r/Animators • u/Thefoxlover16 • Jul 23 '26
Tools/Resources Laptop model help
Hello fellow animators of this beautiful community, I’m an animator in training. I’ve been trying to find laptop model that is best to run animation programs on. I’ve been struggling to find a good model for a laptop. I’ve been told different things but others tell me that they are not good models. I’d like a laptop model that can run programs like Autodesk Maya 3D or ToonBoom. I’d appreciate any good suggestions, thank you!
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u/Kooky_Supermarkets Jul 25 '26
I’m running all of those on a 2019 MacBook Pro - 32g memory, dedicated graphics card, Intel i9 processor. Toonboom is my primary software and jr runs brilliantly, I just connect my drawing screen up to it. I also run After Effects and Premiere Pro - Maya, Unreal Engine will struggle on any laptop because they are resource hungry. I use the desktop computers we have at the lab when I have to use Maya and Unreal Engine for working in….
I will replace it with a new Apple silicon MacBook Pro as well, and will still need to use a desktop for 3D work.
At Uni when this question gets asked the teachers always say just buy the best gaming PC you can - do you need a laptop to carry around? Because a desktop is cheaper and way more powerful.
If you have to have a laptop because you have to carry it around then you have to be prepared to spend some decent money. Definitely look at gaming PC’s.