Are you interested in creating animations and editing videos? If the answer is yes, you will surely know the use of Adobe Systems and how it helps people in doing these types of creative activities.
If you are in this sector regularly, you are likely to be familiar with the term “after effects”. This is a composing application developed by the Adobe Sytems themselves. It is used in the post-production process of film-making, video editing, composing, and animation.
Even if you can use the software in a conventional notebook, but when it comes to creating special effects for the animations you created, a high-performing laptop is necessary. That is why we have listed for you the best laptops for after effects that will help your dream of becoming a pro at video productions!
Our List Of Top Laptops For After Effects
Comparison Table For Top Laptops For After Effects
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PRODUCT
Dell XPS 9570
- RAM: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8750H
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- Battery life: 6 hours
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme (1st Generation)
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i7 8750H
- Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery life: 8 hours
Dell XPS 15 7590
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe SSD
- Processor: 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750h
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- Battery life: 8 hours
HP Spectre x360
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Processor: 9th Gen Intel i7-9750H
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- Battery life: 15 hours
Microsoft Surface Book 2
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Quad-Core i7
- Resolution: 3260×2160
- Battery life: 17 hours
Lenovo Yoga 720
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Processor: 7th Gen Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad-Core
- Resolution: 3840×2160
- Battery life: 8 hours
Acer Nitro 5 Spin
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD & 1TB HDD
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U
- Resolution: 1920X1080
- Battery life: 10 hours
Apple MacBook Pro
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB
- Processor: 9th Gen 8-Core Intel Core i9
- Resolution: 3072×1920
- Battery life: 11 hours
Lenovo Legion Y7000
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB HDD+ 128GB PCIe SSD
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H
- Resolution: 1920×1080
- Battery life: 4.5 hours
Apple MacBook Pro (Previous Model)
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i7
- Resolution: 2880×1800
- Battery life: 10 hours
Best Laptops For After Effects Reviews
1. Dell XPS 9570
If you are looking for a laptop with the most incredible power and speed, then the 2018 Dell XPS 9570 is the perfect device for you!
The device has a 15.6 inches 4K UHD Infinity edge touch display with 3840×2160 resolution. The wide display with the high resolution is the perfect choice for using the after effects software. It has a weight of 4 lbs, which makes it portable even with the richest technology installed in it.
However, the powerhouse of the laptop is the 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor. Along with the processor, it has a RAM of 32GB and a solid-state drive of 1 TB PCIe storage space. This provides the laptop with more speed.
A widescreen HD webcam is integrated with the laptop with a mic so that you will have the best experience of video calls from now onwards. The power button is also integrated with a fingerprint reader, so only you will be able to access your files.
The laptop also comes with a full-size backlit chiclet keyboard, so that you can do your work even when the lights of your room are turned off. The stereo speakers are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro which makes the audio qualities excellent.
A single charge makes the laptop run for 6 hours, which is a fairly high amount of time. Throughout the time, the laptop will ensure your peak productivity as you strive to reach your goal.
Highlighted Features
- 15.6” 4K UHD Infinity edge touch display
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor
- Widescreen HD (720p) webcam integrated with a mic
- 32GB RAM & 1TB PCIe SSD
2. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme (1st Generation)
The laptop has a black matte color with some red color around the touchpad. The 15.6 inches display with a 1920×1080 resolution makes It look even more stunning. With the HD resolution, you will be able to make your animations even more eye-catching.
The operating system used by the laptop is Windows 10 Pro 64-bit version, which will ensure apps that require more speed and power will not slow down your device and run smoothly.
The device is powered by the 8th Generation Intel Core i7 8750H processor along with the 16GB RAM, which provides it with increased speed. The combination of the processor and RAM makes sure that you get more work done in less time.
The 512GB SSD storage provides the laptop with more storage space and also a significant speed boost, increasing the overall performance of the device.
The laptop weighs around 6.0 lbs so makes it portable enough to be carried around. With “extreme” power, the laptop has extreme capabilities to complete all the tasks without any hitch.
Moreover, the graphics are amazing which is powered by NVIDIA GeForce that will enhance your creativity of video editing and creating animations.
Also, rest assured, as your productivity hours will not be interrupted since the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Extreme has a battery life of 8 hours per single charge.
Highlighted Features
- 15.6” Full HD display
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7 8750H processor
- 16GB RAM & 512GB SSD
- Battery life up to 8 hours
3. Dell XPS 15 7590
The Dell XPS 15 has a shiny silver appearance with the 15.6 inches 4K UHD InfinityEdge anti-reflective touch IPS display. Just like it says, “Pushing innovation to the Edge”, it is doing the same. With such high resolution, streaming, gaming, and creating will be much more fun than ever before!
The laptop is installed with the 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750h processor, which makes the XPS laptop so powerful so that it can easily deliver power for creators and gamers.
Not only a powerful processor but the laptop is also equipped with 16GB RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD. With the combination of these, you can access content and applications quicker than usual, and also with more storage room. The laptop also boots and resumes in seconds with the solid-state drive, so instead of waiting, you can start being productive earlier.
Another amazing feature of this laptop is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU that accelerates the performance of the applications including video editing apps, graphic designing, and photography.
With the 6-cell 97 Whr battery, a single charge runs the laptop for up to 8 hours, giving you the chance to reach your peak productivity. You will not experience falling behind your work as you search for your charger when your laptop shows battery low warnings.
You will also get a backlit full-size keyboard with a fingerprint reader to secure all your files. The laptop also features killer wireless connections including the Wi-Fi 6 technology to make sure you can carry out your online activities smoothly.
Highlighted Features
- 15.6” 4K UHD InfinityEdge anti-reflective touch display
- 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750h processor
- 16GB RAM and 1TB PCIe SSD
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU
4. HP Spectre x360
The golden marks on the black matte laptop give it a luxurious look. You will love the 15.6 inches 4K IPS micro-edge BrightView WLED-backlit touch screen with Corning Gorilla glass that will make all the pictures clear and vivid as if they became alive.
The laptop also provides you with the most hardcore performance as it is packed with the 9th Generation Intel i7-9750H processor. Along with the Windows 10 Pro preinstalled by HP, you will be able to use the intense apps that are most likely to slow down computers, without lagging.
Moreover, the laptop is also equipped with 16GB RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. You will be able to use different applications and gaming smoothly. It is also installed with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU that will make your gaming and creating experience better than ever before!
The laptop also includes Bang & Olufsen Quad Speakers, 12 HP Audio Boost, and custom tuning by the experts at Bang & Olufsen and with this, you can experience wonderful audio qualities.
It also comes with HP TrueVision, two Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C, one USB 3.1, one HDMI v2.0 port which supports both high-speed data and HD videos.
Lastly, the laptop has a 6-cell 84 Wh Li-ion battery that gives a long-lasting battery of 15 hours per single charge. Without worrying about charging, you can the 4.81lbs laptop anywhere.
Highlighted Features
- 15.6” 4K IPS micro-edge BrightView WLED-backlit touch screen
- 9th Generation Intel i7-9750H processor
- 16GB RAM and 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- 6-cell 84 Wh Li-ion battery giving a long-lasting battery of 15 hours
5. Microsoft Surface Book 2
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 has a silvery coating with the Microsoft logo embedded on the backside of the laptop. The 15 inches Surface Book looks elegant with a touch screen, 3260×2160 resolution, and a vibrant PixelSense display.
The Surface Book features an 8th Generation Intel Quad-Core i7 processor along with 16GB RAM, which accelerates the overall performance of the device. It does not lag even when you are using intense applications or multitasking. The 512GB storage will give you a lot of space to save your files and documents securely.
It also has enhanced graphics performance with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU that will give you the best experience of using applications for creating animations or gaming.
The laptop weighs 4.2 pounds. Even if it is a very powerful machine, it is portable so easy to carry around. Moreover, it comes with a backlit keyboard, a large touchpad as well as a display designed to comfortably swipe and scroll and use the Surface pen.
You can choose from the four modes available in the Microsoft Surface Book. The laptop, tablet, Studio, and view modes are designed for different activities like sketching, watching videos, editing, writing, and many more. If you want a laptop where you want to do it all, this is a perfect choice.
The Surface Book will keep you on the go, by helping you to be more productive while you are working on something. It is also known to be the fastest Surface Book yet, with 4 times more power.
Highlighted Features
- 15” PixelSense display with 3260×2160 resolution
- 8th Generation Intel Quad-Core i7 processor
- 16GB RAM and 512GB storage
- Battery life up to 17 hours
Top Laptops For After Effects Buyer’s Guide
When you are looking for the best after effects laptop, there are a few features that you should look for. So, we have gathered for you some guidelines which will ensure that you get the best laptop for yourself to get your work done.
Processor
The processor is said to be the most important part of a good laptop for video editing or creating. A laptop with a processor of a minimum of 8th Generation Intel Core i5 will give off a good performance when it comes to the use of after-effects.
If you are an expert in this field, you might want a laptop with faster performance. In that case, a laptop with a processor of the recent generation can be useful.
RAM
The RAM specifically determines the speed of the laptop when using applications. Since after-effects are powerful software, it is likely for slowdowns to take place when using it. A laptop with 16GB can be a good start for using after-effects if you are a beginner. People also use 32GB or 64GB RAM when it comes to creating animations and video editing. Those laptops are expensive but are worth the money.
Graphics Card
When it comes to the work of creativity, like editing videos and graphic designing, the graphics card is an incredibly crucial point. A laptop does not only use GPU when doing 3D illustrations but also to make your work look outstanding.
For a laptop with a budget, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU will be highly recommended. Otherwise, we would like you to look for the NVIDIA GTX 1060 card.
Storage
You might think that storage is not a big deal for laptops for after effects, but it is a big deal. That is why we would like you to choose among the laptops with SSD storage. It enables the laptop to boot and load data quicker, which is an important factor for video editing. SSDs can be more expensive than HDD but can get the job done without a hitch.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What laptops can run after-effects?
There are minimum requirements for a laptop to be able to run after effects. A multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support, Microsoft Windows 10 64-bit as the operating system, a RAM of 16GB, 5GB of hard-disk space, and a resolution of 1280×1080. A laptop with these features can run the after effects, but will not run smoothly.
What kind of computer do I need for after effects?
A computer with an Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and a fair amount of storage space will provide you with a good after-effects workstation.
Can you get after-effects on a laptop?
Of course, with no doubt. A laptop that serves the requirements for running after effects will have no issue running the software.
Final Word
We have listed for you the best laptops for after effects and also provided you with some tips on how to get yours. Works like video editing and graphic designing need high-quality features to do them smoothly without any issue. So, these laptops are not exactly budget laptops but will do wonders when you use them.
If you want to achieve your milestone in creativity, get your laptop with amazing features as you know what to choose from now. We wish you the best of luck!