Choosing the Right Computer for Creative Grunt Work
Computers evolve so quickly — and if you’re not careful, you suddenly find yourself clinging to a 15-year-old gaming laptop, politely waiting for every click to register and watching your rendering times creep up minute by painful minute.
That was me. For far too long.
Eventually, I had to admit it: I needed to upgrade if I wanted to keep up with my own pace.
My old computer had been a loyal workhorse, but with Windows 10 support ending and the device well out of warranty (on the complete other side of the world from where I bought it), it was time.
So the hunt began.
I knew I needed something fast, capable of heavy creative workloads (some of these designs were quite hardware intensive). When thinking of battery life, it wasn’t a huge deal as most of the presentations I gave were for less than three hours, and if you’re presenting for longer than that, someone usually brings you a power lead or an IV drip. One or the other.
Which route to go down?
Option 1: PC
- Great for processing-heavy tasks
- Customisable, upgradeable
- Not portable
- Screens cost extra
- Can buy Aus/US keyboard
- Can keep using my Windows gesture mouse
Option 2: Large Drawing Tablet
- Screen quality
- Portable
- Tends to be less powerful
- Restricted to using apps versus full-software
- I draw better with a mouse than a stylus, oddly enough
Option 3: Laptop Computer
- Portable, which was becoming increasingly important as my travel/work ratio changed
- Decent processing capabilities
- Can keep using my Windows gesture mouse
- I really don’t like the UK keyboard layout (sorry, @ symbol)
Subsequently, after going in circles — and down many, many YouTube rabbit holes — I finally settled on a ROG Zephyrus gaming laptop, purchased from an Australian supplier and brought over by my parents on their next visit to the UK.
It ticked the most boxes:
- Portability
- Processing power
- The @ symbol where I like it to be
- Massive trackpad was a bonus
- Animated light strip on the back (makes me feel fancy)
- And… not too heavy for something with that much grunt
The only downside to this particular laptop is its backwards folding range versus my Lenovo X1 Extreme – as it doesn’t fold back as far, I’ve had to adjust my set up at home to switch between both machines. Although not a big deal for me, I thought I’d mention it in case that’s a deal-breakfer for someone else.
Additionally, there’s the dreaded Copilot key – my experience with remapping that is quite the saga involving 2 superheroes and a few tears – watch this space for more on that later!
It’s already made a huge difference. Working, editing, writing… it’s all noticeably faster. I’m not waiting around for things to load or buffer or crash anymore. While no device is perfect – this one gave me the creative firepower I needed and has an animated light strip on the back!
Have you gone through the device dilemma recently? What did you land on and what do you wish you’d known before buying?
Let me know in the comments. I love a good nerdy tech comparison.
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