When it comes to designing printed circuit boards (PCBs) and creating intricate electronic schematics, having the right tools at your disposal is crucial. Altium Designer is a powerful software suite widely used by engineers and PCB designers for its robust capabilities. However, to fully harness its potential, you need a laptop that can handle its resource-intensive tasks seamlessly. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of PCB design and explore the top laptops that are perfectly suited for running Altium Designer efficiently. Whether you’re an electronics enthusiast, a student, or a professional engineer, choosing the best laptop for Altium Designer is a decision that can significantly impact your productivity and the quality of your designs. Let’s dive in and discover the ideal laptops to supercharge your PCB design endeavors.
Altium Designer laptop requirements
- Windows 11 (64-bit only) or Windows 10 (64-bit only)
- Intel® Core™ i7 processor or equivalent
- 16GB RAM
- 10GB hard disk space (Install + User Files)
- SSD
- High performance graphics card (supporting DirectX 10 or better), such as GeForce GTX 1060/Radeon RX 470
The best laptops for Altium Designer in 2023
- HP Envy 17 2023 Business Laptop ($1,619)
- ASUS Creator Laptop Q530 2023 ($1,429)
- MSI 2023 GE76 Raider 17.3″ 144 Hz FHD Gaming Laptop ($1,859)
- Dell 2023 Inspiron 5620 16″ FHD+ (1920×1200) Touchscreen Laptop ($1,799)
- Acer Swift Edge 16″ 4K OLED 400 nits Extremely Slim Laptop ($1,149)
1. HP Envy 17 2023 Business Laptop
HP Envy 17 2023 Business Laptop 17.3″ FHD IPS Touchscreen 10-Core Intel i7-1355U 16GB DDR4 1TB SSD NVDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6 Thunderbolt 4 Wi-Fi 6E Backlit KB Windows 11 Home w/ONT 32GB USB
| Screen Size | 17.3 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 1 TB |
| CPU Model | Core i7 Family |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 16 GB |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Special Feature | HD Audio, Backlit Keyboard, Anti Glare Coating, Memory Card Slot, Numeric Keypad |
| Graphics Card Description | Dedicated |
About HP Envy
- Powerful 13th Generation Intel Core i7-1355U 10-Core (Base Clock 2.8GHz, Up to 5.0 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 12 MB Intel Smart cache, 10 cores, 2 P-Cores, 8 E-Cores, 12 threads, )
- 【Customization】Upgraded to 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 3200 MHz | 1TB NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive | Windows 11 Home
- Brilliant 17.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080) IPSTouchscreen 300 nits Anti-glare, Micro-Edge IPS Edge-to-Edge Glass, 100% sRGB, 60Hz, Thin Bezel LCD Display. Powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6, HP True Vision 5MP IR camera with camera shutter, temporal noise reduction and integrated dual array digital microphones
- Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 802.11AX (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.3. 2x Thunderbolt 4 support Power Delivery / DisplayPort, 1x USB 3.1 Type-A, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x HDMI v2.1, 1x Memory Card, 1x USB-C Power Jack
- Fullsize Backlit Keyboard with Numpad; Speakers 2Wx2; 55Whr 4-cell lithium-ion battery (up to 6 hours non-gaming battery life); 10.20 x 15.68 x 0.77 inches, 5.5 lbs; Platinum Silver / silver Color; 90W AC Adapter, free ONT 32GB USB Drive
2. ASUS Creator Laptop Q530 2023
ASUS Creator Laptop Q530 2023 15.6″ FHD OLED 10-Core Intel i7-13620H 32GB DDR5 2TB SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB GDDR6 Thunderbolt 4 Wi-Fi 6E Backlit KB Fingerprint Windows 11 Pro w/ONT 32GB USB
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 2 TB |
| CPU Model | Core i7 Family |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 32 GB |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Special Feature | Fingerprint Reader, HD Audio, Backlit Keyboard, Memory Card Slot, Numeric Keypad |
| Graphics Card Description | Dedicated |
About ASUS Creator Laptop
- Powerful 13th Generation Intel Core i7-13620H 10-Core (Base Clock 2.9GHz, Up to 5.0 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 24 MB Intel Smart cache, 10 cores, 6 Performance-Cores, 4 Efficient-Cores, 16 threads), 180 degree hinge design
- [[ Customization ]] Upgraded to 32GB DDR5 SDRAM 4800 MHz | 2TB NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive | Windows 11 Pro
- Brilliant 15.6″ FHD (1920 x 1080) 600 nits OLED Display, 100% DCI-P3, 70% Lower blue-light, NanoEdge 84% screen-to-body ratio, 1 ms response time, Dolby Vision. Powered by NVIDIA NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB GDDR6, 3DNR FHD webcam with Privacy Shutter and integrated digital microphone
- Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.3; 10/100/1000Mbps LAN. 1x USB Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 40Gbps Type-C support Data Transfer through USB Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support Data Transfer / 10Gbps, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x HDMI v2.1, 1x Headphone/Microphone Combo Jack; 1x RJ-45 LAN, 1x Memory Card, 1x Coaxial plug Power Jack
- Fullsize Backlit Keyboard Fingerprint Reader with Numpad; Speakers 2Wx2; 90Whr 3-cell lithium-ion battery (up to 8 hours non-gaming battery life); 14.03 x 9.26 x 0.79 inches, 3.97 lbs; Black / black Color; 150W AC Adapter, free ONT 32GB USB Drive
3. MSI 2023 GE76 Raider 17.3″ 144 Hz FHD Gaming Laptop
MSI 2023 GE76 Raider 17.3″ 144 Hz FHD Gaming Laptop 14-Core Intel i9-12900H 32GB DDR5 1TB NVMe SSD NVIDIA GeForce RTX3060 6GB WiFi AX HDMI RJ45 Thunberbolt4 Backlit DTS RGB Windows 11 Home w/RE USB
| Screen Size | 17.3 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 1 TB |
| CPU Model | Intel Core i9 |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 32 GB |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
| Graphics Card Description | Dedicated |
| Graphics Coprocessor | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 |
About MSI GE76 Raider
- 【Powerful Performance with Core 12900H】 14-Core 12th Gen Intel Core i9-12900H mobile processor (Up to 5.0GHz with Intel Turbo Boost, 6 Performance + 8 Efficient Cores, 20 threads, 24 MB Smart Cache), When it comes to raw power and performance, the GE76 Raider Laptop makes no compromises.
- 【Display and Graphics】Powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (6 GB GDDR6 dedicated), Beautiful 17.3” diagonal, FHD (1920 x 1080), 144 Hz, IPS Level, Thin Bezel, 45% NTSC, MSI Wide Vision HD Camera with integrated dual array digital microphone.
- 【Customization】Seal is opened for Hardware/Software upgrade only to enhance performance. Upgraded to 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, No Built-in DVD
- 【Connectivity】Wi-Fi 6 (2×2/160) and Bluetooth 5.2 combo (Supporting Gigabit file transfer speeds), Killer Gaming Network E3100 (10/100/1000 mbps) Ethernet LAN, 1x USB 4 with Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps); 1x USB 3.2 Type-C; 4x SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Type-A (5Gbps); 1x HDMI; 1x Mini Displayport; 1x SD media card reader; 1x RJ-45 LAN
- 【Rock eDigital Bundle】Windows 11 Home, Full-size Steel Series per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost key (102 Key). Nahimic 3 / Hi-Res Audio, 2 x Dynaudio 2W Speaker + 2 x 1W Woofers. 4-cell, 99.9Wh Li-ion, 240W AC Power adatper, 15.63 x 10.57 x 1.08 in, 6.39 lbs. Titanium Blue cover and keyboard frame, free Rock eDigital USB3.0 Flash Drive
4. Dell 2023 Inspiron 5620 16″ FHD+ (1920×1200) Touchscreen Laptop
Dell 2023 Inspiron 5620 16″ FHD+ (1920×1200) Touchscreen Laptop 12th Intel i7-1260P 12-Core 64GB DDR4 2TB NVMe SSD NVIDIA GeForce MX570 Graphics Backlit Keyboard Fingerprint WiFi 6E Windows 11 Pro
| Screen Size | 16 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 2 TB |
| CPU Model | Core i7 Family |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 64 GB |
| Operating System | Win 11 Pro |
| Special Feature | Integrated Card Reader |
| Graphics Card Description | Dedicated |
About Dell Inspiron
- Latest 12th Generation Intel Core i7-1260P 12-Core Processor (Up to 4.70 GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology, 18 MB Smart cache, 4 Performance + 8 Efficient cores, 16 threads)
- 【Memory, Storage and OS】 64GB DDR4 RAM | 2TB NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive | Windows 11 Professional
- 16″ FHD+ 1920×1200 Touchscreen, 60Hz, Touch, AG, Wide Viewing Angle, 250 nit, ComfortView 16 : 10 Display Powered by NVIDIA GeForce MX570 Graphics with 2GB GDDR6
- Intel WiFi 6E AX211 (2×2), 802.11AX with Bluetooth 5.2 Combo; 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (Power Delivery and DisplayPort); 2x SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5Gbps; 1 x HDMI 1.4; 1x AC smart pin; 1x headphone/microphone combo; 1x SD Card Reader
- Backlit full-size keyboard with Fingerprint, 14.05 x 9.92 x 0.72 inches, 4.12 lbs, Platinum Silver Aluminum Shell, 4-cell 54 WHr Battery, 65 Watt AC Adapter
5. Acer Swift Edge 16″ 4K OLED 400 nits Extremely Slim Laptop
Acer Swift Edge 16″ 4K OLED 400 nits Extremely Slim Laptop Octa-core AMD Ryzen7 6800U Backlit KB Fingerprint Reader 100% DCI-P3 Windows 11 w/HDMI (16GB RAM | 2TB SSD)
| Screen Size | 16 Inches |
| Hard Disk Size | 2 TB |
| CPU Model | AMD Ryzen 7 |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 16 GB |
| Operating System | Widows 11 Home |
| Special Feature | Backlit Kb,Fingerprint Reader |
| Graphics Card Description | Integrated |
About Acer Swift Edge
- 【Display】16″ 16:10 OLED WQUXGA (3840 x 2400) 400 nits Display, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut support, VESA Display, HDR True Black 500, TÜV Rheinland EyeSafe display, Thin-Bezel Screen, 92% Screen-to-Body Ratio.
- 【Processor】Octa-core AMD Ryzen 7 6800U Processor Power your inspiration, with AMD Radeon Graphics, you can work hard and play harder.
- 【Memory & storage】16 GB LPDDR5 4800MHz Memory | 1TB PCIe SSD. Everything is original from manufacturer. With massive amounts of storage and advanced communication power, PCI-e SSDs are great for major gaming applications, multiple servers & more. Bundled with HDMI.
- 【Feature】Thin & Light Design – 2.58 lbs (1.17 kg) – You Can Take the Swift Edge Anywhere, Wi-Fi 6E (2×2/160) Gig+, Bluetooth 5.2, Backlit Keyboard, Fingerprint Reader, 1080p Webcam, Long Battery Life – Up to 7.5Hours.
- 【Slots & Ports】2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A Ports, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Ports, USB Type-C Port supporting: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps), DisplayPort over USB-C, USB charging 5/9/15/20 V; 3 A, DC-in port 19 V; 65 W.
In conclusion, selecting the best laptop for Altium Designer is a crucial decision to ensure smooth and efficient PCB design tasks. By considering factors such as processing power, RAM, graphics capabilities, and storage, you can optimize your Altium Designer experience. Additionally, it’s essential to keep in mind your specific design requirements and budget when making your choice. With the right laptop, you’ll enhance your productivity and creativity, bringing your electronic projects to life seamlessly. Make an informed decision, and you’ll be well on your way to unlocking your full potential as a PCB designer with Altium Designer. You can also click here: Best Laptops for Electrical Engineering