Laptop Dell for programming
Computer programming isnt all about algorithms, flowcharts, and code, one must understand the hardware also. It is the ability to write codes and solve problems along with an excellent laptop that is really crucial. Show
A good way to stay ahead in the coding world is to make sure that you have the best laptop for programming which will help you to transform your ideas into a reality without delays. In short, a perfect laptop speeds up tasks and processes, which helps to increase productivity. If youre a designer, you can also check TOP-20 Laptops for Graphic Designers. To discover the best laptop for programming, one should recognize what to search for. What are the fundamental things, that all developers should know before they purchase the laptop for programming and coding? Lets take a look. We will review the following laptops:Last Update: September 1, 2021. The list of important features to check before you buy a laptop for programming in 2022. General ApproachTop-line laptops are great from almost all vendors. If you are tight on a budget then try to check gaming versions of laptops. Recently, their gaming laptops are coming with great screens, great keyboards, and great performance because they are made for professional gamers. And modern gamers demanding high performance and high quality from laptops! One caveat is that gaming laptops are usually heavier and noisier because of the built-in powerful GFX card and more advanced cooling system. But if you keep your laptop at home almost all the time then it can be a great option. Hard DriveFor programming, youll need to consider getting at least 256GB SSD. However, if you are a pro developer then you will get more value from a 1TB drive. Speed is supercritical for compiling and testing, especially large programming projects. You can also save money but buying a smaller hard drive option and then use USB hard drives. Surprisingly, you can even run virtual machines from external hard drives. The negative thing is that you should plug and unplug an external hard drive every time. If you have to select between a smaller SSD (new technology) drive or a larger HDD (old technology) then go with the first option: SSD (Solid State Drives). SSD drives are much faster and you can also expand storage with an external drive later. RAMFor developers, operative memory (RAM) is like water! The standard RAM included with laptops is around 4GB If you have to select between large RAM but less hard drive storage then you must go for a larger RAM! With a smaller hard drive you can always use external HDD or SSD storage via USB. But you wont be able to expand RAM in most cases because there are a lot of laptops with non-expandable soldered RAM. And the only way to upgrade RAM, in this case, is to buy another laptop only. CPU (processor) and Processing SpeedThe main thing you spare with processing power is the compilation speed. However, this is an issue if your project is If you are selecting between having more RAM or a faster CPU, select more RAM. Repairability and UpgradabilityWhat if you need to add RAM or replace Hard Drive with a larger one? Repairability is an important factor if you Apple Macbooks are expensive to repair outside the warranty: for example, replacing a single key on a keyboard could cost from $500 to $700 because you will need to replace half of a laptop. Meanwhile, with some Lenovo Thinkpad models, it will cost around $100 for the whole keyboard. Screen Size and Screen ResolutionIf you dont have supervision then only look for at least a 13.3 screen. The larger the better. 14 to 16 are good for programming while 17 may be overkill because the size and the weight can be an issue. Go with screens at least 1920×1080 (Full HD) or higher resolution as possible because you will need a screen estate to work with the code, read documentation, run virtual machines, and so on. Be aware of 3K or 4K screens (except Apple laptops) because of high speed flickering on some screens, also 4K screens require more juice so the battery is running out faster with these Screen QualityWorking with laptop screens based on FN technology can be stressful because colors are changing when you change the Screen BrightnessScreen brightness is measured in so-called NIT (1 NIT is equal to the light from 1 candle per square meter). A recommended brightness in NIT for a laptop screen is 250 or higher. The higher the better. KeyboardThe keyboard is actually super important and more important than non-programmers may think! We strongly advise you to have a chance to look at the laptop and try to type on its keyboard somewhere in the offline store (just look for the Also, select a US-English layout when possible because it is much easier to work on it with some widely used shortcuts. For example, if you use Markdown formatting then having the` key right under the Escape key is much easier than having it somewhere at the bottom in non-US layouts. Warning about Apple Macbook laptops with the butterfly keyboard released before the 2022 year: The Though Apple offers free replacement for these keyboards (that involves replacing the top case that otherwise would cost $500+), see this page for details. Because of that, if you are buying a used Macbook, be careful and in general, you would want to avoid used Macbook laptops with butterfly keyboards unless you make sure they will be replaced by Apple for free. Macbooks released after 2021 switched back to scissor keyboards that are used by other vendors and are proven to be reliable and stable for years, though there are still reports about minor issues with this keyboard too. WeightBased on the experience of many developers, up to 4.5 pounds (about 2 kg) is comfortable for traveling. Any additional So, please check the list of the best laptops for programming in 2022 along with the detailed descriptions of each laptop.
1. Apple MacBook Pro 16Apple MacBook Pro comes with 13.3 or 16 screens and features 2.5 GHz or higher Intel Core i7 (for 13.3 model) or i9 (for 16-inch model) processor with up to 8 cores. The best thing about this laptop is that it comes with 16GB of RAM (up to 64 GB) and up to 8TB of high-performance PCI-E flash storage, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics, and a high-quality IPS Retina 16 display that is really great for work in different light conditions and provides enough space to work with coding, designs. You May 1 or more monitors through its integrated thunderbolt ports.
Apple MacBook Key Features
Thunderbolt technology gives programmers a chance to connect with other devices swiftly with a data transfer rate of 10 Gbps. It is also capable to run APIs like Python, Visual Studio, C# smoothly and as it is built on top of the Unix-like system you have Terminal that supports most Unix commands out of the box. It is the best Apple laptop for programming if you work on iOS apps or Unix-based applications or scripts. Apple MacBook Things to ConsiderNote: Before November 2019 Apple was selling a 15.4-inch version but it was replaced with a 16 inch model at the same price, with added physical Esc key and a bigger screen! Important note about the keyboard Macbook laptops that Apple have released from 2015 to 2019 years: Side Note 1: relatively low weight is also important for programmers carrying Macbook in their backpacks. A lot of developers are using Macbook 13 inch version (or even a Macbook Air 13 inches with less power but longer battery life). A lot of designers and developers are using the external display at work. Side Note 2: if you are a hardcore user of laptops (you work 8+ hours per day) then strongly consider buying AppleCare extended warranty that extends the warranty from 1 year to 3 years. We know a lot of real-life cases where issues with the keyboard, screen, or battery appeared only after 2+ years of use. With AppleCare, these issues are fixed by Apple service centers for free in most cases. Otherwise, you will need to pay $500-$700 for the repair because MacBooks are pretty hard to repair and some parts are simply replaced, not repaired. AppleCare option is available not just from Apple Store but from many 3rd party stores including online stores as well. Side Note 3: Apple had issues with updated versions of their keyboard, such as keys that are not working or click on the keyboard are too loud (with the 2015-2017 version of Macbook). Later versions released in 2018 and 2019 fixed issues with clicks and added increased protection against dust. Be aware that even if a single key fails then you cant just fix it yourself. You probably will need to replace the whole top case and this is another reason to purchase AppleCare protection especially if you are writing a lot of code every day. Update: Apple confirmed issues with keyboards and launched a free keyboard replacement program for a lot of Macbooks models released from 2015 to 2019 years. If you bought a used MacBook or you own some of these models, please check this page for more information and contact your local Apple authorized service centerto arrange the replacement of the keyboard. 2. Lenovo ThinkPad E590 NotebookFor people who are looking for the best cheap laptop for programming, the Lenovo ThinkPad E590, is one of the best choices available. The amazing thing about this laptop is that its one of the few best developer laptops which packs 16 GB RAM + 1TB SSD.
Lenovo ThinkPad Key features
Programmers love performance and speed. This laptop has all the best features which make it a perfect choice for people who work as a full-stack programmer. The combination of Intel i5 processor and DDR4 12 GB Ram allows this laptop to handle application development, Hadoop programming including games or android coding. The storage comprises 128GB SSD and 1TB SATA hard drive which is essential for people who work as Big data developers. In short, we can say that ThinkPad is a powerful laptop for programming in 2022. Lenovo ThinkPad Things to ConsiderSide Note: Thinkpad is the famous laptop and desktop computer brand originally created by IBM. Then Lenovo bought Thinkpad and they introduced some changes like changes in the keyboard. However, Thinkpads are still one of the top brands for portable laptops because of their durability and quality. 3. Dell XPS15Dell XPS15 is a brilliant piece of design that basically has all the necessary things that any computer programmer wants in the best laptop for programming in 2022. It is really an amazing product when it comes to performance and portability. It has a larger 1TB SSD for storage and 16GB of RAM with the help of which one can store large coding repositories efficiently. The performance for every I/O operation is increased by SSD especially compared to laptops that use an HDD. Along with performance this laptop boot faster. The best programming laptop files and scripts programs that need to read and write to disk process much faster and scripts will compile much faster than on an HDD.
Dell Key Features
This laptop has all the best features and it is highly recommended for people who work as blockchain developers, information security researchers, gaming programmers, or people who wish to code with Swift and Java. Dell Things to ConsiderSide Note: Dell XPS provides a great screen, portability, and battery life. It is often seen as the top choice for programmers among Apple MacBook and Lenovo Thinkpad. Apple, Lenovo, and Dell are the 3 top brands if you are looking to have guaranteed performance plus portability as a programmer. 4. Acer Aspire E15If you want to work on Android Studio, Visual Studio, or PostgreSQL then Acer Aspire E15 is the best laptop for programmers in 2022. This laptop has 12 hours battery life and a 7th generation i5 processor along with 8GB RAM and a lightning-fast Solid State Drive of 256 GB capacity. Not only this but it has also NVIDIA GeForce 940MX GPU with DDR5 2GB of video memory to handle any graphics demanding apps. This laptop is like water for programmers. It is essential for C# developers and also for web designers/web developers because of all these amazing features.
Acer Aspire Key Features
Whether you are just a beginner or an advanced programmer, this laptop is going to be your programming buddy for the foreseeable future. 5. Microsoft Surface Laptop Pro 7 (Intel Core i7)Microsoft has given a perfect laptop with a catchy display and excellent configuration. The surface pro laptop is the best choice for advanced Java and MongoDB developers. What is more, it also has 10.5 hours of battery life and the powerful 10th generation of Intel Core processor which can run full desktop software easily, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. However, if you are wearing eyeglasses and you feel issues working with small screens, please consider larger 13.3 or 15.4 versions called Surface Laptop 3 instead as they featuring larger screens.
Microsoft Surface Pro Key Features
In this laptop, the fingerprint reading on the touch keyboard is pretty much faster and very accurate. In short, Microsoft surface pro is the complete all-around package for programmers in 2019 if you are OK with a 12.3-inch screen. 6. ASUS P-Series P2440UQ-XS71This laptop is very stable. It can run for multiple days without a reboot, and the operating system is very crash-proof. Asus P-series is ideal for programmers who write C and C++; Linux scripting for Cron; also MySQL, dBase, and Oracle database programming code and API development. It has the best battery life of 18 hours and it can process large files swiftly.
ASUS P-series Key Features
This is the best laptop for programmers who like to write code for API development. APIs are created for particular platforms or functions, and every API will have the coding language of the platform/device/site/service its created for. The ASUS P-series is an excellent laptop for API development. 7. HP EliteBook 840 G5 Notebook PC CustomizableThis HP notebook has pretty much everything a programmer would want for basic application development. If you do lighter software coding that doesnt require too much graphics card or fast hard drive operations then this laptop is perfect. In short, this laptop is ideal for programmers who write mostly HTML, CSS, and basic coding.
HP Notebook Key Features
In short, this laptop is perfect for any programmers who also do WordPress/Shopify development and need to work with HTML/CSS only. 8. Apple 13.3 MacBook AirThis laptop is best for programmers who work on the go! It is light, portable, and powerful enough for programming with C++ and liquid codes. MacBook Air includes 256 GB SSD, SD card opening, Thunderbolt 2 port, and pre-introduced with most recent Mac OS. The equipment is sufficient for ideal execution while coding and iOS app development. However, if you work on iOS or Android applications, you are a designer or you simply like to have multiple screens then consider 16 inch Macbook Pro instead. Also, Macbook Air can be the best laptop for programming but it is more suitable for light coding. For data processing, machine learning, massive datasets processing you should better go with a more powerful Macbook Pro 16 inch version instead.
Apple 13 MacBook Air Key Features and Benefits
It is a simple yet powerful laptop that can handle almost everything you throw at it -> check it on Amazon. Important note about the keyboard in Apple Macbook Air laptops that were released from 2015 to 2019 years: Apple 13 MacBook Air Things to ConsiderSide Note: Recent version of MacBook Air 13 added a high-resolution retina quality screen which made this laptop to be an alternative choice to Apple MacBook Pro Retina. But check prices! The price for MacBook Air 13 is almost comparable to MacBook Pro and you may want to go with the latter and trade bit of the weight and 2-3 hours of the battery in MacBook Air in exchange for more power and more RAM in MacBook Pro 13 Retina or even better with Macbook Pro 16 version. 9. Asus VivoBook Pro 15 N580Powered by Intel Core i7 and 16GB RAM with 512GB SATA 3.0 SSD, this top-of-the-line specced laptop can run all programming virtual products pretty effortlessly and can likewise play all the most recent gaming. Aside from this, it is additionally an exceptionally keen and ergonomically outlined laptop. Its shrewd double fan configuration gives powerful cooling to keep this laptop dependably.
ASUS Vivo Book Key Features
Asus M580VD-EB54 is really a gaming laptop with effective elite equipment which is additionally reasonable for programming and coding. That is why its here in the top picks of the best developer laptop in 2022. 10. ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 7 (14) LaptopThe Lenovo X1 is an incredible laptop that can run Linux well for people who work with Oracle and Linux. Its 16GB DDR3 memory gives programmers multitasking power and they can work on various coding repositories. Thinkpad is a well-known laptop with a long history as a proven workhorse for many software developers. It features a great keyboard, enough portability. What is also important, Lenovo provides up to 3 years of warranty that is very useful for busy programmers.
Lenovo X1 Carbon Key Features
This laptop offers 16GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD hard drive. This laptop is a coders delight as it provides enough power and portability at a good price. 11. Acer Chromebook CB515-1HTAcer Chromebook CB515-1HT is one of the best programming laptops. This is because it has a zero air gap, which enables programmers to experience improved screen clarity even in sunshine. The best thing about this laptop is that it has a 2.48GH processor which is good enough for working with various programming languages like C, C++, and frameworks like ASP.Net. This laptop is an excellent tool for programmers who work on small-scale software applications.
This is one of the best laptops for programmers who work on various small-scale software applications. 12. Lenovo IdeaPad L340 (15.6, AMD) LaptopLenovo IdeaPad L340 AMD is among the best Lenovo programming laptops. It has a 15.6 HD screen with AMD Ryzen 5 3500U and 8GB Memory with 256GB Hard Drive. The great thing about this laptop is that it has an 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM and it is expandable to 16GB. -> Check it on Amazon.
13. MSI GT70 DOMINATOR DRAGONThis is one of the best laptops for coding and programming. This is because it has Intel Core i7-4810MQ and a 2.7 GHz Processor. It also has an 8 GB DDR3L RAM and 1 TB 7200 rpm Hard Drive with 17.3-Inch Screen.
This is one fantastic laptop for full-stack programmers. It is a bit heavy but great as a desktop substitute for programmers who travel a lot and still prefer a powerful machine. 14. ASUS ROG G703GX-XS98KThis is the best Asus laptop for programming. It has an 8th Generation Intel Core i9-8950HK Coffee Lake Hexa Core Processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with 8GB GDDR6. This is one amazing laptop for Big Data developers.
15. HP Pavilion Gaming 17-cd0095nrThis is the best budget laptop for programming. This is an ideal laptop for coders who love to play with various programming languages like Python, SQL. The great thing about this laptop is that it has a 9th Gen Intel® Core i7-9750H Processor and DTS Studio Sound with dual speakers.
16. Lenovo IdeaPad L340 15 GamingThe Lenovo IdeaPad L340 15 is an unbelievable laptop that can operate Linux well for people who work with Oracle and Linux. This is an ideal laptop for people who are working as Database Administrators. This is the best cheap laptop for programming.
17. New XPS 13 Touch LaptopDell XPS 9370 is a sparkling piece of design that essentially has all the fundamental things that any computer programmer desires in a laptop for coding. It is indeed an astounding product when it comes to appearance and portability. This is the best Dell laptop for programming.
18. GIGABYTE AERO 15-X9-RT5PThis laptop has pretty much everything a coder would want for game development. The best thing about this laptop is that it has a 15.6 Thin Bezel LG FHD 144Hz 1920×1080 IPS Anti-Glare display LCD and an X-Rite Pantone Certified Display which is amazing for game development. In other words, it is one of the TOP-30 programming laptops.
19. AORUS 15 (RTX 20 Series)This is top of a line specced laptop which can manage all programming virtual goods rather effortlessly and can moreover handle mirror workstations. This laptop has the best processor for programming.
20. Razer Blade 15 RTXPowered by a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6 core processor up to 4.1GHz this laptop is one of the best programming laptops. This laptop has all the useful characteristics and it is extremely prescribed for programmers who work as blockchain developers, information security researchers, gaming programmers, or people who wish to code with Swift and Java.
21. Lenovo Ideapad S145 AMD A6-9225This is an ideal laptop for web developers and people who work as CMS developers. With up to AMD A-9 processing capability, the IdeaPad S145 laptop is created to keep speed. It also has an arbitrary SSD storehouse, guaranteeing even quicker reply times. This laptop has everything you require for coding. The built-in speakers are powerful enough and the 15.6 Full HD (1366 x 768) screen is huge enough to carry at 4.1 lbs. It contains all the ports you want like the HDMI port which you can use to attach smart tv and other things.
22. ASUS TUF FX505DY-BQ002TThis Laptop is one of the best programming and gaming laptops. The FX505 AMD Edition has cleared a set of sturdiness tests*, strongly sustaining differing circumstances including solar radioactivity display, high elevation, and temperature limits. Its approved to survive day-to-day applications, from unexpected shocks to unexpected falls on a desk. Strong and well-built, FX505 AMD Edition has been forced to the boundary to secure only the very best for programmers and coders.
23. New Dell Alienware m15 LaptopThis is one of the robust laptops for Data engineers. It is masterminded with extraordinary-performance graphics and powerful overclocked processors to take you longer. It contains powerful CPUs and the most advanced Intel Core processors.
24. LG Gram 17Z990The 17 LG gram gives an awesome screen size without tilting the systems. The innovative layout and development of this laptop support it to weigh less than 3 pounds*, so its simple to carry anywhere. This is an ideal laptop for Security researchers.
25. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-52Acer Nitro 5 is one of the most powerful laptops for programmers. This laptop has 8 GB of DDR4 system memory, and the great thing about it is that it is up-gradable to 32 GB using two DDR4 SDRAM modules.
26. HP Spectre x360 Laptop 13t touchThis is one of the most advanced laptops for programmers who work as data scientists or people who play with big data. Advance your creativity with the enhanced accuracy of an HP digital pen. You can write, sketch, and calculate as easily as ever with a right to life building a seamless and pleasant practical sense.
27. AGB Octev AG-1208It is just a lightweight or you can say a correctly adjusted weight. The 1TB SSD/1TB HDD executes tasks flashing quickly. The incorporated graphics card also supports a part in administration. the keyboard is very solid and easy to type on, it is suitably backlit and friendly. The display is clear and sharp and anti-glare. This is the perfect laptop for security researchers or full-stack programmers.
28. Asus ZenBook 14 UX433FNThe ZenBook 14 gives an ultra-sleek form and gives fluent production. This is simply the standard in the premium laptop section for 2022 and a reliable rival to the MacBook Air. The new ZenBook 14 from Asus is lighter, more graceful, more robust, and contains several great facilities matched to its ancestor. In other words, it ties in plenty inside it to test MacBook Air. This is an ideal laptop for database administrators or programmers who work as data analysts.
29. Custom 16inch MacBook Pro Space GrayApple renewed its 16-inch MacBook Pros with more agile 9th Gen Intel processors, delivering them the quickest MacBooks ever. Another addition and alteration to it are uncertain Butterfly key switch is assumed to improve safety, though it doesnt discuss the lightweight travel problem. This laptop is one of the finest customizable laptops for programmers who work on advanced programming languages.
30. Dell G3 15 3590This machine is masterminded with the precise, demanding requirements of the full stack programmers in mind. From the latest processors to robust discrete graphics cards, they make each event more vivid and genuine. This laptop is one of the most powerful programming laptops. Dual fans give an experience of constant working while the system stays fresh.
Bonus Laptop Thinkpad T490S!This is a brand new laptop for programming released only in the summer of 2019. It is a very durable laptop perfect for constant business use. Among the TOP key benefits:
Check this listing as a video: ConclusionSo.. which one is the best for coding? TL;DR: Apple Macbook Pro 16, Dell XPS,Apple Macbook Pro 13, Lenovo Thinkpad. Consider Macbook if you also do iOS, Android, or Unix coding or Web development. But be aware that almost all top laptops nowadays dont provide the ability to easily expand RAM or HDD. In most cases, you cant do it even through a service center. So you should get a configuration that will serve you for the next few years. If you choose between getting more RAM or more storage then choose more RAMbecause you can always attach external storage via USB but you wont be able to add more RAM on any new Macbook model! if you dont need iOS development and you work on Windows mostly then please consider these: Dell XPS and Lenovo Thinkpad. Thinkpad is a famous brand and was used by programmers as a portable, powerful, durable, and upgradeable(!) machine. Thinkpad is also Unix friendly and you can even run Mac OS X on it using Hackintosh. About the Authors ByteScout Team of Authors ByteScout Team is a team of developers and authors who are working on bringing valuable technical information into the ByteScout website. About the Author |