01/10/2026 9:25 am
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Im starting a freelance gig doing mostly branding and social media assets in Adobe CC and my old 2017 laptop is literally screaming every time I open After Effects. Budget is around 1800 bucks, maybe 2000 if itll last me a few years. I keep seeing people swear by the MacBook Pro M3 but then others say the screen calibration on certain Windows workstations is way better for color work and honestly Im just super confused. Like, do I really need 32gb of ram for just vector work and light motion graphics or is that overkill? Are there specific models that dont heat up like a toaster under load?
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01/10/2026 9:50 am
Building on the earlier suggestion, I remember when my old rig started throttling during a client render and it was honestly soul-crushing. I switched over to the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 9 32GB RAM RTX 4070 and honestly, the performance per dollar is just insane compared to the premium tax you pay elsewhere. You get a solid screen and enough cooling headroom that it wont sound like a jet engine during exports.
- Seriously, prioritize the GPU for After Effects stuff.
- 32GB of RAM is non-negotiable for motion graphics, dont even try 16GB.
- Check the outlet stores for a Dell XPS 15 9530 32GB RAM RTX 4060 to snag a deal under 2k. I managed to save enough for a nice external monitor by going this route. Your wallet will thank you later!
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01/10/2026 10:30 am
Just catching up here, but 32GB is basically the minimum now for AE. I've used the Dell XPS 16 32GB RAM RTX 4060 for a bit and it handles thermal loads surprisingly well for a sleek chassis.
- Prioritize color accuracy with a DCI-P3 display
- Avoid base models, the thermal throttling on lower end stuff is painful
- Check the Razer Blade 16 32GB RAM RTX 4070 if you want premium build quality
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01/10/2026 9:25 am
Honestly for After Effects, get 32GB RAM. The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 Pro 36GB RAM stays cool, while the ASUS ProArt Studiobook 16 32GB RAM offers better color accuracy.