Intel i7 |
16GB - 64GB |
256GB - 1TB |
Up to 15.5hrs |
13" |
MSI Katana 15 HX |
Intel Core i7 / i9 |
16GB - 32GB |
512GB - 1TB |
Up to 6hrs |
15.6" |
Also consider
In my opinion the above six should cover the vast majortiy of music-makers needs. That said, I appreciate that no two producers are alike, so if you didn't find what you were looking for here are some more great options.
How to choose
There are three critical factors to consider when selecting a laptop for music production. CPU power, RAM, and storage amount. These are the specifications that matter the most in production, with CPU and RAM controlling how many plugins and VST instruments you can use, while storage is important for all your core programs.
There are a lot of laptops to choose from in the modern age, and having tested numerous models, as well as using them on the daily in our own productions, we've put together some advice to help you get the most out of your new laptop shopping.
1. Consider your goals
MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.
First up, you need to think about what you actually need your laptop for. Are you producing guitar demos for your band? Recording multiple microphones in a treated room? Composing soundtracks for films? The usage of your laptop in your music-making tasks should help you understand what amount of power you require and how much you spend.
If you're just doing simple demos, then you probably don't need huge amounts of CPU power and RAM. Conversely, if you're composing for soundtracks, that's going to use a lot of power running complex orchestral VSTs. Keeping these in mind when doing your shopping will serve you well further down the line.
2. DPC latency
If you're going to go the Windows route, then you need to think about DPC (Deferred Procedure Call) latency. DPC is the time it takes for Windows to process background hardware tasks like your Wi-Fi drivers or power management, which can result in pops and clicks when processing audio, even on a high end i9 processor.
Apple's CoreAudio system largely avoids this, which is why you'll often see professional engineers with Apple machines in their studios or laptops for working on the go. You can still use a Windows laptop for music making, but it's important to be aware of DPC latency and make sure you check out benchmarks before buying or do some house cleaning when you get your new computer and get rid of as many background processes and bloatware as possible.
2. CPU: Performance vs. Efficiency
Modern CPUs from Apple's Silicon chip range and the latest Intel and Ryzen chips both have a mixture of performance and efficiency cores. DAWs rely on performance cores for their operation as demanding, real-time, complex applications. A great test for performance cores is building a chain on your mastering bus and seeing how many CPU-intensive plugins it can manage like Pro-L 2 and Soothe 3.
This means that performance cores are far more important than efficiency cores are for music makers, at least for the time being. If you're getting into the nitty-gritty of your CPU performance, then make sure it has a good number of performance cores.
3. RAM: Unified Memory vs. Traditional RAM
The latest Apple MacBooks use a Unified Memory architecture, which shares the memory between CPU, GPU, and NPU if your machine has one. This gets rid of one of the biggest traditional bottlenecks in computing, where transfer of data between CPU and RAM held performance back significantly.
This means that 16GB of Unified Memory will perform much better than 16GB of traditional RAM, so bear that in mind whether you're purchasing an Apple laptop or Windows machine. If you rely on sample libraries and are buying a Windows laptop, then make sure you get at least 32GB of RAM.
4. Storage
The traditional HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is pretty much dead when it comes to modern laptops. While they're still good as backup drives, pretty much every modern laptop will come with a SSD (Solid State Drive) nowadays. SSDs are much faster and much more reliable.
They are expensive though thanks to the rise of AI. I would go for 512GB as a minimum, but ideally you should aim for higher than that. If your laptop has high speed USB-C or Thunderbolt ports, then you can rely on an external hard drive for sample libraries.
5. Connections
Laptops tend to have limited connectivity versus their PC counterparts, so it's important to take stock of what yours has before you buy. Most MacBook Airs only have two USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, so for most musicians, you'll already need to factor a USB hub into your purchase.
FAQs
What are the minimum specs for a music production laptop?
If you’re looking at a Windows machine, then you’ll want at least an i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 as the minimum. This will handle most basic production tasks but you may find you need to start rendering audio and effects once you up the track count. You’ll want at least 16GB of RAM, and an SSD to ensure good performance.
How does the CPU and RAM affect performance?
In a laptop the CPU handles processing tasks, like running your operating system, your DAW, and the plugins you use to process audio. RAM on the other hand temporarily stores data for the CPU to access. Doing it this way is much quicker than constantly recalling data from a hard drive, and allows you to run multiple apps at once.
With this in mind the CPU and RAM go hand in hand when it comes to the performance of any computer, so having an ample supply of both means that your computer will run a lot smoother. Apple's Unified Memory gets rid of the traditional bottlenecks between CPU and RAM, meaning its performance is greatly improved.
Is Mac or Windows better for music production?
In my personal opinion, Mac is better. There’s a reason the majority of pro studios run on Mac systems, and that’s because they’re better for audio production. The efficiency of the Silicon chip-equipped Macs has further solidified that, massively improving the performance that a Mac is capable of. The lack of DPC latency mentioned in our how to choose section is another factor.
That said, there’s no reason you can’t produce great music on a Windows laptop. The new ARM chips deliver much-improved performance for laptops and driver stability is much better than it once was. A Windows laptop will also deliver more performance for less money, but it just won’t be as stable as a MacBook.
What brands are the best for music production laptops?
The obvious answer here is Apple, but brands like Asus, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Samsung, Razer, and Microsoft themselves can all deliver good laptops for music production. Realistically it’s not so much about the brand, but the specification when it comes to music production. So long as you have a good CPU, decent amount of RAM and an SSD it doesn’t really matter what brand you buy.
Do I need a graphics card for music production?
No you don’t. Many laptops come with GPUs anyway, but this is one thing you can skimp on if you’re looking for a machine purely for music production. Of course, if you’re also the video editor for your band then having a GPU can be a big benefit for editing videos to help promote your music.
Can a laptop handle heavy music production tasks?
A few years ago I would have preferred a desktop for music production but as the new CPUs get more powerful and laptops get more efficient, nowadays a laptop is more than capable of handling intense production tasks. I use a laptop as the hub of my home studio, which I can then take to the analogue studios I work in, which allows me to take my projects and plugins anywhere I need them.
What accessories will I need for producing music on a laptop?
One of the must-buys for me is an external hard drive. Even with a laptop that has good storage you’ll soon fill it up with sample libraries, plugins, and recorded audio, so that should be your first port of call. Hard drives used to be relatively cheap, but unfortunately the rise of AI has put paid to that.
I would also recommend a USB hub to expand your connectivity. This is one place where laptops lag behind a desktop computer, and it is particularly useful if you use a MIDI controller or your laptop has limited connectivity. It can also offer the ability to connect to external screens and give you a wired internet connection.
Does the type of hard drive matter for music production?
It doesn’t matter in terms of its ability to store data, but it does matter in terms of how quickly you can access your data. SSDs are lightyears ahead of the older HDD when it comes to retrieving and transferring data, so if your budget allows it I’d highly recommend you get an SSD. Not only does it make your laptop feel faster, but they’re also less likely to fail over time as there are no moving parts.
Is 8GB of RAM enough for music production in 2026?
If you're just getting started and using an Apple laptop, then yes it will be enough. Due to the way Apple's Unified Memory shares across different chips, it's incredibly efficient. If you're using big sample libraries or running bigger projects however, it will be too much.
For those running bigger productions, I'd advise getting as much as your budget allows in terms of Unified Memory. If you're a Windows user, at least 32 GB of traditional RAM in order to ensure your laptop performs at its best.
Do I need Thunderbolt ports for my audio interface?
It depends on your audio interface. If you're using a more professional unit or something from Universal Audio, then you'll need Thunderbolt connectivity. Most home grade interfaces still use USB-C though, so it's only a necessity if your particular interface demands it.
Can I use a gaming laptop for music production?
Gaming laptops require a powerful CPU and plenty of RAM, so typically they double well as laptops for music production. We've featured one in this guide, the MSI Katana 15 HX, so your gaming laptop of choice will definitely be able to moonlight as a production machine. You'll need to watch out for loud fans, and for DPC latency caused by drivers running in the background on Windows computers, however.
Key terms
- ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output): A low-latency driver protocol for Windows computers.
- Benchmarking: Testing a production laptop via software or by performing tasks. I use the D-Verb test to stress test laptops for music production in this guide, but there are lots of others you can do.
- Bus-powered: Refers to devices that draw power from a USB port. MIDI controllers and keyboards as well as audio interfaces are often bus-powered
- Chipset: The heart of the motherboard in a computer, the chipset manages the data flow between the CPU, RAM, and other components.
- CPU (Central Processing Unit): The brain of your laptop which controls all the applications and calculations required to run them.
- DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): The software used to record, edit, and produce music.
- GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): More commonly known as a ‘graphics card’, this component controls the video aspects of a laptop.
- HDD (Hard Disk Drive): An older form of storage for computers that uses magnets to retrieve data from a spinning disk. More prone to failure than an SSD.
- Latency: This is the delay in your laptop processing audio going in and playing it back out of the speakers. Getting this as low as possible is key to good performance.
- MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface): A method of communication that allows musical devices to send signals to digital software.
- NPU (Neural Processing Unit): A new type of chip designed for AI-powered tasks like stem separation and sample library management.
- OS (Operating System): The type of software that your computer uses to run all its programs. The major ones are Apple or Microsoft, but there are others like Linux and Ubuntu.
- Plugin: A software instrument or effect that you use in your DAW.
- RAM (Random Access Memory): Temporary storage that your laptop uses for performance. It’s key to have a lot of this for music production purposes.
- Sample library: A collection of recorded sounds used by instruments or as audio in music production.
- SSD (Solid State Drive): A newer, faster type of storage that uses integrated circuits to store data. Much faster and more reliable than an HDD.
- Thunderbolt: A modern type of connection port that enables faster data transfer. Newer Thunderbolt ports are interchangeable with USB-C ports.
- Throttling: This is what happens when you push your laptop too hard and the performance stutters due to excess heat. Results in a slowdown in performance.
- USB (Universal Serial Bus): A port used to connect lots of different devices to a computer. Comes in various formats, each with a different type of connector.
- VST (Virtual Studio Technology): A plugin type that allows virtual instruments to run inside software, created by Steinberg.
Why trust us
✔️ Established in 2007
✔️More than 9,500 reviews on-site
✔️17 years of product testing
Since 2007 MusicRadar has been helping musicians of all kinds, whether they're guitarists, drummers, producers, keyboard players, or DJs. We've been testing music gear for a long time, and our team of highly experienced industry professionals collectively have over a century's worth of knowledge from real-world music-making.
MusicRadar has been the go-to place for musicians looking for the latest news, best gear reviews, and how-tos for 17 years and counting, irrespective of your particular instrument, or favourite music genre.
As well as providing the best online music content, MusicRadar also hosts content from stalwart magazine brands including Future Music, Computer Music, and eMusician. We receive three million visitors per month, making us the preeminent destination for music makers and lovers worldwide.
Meet the experts
Our writing team consists of real-life musicians with a huge amount of collective experience. Meet our expert team of gear reviewers:
Matt has been recording bands since the mid-noughties, cutting his teeth with an M-Audio M-Track 2 and a copy of Cubase on Windows XP. Since then he's used countless audio interfaces to record music for bands across the UK, covering everything from djent to jazz. As a MusicRadar writer, Matt has reviewed three of the laptops in this guide in the past year alone, and over 50 different products including audio interfaces, studio monitors, studio headphones, and more. Before becoming a writer, he spent five years in the music retail industry working for Dawsons Music and Northwest Guitars, providing expert advice to musicians. He’s currently studying Music Production & Mastering at Spirit Studios in Manchester, UK.
Si takes care of the reviews on MusicRadar and Future Music magazine, although you may have also spotted him on camera conducting gear reviews for the MusicRadar YouTube channel. As well as making sure our writing team have the latest gear for review, he's been regularly testing instruments and accessories for well over 15 years, putting audio interfaces, studio headphones, synthesizers, laptops, and much more through their paces.
Andy is an expert on music production and technology having started out writing for Music Technology magazine in 1992. He has been an editor for Future Music, Keyboard Review, MusicTech, and Computer Music, which he helped launch in 1998. He regularly reviews gear for MusicRadar, ranging from the best audio interfaces and synthesizers to pro studio hardware and software.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years of experience writing for some of the music world's biggest brands, including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar, and Dawsons Music. Chris loves getting nerdy about everything from guitar and bass gear to synths, microphones, DJ gear, and music production hardware.
How we test
So, clearly there is a lot to think about when choosing the best laptop for music production.
It's easy to see why a good all-round laptop can fetch a premium price tag, but, as with anything from the best samplers and studio monitors to home studio mixers, you get what you pay for, so it's always wise to get the best you can afford, rather than skimping and regretting your purchase later (often quicker than you thought). Our price comparison software will come in handy here. Next to each product entry on this guide our price widgets will display the best deals online right now to save you shopping around.
In this guide we don’t focus on various legacy ins and outs, such as the number of USB sockets, or lack of, for your audio interface, and so on. With so many dongle and docking options available, this shouldn’t be a deciding factor in your purchasing journey. In this guide we're talking sheer horsepower for music-making. For example, can your portable rig cope with large multitrack sessions, running handfuls of plugins and MIDI instruments?
When testing a laptop for music production, we take into account a variety of design aspects, features and power. On a basic level, a music production laptop must be portable and powerful. For the latter consideration, that's why we often include those gaming laptop PCs as they are designed to deliver clout.
Obviously a lightweight design is great, but we also need connections - Thunderbolt, USB-C or even A for older interfaces. Really the more the better, although most Apple laptops now only feature a couple of Thunderbolt 3 ports which you can just about get away with for music.
In terms of power, it is often difficult to compare processors just on their specs as they can work very differently in a real world music production environment. With that in mind, where possible we compare and contrast by using standard DAW projects from the likes of www.logicprohelp.com and www.music-prod.com. Here you simply run the project and add audio tracks until your machine falls over. You then get an idea of the power of a particular processor in a real production scenario.
Finally we'll also look at screen and speaker performances. Certainly Apple excels at these with recent speaker designs that can be (just) used for mixing plus vibrant screens that help you see everything your DAW has to offer.
Read more about how we test music making gear and services at MusicRadar.
Latest updates
28/10/26: Three new laptops have been added to the guide, with the Apple MacBook Pro M5, Apple MacBook Neo, and MSI Katana 15 HX making the grade. A new intro and header image have been added, alongside a brand new how to choose section, and several new FAQs to help readers decide which laptop to go for. 05/01/26: The introduction to this guide has been made more concise in detailing the testing performed and informing users on the best specs for music production laptop. A fresh header image has been added, and the pros and cons for each product entry have been amended to make them clearer.