Best laptop for DJing: January 2025
I’ve been DJing for the biggest part of my life, but I’m also a software engineer by trade and for the last 20-some years I regularly fill in at the local computer store when they have staff shortages.
I sell and repair laptops for customers, so I’m up-to-date when comes to the ins and outs of new laptops and the repairs behind the scenes.
In many articles on the topic I miss the specifics as to why THESE specific laptops they recommend.
My recommendations on this page are based on the advice I gave in my DJ laptop buying guide.
Table of Contents
- Difference producer & DJ laptops
- Top 5 best laptops for DJing
- Best DJ laptop on a budget – under $500
- Macs for DJing
- Best laptop for Rekordbox
- Best laptop for Serato
- Best laptop for Virtual DJ
- Video
- Related guides
Difference producer & DJ laptops
Music producers and DJs need vastly different laptops, because the software is different.
If you are not sure about the difference, check out my article on the difference between DJ and producer.
A music producer needs a faster computer than a DJ.
All music producer laptops can cope with DJ software, but not all DJ laptops with Music Production software, because they might be too slow.
Top 5 best laptops for DJing
I have assembled a list of 6 laptops (sorry, couldn’t help myself … 5 was too little …) that inspired by my recommended specs from by DJ laptop buying guide.
The specs of the laptops below are recommended for the 4 most popular DJ software: Rekordbox, Serato, Virtual DJ and Traktor.
The links to webshops are affiliate links.
#1 HP – 6M0Z7UA
A HP laptop that has everything you need: a decent processor, enough memory for Serato and video.
2x USB-A and 1x USB-C port.
Overall a good laptop.
| Brand | HP |
| Model | 6M0Z7UA |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Storage | 1TB SSD |
| CPU model | i5 11th gen, 4.2 Ghz, 4 cores |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Graphics card | integrated, Intel Xe |
| USB | 2x USB-A and 1x USB-C port. |
| Backlit keyboard | ? |
| Cooling | ? |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
#2 Asus – S533EA-DH51-WH
Great laptop under $600, it has everything you need!
A i5 Intel processor, so you can use video with your DJ app.
It has a metal chassis, so the laptop is more durable than your average laptop.
It has a backlit keyboard and a fingerprint sensor.
I would recommend an upgrade to Windows 11.
| Brand | Asus Vivobook s15 |
| Model | S533EA-DH51-WH |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| CPU model | i5 11th gen, 4.7 Ghz, 4 cores |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 Home |
| Graphics card | integrated, Intel Xe |
| USB | USB-A and USB-C port (4 ports in total) |
| Backlit keyboard | ✔️ |
| Cooling | Active |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
#3 HP – TPN-Q278 599J4AV
A laptop that is good for DJing and also allows you to play a game now and then.
What makes this laptop a gaming laptop is the dedicated NVidia geforce RTX 3050 graphics card.
This graphics card might come in handy when you want to generate visuals for your DJ gig, like you can with Virtual DJ.
With 1TB of storage you have plenty of space for your music, and 32 GB is plenty of RAM for even the most demanding DJ software.
It also has 3 USB3 ports, WIFI 6, a backlit keyboard (handy for dark clubs), and a card reader for your camera.
| Brand | HP |
| Model | TPN-Q278 599J4AV |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Storage | 1 TB SSD |
| CPU model | i5 12th gen, 4.4 Ghz (8 cores) |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Graphics card | dedicated, NVidia RTX 3050 |
| USB | 2x USB-A,1x USB-C port |
| Backlit keyboard | ✔️ |
| Cooling | ? |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
Best DJ laptop on a budget – under $500
#1 HP – TPN-Q222
A lot of bang for your buck.
Plenty of storage for your whole music library and then some.
Also with 32GB you’ll have plenty of memory for the future.
The things that I’m less enthousiastic about is the processor: i3 11th gen.
But also the resolution of the monitor.
This will suffice for DJing with Virtual DJ, but you will run into trouble with Serato and Rekordbox,
It’s also not suited for video or for heavy apps like video editing and music production.
| Brand | HP |
| Model | TPN-Q222 |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1366×768 |
| Storage | 1TB SSD |
| CPU model | i3 11th gen, 3 Ghz, 2 cores |
| RAM | 32 GB |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Graphics card | integrated, Intel UHD |
| USB | |
| Backlit keyboard | ❌ |
| Cooling | |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
#2 Asus – F512JA-AS34
Great laptop with a 15″ monitor for well under $400.
Asus has often great products.
Backlit keyboard, so you can see what you are doing.
It even has a fingerprint reader.
The laptop has Windows 10 (not 11) in S-mode.
In order to install your DJ app, you have to disable S-Mode.
I would recommend an upgrade to Windows 11.
Also 8 GB of RAM might be a bit on the low side for Rekordbox and Serato.
| Brand | Asus (vivobook 15) |
| Model | F512JA-AS34 |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Storage | 128 GB SSD |
| CPU model | i3 10th gen, 3.4 Ghz |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| OS | Windows 10 S |
| Graphics card | integrated, Intel Xe |
| USB | USB A + USB C |
| Backlit keyboard | ✔️ |
| Cooling | |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
#3 HP – 15-fd0012nr
Good laptop for well under $500.
It has Windows 11 Home and a comfortable 500 GB of SSD storage for all your music.
The only minor is issue I see is the RAM.
If you want to use the heavier software like Rekordbox or Serato, I would look at models that have 16GB or RAM.
HP is generally a reliable brand compared to others, so it will be with for a couple of years.
| Brand | HP |
| Model | 15-fd0012nr |
| Screen size | 15.6″ |
| Screen resolution | 1920×1080 |
| Storage | 512 GB SSD |
| CPU model | i3 13th gen, 4.6 Ghz |
| RAM | 8 GB 3200 Mhz |
| OS | Windows 11 Home |
| Graphics card | integrated, Intel Xe |
| USB | 1x USB3 + 2x USB2 |
| Backlit keyboard | ❌ |
| Cooling | |
| Rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price | Check on Amazon |
Macs for DJing
If you are looking for a Mac for DJing, read my article on the best Macbook for DJing.
Best laptop for Rekordbox
From my extensive DJ software comparison I found that Rekordbox is pretty heavy on system resources.
It can be laggy, sluggish and sometimes unresponsive.
When you only use Rekordbox for preparing and have some patience, almost every mid-level of the last 5 years will suffice.
But if you use Rekordbox for performing, you need a pretty heavy computer.
The computer with which I tested Rekordbox is a pretty heavy music production and video editing beast, which far exceeds the recommend system specs.
DJ software is generally pretty easy on a computer, but with Rekordbox (no other DJ software) I experience audio frame drops, which result in crackles in the audio.
To combat the sluggishness you need a fast CPU and a lot of memory to make up for the lack of performance.
Official Rekordbox system requirements
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core 5, 7, 9 Ryzen 5,7, 9 Apple M |
| Memory | 4GB RAM 8GB RAM (video) |
| Storage | Hard disk/ SSD (recommended) |
| Monitor | 1920×1080 resolution |
My Rekordbox recommendation
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core 7, 9 Ryzen 7, 9 Apple M |
| Memory | 16GB RAM |
| Storage | SSD |
| Monitor | 1920×1080 resolution |
Best laptop for Serato
From my extensive DJ software comparison I found that both Rekordbox and Serato are pretty heavy on system resources.
Although Rekordbox is sluggish, Serato seems to be much more performant.
But it takes up much more system resources in idle state.
When Serato says it needs
Official Serato system requirements
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core 5, 7, 9 (6th gen or more, 8th gen preferred) Ryzen 5 3000 or better Apple M1 or higher |
| Memory | 8GB RAM, 16GB preferred |
| Storage | 15GB Hard disk/ SSD (recommended) |
| GPU | 2GB |
| Monitor | 1280×720 |
| Misc | Internet connection |
My Serato recommendation
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core 7, 9 (8th gen at least) Ryzen 7 Apple M1 or higher |
| Memory | 16GB |
| Storage | 15GB SSD |
| GPU | 2GB |
| Monitor | 1920×1080 |
Best laptop for Virtual DJ
From my DJ software comparison I found that Virtual DJ is the software that is the easiest on your laptop of all DJ software.
There is no software on the market that is so fast and responsive as Virtual DJ.
Pretty all mid-tier laptops of the 5 years will suffice.
The only thing that Virtual DJ needs more system resources for is auto stem separation (it isn’t very good, so I wouldn’t use it), video and audio visualisation.
Official Virtual DJ system requirements
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core i5, i7, i9 Ryzen 7, 9 Apple M |
| GPU | AMD or NVidia (for video) |
| Memory | 8GB RAM or more |
| Storage | 1GB Hard disk/ SSD (recommended) |
| Monitor | 1920×1080 resolution |
My Virtual DJ recommendation
I agree with their minimum system requirements.
For video, stems and visualisation I would recommend:
| OS | Windows, Mac |
| CPU | Intel Core i7, i9 Ryzen 7, 9 Apple M |
| GPU | AMD or NVidia (for video) |
| Memory | 16GB RAM or more |
| Storage | SSD |
| Monitor | 1920×1080 resolution |
Video
Related guides
- How much RAM you need for DJing + performance tests
- Best Processor for DJing + performance tests
- DJ laptop buying guide – on the bottom is a DJ software performance comparison table
- Best DJ software (voted by DJs)
- Optimize your computer for DJing
