FL Studio is a music production software that comes into a heavy software range. Therefore, you should be knowledgeable enough to choose a laptop for this. Not just any low-end laptop will run FL Studio properly. It is always a good idea to know what are the things that are most important for running FL Studio.
In this article, I am going to talk about things to look for in the laptops for FL Studio. This will help you choose the best laptop for your music production work or business.
What is FL Studio?
FL Studio is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software that is used for music creation and production. It allows you to create, record, mix, and master music by offering various tools, including virtual instruments, synthesizers, samplers, and effects. You can also use external hardware such as MIDI controllers and audio interfaces with this software as it supports them quite well.
With the great support of plugins, FL Studio’s capability, and functionality can be doubled. FL Studio is available in a demo version and a full-featured premium version as well for the best and most advanced features for music production.
Minimum System Requirements of FL Studio
| Operating System | Free Disk Space | RAM | CPU | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | 8.1, 10, 11, or later | 4GB Free | 4GB | Intel and AMD CPUs. ARM not supported |
| Mac | macOS: 10.13.6 or later | 4GB Free | 4GB | Intel or Apple Silicon CPUs |
These are only the basic and minimum system requirement that is able to make FL studio run. But, for better performance, it is important to go for high configuration than this.
Now, Let’s start by looking at the most important laptop components you need to look for in order to get the best bang for your buck:
Factors to Consider While Buying a Laptop for FL Studio
1. Processor (CPU)
FL Studio is a processor-intensive software program designed for music production. A low-end processor may not be able to handle this software well, and the system will start to lag. Thus, you won’t be able to work properly. However, it can work well with some low-end processors as well but for an optimum experience, I would recommend for going higher. I would recommend i3 or i5 processor or if you have big fat budget, you can go for i7 as well.
If you ask me, I will go with i7 Processor because it will make sure that you won’t feel any lag, and your work speed will be great.
2. Sound Card
Sound Card is crucial for FL Studio on a laptop as the music production work needs the high-quality sound. Sound card converts digital audio signals into analog signals that may be heard through speakers or headphones.
These are a few main things a Sound Card Does:
- Audio quality: The sound card of a laptop is responsive for creating high-quality audio signals, which are necessary for FL Studio to create high-quality music. The clarity and depth of the music generated can be only generated if you have the best sound card installed onto your laptop.
- Low latency: Reducing the amount of time that passes between the time a sound is played and the time it is audible through speakers is one of a sound card’s most crucial tasks.
- Multiple inputs/outputs: You can connect several instruments, microphones, and speakers to your laptop using a sound card that has multiple inputs and outputs. This is quite helpful for recording and mixing various music tracks in the FL Studio software.
Spend more money to get a laptop with a high-quality sound card.
3. SSD (Solid State Drive)
SSD is a storage device. HDD is now old technology, and slower as compared to SSD. Thus, I would highly recommend getting a laptop that has an SSD. Now, when it comes storage space, I would recommend you go with at least 256GB SSD. Moreover, going with 512GB or 1TB SSD would be better.
The more space you will have the more empty space in your storage will be remaining, and this helps in better performance of a laptop.
A 512GB SSD makes sure that your laptop boot up quite fast, and retrieval of any files and folders is quicker than ever.
4. RAM
Although FL Studio would do well with even 6 GB and 8GB RAM, having more RAM gives you the freedom of opening multiple Windows, tabs, and apps simultaneously without any lag. More RAM offers you a better experience using FL Studio as you have more random memory to store multiple ongoing processes. Thus, the speed of your work with FL Studio is not hampered.
If budget is not a constraint, go with 16 GB RAM Laptop for FL Studio.
5. Display Screen Size
The display is not a critical factor for FL Studio. But, having a bigger screen is always good as you can see bigger fonts and elements that put less strain on your eyes. Moreover, a smaller screen is portable which would be good if you travel a lot. You can go with a 15-inch screen or even 13-inch screen if you want.
If you want bigger and smaller both in one laptop then you can do one thing. Get a 13-inch laptop and add a bigger external screen in your house so that when you are at home, you can enjoy working on the big screen, and when you are traveling you can work with that 13-inch display of your laptop.
This way, both of your goals are solved.
6. Battery Backup
Although it is not a critical factor, it is always good to have a laptop with better battery backup so that when you are on the go, you don’t need to charge your laptop again and again. So, go with the laptop that has a powerful battery that gives a better backup.
7. Operating System
You can work with any new OS version for FL Studio. But, It is always good to use the latest version which makes sure that the latest features of FL studio are well aligned and supported with the OS.
6. Price
Price is not a performance-related factor but a big factor because ultimately you are the one who has to pay. So, it is up to you how much you want to spend. A powerful laptop for FL studio will not be less than $700. In a range of $700-$1000, you will get a great laptop for FL Studio. But, if you are low on budget, and still want to get the laptop for your music production business, I have made a list of budget-friendly laptops for FL studio under $500 only. You can check that as well on this site.
My Personal Opinion
FL Studio is kind of a heavy software program. Thus, you should spend more money on the most critical factors that are of utmost importance such as Processor, RAM, Sound Card, and Storage. Spend good amount of money for getting the best of these. Moreover, the secondary factors such as display screen size, battery life, and OS you can spend less
What I mean is, don’t look at the bigger screen size as it will increase the cost and add not much value to your work. Rather look for the main components as discussed above that FL studio actually required to work smoothly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would only say that go for the best one in your budget keeping the main components in mind that must be of high quality. You can check my list of the best laptops under $500 for FL studio to get some buying ideas. Hope these Factors to Consider While Buying a Laptop for FL Studio helps you well in choosing the best one for your work.
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