Every DJ has that one turning point in life when they decide to pursue their dream of being a DJ. To start your career as a DJ, you will need a deep love for music, a keen ear for good tunes, and top-notch equipment.
This equipment comprises reliable headphones, respectable speakers, and the right software in this case Serato DJ software, and the best laptop for Serato DJ software.
When purchasing a laptop, there are a few things to keep an eye out for, and depending on the reason for the purchase.
For a DJ, having the best laptop for Serato DJ software is crucial so that the two laptops and software can work together to produce the best results.
Best Laptops for Serato Dj Software
1. ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo 15: Overall Best Pick
It is a fantastic laptop that Serato DJ fans may find to be a wonderful fit! In addition to having a sharp appearance, it meets all of your hardware needs. Another innovative feature of this device is an expanded screen.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro is one of the greatest laptops available for Serato DJ.
This laptop’s full-sized all-in-one screen is an excellent feature because it takes up most of the space on the screen.
By expanding your screen or splitting windows and apps between the two screens, you can maximize multitasking on this 15.6-inch 4K matte touchscreen with a resolution size of 3840 x 2160 pixels.
With OLED technology, this four-sided frameless display gives breathtaking 4K UHD pictures.
An OLED touchscreen has gamuts that provide incredibly clear colours and intense black levels.
You can do more and anticipate more from ZenBook Pro Duo because it has the newest Intel 12th Generation i7-12700H CPU and NVIDIA GeForce GeForce RTX 3060 graphics.
The ASUS ZenBook Pro is an excellent laptop for people who regularly engage in a variety of physical activities.
It even has a beautiful framework and depending on your budget, you may choose between 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage.
The 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage space in our review unit are more than enough to store your music and other material.
How a laptop with this much RAM might be appropriate for a DJ is difficult to understand.
If you had a laptop, you could run as many projects as you wanted without it slowing down.
It would be foolish to buy an external drive if you were worried about running out of space.
This laptop’s attraction is increased by the fact that it boasts a touch screen and a 4K super HD screen.
As a result, using a touchscreen-equipped DJ laptop opens up a world of new possibilities.
In out battery test with both displays on, the ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED died after 5 hours and 1 minute.
At 6 hours and 50 minutes, turning off the secondary display adds a little extra time. This is one of my favourite laptops for DJ Serato and Traktor Pro software.
Pros:
- HD screen resolutions
- Touchscreen
- Best For multi-tasking
- Huge storage space
- Integrated with the latest processor.
Cons:
- Particularly in the expensive area.
- A little heavy or bulky
2. Apple MacBook Air 13.3: Runner up for DJs
Most people want the Apple MacBook Air since it is one of those fashion-forward laptops they can showcase.
In some cases, this may even lessen the worth of the laptop’s actual quality. In fact, the MacBook Air lives up to its reputation and brand value.
The most recent MacBook Air is the ideal laptop for Serato DJ software because it has a 10th Generation Intel Core i3 processor.
In addition, the Intel Iris Plus Graphics processing unit powers a Retina display with True Tone Technology, a very fast system, and speedy processing.
The MacBook Air is very small and light in every way, yet it also has several amazing features that make it stand out from other computers.
Several laptops have also been designed to resemble the Mac yet without its one significant drawback.
The major issue with the MacBook Air is that, although having a solid 16GB of RAM and a 256GB hard drive, only a portion of the hard drive can really be used for storage.
The issue with Apple is that their laptops require an external storage device, or you must purchase iCloud storage space.
The MacBook Air is the greatest laptop for Serato DJ software if this can be overlooked.
Pros:
- 10th Generation Intel Core processor.
- Large force touch trackpad.
- 16GB RAM with 256 GB hard drive space.
- Fast charging
- Longer battery life of 11 hours.
- It has stereo speakers with wide stereo sound.
Cons:
- Storage issues.
- The 13.3-inch screen is relatively smaller.
3. HP Spectre X360: A Portable Option
This 13.5-inch laptop has a touch screen and an ultra HD 4K resolution. These are just a few of the many great features of the HP Spectre X360.
This laptop has the adequate capacity with a 10th Gen Intel i7 -1165G7 processor, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD.
You can open as many applications at once as you desire, and access data on the laptop as quickly as you need them.
Although the cost is typical for a laptop of this kind, it can still be on the high side, especially when there are less expensive options.
Depending on how the laptop is used, the HP Spectre X360’s battery life is significantly longer than the industry standard and can last up to 13 hours.
The HP Spectre X360’s ability to convert from a hybrid laptop to a laptop is its most notable feature.
Pros:
- Powerful processor
- Hybrid model
- Great battery life
- A sleek model
- Backlit keyboard with a numerical
Cons:
- Dim screen
- Quite expensive.
4. The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i: Best Value Laptop for DJ Serato
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is a slab of Arctic Gray ABS plastic that is 3.6 pounds in weight and 0.78 by 14.1 by 9.3 inches (HWD) in size.
Despite this, there isn’t a 15.6-inch laptop that can be considered lightweight and ultraportable.
If you want to buy the best-value laptop for Serato DJ software, then this is the best choice.
The build quality is decent, but if you grip the screen corners or pound the keyboard, you will notice a lot of flex.
Our test equipment consists of a 512GB PCIe SSD, an 8GB DDR4 memory module, and a 12th Generation Core i5 processor.
A non-touchscreen of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels is surrounded by thick bezels.
Face recognition is not possible with the webcam, but Windows Hello allows you to bypass typing passwords.
Even at maximum volume, the bottom-mounted speakers’ sound is muffled and hollow.
Although there are overlapping tracks, there is no discernible bass.
The speech, movie, gaming, music, and equalizer presets in Dolby Audio software don’t really make a difference.
The IdeaPad performs better than all competitors in terms of battery life.
The battery life will significantly decrease if you play games when the device isn’t plugged in, but it should last you most of the day for everyday use.
Read the full review of the Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6″ Laptop
Pros:
- Satisfying performance and battery life
- Comfortable keyboard
- Wide array of ports
Cons:
- Screen looks dimmer than it is
- Unimpressive webcam and audio
5. HP 15.6” Laptop: Budget Pick
This HP laptop comes with Intel 11th Generation Core i7 1165G7 processor.
We found no problems with Serato’s performance in real-world situations; it was nearly identical to that of the LG.
This laptop has Intel Iris Xe graphics, and we saw no performance differences when producing videos.
You receive a 1 TB SSD and 16 GB of RAM. To manage all Serato DJ workloads and any external DAW you utilize, 16 GB of memory will be more than adequate.
In fact, with this powerful processor, HP handled workloads involving numerous apps and plugins better than other laptops.
The majority of your apps and RAW files can be stored on a 1 TB SSD, which is also plenty of space.
You receive a subpar 15.6″ 1080p touchscreen display.
Despite having an anti-glare coating, the colours are washed out, and the 250 nits of brightness prevent it from being used outside.
We advise using an external monitor if you need to use the laptop while mobile and need to do any video work.
The touchscreen on this laptop, which makes navigating the interface easier, is its biggest benefit.
If necessary, you will also be able to DJ without a controller.
Even though a laptop with a touch screen isn’t a complete substitute for a controller, it can be utilized in an emergency.
You will have enough ports to connect the majority of controller types, an audio interface, and additional devices.
With dimensions of 14.11 x 9.53 x 0.71 inches and a weight of just 3.75 pounds, the HP 15 is comparatively portable.
The majority of producers operate from their studios, thus travel is rarely necessary.
Therefore, this shouldn’t be a problem at all unless you want to put together some sort of transportable rig.
It has a lithium-ion cell with a 41 WHr capacity. Our tests, it gave us access to the screen for roughly 7 to 8 hours.
Although the HP frequently needed to be charged before the day was over, the battery life was still respectable.
Pros:
- Decent touchscreen
- Plenty of processor heft
- Stylish design
- Long battery life
- Good selection of ports
- Sleek and light
Cons:
- No discrete graphics
How to Choose the Best Laptop for Serato DJ?
Because Serato DJ is a hybrid program, a powerful laptop is required to run it.
In such circumstances, you should think about purchasing a laptop that can accommodate your need for Serato DJ.
Explore the factors that will aid you in making the best choice in this area.
1. CPU
A laptop’s processor is one of the most important parts because it computes and runs numerous apps.
With a powerful CPU, tasks can be completed quickly. Additionally, Serato DJ as a program needs speedy calculations. When choosing a laptop for your Serato DJ, give Intel Core i5 processors some thought.
From our perspective, any laptop with less processing power might fail you during a live performance.
You might occasionally have to choose between AMD and Intel processors.
To meet your processing needs, both processors are equally effective. You can choose Intel if you want to go with the crowd.
2. RAM
Another important component of a laptop that accelerates the speed at which processes run is memory.
Undoubtedly, you need more RAM if you are running programs like Serato DJ.
In addition, most DJs use multiple applications when blending tracks. More RAM will be needed for this to allow for seamless mixing.
We would prefer 8GB of RAM as the ideal amount.
Finding laptops with more RAM than 4GB is, therefore, necessary if you want to achieve smooth mixing while using multiple applications.
3. Storage
After blending and fine-tuning tracks, DJs store them in the laptop’s internal memory.
In your professional life, you would mix countless songs with enormous file sizes. Large storage space is thus another essential consideration.
In addition, carrying around tracks that you store in external storage is a hassle. Therefore, 500 GB SSD drives should be the absolute minimum storage size to consider.
SSDs are quicker and provide the most storage for your money.
4. Screen Size
As a DJ, you would want your laptop to be portable so that you can perform anywhere.
In these situations, having a larger display size can be problematic.
It may be best to use a laptop with a 15-inch display. It will give you the mobility you want.
5. Sound quality
One of the most important things to take into account is audio quality. As a DJ, you would always want to listen to a track before mixing it in your studio.
You could get the assurance that your audio is presentable for the public by listening to your most recent mix.
However, poor audio quality can make your experience less enjoyable. Think about investing in a laptop with excellent sound output.
Conclusion
These are the 5 best laptops for running Serato DJ smoothly. You can choose the one that meets your needs, as now that you are aware of the features of all these laptops.
To make an informed choice, be sure to consider our buying guide.
We truly hope that you will find our article on the Best laptops for Serato DJ software to be helpful.