Thanks to technology we now have electronic machines like Cricut they have made cutting designs very easy for us with super precision in no time. Cricut normally comes in two kinds one is Cricut Maker and the other is Cricut explore.
You can use both machines depending on your skills and practice. You can design just anything with different materials with this machine it is perfect for professionals and anyone who has enough practice to use this machine. Whether it’s a Cricut Explore or Cricut Maker you can use even a low-budget laptop with decent specifications.
You don’t need super powerful hardware you only need a good display, decent processor, and RAM of at least 4GB to run Cricut software. But it doesn’t mean you should opt for the cheapest laptop as modern laptops have plenty of other features you can use on highly demanded applications.
A powerful device gives you the freedom to try other hobbies like 3d printing which requires high-end graphics to manage software and also you can play powerful games. You can still get great laptops even on a low budget that can run Cricut software and still you can use it for other purposes.
We have selected suitable laptops across a range of different laptops for you, which are low in budget but they will do the job with ultimate satisfaction. Cricut software is compatible with any operating system such as Windows, iOS, or android.
So if you are able to invest 500$ you can end up having a great laptop to do your crafting work.
List of 6 Best Laptops for Cricut Maker for a $500 Budget
1. ASUS VIVOBOOK – Overall Best Pick
Specification:
- Brand: ASUS
- Display: 17.3 inch HD display.
- CPU: Intel Core i5 Quad Core Processor
- RAM: 20GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
ASUS VIVOBOOK is an excellent laptop and at the same time, it’s affordable as well. You don’t need an expensive laptop when you can do just everything with such a comfortable laptop.
This laptop will do just fine to work with Cricut without any issues. If we have to look at the specifications of this laptop it comes with a 17.3-inch HD plus with an LED energy-efficient backlight display and a resolution of 1600×900 pixels.
ASUS VIVOBOOK has an Intel Core I5 quad-core processor up to 3.6 GHz with Intel UHD graphics.
It has a RAM of 20GB and high bandwidth to smooth the running of multiple applications and browser tabs all at once.
It also comes with a 512 GB PCIe NVMe solid state drive that allows you to fast boot up and transfer data.
Also, there are enough ports that can be used to connect multiple USB devices at once.
If you look at the specs this laptop is reliable and still easy on the pocket.
Considering our usage for this laptop which is Cricut Maker, this laptop is capable to do more than that.
You can completely rely on this beautiful laptop and surely it will not let you down with the performance of this laptop.
Pros:
- IPS display
- Great performance
- Solid build
- SSD
- Easy maintenance
Cons:
- The display could have been brighter
- No keyboard illumination
- MicroSD card reader only
- Not enough battery life
- The fan is loud
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 – Best Value Laptop for Cricut Maker
Specification:
- Brand: Lenovo
- Display: 17.3 inch HD Display
- CPU: Intel Core i5 1035G1
- RAM: 20GB
- Storage: 2TB SSD
Lenovo is a great brand with some excellent laptops available in the market.
Cricut can work with ease on this laptop; you don’t need to look for a super high specs laptop.
There are a lot of good things about this laptop it’s very stylish and has a great build with other good features.
Engineered for good performance the Lenovo Ideapad 3 delivers power in a laptop and is perfect for everyday computing.
For basic computing and using Cricut, you don’t need to pay so much it’s a very decent laptop equipped with a good configuration.
It comes with an Intel Core i5-1035Gi processor, RAM of 20GB, and a storage space of 2TB solid state drive providing ample storage and for quick boots.
It has a display size of 17.3 inches a perfect size to keep you going and enjoy your favourite movies, shows, and all your design work.
Featuring an HD resolution of 1600×900 it delivers crisp performance and visuals.
It is also equipped with a non-backlit keyboard along with a number pad that lets you work all day without any compromise.
The battery life is around 8 hours still good to keep you busy throughout the day.
Overall it’s an excellent laptop it’s under the budget with amazing features and configuration and you can easily use Cricut and trust me you are not losing anything on this one.
Pros:
- HD Display
- Fingerprint reader
- SD card slot
- Surprisingly great performance
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Speakers are not so loud
- Display is dull
3. The ASUS VivoBook 15 – Affordable Cricut Maker Laptop
Specification:
- Brand: ASUS
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- Display: 15.6
The ASUS VivoBook 15 is a simple basic looking design with bright green accent colour, on the bottom you can find the speakers it’s quite a thin laptop and the ASUS VivoBook branding is at the centre.
The ASUS VivoBook build quality is quite good the back is of metal but the rest is of plastic.
The screen is very sharp and provides enough space for multitasking.
It’s a daily use laptop including an 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 processor, it has 12GB of RAM and storage space of 512GB solid-state drive and Intel graphics.
It has a display size of 15.6 inches with a resolution of 1080 pixels.
Well ASUS VivoBook 15 remains an affordable option it’s an outstanding laptop for work or college and it can handle multitasking with ease, it has a great display and audio quality as well.
It is a good value for money and you can use Cricut software very easily with no issues whatsoever.
Pros:
- Fast storage drive.
- Easy to upgrade.
- Good performance.
- Gorgeous OLED display
- Comfortable keyboard
- Value for money
Cons:
- Can’t handle demanding workloads.
- Average battery life
- Bad Webcam quality
4. Acer Aspire 5 – A Wallet-Friendly for Cricut Under $500
Specification:
- Brand: Acer
- Series: A515-45-R74Z
- Screen Size: 15.6 Inches
- Hard Disk Size: 256 GB SSD
- CPU Model: Ryzen 5
- Ram: 8 GB
- Operating System: Windows
Acer Aspire 5 looks thin, sleek, and stylish which makes it pleasing to the eyes without being flashy.
It has a firm chassis with a minimal black bezel surrounding the display.
It measures 0.7 inches thick, the total package weight is 3.8 pounds which makes it ultraportable to carry around.
The display size is 15.6 inches with a standard resolution of 1080 pixels.
Acer Aspire features an 11th Gen Intel AMD Ryzen 5 5500 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB solid-state drive, and AMD’s graphics card.
This laptop comes with enough power to deliver day-to-day computing operations running simultaneously.
Acer Aspire 5 is very reasonable in terms of performance browsing the internet, streaming movies, and editing photos and videos will work smoothly.
Considering its video card you won’t be playing complex modern games but still, if you want to use Cricut Maker you will not be facing any issues running that kind of software and programs.
You will like the full-sized keyboard on Acer Aspire 5 and it includes a number pad for seamless data entry.
The keyboard is very comfortable for typing you can even use it in dark thanks to the backlighting.
There is a fingerprint reader embedded into the touchpad, the trackpad has the same aluminium finish as the chassis.
Port selection is great, for peripherals you can get two USB 3.2 ports. One USB 2.0 port and a single USB-C port for the devices.
The Acer Aspire 5 battery is a good performer, it will last around 8 to 9 hours on one single charge which is pretty good.
The Acer Aspire 5 serves a solid design and has enough computing power to get the job done.
Anything from writing documents, video calling, watching movies, and using Cricut Maker software for craft work.
Pros:
- Great value for money
- Gorgeous display
- Long Battery life
Cons:
- The trackpad could be better
We’ve written a detailed review of Aspire 5 in this guide.
5. HP 15 Laptop – A Low-Budget Option
Specification:
- Display size: 15 Inches
- Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels
- Processor: 3.8 GHz Ryzen
- RAM: 8 GB DDR4
- Hard Drive: 256 GB SSD
- Graphics: AMD Radeon Graphics
- Battery Life: 9 hours
HP is a well-known brand that made some great laptops, It is an affordable laptop with great features.
HP is now focusing on more budget laptops for everyone, HP 15 is a good entry-level laptop and you can use Cricut Maker with ease.
The HP 15 is designed to keep you entertained and productive anywhere.
HP 15 is thin and light which enables it to maximize the screen-to-body ratio, you can take it anywhere it’s very portable.
HP 15 has a display size of 15.6 inches it has an HD, micro-edge display which will keep you entertained where ever you go.
The AMD Ryzen 3 3250U processor accelerates the power and performance by keeping you productive.
Whether it’s games or movies, you can experience great performance with the AMD Radeon graphics card.
It comes with a storage space of 256GB solid-state drive. You can experience improved multitasking with a high bandwidth RAM size of 8GB.
HP 15 laptop is a reliable powerful machine and good value for money at the same time.
The battery life is good as well it will give you around 7 hours of juice plus HP fast charging gets you to charge in less than an hour.
You can enjoy a smooth wireless experience with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 combination.
All the connections are solid up to 3x faster file transfer.
You can also enjoy unparalleled efficiency and comfort with an integrated keyboard.
HP 15 is a great device for ultimate computing with increased performance, we can say it is not the only best out there but surely you won’t get any issues with using Cricut on this one.
The great thing about this laptop is the price you can enjoy any kind of work without paying very less.
Pros:
- Great performance
- Good Value for money
- Suitable for Cricut Maker
- Long Battery life
Cons:
- The display could be better
6. MSI GV15 – The Least Expensive Laptop for Cricut Professionals
Specification:
- Brand: MSI
- Display: 15.6
- CPU: Intel Core i5-11400H
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1650
MSI GV15 is a great gaming laptop as well, with some excellent features and configuration.
If you need a good gaming laptop for starters and something that can handle multitasking then you don’t need to overthink and you need to try this laptop with no dispute.
Cricut will work with ease on this laptop, you don’t need to spend so much to make to look for a super high specs laptop.
There are a lot of good things about this laptop it’s very stylish and has a great build with other good features.
Engineered for good performance the MSI 15 delivers power in a laptop and is great for everyday computing.
For basic computing and using Cricut, you don’t need to pay so much it’s a very decent laptop equipped with a good configuration.
It sports Intel Core i5-11400H with PCIe Gen 4 performance. The 6 Core processor ensures a smooth and productive experience.
RAM of 8GB and storage space of 256GB solid-state drive provide ample storage and quick boots.
It is equipped with GeForce GTX 1650 graphics powered by Turing NVIDIA architecture, its best for modern and popular games.
It has a display size of 15.6 inches a perfect size to keep you going and enjoy your favourite movies, shows, and all your design work.
The screen on this one is bright and colourful, this laptop is even clear and bright under the sunlight.
It is also equipped with a comfortable keyboard along with a number pad that lets you work all day without any compromise.
The Keyboard is backlit red so you can enjoy your work and typing in the dark.
The battery life is great to keep you entertained and busy throughout the day.
MSI GV15 is an excellent choice with good value and amazing features, it’s super-fast you will love using Cricut on this one and it will give you great confidence to play with your arts and crafts.
Pros:
- Great performance
- Good for multitasking
- Gorgeous display
- Decent battery life
Cons:
- Little pricey
- Slow boot time
What kind of laptop do you need for a Cricut Maker?
All the devices we picked for Cricut Maker meet the system requirements. If you want a different Laptop, you need to make sure it meets the basic requirements for Cricut Maker.
Operating system: Windows 8 or later
CPU: Intel dual core or equivalent
RAM: 4GB
Disk space: 2GB
Display: 1024×768 screen resolution
Final Verdict:
After reviewing all 6 Laptop models for Cricut Maker, we can suggest that you can choose any laptop from the list.
All the listed laptops are capable enough to handle basic computing operations and especially Cricut Maker software.
All these laptops are good value for money, You can pick any model depending on your choice and budget.