Is your FL studio not working smoothly and you aren’t sure if it needs more RAM or a new GPU? Or maybe you want to know about its required specs before you get a laptop for FL studio.
Either way, here’s a complete low-down on the FL Studio System requirements so you can make better buying decisions.
Minimum FL Studio System Requirements
Processor: Intel® Pentium® 4 at 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon™ XP at 2.4 GHz
Memory: 1 GB RAM (Windows XP/7) / 2 GB RAM (Windows 10)
Hard Drive Space Required: 50 MB free space on the hard disk drive where will install FL Studio.
Video Card(s): 128 MB Video Memory or a DirectX® 9.
Recommended System Requirements
- Processor: Intel Core i5-2400S (2.50 GHz) or AMD FX-4100 (3.60 GHz)
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 465 or AMD Radeon HD 5870
- Sound Card: ASIO compatible sound card
- Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080px or higher(Full HD 1080p)
- Operating System: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
- Disk Space: 30 GB
- Do not install FL Studio on a RAID 0 volume
What else?
Integrated & Dedicated Graphics: Some integrated graphics chips (onboard graphics) are not compatible with FL Studio. It has been discussed in a forum that only the Intel HD Graphics 4000 and above are fully supported on Windows. And the dedicated graphics cards are suggested for best performance.
The system requirements are subject to change, so please check the official website for updated information.
Processor
It is vital that your CPU can handle the amount of simultaneous multi-processing you need while using multiple DAW’s (Digital Audio Workstations). Otherwise, you will find your laptop struggling.
Intel Core i5-2400S (2.50 GHz) or AMD FX-4100 (3.60 GHz) is recommended since it is suitable for all the plugins to run at optimum speed.
It would be best to look for a processor with the best single-core performance featuring 8-12 physical cores. The reason behind that is that FL Studio comes with many resources that use multiple cores in parallel, such as the audio engine.
Say for instance, an eight-core processor that features a single core score (1800) won’t handle the demands of FL Studio. A 6 core that features a single core score (2600) would be a far better choice, as it is more energy-efficient than an eight-core processor.
For FL Studio 20, owners of older processors such as Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 should be able to run the software without too much trouble. Still, new projects created with FL Studio 20’s interface may have a limited track count. Hence, it is more desirable to have a newer CPU.
Memory
8 GB RAM is enough to run FL Studio and it’s included plugins such as Edison, Gross Beat and Sytrus.
However, if you are recording/producing live audio with a lot of complicated tracks at the same time, you might want more memory. If you’re going to run more plugins at the same time or increase FL Studio’s internal sample library, invest in a lot more RAM. The current maximum is 16 GB, but it could need 32 GB or 64 GB for future applications.
More importantly, you’ll want to make sure that you have enough RAM for your laptop to work correctly.
Graphics Card
Nvidia GTX 465 (or above) recommended. A GTX 460 or higher is required for 4K editing.
AMD Radeon HD 5870 (or above) recommended for 4K editing.
ATI Radeon HD 5870 and above are all-powerful graphic cards that support FL Studio because it’s a DirectX 9 agnostic application, but they may not work well under Windows 7/8/10 due to changes in Windows NT kernel and graphics APIs and thus rendering and performance issues.
Sound Card
Don’t forget about the sound card. It must be ASIO/ASIO2 compatible.
The ASIO driver must be installed correctly before starting FL Studio for the first time. If the driver is not correctly installed, you will see a warning icon on startup. Also, make sure that “Start Playback and Recording through ASIO” is checked in Audio Settings.
Sound card plays a massive role in recording and mixing, so make sure you get a good one.
If you want to record live audio with equipment such as microphones or multi-track recording equipment, get an ASIO card that supports the lowest latencies. While digital plugins such as Gross Beat or Edison can be used with a regular soundcard, higher latency soundcards like the Lynx One will give you the best results when using external gear.
Video Card
The video card is not crucial to performance in FL Studio. But it will affect the video and DirectX applications.
If you do video, you’ll need a high-performance video card like the Nvidia Quadro K610. You may also want to invest in a good external video capture device and decent storage space for video files.
Solid State Drive
FL Studio users have recommended Solid State Drives to avoid any performance issues.
Some users prefer to format the SSD drive with the windows operating system and then use it with FL Studio. A system with an SSD could improve the speed of your workflow. At least go for SSD with the operating system if you’re using a low-end PC.
Hard Disk Space
Modern music production software like FL Studio requires a lot of disk space to install. FL Studio installation package is around 2 GB on Windows. It’s recommended to have at least 200 GB of free disk space.
But for FL Studio to work well, your free disk space should be at least 300 GB. FL Studio can run on Windows 10.
Installation
FL Studio does not use the Windows Store, so you need to use the setup file you downloaded from Image-Line. If you are running FL Studio 12 or above, make sure to uninstall all previous versions of FL Studio (including FL Studio 12) prior to installing FL Studio 20.
Also Read: Best Laptops for Music Production and Recording
Frequently Asked Question Time!
How long does FL Studio take to install?
It depends on your hardware. FL Studio 20’s installation should take around 45 minutes for an average system. A desktop machine with an Nvidia GTX 970 GPU can complete the installation in approximately 15 minutes.
Can I run FL Studio on 2GB RAM?
Yes, you can, if you don’t mind MIDI syncing by hand and laggy rendering. A bit of RAM is significant for FL Studio, but 4 GB or more is recommended. FL Studio’s user interface is similar to that of competitor Ableton Live.
The music section features a Master Track and mixer rows that control audio levels (i.e., volume) for various virtual instruments and effects (e-Guitar).
How much RAM do I need for FL Studio?
The quick answer is at least 4 GB, preferably more. It’s worth noting that it is a 32-bit application, and as such, it requires at least 2 GB of RAM to operate smoothly. Currently, the software DOES NOT support 64-bit audio workstation operation (64-bit version).
How much does it cost?
It is entirely free to download and use. A limited feature demo version is available. The demo version of FL Studio allows you to make music without cost but with some features disabled until you register your copy.
Is i5 good for FL Studio?
Yes, it is. A quad-core Intel i5 will be enough to run FL Studio smoothly. If you want to run more plugins and libraries, you may need an Intel Core i7 or Core i9 processor.
Final Thoughts
There you have it – everything you need to know about the FL Studio System Requirements!
Now that you understand the system requirements, it’s time to make sure you have the best hardware & software for your music production. You are one step away from your music career!
Have fun!
