The 8 Best Quiet Laptops for a Silent Setup in 2023
Finding a sweet spot between noise, performance and price
We’ve updated this article to cover 2023. After reviewing the latest laptops, many of our top picks have been changed to new offerings. It’s a good time to buy a quiet PC, with our top 3 choices, in particular, boasting fantastic performance and value alongside their low decibel count.
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Hear a noise?
Me neither, because today’s feature is about finding peace and quiet!
Many laptop options look beautiful and run well, but unfortunately come at the cost of obnoxious decibel levels when performing tasks.
This guide will take you through the quietest laptops available today for a variety of needs and budgets.
1
Quietest Laptop for General Use
Microsoft Surface Pro X
Our Rating: 9.5/10
Microsoft Surface Pro X
Quietest Laptop for General Use
SPECIFICATIONS*
CPU: Microsoft SQ1 | Graphics: Adreno™ 685 GPU | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 13″ – 2880 x 1920 | Storage: 512GB | Weight: 1.7lbs
REASONS TO BUY
+ Runs very quietly
+ Light, sturdy & beautiful build quality
+ Good specs for typical users
REASONS TO AVOID
2022 mid-year update: A new fanless Surface model, the Pro 9, has been released in 2023. It is notably superior with its new processor, graphics, and 5G features (although heavier and thicker than the Pro X).
The reason we’ve kept the Pro X as our top recommendation is that we’re currently seeing it run at a notably discounted price. At the time of writing, the most basic 16GB Pro 9 version is around 30-40% more expensive. While it’s a better laptop, we think that most of you will be more than happy with the Pro X’s performance.
The Pro X will likely be discontinued over the next year or so though, so if you’re reading this article and it’s out of stock, similarly priced or you’re a more serious user who will appreciate the performance bump, then pick up the Pro 9, it’s a fantastic machine.
For those serious about a quiet laptop that still offers great performance for the average user, nothing comes close to the Surface Pro X.
The edition we’ve featured here is, from our reviews, the best fanless laptops we’ve found on the market. This means instead of using traditional loud fan cooling, the Surface Pro X is intelligently designed to operate on passive cooling alone even at high loads (it’s able to maintain great temperatures during most activities, which is impressive in itself).
The Pro X is sharply designed to be incredibly light and portable while still offering a decent amount of screen real estate with a fantastic 2880 x 1920 resolution.
We specifically cite the 16GB SQ1 version as the best value for someone after a silent laptop with a bit of longevity. 512GB is also plenty of space in today’s cloud storage/streaming world providing you’re not playing many big games (if you’re after the best gaming laptop, see our next pick).
Source: CAM
On a budget? We have cheaper choices further below, but if you still want the unparalleled design of the Pro X, you can go for the 8GB RAM/128GB version and still expect a decent machine for general use. We just encourage users to pick the 16GB version to get a smoother experience and a laptop that will last longer where possible.
It’s worth noting that some versions of the Surface Pro (e.g. all Pro 8 models and i7 Pro 7s) are not fanless laptops and will produce more noise. What really impresses us with the Pro X is how in previous iterations, it was the high-spec versions that needed fans while the budget choices were fanless. Now, Microsoft has managed to build an in-house processor that runs fanless even with a premium device. To put it simply: the Pro X doesn’t feel like you’re sacrificing performance for quietness.
Ports are one of the only areas we wish were a little stronger, with the Pro X having 2 x USB-C. We would’ve liked to see a traditional USB-A port remain. We know manufacturers are phasing these out, but there’s clearly still a demand for products with standard USB from many users (still, worst case if that’s you, a USB hub is an easy replacement).
Full teardown of the Pro X shows confirms no fans. Source: iFixit
We’ve specifically included the version without a keyboard or pen because these accessories tend to be cheaper individually. Some users may be fine with budget versions of the keyboard and pen, and we appreciate others may actually be perfectly fine without one/both and could act perfectly as a quiet tablet, or a tablet/laptop hybrid. Choose what combination fits your budget and needs best.
We will say that one of the other great USPs for the Pro X is that the official keypad (and likely many of its budget versions) is incredibly quiet. I found it much quieter than a traditional keyboard while still providing a great feel for longer typing sessions.
We love that this Microsoft offering doesn’t compromise in any significant way someone who needs less noise and performance.
With its decent specs to boot, the Pro X is a great option not just for general users, but also for studio builds, audio recording, or voice-over work.
With great performance capability, portability, a fantastic screen, and (of course) very low decibel production all for a very decent price, this is easily our choice for the overall best quiet laptop available today.
MSI Pulse GL66
Best Quiet Gaming Laptop
SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: Core i7-12700H | Graphics: GeForce RTX 3070 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 15.6″ 1080p 144hz | Storage: 512GB NVMe | Weight: 2.25kg
REASONS TO BUY
+ Nice, sturdy build quality
+ Fantastic specs for mid-range laptop gaming
+ Gorgeous screen for smooth gameplay
+ Good thermal controls to reduce fan noise
REASONS TO AVOID
2023 update: The Pulse GL66 has overtaken our previous top gaming pick, the GF65.
While the Gl66 is a direct improvement and at a great price point, we still want to shout out the GF65. The processor and GPU are inferior, but still very capable, so if you’re on a very tight budget and see it at a notably lower price, it’s a good alternative.
Looking at gaming? The market is a completely different ballgame.
We’ll start by saying there is nothing close to a silent gaming laptop. PCs designed for games come with powerful GPUs and other specs designed to run titles at acceptable settings/framerates which you simply cannot achieve without active cooling (there is no fanless gaming laptop on the market today).
The good news is that some choices are way better than others at providing low-decibel outputs with the right settings.
This is where the MSI GL66 Pulse comes in.
With an excellent design that is thick/large enough to provide both a decent screen size (with thin bezels) and, most importantly for noise reduction, a great internal layout for heat dissipation.
The laptop is portable, but not ultralight, and I say this to its credit. It allows the GL66 to have enough inner airflow that it only needs 2 larger fans. Big fans are actually an advantage for a quiet setup, as they can spin at lower RPMs to achieve the same as a very fast-spinning set of small fans (it’s the RPM that usually dictates the noise level).
When using it, I found it still comfortable enough to sit on my lap for a lighter gaming session.
