Acer Aspire 5 Slim laptop for programming

The most important tools of every programmer are their brain and their laptop. In todays world programming is one of the most in-demand professions, despite the fact that you can learn it, even having a budget laptop and Internet access. The question is which cheap laptop is more suitable for a beginner programmer.

In this article, we will tell you about the best and cheapest laptops for programming.

These laptops will be suitable for you to start studying in this area or to get a job in a large corporation. We will also tell you what to look for when choosing a cheap programming laptop.

Best cheap laptops for programming

Our pick

Model	Technical Details	Benefits
The most powerful processor Acer Swift 3	Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 4700U (up to ‎4.1 GHz.) Memory (RAM): 8 GB Display size: ‎14 Inches Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Video Card: AMD Radeon Graphics Vega 7 Storage: 512 GB SSD	The fastest processor (up to ‎4.1 GHz.); Pretty lightweight (‎2.65 pounds); Fingerprint reader; Excellent display quality; Great battery life (11 hours).
The best screen with thin bezels Asus VivoBook 15	Processor: Intel Core i5-1035G1 (up to 3.6 GHz.) Memory (RAM): 8 GB Display size:‎ 15.6 Inches Max Screen Resolution: ‎1920 x 1080 Video Card: ‎Intel UHD Graphics Storage: 512 GB SSD	The best display quality; Pretty powerful processor (up to 3.6 GHz.); Fingerprint reader; It has 4 USB ports.
Model for maximum multitasking Lenovo Flex 5	Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U (up to 4.0 GHz.) Memory (RAM): 16 GB Display size:‎ 15.6 Inches Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Video Card: AMD Radeon Graphics RX Vega 6 Storage: 256 GB SSD	The largest amount of RAM (16 GB); Fast processor (up to 4.0 GHz.); Touch screen with tablet mode; Long battery life (10 hours).
The lightest model Google Pixelbook Go	Processor: Intel Core M3-8100Y (up to 3.4 GHz.) Memory (RAM): 8 GB Display size:‎ ‎13.3 Inches Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Video Card: ‎ Intel HD Graphics 615 Storage: 64 GB eMMc	Surprisingly lightweight (2.33 pounds); The longest battery life (12 hours); Bright touch screen; Convenient Chrome operating system.
The most budget-friendly model Acer Aspire 5	Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 4300U (up to ‎3.7 GHz.) Memory (RAM): 4 GB Display size:‎ ‎ ‎15.6 Inches Max Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Video Card: AMD Radeon Graphics RX Vega 5 Storage: 128 GB SSD	The most budget model; Powerful processor (up to ‎3.7 GHz.); Great battery life (10 hours); Fingerprint reader.

Why do people trust us?

We are a team of professionals who make sure that our users get only useful and verified information. Our articles have everything to make it easy to choose the model you need, we study in detail each device, reading dozens of reviews, and also segmenting each laptop for your needs. We speak the same language as our users and give various tips to choose a laptop.

A detailed review of each model

Acer Swift 3 The Most Powerful Processor

Acer Swift 3

The Acer Swift 3 is an amazingly powerful laptop, it has the fastest processor (up to 4.1 GHz.) which will give you great performance and it has 8 GB of RAM, this will provide the necessary multitasking. Its also quite thin and light (2.65 pounds) which is almost like the lightest model in our article Google Pixelbook Go ( read more about this model). It has a flat keypad with a backlight that is very convenient for typing code.

This laptop has a bright display that makes the work process more pleasant. A 512 GB SSD is installed in it, so you can have a lot of programs and projects you need on your laptop. For easy and quick access to the system, it has a fingerprint reader.

Pros:

1. The fastest processor (up to ‎4.1 GHz.);
2. Pretty lightweight (‎2.65 pounds);
3. Great battery life (11 hours);
4. Fingerprint reader.

Cons:

1. It may get hot under a heavy load, so we recommend using the cooling pad.

Asus VivoBook 15 The Best Screen With Thin Bezels

Asus VivoBook 15

Asus VivoBook 15 is the perfect combination of performance and amazing display. It has a very thin bezel on a bright screen and a quality webcam. This model has 8 GB of RAM, and a fast processor which runs at a speed of up to 3.6 GHz, this will provide you with excellent performance and a fast system in general. It is very easy to type code on it because it has a handy backlit keyboard. To connect a lot of devices, such as an additional display, it has 4 USB ports located on different sides.

The laptop has 512 GB of storage, as well as Acer Swift 3 ( read more), this amount is enough for comfortable use. Users also like this model for its great design and the ability to quickly access the system thanks to the fingerprint sensor.

Pros:

1. The best display with thin bezels;
2. Pretty powerful processor (up to 3.6 GHz.);
3. Fingerprint reader;
4. A large number of USB ports.

Cons:

1. The quality of the touchpad is behind the others, so we recommend using a wireless mouse.

Lenovo Flex 5 Model For Maximum Multitasking

Lenovo Flex 5

The Lenovo Flex 5 is a laptop with a very powerful processor (up to 4.0 GHz.) and plenty of RAM (16 GB), and the combination of this gives amazing performance and multitasking, which is a necessity for programming. It has a bright touch screen that has tablet mode so you can easily work with video or graphics editing when youre not coding.

Battery life is long enough (10 hours) which means you dont have to worry about the charge when you take it with you. But this laptop only has a 256 GB SSD, for example, the Asus VivoBook 15 has twice as much ( read more), which might not be enough to work on many projects, so we recommend using an External Solid State Drive or replacing it with an SSD with more memory.

Pros:

1. The largest amount of RAM (16 GB);
2. Powerful processor (up to 4.0 GHz.);
3. Bright touch screen with tablet mode;
4. Long battery life (10 hours);
5. Fingerprint reader.

Cons:

1. Speakers may be quiet.

Google Pixelbook Go The Lightest Model

Google Pixelbook Go

Google Pixelbook Go is a very portable and powerful laptop, it will suit programmers who do not sit still because it weighs only 2.33 pounds. Fast operation of all your programs will provide a processor which is up to 3.4 GHz, and 8 GB of RAM will give a good level of multitasking. This model has a bright touch screen and a backlit keyboard, which in combination positively affects the comfort of work. Battery life is 12 hours, which is even more than the Acer Swift 3 ( read more).

The SSD installed in this laptop has only 64 GB, so we recommend using an External Solid State Drive, which will give you the opportunity to increase the storage by 7 times. The installed Chrome OS is very fast and easy to use, but can also get in the way with the installation of some programs.

Pros:

1. The lightest model (‎‎‎2.33 pounds);
2. Fast processor (up to 3.4 GHz.);
3. The longest battery life (12 hours);
4. A bright touch screen;
5. Convenient Chrome operating system.

Cons:

1. 64 GB of memory, so we recommend using the External Solid State Drive.

Acer Aspire 5 The Most Budget-Friendly Model

Acer Aspire 5

The Acer Aspire 5 is the perfect solution for programmers on a limited budget. This model is as if created for budget programming because the strongest side is the processor which is up to 3.7 GHz, this will give you the high speed of all programs and speed of the system in general. It has 4 GB of RAM, which is enough for the minimum requirements of a programmer, and over time the amount of RAM can be upgraded.

For comfortable usage, it has 4 USB ports, just like the Asus VivoBook 15 ( read more about this model), a backlit keyboard, and a fingerprint reader for quick access to the system. Its SSD has 126 GB, which probably wont be enough to work on many projects, so an External Solid State Drive will be a great solution for you.

Pros:

1. The best budget solution;
2. Powerful processor (up to ‎3.7 GHz.);
3. Great battery life (10 hours);
4. A large number of USB ports;
5. Fingerprint reader.

Cons:

1. May be heavy to carry around (3.97 pounds).

When choosing a laptop for programming pay attention to:

Processor

The processor is the most important element in programming because it is responsible for all the tasks and processes on the laptop. The most important things in the processor are the clock speed and the number of cores. For all programmer purposes, you need a fast processor from 3.5 GHz. up to 4.5 GHz.

The winner in the category The fastest processor is the Acer Swift 3 ( read more), its processor is up to 4.1 GHz. and has 8 cores.

RAM Size

RAM is what the processor uses for multitasking, the more RAM the better the multitasking level of your laptop becomes. For programming, we recommend choosing laptops with at least 8 GB of RAM, because you need RAM to compile projects quickly.

It is also worth considering that this element can be upgraded more than 4 times. Lenovo Flex 5 ( read more about this model) has 16 GB of RAM, which gives it an excellent level of multitasking.

Display quality

A bright and high-quality screen affects the comfort of your work on the laptop. Programmers spend a lot of time sitting at a laptop so we recommend paying attention to the quality of the display.

For comfortable use, you need a laptop with a max screen resolution of 1920 x 1080. Asus VivoBook 15 ( read more) has a bright screen with thin bezels.

Storage

To have all the programs you use and to work with different projects you need at least 256 GB of storage, of course, the more memory the better. Basically, there are two types of hard drives in a laptop, SSD, and HDD, we recommend using SSD only as they are faster and lighter than HDD.

You can save on this element when buying a laptop because you can purchase an Internal SSD (480 GB) with more capacity.

Weight

One of the most important advantages of laptops is their weight. We recommend paying attention to this because to carry it around comfortably the laptop must be light enough. The best solution for budget and portable laptops for programmers is the Google Pixelbook Go ( read more), which weighs only 2.33 pounds and has a small size.

What is the best OS for programming?

So, to choose the most suitable operating system for the work of a programmer should be based on two things, your preferences and needs. The most popular operating systems are Windows, macOS, Linux, and Chrome OS, we will describe in detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

Windows

Windows is the most popular operating system, laptops on this OS are produced by hundreds of companies, which has a positive effect on the possibility of programming on Windows.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Linux

Linux was first created as an OS for programming or development. It is fully customizable and, unlike Windows, it is completely free and can be run on absolutely any device. Because it is fast and can be easily customized to suit every purpose, Linux also is ideal for software development.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

macOS

So, macOS is the hallmark of all Apple products, it is very fast and easy to work on different devices. This OS can not be attacked by hackers, because it is closed and very secure, also if you plan to develop a product Apple this operating system you need.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Chrome OS

As we know all Chromebooks have the following characteristics: lightweight, long battery life, cheap relative to their characteristics. Chrome OS is a fast and user-friendly operating system with a great design.

Chromebooks are an excellent solution for programmers working with code, who often carry a laptop with them. Lets analyze the pros and cons of this OS in more detail.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Summary

In order to choose a cheap laptop for programming, you need to understand exactly what kind of programming you want, the creation of websites, applications, or software development.

Also, you should pay attention to your needs and expectations, for example, if you like to watch serials in your spare time, you should pay attention to the laptop with the best screen, and if you are always going to carry a laptop with you, then you should take the most portable laptop and so on.

FAQ

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