Silhouette Cameo is a very handy tool you can use to create beautiful cutouts of images and designs. All that’s left is to find a good laptop to use it with. If you’re looking for the best laptop for Silhouette Cameo, then you’ve come to the right place.
We’ll be taking a look at the best possible laptops that go hand in hand with Silhouette Cameo as well as various factors you need to consider when buying a laptop meant for this piece of hardware.
Recommendations for April 2024
- Acer Nitro 5 – A powerful and affordable laptop that can be used to play AAA titles as well as run Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Studio.
- Apple MacBook Pro 16 – One of the best Macbooks on the market that has tons of useful features and clear improvements from its predecessors.
- Microsoft Surface Book 3 – A powerful 2-in-1 laptop that you can use to create art and design for your Silhouette Cameo.
- Dell XPS 15 – One of Dell’s most successful products thanks to its versatility. Its 4K display is very useful when creating designs and images in general.
- HP Spectre x360 – A 2-in-1 laptop that has a 360-degree display allowing people to use it at any angle.
- Acer Aspire 5 – A cheap and affordable laptop that more than meets the recommended requirements of Silhouette Cameo.
- LG Gram – A 17-inch laptop that not only features powerful specs but impressive portability and long battery life.
- Apple MacBook Air – A cheaper and more portable version of the Apple MacBook Pro 16 which makes it a good alternative if you can’t afford a Macbook Pro.
- HP 17 – One of the cheapest 17-inch laptops on this list that features reliable specs and good design.
- Dell Inspiron 17 3793 – An affordable 17-inch laptop that features over 1.5 TB of storage space.
Best Laptop for Silhouette Cameo in April 2024
Acer Nitro 5 – Powerful Entry-Level Gaming
The system requirements for Silhouette Cameo might only be 2 GB of RAM and a 2.0 GHz CPU but that doesn’t mean that you settle for a laptop that just barely meets those specs. A lot of people using these laptops complain that Silhouette Cameo runs badly.
It is only to be expected since 2 GB of RAM really isn’t enough for most apps these days. With this being said, the Acer Nitro 5 is a reasonably priced laptop that meets the recommended system requirements of Silhouette Cameo.
Its Intel Quad Core i5-9300H CPU can run up to 4.0 GHz which allows it to even beat other Intel Quad Core i7 processors in general. Needless to say, this processor is powerful enough to run Silhouette Cameo as well as photo editing programs that go hand in hand with Silhouette Cameo.
Although the GPU really isn’t a big deal for NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is very helpful if you plan to do other things aside from Silhouette Cameo like graphic design, video editing, and even some gaming.
Overall, the Acer Nitro 5 is a good choice for a mid-priced laptop for Silhouette Cameo as well as for running programs that work well with it like Photoshop, Canva, and other photo editing software.
Recommended Configuration for Acer Nitro 5
CPU: Intel Core i5-9300H Processor | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 | RAM: 8 GB | Screen: 15″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen IPS LED-backlit Display | Storage: 256 GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life: 4 hours | Weight: 5.07 lbs
Apple MacBook Pro 16 – Powerful Mac
Silhouette Cameo is only meant to run with both Windows and Mac OS, and with this being said, one of the best Macbooks on the market is a good match for this piece of hardware.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 is probably one of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo on this list. This is even more apparent especially if you’re planning on using it for business or professional reasons. The MacBook’s specs will allow you to create the highest quality image you can use with Silhouette Cameo.
First of all, its magnificent 4K display will allow you to see your final product at the best possible quality allowing for a spectacular final product. Its AMD Radeon Pro 5500M is very handy for rendering difficult graphics but it’s not so powerful that it limits the Macbook’s mobility.
The Apple MacBook Pro 16 only weighs about 4.3 pounds thanks to its balanced GPU and its latest Intel Core i9 processor which surprisingly manages to prolong the laptop’s battery life as well.
Overall, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is the ideal choice if you want to create professional products using Silhouette Cameo.
Recommended Configuration for Apple MacBook Pro 16
CPU: Intel Core i9 processor| Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M, Intel UHD Graphics 630 | RAM: 16 GB | Screen: 16.0-inch IPS technology; 3072×1920 pixels | Storage: 1TB SSD| Operating System: MAC OS | Battery Life: 11 hours | Weight: 4.3 pounds
Microsoft Surface Book 3 – Powerful 2-in-1 Laptop
Using a 2-in-1 laptop with Silhouette Cameo might seem counterintuitive since you have to connect to the device making its portability worthless but it’s actually really useful if you think of it from an artist’s point of view.
Creating digital art can be quite hard especially if you’re working in the confines of your own room. A convertible laptop like the Microsoft Surface Book 3 might be a good choice if you need a change of scenery from time to time.
This 2-in-1 laptop has pretty powerful specs for running photo editing software and even graphic design applications. The laptop features a 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor that can handle most modern-day tasks and programs.
The biggest takeaway here is that this laptop is a convertible and you can use its touchscreen to create digital art practically anywhere.
You can enjoy making drawings and images for Silhouette Cameo in the park, while on vacation, or simply somewhere scenic that puts you in a creative mood. This makes the Microsoft Surface Book 3 one of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo in terms of convenience.
You can simply import the images you’ve made into the Silhouette studio and make some edits from there to better fit the final product.
Overall, the Microsoft Surface Book 3 does not disappoint and its 17 hours of battery life will ensure you’ll be able to create wonderful pieces of art that you can use in your business or in your hobbies.
Recommended Configuration For Microsoft Surface Book 3
CPU: Intel Core processor i7-1035G7 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 | RAM: 16GB RAM | Screen: 15-inch 3240×2160 Ultra HD Touch display | Storage: 256GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 17 hours | Weight: 3.45 lbs
Dell XPS 15 – 4K Display
Both the Dell XPS 15 and 13 are Dell’s most successful laptops on the market. They do share a lot of similarities and features, but we chose the Dell XPS 15 for this one since it has a larger display which is more useful for editing images and creating designs.
One of the biggest benefits of the laptop is its amazing 4K display which is very helpful for artists and graphic designers who plan to use Silhouette Cameo. The reason is that they’ll be able to see their final product at the best possible resolution as well as help them spot errors and make corrections on their work while zooming in.
Being one of Dell’s most successful products, you can expect the Dell XPS 15 to be a powerhouse as well. Its 9th generation Intel Core i7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 are pretty much overkill for most programs and you can expect it to run Silhouette Studio pretty easily as well as other graphic-related programs.
Overall, the Dell XPS 15 deserves praise as being one of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo thanks to its impressive display, powerful specs, and versatility.
Recommended Configuration for Dell XPS 15
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H| Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650| RAM: 16GB RAM | Screen: 15.6-Inch 4K UHD Anti-reflective display| Storage: 256GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 10| Battery Life: up to 8 hours | Weight: 5.51 lb
HP Spectre x360 – 360 Degree Display
The HP Spectre x360 is one of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo since it’s powerful, portable, and very convenient to have around.
Starting with its power, the laptop does not play around with its 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and 32 GB of RAM. Expect it to run Silhouette Studio quite easily as well as other more advanced programs requiring powerful processors of Intel quad-core i7 or higher.
Aside from this, the HP Spectre x360 is the lightest laptop on this list making it very portable. And just like Surface Book 3, it’s also a 2-in-1 laptop that has touchscreen capability making it ideal to use with a stylus for creating images and design.
But unlike the Surface Book, this laptop relies on the 360-degree display that allows you to use it at any angle which opens up a lot of possibilities and convenience in its use.
Lastly, the HP Spectre x360 also has a 4K display making it ideal for artists and graphic designers alike. Now pair this with people who work well with a stylus and you’ll be able to create magnificent images, design, and art for your Silhouette Cameo to cut.
Recommended Configuration for HP Spectre x360
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | RAM: 32 GB RAM | Screen: 15.6″ diagonal 4K (3840 x 2160) IPS touchscreen | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 7 hours | Weight: 2.7 lbs
Acer Aspire 5 – Cheap and Affordable
One great thing about the Silhouette Cameo is that you don’t need a super high-end laptop to run it since it has pretty low system requirements. At a minimum, it only requires 2 GB of RAM and a 2.0 GHz CPU which isn’t that hard to find.
However, we recommend getting at least 8 GB of RAM for your Windows 10 laptop since you’ll have a hard time running other programs if you only have 2 GB of RAM considering that Google Chrome and other apps take up more than 2 GB of RAM in most cases.
This is where the Acer Aspire 5, is a cheap and affordable laptop that features decently good specs with its 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U which beats some older Intel Quad Core i7 processors. Aside from this, the laptop also has a full HD display making it good for creating graphics and design as well.
It only has 5 hours of battery life but that’s pretty good, especially since this is a cheap and affordable laptop. Overall, it’s one of the more viable options if you’re looking to run Silhouette Studio and Silhouette Cameo when you’re on a budget.
Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 is a cheap and reliable laptop that is ideal for people on a budget.
Recommended Configuration for Acer Aspire 5
CPU: Intel Core i5-10210U| Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 8 GB RAM | Screen: 15 inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen LED-backlit IPS Display| Storage: 256 SSD| Operating System: Windows 10 Home | Battery Life:5 hours | Weight: 5.74 pounds
LG Gram – Portable Ultrabook
The LG Gram is a good choice if you’re constantly on the move. It’s one of the most portable laptops on this list and it weighs relatively light for its size and it has exceptional battery life.
You don’t necessarily need a portable laptop to run Silhouette Cameo but making designs can be time-consuming, and working while traveling is a good way to save you that time. With the LG gram, you’ll be able to work on your designs, and your artwork while traveling or waiting to arrive at your destination.
Aside from the portability and 17-hour battery life, the LG Gram is pretty powerful as well with its Intel Core i7 processor that makes quick work of most tasks. The laptop also has a lot of connectivity with its 3 USB 3.0 ports that also support USB 1.1 and other outdated hardware.
But what makes the LG Gram truly one of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo is its17 inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) display which is a little bit bigger than your typical full HD screen. With this, you can run graphic design programs and even Silhouette Studio hand in hand even when you’re on the road.
You won’t have to worry about getting cut off during work since its long battery life will ensure that you have more than enough time to run multiple editing programs and make decent progress before that “low battery sign appears”
Overall, the LG Gram is a good laptop for Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Studio thanks to its long battery life, powerful specs, and impressive portability.
Recommended Configuration for LG GRAM
CPU: Intel Core i7 1065G7 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 16 GB RAM | Screen: 17 inch IPS WQXGA (2560 x 1600)| Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD (512GB x2) | Operating System: Windows 10 home | Battery Life: 17 hours | Weight: 2.98 pounds
Apple MacBook Air – Portable Macbook
Macbooks are reliable and powerful laptops that a lot of people like to have, however, the biggest problem among people who want to buy Macbooks is that they’re often out of the budget of most people.
If you’re looking for a Macbook that is within an affordable price range, then you might want to try out the Apple MacBook Air. It’s not as powerful as the Macbook Pro but it’s cheaper and much easier to carry around!
Specs-wise it has a 10th Generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of RAM which meets the recommended requirement to run Silhouette Studio and handle Silhouette Cameo. And since it runs on Mac OS, expect this laptop to run much better and have fewer issues compared to its Windows counterpart.
Overall, the Apple MacBook Air is an impressive alternative to the Apple Macbook Pro 16 on this list especially if you’re looking for a cheaper laptop that is just as reliable.
Recommended Configuration for Apple MacBook Air
CPU: Intel Core i5-1030NG7 | Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics | RAM: 8 GB RAM | Screen: 13.3-inch, (2560 x 1600) | Storage: 512 GB SSD | Operating System: MAC OS| Battery Life:13 hours | Weight: 5.37 pounds
HP 17 – Affordable 17 inch Display
17-inch laptops are very useful when it comes to creating beautiful artwork and design which you can slide with your Silhouette Cameo. However, most 17-inch laptops are expensive since they require more materials to make them in the first place.
If you’re the type of person who prefers the cheap and affordable price of the Acer Aspire 5, then you might like the HP 17. It’s also a cheap and affordable laptop and it’s only a little bit more expensive than the Acer Aspire 5.
Specs-wise, it’s pretty reliable with its 10th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 15 GB of RAM. For such a cheap laptop, you get pretty powerful specs which is always a catch.
Overall, the HP 17 is a good alternative choice for the Acer Aspire 5. If you are willing to spend a little more money. You can rely on its 10th generation Intel Core i5 processor and its 17-inch screen can be used for more than just designing your Silhouette Cameo templates like for watching movies or for reading long documents as well.
Recommended configuration for HP 17
CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 620 | RAM: 16 GB | Screen: 17. 3″ (1600×900) BrightView Display| Storage: 512 GB SSD| Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 5.4 pounds
Dell Inspiron 17 3793 – Large Storage Space
Another alternative to the HP 17 is the Dell Inspiron 17 3793. You can also think of it as a larger and cheaper alternative to the Dell XPS 15. This laptop is your solution to storage problems since it will give you up to 1.5 TB of storage space.
Storage space that you could use to store your personal files as well as the art, design, and images for your Silhouette Cameo and other projects. Basically, you’re getting a reliable laptop with decent processing power thanks to its 10th Generation Intel Core i5 processor, and 16 GB of RAM.
It doesn’t have a long battery life though since it can only last up to 5 hours on a single charge. So keep this in mind if you’re ever typing to use this laptop out of your home or office.
Overall, the Dell Inspiron 17 3793 is a viable option for storing files not only for your Silhouette Cameo but for important work files, documents, and even personal files like videos and recordings as well.
Recommended Configuration for Dell Inspiron 17 3793
CPU: Intel Core i5-1035G1 | Graphics: Intel Graphics | RAM: 16 GB | Screen: 17.3″ Full HD (1920×1080) | Storage: 512 GB SSD + 1TB HDD | Operating System: Windows 10 | Battery Life: 5 hours | Weight: 8.38 pounds
Criteria for Choosing The Best Laptop for Silhouette Cameo
Operating System
One of the most important factors to consider when choosing the best laptop for Silhouette Cameo is the operating system of the laptop. This is because Silhouette Cameo is only compatible with 2 operating systems for the moment, these systems being Windows and Mac OS.
So despite Silhouette Cameo having a low minimum and recommended system, requirements you still have to make sure that the laptop you are choosing runs on either Windows or Mac OS.
Sadly, This also means that Chromebooks are out of your possible laptops list as well. Despite Chromebooks meeting the minimum system requirements, they simply aren’t compatible with the Silhouette Cameo hardware which is such a shame.
Lastly, you should also consider looking at the operating system of refurbished laptops as well. Some old refurbished laptops could be installed with Chrome OS or Linux which is also incompatible with Silhouette Cameo.
Although there are some tricks to using Linux with Silhouette you might still need to download third-party programs to make it work which can be quite the hassle.
CPU
The next important thing to consider when choosing a laptop for Silhouette Cameo is the processor. Silhouette Cameo only requires you to have a processor with only 2.GHz and of power which is pretty generous.
Even older and lower-end laptops can meet this minimum requirement since most processors in the past 6 years have more than 2.0 GHz of power. Some 6th Generation Intel Core i3 has a base frequency of 2.40 GHz!
Now with this being said, we do recommend that you get at least an Intel Core i5 processor. Since you’ll probably be using your Silhouette Cameo hand in hand with other programs and applications which might require you more processing power.
Applications that help you create images and designs like Photoshop, Canva, Sketchable, Autodesk, etc. Most of these apps require more power than your Silhouette Cameo so it’s best to keep what creative and design software you are using when planning to buy the best laptop for Silhouette Cameo.
RAM
After the CPU, you should take a look at the RAM of the laptop as well. Generally speaking, the more RAM you have, the more apps you can run at a given time.
Now just like with the CPU, the minimum RAM requirements for Silhouette Cameo aren’t that high, to begin with. You only need a minimum of 2 GB of RAM which is pretty low considering that most modern Windows 10 laptops have more than 4 GB of RAM.
Still, we do recommend that you get a computer with at least 8 GB of RAM since most modern-day applications and programs are very RAM-heavy as well. A good example of this is Google Chrome which a lot of people use.
Google Chrome usually uses up more than 2 GB of RAM and can reach up to 4 GB or more if you have a lot of tabs opened! This is why we recommend laptops like the Acer Aspire 5 that have 8 GB of RAM but still come at an affordable price.
Display
Up next, we have the display. It may not seem much but a bigger and better resolution can help quite a bit especially when you’re designing images and art for commercial and professional use.
This is why we highly recommend that you get a laptop with at least an HD resolution which is (1280 x 720) but getting an FHD resolution (1920x 1280) is much better since you can easily zoom in on your design without much pixelation. Of course, anything above FHD like 4K resolution is the ideal option but only do so if you have the budget for it.
Additionally, the size of the display matters as well. The larger the screen you have to work with, the easier it is for you to see which is very important when it comes to creating digital art. You’ll also have a much easier time spotting errors and making corrections in your work as well.
So we recommend getting a 15-inch screen for your laptop and a 17-inch screen if you really want that huge boost in productivity. Of course, you can still opt for 13-inch screens like the Apple Macbook Air if you’re looking for a more portable option.
Portability
Last but not least, we have the portability of the laptop. This factor is the least important out of all the others but it can still play a big role in deciding what kind of laptop to buy,
A good example of this would be laptops like the Microsoft Surface Book 3 and the HP Spectre x360. Both are convertibles that can be used for tablets which are really convenient. If you prefer using a stylus over a mouse when it comes to creating art, then it’s best to use a touchscreen convertible like these two.
Additionally, a more portable laptop means that you can go out of your room and work in a better environment that promotes creativity, you can go to the park, at the top of a building, or simply to a coffee shop where you can have a nice change of scenery once in a while.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Use A Silhouette Cameo With A Chromebook?
Can You Use A Tablet With A Silhouette Cameo?
Conclusion
A lot of people these days rely on creating digital art to make a living and using the Silhouette Cameo is one of the many ways to take your creativity and create a profession out of it. You distribute that digital art that you’ve been making as a hobby into a real-life product that your customers can enjoy.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll be able to find the best laptop for Silhouette Cameo that fulfills your needs and preferences. Tell us what you think down below, do you agree with our recommendations? And if not, do you have better suggestions? We’d love to know your opinions and personal recommendations.
Kenny Trinh is a seasoned expert in the field of laptops and technology, boasting an extensive background enriched by years of hands-on experience and in-depth research. With a keen eye for innovation and a passion for staying ahead of the technological curve, Kenny has established himself as a trusted voice in the tech community. Holding a prestigious degree in Computer Science, he combines his academic insights with practical expertise to deliver valuable insights and recommendations to his readers and followers. Through his work, Kenny aims to demystify complex tech concepts, empowering individuals to make informed decisions and optimize their digital experiences.