If you’re full of the joys of spring when it comes to crafting, you’ve come to the right place!
That being the case, you’re probably willing to try out different crafting equipment, such as the Silhouette Cameo 4 cutting machine to make the most out of your creativity.
The Silhouette Cameo 4 is indeed a great cutting machine that can handle a range of materials starting from fabric to acetate sheets. It simplifies your cutting requirements, or otherwise, you would have a hard time working with a pair of scissors or a utility knife.
But, has it ever crossed your mind about the laptop it is compatible with? For a Cameo 4 to work smoothly, your laptop must meet the minimum system requirements of the cutting machine.
If you’re planning to buy such a laptop dedicated to crafting, do check out our list of the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo 4 below!
Printer For Silhouette Cameo 4- Quick Summary
- Perfect For Light Editing: Apple MacBook Air : M1 Chip
“Take a glimpse at this lightweight laptop here if you’re looking forward to doing some light editing in Silhouette Studio.”
- Doubles As A Tablet: Microsoft Surface Pro 7
“This one here lets you transform the laptop to a tablet with the folding design and an intuitive touchscreen.”
- Perfect For Gaming And Editing: Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop
“Enjoy gaming and intense photo/video editing to your content with this powerful laptop.”
- Greater Versatility: ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 Ultra Slim Laptop
“The combination of an ultra-slim design, multi-directional folding capability, and a powerful processor makes the laptop a must-have for serious designers.”
- Affordable, Yet Powerful: HP Pavilion 15 Laptop
“The affordable price isn’t a trade-off for versatility and powerful features required by designers.”
Comparison Chart for Top 5 Laptops For Silhouette Cameo 4
Image | Product Name | Processor | RAM | Price |
  | Apple MacBook Air | Apple M1 | 8 GB | |
  | Microsoft Surface Pro 7 | 10th Gen Intel Core i5 | 8 GB | |
  | Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop | 7th Gen Intel Core i7 | 16 GB DDR4 | |
  | ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 Ultra Slim Laptop | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 | 16 GB | |
  | HP Pavilion 15 Laptop | 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 | 16 GB DDR4 |
Best Laptops For Silhouette Cameo Reviews
1. Apple MacBook Air : M1 Chip
One of the well-known laptops compatible with Silhouette Cameo 4 is none other than the Apple MacBook Air.
This particular model released in 2020 comes with attractive features that anyone will appreciate. First off, the large 13.3-inch display boasts of Apple’s signature Retina technology that allows you to view text and images without the individual pixels showing themselves. Plus, the True Tone technology adjusts the display settings in a way to befit your surroundings.
Next, the Apple M1 Chip ensures you get to run the Silhouette Studio software without experiencing lags. The processor is Turbo Boost-enabled, which essentially increases the clock speed during greater workload while staying within the safe power and temperature boundaries.
When it comes to memory, this guy is equipped with 8 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD. The size of the storage is decent enough for saving all your design files as well as essential software. If needed, it is possible to upgrade the SSD up to 2 TB.
A great thing about the MacBook Air is its keyboard. Unlike older Macs that use the butterfly mechanism, this one has scissor-switch style that makes the keyboard more responsive and prevents dust from getting stuck in the crevices. Interestingly, the power button has a fingerprint sensor to keep your personal files away from unwanted hands.
Highlighted Features
- The Retina display with True Tone technology ensures optimized viewing in different surroundings
- The quad-core processor ensures fast performance
- Comes with a decent 256 GB storage space
- The fingerprint sensor protects your files from being accessed
- The battery lasts up to 11 hours
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 7 – Best Computer To Use With Silhouette Cameo 4
If you’ve been bored of using the same old one-directional-hinged laptop, you can try out the Microsoft Surface Pro 7!
The foremost attraction of this unique laptop is that it can easily turn into a tablet without compromising the laptop’s functionality. When it’s time to get creative with Photoshop or Silhouette Studio, you can simply unsnap the keyboard and close the kickstand to turn it into a tablet. You can also set the sturdy kickstand at a lower angle according to your convenience.
Of course, a graphics tablet is incomplete with a pen, and luckily the Surface Pro 7 supports one! With the Surface Pen, which is sold separately, you can draw, write, and edit graphics as you normally would on a tablet.
The 12.3-inch display gives you a decent space for creating designs to be cut with your Silhouette Cameo 4. It has a wide aspect ratio of 3:2 to let you view graphics clearly as you work on them.
Just because this is a 2-in-1 device, it can be wrong to assume that it lacks a powerful processor. The Surface Pro 7 features a 10th gen Core i5 processor, which will smoothly handle your designing tasks as long as they aren’t much intense. With the 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, you have plenty of storage space for keeping important files.
This is such a great laptop to have not only because of the aforementioned features, but also the long battery life of more than 8 hours. Plus, the device is slender and lightweight enough to slip into a bag for traveling.
Highlighted Features
- Versatile laptop offers convenience for different tasks
- 3:2 aspect ratio ensures clear viewing
- The quad-core processor ensures fast performance
- 1.7-pound laptop allows portability
- The battery lasts for more than 8 hours
3. Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop – Best Laptop To Use With Silhouette Cameo 4
For performing advanced tasks, like heavy photo and video editing, gaming laptops like the Acer Predator Helios 300 are what you would want to look at.
This beast here actually has a lot to offer that is beyond the Silhouette Cameo 4 computer requirements. It is equipped with a 7th Gen Core i7 processor, which is known to handle intensive software and multiple tasks without a hitch. Like the Apple MacBook Air, there’s Turbo Boost technology to help it reach faster speeds whenever demanding tasks are called for.
Since it’s a gaming laptop, you can expect the graphics to be really intense. The Helios 300 is equipped with the exceptional Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card to let you view every single detail as you’re working on your design projects. Moreover, the 15.6-inch display is large enough for carrying out tasks with ease.
When it comes to memory, the Helios 300 features 16 GB DDR4 DRAM. This RAM is fast enough to prevent unwanted lags as you’re playing your favorite games or focusing on your projects. Plus, you’ll have no issues installing essential software because of the fast 256 GB SSD. You can also upgrade it to a larger capacity if you feel the need.
Highlighted Features
- Powerful Core i7 processor ensures faster performance
- The 15.6-inch display offers convenience for most tasks
- The GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card produces detailed graphics
- Features an extra hard drive slot for 2.5-inch drives
- The battery lasts up to 7 hours
4. ASUS ZenBook Flip S13 Ultra Slim Laptop – Best Laptop For Silhouette Program
Another versatile laptop that resembles the features of the Surface Pro 7 mentioned previously is the ASUS ZenBook Flip S13.
This laptop allows itself to be flipped in 360 degrees with the help of a special hinge. That means you can use the device both as a laptop and a drawing tablet at your convenience.
To give you the pleasure of using a tablet, the manufacturer has included a stylish ASUS Pen! You can use the pen for drawing designs, taking notes, and editing graphics with ease.
Since graphics play a crucial factor when it comes to editing, the ZenBook Flip S13 is engineered with a superior 4K OLED display. When viewing your designs on this display, you’ll be able to notice the rich and vivid colors, even if you change the screen’s brightness. Moreover, you won’t feel discomfort when working for long hours as there’s reduced emission of the harmful blue light.
As for the processor, the ZenBook Flip S13 possesses the 11th gen Core i7. It is the most powerful processor on this list as it ensures improved CPU performance and flawless multimedia editing.
Lastly, you’re getting more than enough storage space for keeping all your files and applications. This laptop offers you 16 GB RAM with a whopping 1 TB SSD.
Highlighted Features
- 4K OLED display reproduces rich and vivid colors
- The 360-degree rotating ErgoLift hinge allows you to convert the device to a tablet
- Powerful Core i7 processor for handling intense tasks with ease
- 1 TB SSD allows you to store plenty of files
- Comes with an ASUS pen
5. HP Pavilion 15 Laptop – Cheapest laptop for Silhouette Studio
If you’re on a tight budget, we recommend you get your hands on this cheap laptop for silhouette cameo 4- the HP Pavilion 15.
The laptop is indeed a huge bang for your buck considering what it has to offer. First of all, the 15.6-inch IPS display provides crisp images at a wider viewing angle. When combined with the Iris XE graphics coprocessor, you can do light to moderate multimedia editing at a superb resolution.
Like the previous laptop, you’ll be able to enjoy a blazing performance with the 11th gen Core i7 processor. Whether you’re running Silhouette Studio, watching a good flick, or immersing yourself in games, you can rest assured there’ll be no lags.
Apart from that, the generous 512 GB SSD storage lets you store as many files and software as you need. The RAM is 16 GB, which is ideal for high-intensity tasks with various applications.
Lastly, the HP Pavilion 15 has a long battery life of up to 8 hours. You don’t need to keep it charged always unless you’re doing some heavy work. Even if it drains completely and you plug in the adapter, the battery will take about 45 minutes to recharge halfway.
Highlighted Features
- The Iris XE graphics coprocessor ensures unmatched picture quality
- The FHD IPS display offers wider viewing angle
- 512 GB SSD offers greater storage space
- The full-sized keyboard allows you to type comfortably
- The battery has fast recharging capability
How To Choose The Best Laptop For Silhouette Cameo?
You can’t just buy any laptop for your Cameo 4 without knowing its technical specifications. Here are some of the factors that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Processor
According to Silhouette’s official website, the PC which will run the cutting machine should have a processor of at least 2 GHz.
While a lot of Pentium and Celeron processors are of 2 GHz or more, they have a much slower performance compared to Core processors. This is something that has to do with the number of cores, hyper-threading, cache, clock speed, among many other features.
To be able to use the cutting machine flawlessly, we recommend you go for the Intel Core i3 processor or higher.
RAM
The RAM or Random Access Memory of a computer is another crucial factor to consider as it helps the processor to access information quickly.
Typically, the higher the RAM, the faster the information will be retrieved. That means you’ll get to work on different programs simultaneously without any lags. Most laptops nowadays are equipped with 8 GB and 16 GB RAM, and it’s possible to upgrade it depending on the laptop’s maximum RAM limit.
When looking at laptops compatible with silhouette cameo 4, we recommend you select the one with a minimum RAM of 4 GB. That’s the minimum requirement for the cutting machine.
Storage Space
The laptop you choose needs to have decent storage space for installing the Silhouette Studio software along with others. You’ll also need to keep in mind that software updates can take up the storage space, and also the size of the design files.
Depending on the workload, you’ll need to select a laptop with sufficient storage space. For example, if you’re going to do heavy editing, you’ll need at least 256 GB of storage space. Additionally, you’ll be getting more space and faster speed if you invest in a larger SSD.
Display
The display of your laptop should give you outstanding picture quality so that you can view intricate designs clearly.
We don’t mean that you should opt for a 4K resolution laptop, but an HD laptop having 1080P (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution will suffice.
How To Connect Silhouette Cameo To Laptop?
Connecting a Silhouette Cameo to your laptop is a piece of cake. If you haven’t done it before, simply go through the following steps.
1. Unpack the Silhouette Cameo and remove the tapes, cardboard pieces and foam pieces.
2. Take the AC adapter. Plug one end of the adapter to the power socket located on the right side of the cutting machine, and the other end to an electrical outlet.
3. Connect one end of the USB cable to the USB port located beside the power socket of the Cameo, and the other end to the USB port of your computer.
4. Once the Cameo is connected to your PC, turn it on by pressing the Power button.
5. When the setup screen appears, select your preferences, such as the color scheme and language.
6. To install the Silhouette Studio software, insert the CD into your computer.
7. Follow the instructions on the manual for installing the software on a Windows or Mac operating system.
8. After the software has been installed, open it and click on the Send tab.
9. When the panel appears, your Cameo should be marked as “Ready”. If not, then you might need to click on the machine icon or check that the machine is properly connected to the computer and the power supply.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What Is Much Better Than The Other, The Silhouette Cameo Or Cricut?
Both Silhouette Cameo and Cricut are great at cutting a variety of materials. In order to call one of them “better”, you’ll need to know about their differences.
When it comes to price, Cricut is a bit on the dear side than the Silhouette Cameo. This is understandable as the machine features a greater number of blades for cutting various materials. The sewing library also contains a greater number of pre-made designs for cutting. Moreover, the software that Cricut uses is more versatile and beginner-friendly than the Silhouette Cameo.
While the Silhouette Cameo is cheaper, it does allow you to cut materials with a maximum length of 60 feet. Also, it has a higher cutting force, which means it can flawlessly cut hard materials. Unlike the Cricut machine, the Silhouette Cameo has a special vinyl roll feeder that allows you to cut straight from a vinyl roll.
Considering the above differences, you might want to choose one that meets your requirements.
2. Is Silhouette Cameo Compatible With Windows 10?
The Silhouette Cameo cutting machine is compatible with Windows 8 or higher operating systems. Therefore, it should work on Windows 10.
3. Does Cameo Run Faster With A MacBook Than With A Windows Laptop?
Although MacBooks are typically faster than Windows laptops, they have no effect on the speed of Cameo. That’s because the cutting machine has its own hardware, and its speed varies depending on how complex of a design it has to cut.
4. Is The Software For Cameo Difficult To Learn?
According to many users, Cricut Design Space is easier to learn and more user-friendly than Silhouette Studio.
Although Silhouette Studio more technical, it offers plenty of customization options that aren’t available in Cricut Design Space.
5. Can You Use Silhouette Without A Computer?
The Silhouette Studio software of a Silhouette Cameo requires a desktop or a laptop. As long as you have the software installed in one of these, you’ll be able to enjoy its full-fledged features.
But, if you want to use a phone or a tablet, you’ll only be able to send files to the machine. This is possible with the help of the Silhouette Go app, which allows you to select design files from the Silhouette Library and send them using a Bluetooth connection.
6. Can You Use A Silhouette Cameo With A Chromebook?
According to Silhouette Cameo’s website, the cutting machine isn’t compatible with a Chromebook.
7. Can MacBook Air Run Silhouette?
The Silhouette Studio software works on MacBook Air as long as the operating system is Mac OS X 10.4 or higher.
Final Word
So, that brings us to the end of our reviews on the best laptops for Silhouette Cameo 4. Remember that each of the above laptop is selected by keeping in mind that they meet the minimum system requirements for Cameo 4. So, if you were to pick any of them, you can rest assured your cutting machine won’t have a problem!
Apart from using your desired laptop for Cameo 4, you might also want to use it for other purposes, such as gaming and live-streaming. If that’s the case, we recommend you double-check the specs for all options.
