Laptop vs Desktop for Graphic Designers: Which Should You Choose?
Graphic designers have a tough choice when selecting their primary workstation: laptop vs desktop. Both have unique advantages and disadvantages for creative professionals. This comprehensive guide examines the key factors graphic designers must weigh when deciding between portable laptops and powerful desktops.
Portability: The Main Advantage of Laptops
For many graphic designers, the main appeal of laptops is their portability. Unlike bulky desktop towers confined to an office, laptops enable working from virtually anywhere. This flexibility is invaluable for creative jobs involving:
- Meetings with clients – Easily showcase portfolio samples, concepts
- Presentations – Hook up your laptop and display work on a projector
- Working from home/coworking spaces – Avoid distracting open office environments
- Travel – Work while commuting or from client sites
Thanks to lightweight builds and long battery life, today's graphic design laptops make it possible to take your entire workstation on the go.
Key Points
- Portability and mobility are the core advantages of a graphic design laptop.
- Creative professionals value working from anywhere – meetings, presentations, homes, coffee shops, or planes.
- A complete graphic design setup can be transported with a long battery life and reasonable weight.
Raw Processing Power: Where Desktops Dominate
While laptops provide stellar portability, they still lag far behind desktops regarding sheer processing power and performance. Desktop PCs offer significant advantages like:
- Better processors – Desktops feature the latest high-performance CPUs with higher core counts and clock speeds. Laptop processors must balance power efficiency and battery life.
- Discrete GPU options – Graphic design requires a decent GPU. Desktops can fit powerful discrete graphics cards, while most laptops rely on integrated graphics.
- More RAM support – Heavy design software and large creative files require ample RAM. Desktops support up to 128GB, while laptops typically max out at 32-64GB.
- Improved cooling – Larger builds and more fans in desktops allow components to run faster and last longer without overheating throttling performance.
Key Points
- Regarding raw speed and horsepower, desktop PCs significantly outclass laptops.
- Cutting-edge processors, powerful GPUs, and abundant RAM capacity give desktops a considerable performance edge.
- Advanced cooling systems enable desktop components to run faster and avoid thermal throttling.
| Spec | Desktop GPU (NVIDIA RTX 3090) | Laptop GPU (NVIDIA RTX 3080 Mobile) |
| CUDA Cores | 10496 | 6144 |
| Boost Clock Speed | 1.7 GHz | 1.7 Ghz |
| Memory Bandwidth | 936 GB/s | 448 GB/s |
Essential Accessories: Monitors, Mouse, Keyboard, etc.
A significant yet often overlooked difference is essential accessories and peripherals. While laptops offer built-in displays, keyboards, trackpads, and speakers, desktop users must purchase these items separately.
For graphic designers, accessories like large, high-resolution monitors and ergonomic mice/keyboards are indispensable. However, paying extra for these desktop accessories can add hundreds more to the total setup cost versus comparable laptops.
Monitors
- Graphic design requires colour-accurate, high-resolution displays. Expect to spend $300+ for a good external monitor.
- While laptops feature built-in screens suitable for design work, adding a large external display is ideal for desktop use.
Keyboard + Mouse
- An external keyboard and mouse are mandatory purchases with a desktop tower if you still need to own them.
- Many designers opt for more ergonomic keyboards/mice to avoid wrist strain during long work sessions. These premium devices can cost over $100 each.
Key Points
- Unlike laptops, desktops typically force you to buy essential accessories – an external display, keyboard, and mouse.
- Considering total system prices, consider the extra costs of high-quality monitors, input devices, and other peripherals that desktop users require.
Customisation and Upgrades
One advantage of desktop towers lies in easy customisation and future upgrades. As graphic designers' needs grow and software demands evolve rapidly, upgrading a desktop PC is far simpler than any laptop.
Internal Components
Desktop PC internal components like the GPU, RAM, storage drives, and even the CPU are often designed for easy user access, upgrades, and swaps. For laptops, specialised tools and expertise are needed for internal upgrades after initial purchase.
External Accessories
The open nature of desktop setups also makes expanding with external accessories like drawing tablets, extra monitors, specialised input devices, and external storage drives extremely simple. Laptops can connect to some of these accessories but face potential port limitations.
Key Points
- User-upgradeable internal components and abundant external expansion capability provide long-term flexibility.
- As technology progresses, upgrading a desktop PC to meet evolving graphic design software requirements is far more feasible than hoping a current laptop will remain capable years later.
Displays
Graphic designers demand colour accuracy and high resolutions from their displays.
For colour-critical work, most desktop displays beat laptop screens. Benefits include:
- Larger 4K desktop monitors achieve greater colour accuracy
- Specialist monitors like the BenQ SW321C offer 32-inch 4K resolutions, 14-bit 3D LUTs and patented calibration tools
- Multi-monitor desktop setups increase the working area
- perspective views
However, premium laptops like the MacBook Pro 16” provide excellent colour accuracy from factory calibration, high 500 nit brightness and 2560 x 1600 resolutions. Portability enables the use of high-colour-accuracy displays anywhere.
- SUPERCHARGED BY M3 — With an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, the Apple M3 chip can help you blaze through everyday multitasking and take on pro projects like editing thousands of photos or 4K video.
Storage
Desktops excel for storage expandability, a key consideration for graphic designers. Benefits include:
- Fit vastly more and faster internal storage drives
- Upgrade to the latest high-speed NVME SSDs and multi-terabyte HDDs
- Add external storage arrays through Thunderbolt 3
- Build multi-disk RAID arrays for performance/redundancy
Laptop storage relies on single internal M.2 SSDs or 2.5” SATA drives. Fitting one external SSD is the realistic limit for mobility. While the latest PCIe 4 and SSDs raise the bar for laptop drive speeds, they still lag behind desktop potential.
Performance and Price Comparison
When configured with equivalent processors, GPUs, RAM capacity, and storage, desktop PCs significantly outperform laptops while costing markedly less, as summarised below:
| Specs | Desktop | Laptop |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-12700K (12-core 5.0 GHz) | Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core 2.3 GHz) |
| GPU | NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti | NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti (Max-Q) |
| RAM | 32GB DDR4 | 16GB DDR4 |
| Storage (SSD) | 1TB NVMe SSD | 512GB NVMe SSD |
| Display | 27″ 1440p monitor sold separately | 15.6” 1080p screen built-in |
| Cost | $1,500 | $1,900 |
For roughly 20%+ lower price tag, this desktop configuration offers:
- A newer, much faster 12-core CPU vs 8-core
- A significantly more powerful dedicated GPU
- Double the RAM capacity
- Larger, higher resolution external monitor
The desktop provides a massive performance advantage essential for smooth graphic design workflows. All while costing several hundred dollars less than the portable but far weaker laptop alternative.
Key Points
- Dollar-for-dollar, desktop PCs deliver far better performance critical for graphic design applications.
- When comparing desktops and laptops with equivalent core components, desktops far outclass laptops in speed and capability, often at lower cost.
Operating Systems
The preferred operating systems amongst graphic designers are Windows and macOS. Both desktops and laptops can run these OS options.
However, for some designers deeply invested in one ecosystem, the desktop or laptop form factor decision may come secondary to staying within Apple or Microsoft environments.
| Windows | macOS | |
| General | – Wider hardware and software compatibility – Lower entry prices | – Premium Hardware – Tight software integration |
| Graphic Design | – Touch and stylus input- Powerful GPUs- Affordable 4K displays | – Color accuracy- Workflow apps like Final Cut Pro – Apple ecosystem bond |
Windows PCs span a wide gamut from entry-level to high-end workstations. The open ecosystem, competition and affordability enable custom designer workflows.
MacOS leverages Apple’s premium hardware and offers graphic artists an efficient bubble packed with polished apps. But Macs come at steeper pricing.
Long-Term Ownership Considerations
Over 3-5 years of typical ownership lifespan, upfront costs paint only part of the TCO picture. Additional laptop vs desktop considerations include:
Upgradeability
- Desktops stay relevant with easy component upgrades
- Entire laptops need replacing for significant performance gains
Durability
- Desktops withstand 24/7 operating temps better due to more airflow
- Laptop failure rates are likely higher from transport vibration, drops, particles
Power Consumption
- Desktop components draw far more peak power but idle lower as laptops must power integrated displays.
- Under full load, a desktop may draw >500 Watts versus 100-200W for a laptop.
Resale Value
- High-end desktops may retain more excellent residual value from competitive specs.
- Both decline significantly from new pricing after 3-5 years
Weighing all factors up, a capable laptop costs considerably more than an equivalently performing desktop over the long run. Justifying that premium for a graphic designer comes down to needing proper mobility.
Laptop vs Desktop Build Recommendations
Focusing on optimised graphic design performance with sensible budgets, two solid system recommendations emerge below. One desktop, one laptop:
Best Mid-Range Desktop Pick
- CPU: Intel Core i7-12700 (12 cores)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz
- Storage: 1TB m.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
- Extras: 27″ QHD External Monitor, Backlit Keyboard, Gaming Mouse
Price: $1,700
- Processor: Intel Core i7-12700KF Twelve Core Processor (25MB Cache, 2.7GHz-5.0GHz) 125W (Liquid Cooling)
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz | Hard Drive: 2x512GB NVMe Solid State Drive + 3TB 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB GDDR6 | Motherboard: B660
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home x64
- Features: ARGB High Airflow Fans with Infinity Mirror Front Panel | Accessories: Wired LED Backlit USB Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Included | 3-Year CUK Limited Warranty (View warranty section below for more details.)
This capable mid-tower combo handles intensive creative software needs while keeping the total tag under $2,000 with accessories. ASUS, MSI, and Dell offer pre-built desktop systems featuring these specs.
Best Mid-Range Laptop Pick
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8 cores)
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz
- Screen: 15.6″ QHD (2560 x 1440) 120Hz
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Price: $1,900
- AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (Octa-core, 16 Threads, base clock speed 3.2 GHz, max turbo to 4.7GHz, 16MB L3 Cache); Dedicated Graphics Card, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6, Clock speed up to 1752MHz, TGP up to 140W with Dynamic Boost; 32GB (16GB x 2) DDR5 4800MHz RAM, 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD
- 15.6″ WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS Anti-glare, 100% DCI-P3, 165Hz, 3ms, Adaptive-Sync display; Expandable to external 3 digital monitors via HDMI and USB-C, External monitor resolution: 4K
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6 GB GDDR6, Clock speed up to 1752MHz, TGP up to 140W with Dynamic Boost; The Powerful and efficient Dedicated Graphics offers gameplay at MAX settings. Ideal for gaming enthusiasts and ensure your most AAA Gaming applications will run reliably on this Gaming laptop: The Witcher 3, Fortnite, Call of Duty, Elden Ring, Titanfall 2, and APEX Legends; VR Ready; MUX Switch
- Smart Amp Technology, AI noise-canceling technology, 2-speaker system with Smart Amplifier Technology; USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort / power delivery / G-SYNC, RJ45 LAN port, 3.5mm Combo Audio Jack, HDMI 2.0b; Wi-Fi 6E(802.11ax) (Triple band) 2*2 + Bluetooth 5.2; No Webcam
- Brand New Computer has been resealed to upgrade the Memory or SSD. One-year warranty from the manufacturer. Three-year warranty for upgraded Memory/SSD for Issaquah Highlands Tech customers; Windows 11 Home 64-bit
This premium yet reasonably priced laptop offers plenty of horsepower for complex creative workflows on the move. Leading brands providing high-performing configurations include Dell, Gigabyte, MSI, Razer, and Asus.
Key Points
- When selecting desktops or laptops optimised for graphic design:
- Prioritise more capable processors, GPUs, and abundant RAM
- Focus on solid-state storage speed and capacity
- External display resolution/size is critical (desktops)
- Screen resolution/refresh rate vital (laptops)
- Even high-performing laptop builds lag significantly compared to desktop alternatives, costing hundreds less.
Conclusion
The laptop vs desktop decision depends significantly on the graphic designer’s workflows, performance needs, budgets and mobility requirements.
While laptops provide portability and flexible working locations, desktops excel in raw processing power, customisation potential and display capabilities. Storage, peripherals and operating systems also pit more expandable desktop setups against slick integrated laptops.
In the end, identifying key performance bottlenecks, long-term ownership costs and your ultimate goals with the system guides which form factor fits best. For maximum power, desktops dominate any laptop. But unparalleled freedom awaits graphic creators needing proper mobility.
FAQs
Should I buy a gaming laptop or desktop as a graphic designer?
Gaming PCs provide excellent performance in both laptops and desktops for the dollar. But desktops offer higher upgrade headroom. For pure mobility, though, gaming laptops pack a punch.
How much RAM do I need as a graphic designer?
We recommend 32GB RAM or higher for advanced creative software like Adobe Creative Cloud apps or Blender 3D animation. Ensure this is done across either high-end laptop or desktop systems.
What processors work best for graphic design?
For Intel platforms, Core i7 or higher provides good performance. Similarly, Ryzen 7 or 9 chips on AMD desktops offer both power and value. H series Core i7, i9 or Ryzen 7/9 chips are best suited for graphic design needs in laptops.
Is a 4K display necessary for graphic design?
A minimum 1440p display provides enough resolution for seamless graphic design work. But for those working heavily with photography, print and video editing, a 4K display enables greater precision and screen real estate.
How important is a GPU for graphic designers compared to CPUs?
A capable discrete GPU accelerates many visual operations in creative apps. But a high core/thread CPU matters more for general design workflows. For 3D, animation and CAD, GPU power becomes more critical. Getting a healthy balance maximises cost efficiency.
Last update on 2024-10-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
