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All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model
| Thumbnail | Laptops for Virtual DJ | ProRec Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 9 | Check Price on Amazon | |
 | 8.6 | Check Price on Amazon | |
 | 8.5 | Check Price on Amazon |
Introduction
Like Rekordbox, VirtualDJ is also pretty light on computer resources, so you don’t really need a powerful machine. Most modern DJing laptops on the market will get the job done. However, video DJing is a different story as it requires a bit more power, but even then, you don’t need a processing powerhouse. Although, if your budget allows, there is no harm in buying the latest and greatest offering, it will help futureproof your setup in the long run.
When choosing a laptop for Virtual DJ, you want to go with at least a later generation Intel i5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 processor. They are both modern offerings, excellent for DJing, that will remain relevant for the coming years. While you don’t technically need more than 8 GB of RAM, it is best to aim for minimum 16 GB, especially if you want to produce music using a DAW such as Ableton Live or Serato DJ.
If you do a lot of gigs, then you need a machine with good build quality that is less susceptible to damage. You also want to pay special attention to keyboard and trackpad comfort, as well as a nice display. A spill-resistant keyboard is useful when you’re in a DJ booth where there are a lot of liquids nearby. You interact with the display of your laptop the most, so do not overlook that and sacrifice on user experience.
Unless you’re into gaming, you don’t really need a powerful GPU. Just make sure your device has a fast SSD and RAM kit to keep your machine running smooth. If you work with Stems 2.0, VirtualDJ’s new AI engine that produces higher quality stems, then you’ll need a higher end machine with a dedicated GPU. Stems 2.0 uses the Neural Engine or Cuda Cores of your device, the newer MacBooks do really well since they come with the high-core neural engine responsible for most of the computation for Stems 2.0.
That’s not to say that there aren’t any reliable Windows laptops. For starters, Lenovo’s ThinkPad series offers some industry-leading features, such as their keyboards and build quality. Asus, MSI, HP, and Dell are all reliable and provide excellent features for a competitive price. You can also get a machine with NVidia’s RTX series of GPUs with multiple Cuda cores to run Stems 2.0.
One area where Windows laptops outshine Macs is the port selection. As a DJ, you will use an audio interface to connect accessories such as headphones or studio monitors to your computer. An audio interface connects to your device using a USB or Thunderbolt port. Macs usually only have Thunderbolt ports, while their Windows counterparts sometimes offer a wide array of ports. Lenovo’s ThinkPad series is an excellent example of a device that provides not only USB and Thunderbolt ports but also others, including Ethernet, HDMI, etc.
Whether you’re getting a laptop for making beats, or simply just DJing, the requirements don’t differ as much unless you are into heavy production. For DJing, most laptops are fine, but you want to get one that will last you a while and not give you any performance issues later down the road.
Minimum System Requirements for Virtual DJ
Windows | Mac OS | |
|---|---|---|
Supported OS | Windows 7* Windows 8* Windows 8.1* Windows 10 Windows 11 | OS X v.10.13 (High Sierra) OS X v.10.14 (Mojave) OS X v.10.15 (Catalina) macOS 11 (Big Sur) macOS 12 (Monterey) macOS 13 (Ventura) |
Recommended Hardware requirements | Intel® i5™, AMD Ryzen 7 or better Windows 10 or newer Multi-channel soundcard 8 GB RAM or more | Intel® i5™ or better, or M1 processor or better macOS 12 or newer Multi-channel soundcard 8 GB RAM or more |
Additional for Video Mixing | AMD™ or NVIDIA® video card Dual-screen output for second monitor | AMD™ or NVIDIA® video card or M1 processor Dual-screen output for second monitor |
Additional for stems 2.0 | Windows 10 64-bit or newer NVIDIA video card (GTX 1050 or above with 4GB VRAM, RTX with 6GB VRAM recommended) or AMD video card (Radeon RX 5600 XT or better) | macOS 13 or newer M1 or M2 processor with 16GB RAM |
Source: Official Virtual DJ Minimum System Requirements page
Best Laptop for Virtual DJ Review
All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model
Apple’s MacBook Air comes equipped with the M2 chip, an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. It provides 15 percent better CPU performance and 30 percent better GPU performance than the M1 on its predecessor. In our testing, the Air performed flawlessly for regular DJing workloads. The 16-core neural engine helps the device stand out when running Stems 2.0.
The fanless design of the Air truly sets it apart from the competition. The efficient ARM-based M2 chip produces very little heat and doesn’t require an active cooling system. As a result, you get a silent system perfect for DJing. However, the M2 produces a bit more heat than the M1, which throttles performance by about 20 percent, after which it stabilizes. Despite the thermal throttling, the MacBook Air still provides excellent performance for VirtualDJ, well ahead of the competition.
You get 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. None of these are upgradeable, but Apple’s excellent RAM management ensures you won’t encounter any memory related issues. The storage might be a bit restricting if you store RAW files locally. We recommend getting an external SSD since those are cheaper and more convenient.
The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina 2560×1664 display on the MacBook is perfect. It provides excellent color accuracy covering the P3 color gamut for VideoDJing or general content consumption. We could even use it under direct sunlight due to the 500 nits of brightness. You also get smaller bezels than the Air’s predecessor.
As expected from a MacBook, the port selection of the Air isn’t that great. It comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a MagSafe charging port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You will only be able to connect audio interfaces via Thunderbolt; that’s why we recommend getting a USB docking station to access USB-A, Ethernet, and HDMI ports. Fortunately, you do get a high-quality headphone jack and excellent quad speakers with spatial audio for audio playback, however since most audio professionals use studio monitors, this may not be as relevant.
The MacBook Air has many features that set it apart from the competition, including a fantastic backlit keyboard, an excellent trackpad, a fingerprint scanner, and a facial unlock for secure access. Moreover, the Apple Ecosystem provides many features, including iMessage and AirDrop.
The MacBook is very light and portable, coming in at 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches and weighing 2.7 pounds. We could easily carry it in our backpack, making it perfect for mobile DJs. Moreover, the build quality is excellent with the Aluminum brushed finish, which can take some beating. It even comes with many unique colors that help the MacBook stand out from other laptops and other MacBooks.
Due to the efficiency of the M2 chip, the Air easily lasts 18 hours on a single charge or about two days of usage. This is easily better than most other laptops on the market, making it perfect if you won’t have access to a wall outlet for some time.
To conclude, the Apple MacBook Air M2 is a great option for almost all DJs since it provides excellent build quality and battery life. It has top-notch performance, a great display, and useful features.
Apple MacBook Air M2 Benefits
The M2 processor provides one of the best performances from a laptop in this class.
The MacBook Air features a fanless design which helps it stay silent and portable.
You get excellent battery life that easily lasts you through 2 full days on a single charge.
Apple MacBook Air M2 Drawbacks
The lack of fans results in the Air throttling its performance a bit to control temperatures.
The port selection is lacking since you don’t get USB, Ethernet, or HDMI ports.
All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 is equipped with an 11th Generation Intel Quad-Core i5-1135G7 processor, with 4-cores and 8-threads. It performs 25 percent better than the 10th generation i5 on its predecessor and 62 percent slower than the M2 on the MacBook. We were satisfied with how the ThinkPad performed during our testing. It had very few stutters and never crashed.
The fans on the ThinkPad were pretty quiet. In an idle state, the fans don’t turn on at all, and even under general DJing load, the fans are audible but not too distracting. It should be noted that the ThinkPad is a bit louder than its predecessor, but not by a lot. The thermals could be better. There is a bit of thermal throttling that lowers performance, but it’s nothing to worry about, especially for DJs. However, the bottom of the device gets very hot. You won’t be able to place the laptop on your lap, but this shouldn’t be an issue seeing that DJs use their devices on another surface.
The ThinkPad T14 comes with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM and a 512 GB SSD. You also get dual-channel upgradeable memory for better speeds and frequency. However, one of the RAM sticks is soldered onto the motherboard, but the other one is fortunately upgradeable, so you can get a maximum of 64 GB of memory. Similarly, the storage is also upgradeable if you ever wish to store RAW files locally. However, we recommend getting an external storage device since those are more convenient.
The display of the ThinkPad is pretty nice. It is a 14.0″ FHD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS panel. The great viewing angles and color reproduction make for a great viewing experience. It is also color accurate enough to do some basic video editing. The panel isn’t that bright, limiting the outdoor visibility a bit, but most DJs use their device indoors, so it shouldn’t be a big issue.
The port selection of the device is excellent as it is equipped with 2 USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 2 Thunderbolt 4 (used for charging), an HDMI 2.0, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack. With both USB and Thunderbolt ports, you can connect with all kinds of audio interfaces and still have ports left over for other accessories such as an external mouse or SSD.
The ThinkPad series is known to have excellent features that set it apart from the competition. Some of these include one of the best-backlit keyboards on the market, a Kensington lock, a fingerprint scanner, and a facial unlock for secure access.
The device is relatively portable, coming in at 12.95 x 8.94 x 0.7 inches and weighing 3.23 pounds. The best part about the ThinkPad series, including the T14, is its fantastic build quality. The aluminum finish provides military-grade durability that protects the device against drops. Moreover, the keyboard is also spill-resistant, providing water resistance in case of accidents, something fairly common in DJ booths.
The ThinkPad lasts around 9 hours on a single charge which easily lasts us an entire day of usage, but it was still a bit less compared to the 11 hours of battery life on its predecessor.
Overall, the ThinkPad is an excellent device with good performance, fantastic features, and exceptional build quality. What truly makes it stand out for DJs is its excellent port selection which is rarely found on other modern devices allowing it to connect all kinds of audio interfaces.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Benefits
The port selection of the ThinkPad T14 is excellent, as it has both Thunderbolt and USB ports.
You get plenty of unique features, such as access to a fingerprint scanner and a great backlit keyboard.
The build quality is excellent as it can take a serious beating, thus increasing the device’s longevity.
Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Drawbacks
The bottom of the laptop gets pretty hot, which can be a bit uncomfortable if you place it on your lap.
The outdoor visibility of the device isn’t that great.
All text and image links lead to Amazon unless stated otherwise. All product scores are based on ProRec’s in-house scoring model
The Acer Aspire 5 is a great budget option for DJing which comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 5500U, with 6-core and 8-threads, with a maximum frequency of 4 GHz. It performs slightly better than the i5 on the ThinkPad and about 35 percent better than the Ryzen 5 3500U on its predecessor. The performance was a bit better than the i5 due to the higher core count, with minimal stutters. Overall, we were pleased with how well the device worked using VirtualDJ.
The device remains fairly cool, even under load, as we barely encountered any thermal throttling. The surprising part is that it is pretty silent. The outer casing did get a bit warm, but that wasn’t a deal breaker since you can always place the device on a table. We were pleased to see such excellent thermal performance on a device this affordable.
Just like the MacBook and ThinkPad, you get 16GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe SSD with the Acer Aspire 5, which results in the same excellent memory management we have seen on the other models. Fortunately, both the RAM and storage are upgradeable for better future-proofing. You can also get an external storage device to store RAW files conveniently.
The 15.6” Full HD 1920 x 1080 display is the weak link of the device. It has decent viewing angles but bland colors, which takes away from the viewing experience. The brightness is also a bit low at only 250 nits which lower the outdoor visibility as well. However, most devices in this price range have similar display quality, so we can’t complain much.
The port selection is decent, with 1 USB-C 3.2, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, 1 USB 2.0 Port, an Ethernet, 1 HDMI 2.0, a headphone jack, and a charging port. With the presence of USB-A and USB-C ports, you can connect many different kinds of audio interfaces and other accessories. However, it does miss out on the Thunderbolt port found on the other devices on this list, but that is excusable for the price.
There are many features that make the Acer Aspire 5 a better value. Some of these include a decent backlit keyboard, a Kensington lock, and a webcam.
The dimension of this laptop are 14.3 x 9.9 x 0.71 inches, and it weighs 3.88 pounds, making it a fairly portable device. The device’s build quality is a bit on the cheaper side since, during our testing, the machine had many scratches. Luckily, there were no major structural problems, so it shouldn’t be an issue if you put a skin on the device.
The device lasts around 8 hours on a single charge which was barely enough to last us a day of usage. Luckily, the laptop supports fast charging with the included charger, so you can easily top up the device.
To summarize, we were impressed with all the amazing features and performance that the Acer Aspire 5 packs for the price. It also has a decent port selection and good user upgradeability. Most of all, unlike many other laptops in this price range, you won’t have to make any major compromises.
Acer Aspire 5 Benefits
The Acer Aspire 5 provides excellent performance for the price with the Ryzen 5 5500U.
The thermal performance of the Aspire 5 is excellent, and it is also very silent, which makes it a great device for VirtualDJ.
The 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD are both upgradeable for better future-proofing.
Acer Aspire 5 Drawbacks
The device’s display isn’t that great, as it has poor colors and viewing angles.
The build quality was a bit on the cheaper side for our liking, as the device was a little damaged during our testing.
Verdict
Based on our scoring model, you can see the highest variance in the Price to Performance, Processor, and Additional Feature categories. The Acer Aspire 5 is the cheapest device on the list, but it still provides surprisingly good performance netting a score of 10. While the ThinkPad is a more premium machine, yet it still doesn’t deliver the best performance. On the other hand, the MacBook Air with the M2 chip fares really well in terms of performance as well as additional features.
The Apple MacBook Air remains stable in all categories, always scoring an 8 or higher. It has outstanding performance due to the M2 chip, which also makes it a great value device, and even provides excellent features helping it get a perfect score in both categories. It provides you with multiple Thunderbolt ports and a MagSafe connector for charging, helping it get a 9 in Connectivity. The only category it struggles in is RAM and Storage, where it scores an 8 because of the 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM.
The Acer Aspire 5 is also a great option since it only has a 0.4 score variance compared to the top contender. It has a perfect score of 10 in the Price to Performance features, as we have discussed earlier. It even has a decent score of 9 in the Processor and Connectivity categories. It is only held back in the Additional Features and Storage categories, otherwise it might have even been the best device for VirtualDJ despite its price point.
That being said, the best device for VirtualDJ is undoubtedly the MacBook Air, with a total average score of 9.0. One of the best reasons to choose the MacBook is its fanless design, making it virtually silent. The M2 chip provides one of the best performances for any laptop, making it a great option, especially for those using Stems 2.0. It even provides 2 whole days of battery life which is better than almost all Windows laptops on the market. Combine that with unique features and excellent build quality, and you get yourself the perfect machine for using VirtualDJ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What laptop do I need to run VirtualDJ?
This will depend a lot on your requirements and your budget. The MacBook Air is a fantastic option for those looking for a fanless device that provides excellent performance and features. The ThinkPad is also a great option for those requiring a featureful device from the Windows end. If you’re on a budget, then you can’t go wrong with the Acer Aspire 5, which provides excellent value for money.
How much RAM do I need for VirtualDJ?
VirtualDJ doesn’t require a top-of-line device, so you can get by with 8 GB of RAM. 16 GB will help future-proof your device, and it will also be helpful for those looking towards video editing in which case having a dedicated graphics card will also be beneficial. In general, anything more than 16 GB will be overkill for Virtual DJ unless you are also looking to produce music, that's when you need 16 GB or even more.
What CPU is best for VirtualDJ?
There is no singular best CPU for VirtualDJ. The M2 on the MacBook Air is the most powerful chip on our list and is ideal for every use case including DJing, Music production and Video editing on Virtual DJ. However, you can get a similar experience with a much less powerful processor. Any modern i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU will be sufficient for running VirtualDJ for even the most intense workloads.
Can a Chromebook run Virtual DJ?
Chromebooks use low-powered ARM processors that are not able to run VirtualDJ. Moreover, ChromeOS isn’t even supported by VirtualDJ so a Chromebook won’t be able to run the program.
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