12 Best laptops for Studio One 6 in 2023

Are you a songwriter, producer or sound engineer looking to make your own music? Then you'll be glad to know that finding the right laptop for Studio One 6 isn't as daunting of a task as it seems. In this guide, I will go over the essential specs you need to know to make the right purchase and then pick a few excellent contenders for the title of the best laptop for Studio One 6. I'll start by giving a quick overview of Studio One 6 and what hardware specs it requires to run at optimal performance. From there, I'll move into a more in-depth look at laptop specs and also provide some examples of laptops that are sure to meet the requirements.

Processor Power

Whether you’re a musician looking to upgrade your hardware or a beginner that needs help deciding what processor is best for your studio, you’ve come to the right place.

The processor market has seen significant changes recently. Apple has released the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 System on Chip (SoC) modules; these offer exceptional single-core performance and battery life. AMD has also managed to take 20% of the CPU market with their 6th Generation Ryzen Processors. Intel's 13th-generation processors are not yet available for laptops, with 12th-generation being the latest. Both Apple and Intel's silicon chips have adopted a hybrid performance/efficiency core design based on big.LITTLE architecture. If you’re looking for good battery life in a laptop, then Ryzen models are your best bet.

But since the vast majority of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) are designed for Windows, we’ll assume that you’re looking for a Windows laptop.

So, how much RAM and processor power do you need for recording and editing audio?

You don't need a state of the art processor to create music; most audio applications can be handled with a decent dual-core processor. However, single-core performance is still important, especially when using analog audio interfaces. So, if you’re using a digital interface (AD/DA converters), a quad-core processor is recommended for best performance. To use multiple projects at once without having your CPU as the bottleneck, an 8-core processor is recommended.

I personally use Cinebench and PassMark to compare processors across different price points. However, these benchmarks don't always paint the full picture, so I supplement them with other tests such as 3DMark or video encoding time (if it's relevant).

Below, I’ve ranked processors by performance, and provided my recommendations in three price brackets: minimum, recommended, and high-end.

Minimum	Recommended	High-end
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U	Intel i3-10110U	Intel i5-10210U

Finally, while some might argue that a desktop PC is better suited for music production than a laptop, I believe that laptops are the superior choice due to their portability and battery life — which can be essential for those long studio sessions away from an AC outlet.

Graphics Power

Graphic cards have come a long way in the past few years, but with so many different models to choose from, it can be difficult to pick the right one for your audio production needs.

The state of the graphics market

Nvidia continues to dominate the laptop GPU market. Nvidia recently released a few RTX 40 series cards, but these are not yet available on laptops (expected in 2023). Nvidia's latest notebook cards are in RTX 30 series (such as RTX 3070 Ti). Desktop GPUs are now a lot more power-hungry; thus, the gap between power-limited notebook graphics and desktop graphics cards has widened in the past few years. Nvidia has discontinued the Max-Q label for its RTX graphics cards. Now, an exact GPU wattage is determined by a laptop manufacturer (OEM). Unfortunately, that results in a wide variance in graphics performance even in laptops with the same GPU chipset.

Dedicated GPUs are not necessary for audio production

Fortunately, dedicated GPUs are not always necessary for audio production. It's only if you plan on working with video or 3D models that a dedicated GPU can help, and even then it might not be the best choice depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Most DAWs will not require more than an integrated graphics chip to run without issue.

How to know if a laptop has a powerful graphics chip

The best way to gauge a laptop's graphics performance is by looking up benchmark scores. Popular benchmarking software such as 3DMark can provide a good indication of a laptop's performance across different applications.

GPUs best suited for audio production

Nvidia's graphics chips are still the best for audio workstations, but AMD's latest offerings are making some inroads. If you're looking for a MacBook, the choice is simple – any MacBook will do. The GPUs that are best suited for audio production include:

• Iris Xe Graphics G7
• Quadro T500
• GeForce MX550

Table of recommended GPUs and laptop prices

GPU Name	3DMark Score	Estimated Laptop Price
Iris Xe Graphics G7	3500	$500 – $800
Quadro T500	4800	$800 – $1200
GeForce MX550	6000	$1200 – $1500

Studio One 6 FAQ

Which laptop is best for Studio One 6?

We recommend the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 for Studio One 6. It has enough RAM and processor power to handle intensive tasks. With its generous storage, you won't be stuck waiting for long loading times. It's also on the lower end of the price range, making it a great value.

What laptop specs do I need for Studio One 6?

To run Studio One 6, you'll need at least 8GB of RAM and an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor or better. You'll also want to make sure your laptop has a dedicated graphics card like the Iris Xe Graphics G7, Quadro T500, or GeForce MX550.

Can Studio One 6 be used on a laptop?

Absolutely. Studio One 6 is designed to be used on laptops, so it's perfect for on-the-go musicians and producers.

What are Studio One 6 requirements for a laptop?

To run Studio One 6, you'll need at least 8GB of RAM and an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor or better. You'll also want to make sure your laptop has a dedicated graphics card like the Iris Xe Graphics G7, Quadro T500, or GeForce MX550.

Does my laptop have enough RAM for Studio One 6?

It depends. Studio One 6 requires at least 8GB of RAM, so if your laptop has more than that you should be fine. However, if your laptop has less than 8GB of RAM, it won't be able to run Studio One 6.

Is Studio One 6 compatible with a laptop?

Yes, Studio One 6 is designed to work on both desktops and laptops. However, be sure to check the minimum hardware requirements before purchasing your laptop to make sure it can handle the software.

Is Ryzen 7 good enough for running Studio One 6?

Yes, Ryzen 7 processors are more than capable of running Studio One 6. Just make sure your laptop meets the minimum RAM and graphics card requirements as well.

Can Studio One 6 run on an i5 laptop?

Yes, an i5 laptop should be able to run Studio One 6 without any issues. As long as your laptop meets the minimum RAM and graphics card requirements, it should be able to handle the software.

How to choose a laptop for Studio One 6?

When shopping for a laptop to run Studio One 6, look for one with at least 8GB of RAM and an AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor or better. You'll also want to make sure it has a dedicated graphics card like the Iris Xe Graphics G7, Quadro T500, or GeForce MX550. Additionally, look for generous storage space and battery life.

Does my laptop have enough storage for Studio One 6?

It depends on how much music you plan to create with Studio One 6. The software does not require a lot of storage space, but if you plan to record and store large files, you'll need more space than just the software itself. The best way to determine how much storage you need is to calculate how much space you will require for your specific needs.

Maximizing RAM

Studio One 6 is one of the most popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) out there, and is the go-to choice for audio and video production. When shopping for a laptop, it's important to consider the amount of RAM that your system needs in order to ensure smooth performance.

Most mid-range laptops come with 16 GB of RAM, while high-end systems often have 32 GB or more. The latest-gen Intel and AMD CPUs support DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though DDR5 is still quite expensive and needs some time to mature as a technology.

RAM is not a particularly important component when it comes to audio production, but if you're looking to use the DAW with multiple instances of synths, samplers, and effect plugins – then you'll need more than 16 GB. Ideally, 32 GB would be the best choice here, but that's pretty much the standard nowadays.

For DDR4 vs DDR5 – it doesn't really matter much in this case. I'd recommend going for DDR5 if you can afford it, but it's not worth spending extra money on.

If you're looking for a laptop with a lot of RAM (32 GB or more), then consider getting one with ECC support. It's not crucial for most audio workflows, but it could come in handy in some situations (for example, if you're working with high-quality recordings).

Other considerations when selecting the right laptop RAM for Studio One 6 include selecting between PCIe and M.2 storage, as well as checking out heatsink/fan combos to keep your laptop running cooler while running audio/video tasks.

Here's a look at my laptop recommendations for various price ranges when it comes to RAM:

• Minimum: 8 GB
• Recommended: 16 GB
• High-end: 32 GB+ (with ECC support)

Essential Specs

6 Best Laptops for Studio One 6

Table of the Best Laptops for Studio One 6

Laptop	Price (approx)
ASUS ZenBook 13 UX325EA-EH71	$730
Lenovo Legion 5 Pro	$1,350
GIGABYTE AORUS 15 XE4	$1,600
ASUS ROG Strix Scar	$2,310
ASUS ROG Strix Scar G733CX-XS97	$3,800
Dell XPS 17 9720	$5,600