As someone who grew up around a crafter’s home, it is safe to say that arts and crafts are something that I was deeply interested in as a child, as well. However, things have evolved a lot, we have gone from making things from home to having machines that can help us do half the complex job and do that efficiently as well as brilliantly. Just have a look at Cricut, their machines are amazing when it comes to accurate work, and in most cases, all you need is a good laptop and you are good to go.
If you have been looking for the best laptop for Cricut under 500, you are at the right place in this post, we are going to explore all the laptops that you can find for such a task and these will help you a lot in making things work for you. I do understand that most people might get confused over these aspects, but hey, you would be in a much better place once you look at all the great options.
So, how does one determine that the laptop is good? Well, thankfully, unlike other tasks, Cricut does not require a super-powerful computer or a laptop. In most cases, you need a laptop that has a screen that is clear and sharp, a good processor, and enough RAM, if you have these in a laptop, you are off to the races. But this creates another challenge where you have to go through hundreds of laptops just to find the right one. Worry not, we are going to make things easier for you in this roundup.
In a Hurry? These are the Best Laptops for Cricut Under $500
If you are in a hurry and just want to glance at all the excellent laptops, here is the list that will help you get things done.
Best Affordable Laptop for Cricut
Best Entry Level Laptop for Cricut
Best Thin and Light Laptop
Reviewing the Best Laptops for Cricut Under 500
In order to make things easier for everyone who is looking for a laptop for Cricut, this roundup is going to make things easier for everyone as we are only featuring only five laptops as which will make the experience inherently easy.
1. Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z – best laptop to use for cricut
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Pros
Cons
Bottom Line:
The Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z is one of the best laptops that you can get your hands on for Cricut; it has an efficient processor, a great screen, and enough RAM to help you with all your Crictu tasks with ease.
Finding a laptop for Cricut can be a hard thing for many people. After all, Cricut in itself is nothing short of impressive, and this leads many of us to believe that the whole process is going to require a powerful computer but you would be surprised to know that it is not the case at all. Actually, it is the opposite. Sure, you do need a good and decent computer but nothing that is going to make matters worse, and that is where the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z comes into play, for anyone who is looking into getting something with stellar performance and not a lot of money, this is a great offering.
Acer has always delivered excellent laptops across the board and their Aspire lineup is something that has been around for the longest time my favorite thing is that for those who are on a budget, getting an Aspire laptop is more than satisfactory because you certainly are getting something good. Have a look at the specs below to understand what I am talking about.
- 15.6″ Full HD IPS
- AMD Ryzen 5 5500U Hexa-Core Mobile Processor
- AMD Radeon Graphics
- 8GB DDR4
- 256GB NVMe SSD
You can tell by just looking at the specs that this laptop is actually more than enough for Cricut. The 15.6-inch IPS display ensures that everything is clear and sharp all thanks to the accompanying FHD resolution. Not just that, you have plenty of RAM and storage for crafting work, and the full keyboard layout is also nice to have. Additionally, you are getting access to upgradability, as well. Considering how you just have to open the bottom panel of the laptop and you get access to everything there.
My only concern here is that the trackpad could have been a bit better but if you are working on Cricut, I would highly suggest that you are using a mouse for precise work.
Overall, the Acer Aspire 5 A515-45-R74Z has more than impressed me with its excellent value-for-money approach, great screen, affordability, and good battery life, as well. For anyone who wants something that helps them with Cricut tasks, this is the laptop that you should be going with and you will not have any issues.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 3i – best laptop for cricut maker under $500
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Pros
Cons
Bottom Line:
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3i is an affordable laptop with a touchscreen and a set of specs that can easily help most people with their Cricut tasks and work. It does not cost a lot, and is relatively slim, at the same time.
We are all aware of the fact that Lenovo has some excellent laptops available for people who are looking to get into the market. For starters, you have some excellent offerings such as the more affordable IdeaPad, then there are some Yoga laptops for anyone who wants high-end experience, and then we have the Legion laptops as well. Thankfully, you do not need to spend all your money getting your hand on a Legion for Cricut as the application can work just fine on more affordable offerings such as the Lenovo IdeaPad 3i, and that is what we are going to be looking at.
For starters, the good thing about this laptop is that it is stylish and made really well, I am not saying that it has the best in class components but to be honest, for the price you are paying, you cannot expect a lot. Thankfully, the day-to-day performance is decent, to say the least, so that is another bonus you are getting here and the trackpad along with the keyboard are both comfortable to use, so if you have been searching for something along the line, it is a good thing. You can still look at the specs below to have a better understanding of what I am talking about.
- 15.6″ FHD Micro-Edge Display
- Core i3-1115G4
- 12GB DDR4 RAM
- 512GB PCIe SSD
Everything that you are getting with the laptop is more than enough and while some people would suggest that it is not enough, for the price you are paying and the fact that this is a laptop for Cricut, you are not really losing anything, here. I still believe that the laptop is inherently excellent and you will not be running into any issues.
My only issue is that the screen is on the dimmer side but for Cricut, you are still looking at an excellent product that should work fine without any issues.
Best Affordable Laptop for Cricut
3. ASUS VivoBook – best laptop to use with cricut
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Pros
Cons
Bottom Line:
The Asus VivoBook is an excellent affordable laptop for Cricut that lets you get most of the tasks done with ease and the best part is that you are not going to have many issues with the laptop, either. It is affordable and always gets the job done.
There is no shortage of excellent laptops available in the market, and well, a lot of times, people are often looking to get their hands on something that is good and works well, too. With Asus, you do not have to go ahead and spend all your money on a laptop as you can just get the work done with something that is more affordable, just as well. Asus VivoBook series has always been an excellent entry point and it always gets the job done.
With that said, the Asus VivoBook is a great overall laptop for the price you are paying and in most cases, you will absolutely have no issues whatsoever with this laptop. If you want something affordable and something that can work with Cricut just fine, then this laptop is the way to go as you will not be running into any issues.
- 15.6″ HD display.
- Intel Core i3-1005G1 Dual-Core Processor
- 12GB RAM
- 256GB PCIe NVMe SS
You can look at the specs and tell that if you are in the market for something that is affordable, and something that is not going to break the bank then this is it. The good news is that for the price, you are getting a rather decent laptop that gets the job done. The HD display might be off-putting to some but the good news is that for what it’s worth, you are not going to run into any issues.
Another good thing is that upgrading the laptop in terms of memory is not going to be difficult and can be done with great ease. Moving forward, there are enough ports for everyone who is looking to connect multiple USB devices at once
Last but not the least, considering how our usage is largely around Cricut, the laptop works really well for such purposes, and you will be more than happy knowing that the overall performance is not going to be hindered in any way.
My only concern here is that I wish that this laptop had a better processor because although a dual-core processor does not hinder anything related to Cricut, it still feels like it is going to lack in some ways.
Overall, the Asus VivoBook is more than an acceptable laptop for Cricut that works really well in most cases and does not create any issues, either. Sure, it is not the fastest laptop in the bunch but for all the Cricut-related tasks, it is wonderful.
Best Entry Level Laptop for Cricut
4. HP 15 – best cheap laptop for cricut
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Pros
Cons
Bottom Line:
The HP 15 is an excellent entry-level laptop that you can get your hands. It does not cost a lot of money and it is going to work with Cricut just fine. If you are looking to get something without spending a lot of money, this is a great way to go ahead.
HP is known for making some amazing laptops and well, this does not seem to change because if you have been looking for something the company has a lot of offerings for everyone and it does not really change, either. However, over the past couple of years, the company has been focusing a lot on more affordable laptops and if you do want something that is affordable and works really well, then this is it.
The HP 15 is a good, entry-level laptop that you can use for Cricut, and the best part is that it is not going to create any issues for you. You can have a look at the specs below, and you would be all good to go.
- AMD Ryzen 3 3250U
- 8 GB RAM
- 256 GB SSD Storage
- 15.6-inch HD Micro-Edge
I know looking at the specs, you might not feel like you are getting a lot but as I have explained before, for a laptop that is going to use for Cricut, this is a good offering and is going to run all your tasks really well.
I do love the fact that you have a full keyboard layout and more importantly, the battery is long-lasting, so that is another benefit here.
Honestly, I do not seem to have any issues with the laptop aside from the fact that the screen could be a bit brighter.
Overall, the HP 15 is a great overall laptop that is not going to create a lot of issues for you if you are using Cricut. Sure, the laptop is not the fastest in the market but for what it costs, you are getting an excellent overall experience from this laptop.
Best Thin and Light Laptop
5. Lenovo IdeaPad 3 – best laptop for cricut maker design space
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Pros
Cons
Bottom Line:
The Lenovo IdeaPad 3 is an excellent thin and light laptop that works really well overall and does not create any issues, either. If you want a small and powerful laptop for Cricut, then you are getting a great value for money here.
The last laptop is again from Lenovo but this time, we are looking at the IdeaPad, and before you think that it is the same laptop as the last Lenovo laptop that we featured then that is not the case because this time around, we are looking at a higher end offering and well, you are going to get better overall performance from this laptop.
As far as the specs are concerned, you are getting a hexacore processor but here, check the specs for yourself and see if this fits your requirements.
- AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
- 8GB RAM
- 256GB Storage
- 14.0″ FHD Display
- AMD Radeon 7 Graphics
You can just look at the specs and tell that this is actually a great laptop overall and for anyone who is looking for a stellar overall experience, then this laptop is surely something that you should be getting into.
What is even better here is the fact that you are looking at a laptop that has enough cores for the overall performance to a point that you are not going to get anything that will deliver average performance. So, if you do want something that is good overall, then getting this laptop is the way to go.
For anyone who is using Cricut or even looking for some light and casual gaming, then getting your hands on this laptop is the right way to go because you are not going to be let down in any way, and that is a good thing.
My only problem with this laptop is that the trackpad is on the smaller side, so I would highly suggest that you are using a mouse but that is about it.
Overall, if you look at the IdeaPad 3, then you are looking at a great value package that might not seem enough much but once you get started with it, the laptop easily becomes one of the best in the market.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use any laptop for Cricut?
Yes, in most cases, you will be able to use whatever laptop you want to use with Cricut, however, you do need a good enough screen and 4 or more than 4 gigs of RAM.
What is the best laptop to use with a Cricut explore AIR 2?
Honestly, you should not really have a lot of issues using any laptop listed here with the Cricut Explore Air 2, so it is safe to say that your overall experience will be fine without any issues.
How much RAM do I need for Cricut?
When you are using Cricut, the amount of RAM that you need varies. In some cases, you would be more than okay with just 4GB RAM. However, with RAM, the most common belief is that you can never really have enough RAM.
Conclusion
I do understand that for most people, you might run into issues with the overall experience when it comes to Cricut, but after some time, I have come to realise that using good laptops with Cricut is not at all difficult.
The purpose of this entire roundup was to ensure that those who are looking to get started with Cricut have a much, much easier experience. So, if you have been looking forward to be certain that you have all the right tools, then this guide is for you.
All the laptops that we have featured here are excellent across the board, so your experience is not going to be tainted in any way. I can assure you that you are getting the best value for your money overall.
