Starting your computer science journey and looking for the best laptops for computer science could be a little challenging. Why?
You must have heard; you need some advanced features and best in technology computer science laptops compared to the other casual laptops. As being a computer science student, you need to work on learning various programming languages, coding, MATLAB, etc.
So, what are those advanced technologies we need in our best laptops for computer science students? It includes high memory, a fast processor, a powerful graphics processor, and a fast hard drive space.
Don’t get confused; let us help you in choosing the best laptops for you.
Overall rank 1 pick
- Comes with USB-C to offer the 2x transfer speed
- Ambient light sensing to use in dark
- MicroSD reader to upgrade the memory
- Excellent screen quality with 3:2 aspect ratio
- No lagging issues with multitasking
Kickstart your computer science journey with Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Laptop, which is compatible with all the requirements you need.
The display quality is beyond expectations, i.e., 2736*1824 (267 PPI) resolution with more multitasking speed. You will never face heating issues.
Enjoy continuous work experience with an excellent battery life of up to 10.5 hours.
With great design, an all-day battery, built-in HD webcams, and storage capacity up to 1 TB, you will never regret buying this laptop.
Things to look for before buying the best laptop for computer science students:
Undoubtedly, the market is loaded with thousands of laptops, but you should be aware of the features you must have in your laptops to use it for programming. Basically, with our guide, you will get an idea of what exactly you need in your laptop:
1. Processor/CPU:
Being a computer science student, you need to compile various codes and files together that consume lots of CPU power. So, without compromising, always choose the faster processor.
It is recommended to always go with the laptops that offer the latest CPU. Currently, it is Intel Core i7 or i5 10th generation with decent graphics.
Minimum requirements: Intel Core i5
Recommended: Intel Core i7
2. RAM:
RAM or memory works with the CPU and helps to determine how fast your computer works. To meet the CS students’ demand, you need at least 8 GB RAM.
Further, depending upon your multitasking level, you can go with the 16 GB RAM to enjoy the hanging free programming.
Minimum requirements: 8GB with the ability to install more
Recommended: 16GB
3. Storage Capacity:
A hard drive is a storage device that is used for storing data, files, and programs. There are two types of hard drives, i.e., hard disk drives (HDD) and Solid-State Drives (SSD). Further, while choosing the hard drives, it requires checking two things, speed and size (storage capacity).
Talking about the size, it is advised to buy the laptop a hard drive with storage space of at least 1 TB, and for speed, SSD is faster than the HDD. You will get 3x faster speed to perform tasks efficiently.
Minimum requirements: 256GB SSD
Recommended: 500GB SSD or higher
4. Operating system:
The operating system is the software responsible for running computer hardware. There are mainly three operating systems used in the laptops, first windows suitable for file management, programming, etc.
Another one is macOS, it is the latest version for Apple’s laptop and offers almost the same features as Windows 10 but with better security.
The last one is Linux, an open-source operating system available in a wide range of distributions (Ubuntu Linux is the most popular) that allows lots of customization. Linux is more popular as compared to window 10 in terms of security and performance.
Minimum requirements: Windows 8.1
Recommended: Window 10 Home or Pro
5. Display:
The displays are made up of a series of dots (i.e., known as pixels). Buying the laptops with more pixels allows you to fit more details on the screen. You will find many budgeted laptops with low resolutions, but they are not suitable to show sharp text for a comfortable experience.
Choosing the laptop display having high pixels is much convenient to fit two-full size windows simultaneously.
Minimum requirements: 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
Recommended: 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
6. Ports:
Don’t forget to check the types of ports available on your laptop. Most laptops have USB –A port only that allows you to transfer only basic data. But the latest laptops now come with a USB-C port, a much-advanced version.
With USB-C, you get high transfer speed and transfer lots of data at a time.
The right choice for ports includes USB – A and USB –C, a Display port for all in one feature to connect the laptop with other screens and offer a speedy transfer.
Minimum requirements: Depending upon your needs.
Once you have reviewed the above complete guide, here is our complete comprehensive table.
| Product Name | Processor Speed | RAM | Storage | Weight (Pounds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Surface Pro 7 | 10th Gen Intel Core i7 | 16 GB | 256GB SSD | 1.70 |
| Microsoft Surface Book 2 | 8th Gen Intel Core i7 | 16 GB | 256 GB SSD | 3.62 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 6 | 8th Gen Intel Core i5 | 8 GB | 256 GB SSD | 1.70 |
| Apple MacBook Pro | 8th Gen, Core i5 | 8 GB | 256 GB SSD | 3.02 |
| Acer Aspire E 15 | 8th Gen Intel core i5 | 8 GB | 256 GB SSD | 5.29 |
| HP Spectre x360 | 8th Gen, Intel core i7 | 16 GB | 512 GB PCle NVMe | 2.78 |
| MacBook Air | 8th-Generation Intel Core i5 | 8 GB | 256 GB SSD | 2.75 |
| HP 15-cs3019nr Pavilion | 10th Generation, Intel core i7 | 16 GB | 512 GB SSD | 4.08 |
Here are top 14 best laptops for computer science students
1. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
PROS
- Great Quad-core performance
- Ultra-sharp display, i.e. 2736x1824 resolution
- Bright and colorful display
- WiFi 6 support for better speed and connectivity
- Quick On and resume
- Excellent smother optional keyboard
CONS
- No Thunderbolt 3 support
- Battery life lower than Surface Pro 6
- Graphics card: Intel Iris Plus
- CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i7
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 12.3 inches
- Resolution: 2736×1824
- Battery Life: 10.5 hours
- OS: Windows 10 Home
- Port: USB 3.1, USB type C
- Weight: 1.70 pounds
Our first choice in the list is the Microsoft surface pro 7, which is equipped with all the superior features you need in a computer science laptop.
The laptop has a display 12.3” touch screen with an automatic brightness adjusting feature. The 10th generation intel core processor allows you to perform any kind of task with improved efficiency.
You will get various ports, including USB-C and USB-A, to connect displays, speakers, and other smart home devices.
We are impressed with its weight; it’s just 1.70 pounds, ultra-slim to carry anywhere. The promising average battery life is 10.5 hours fastest charging speed, i.e., around an hour to charge up to 80% of the laptop. Microsoft surface pro 7 delivers impressive performance and display quality that is required for a computer science students.
Bring it today and enjoy the most powerful features, i.e., Intel core up to i7, memory up to 16 GB, storage up to 1TB SSD, and Intel iris plus graphics up to i5.
Must read: Microsoft Surface Pro 7 full in depth review.
1. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
2. Microsoft Surface Book 2
PROS
- Incredible battery life up to 17 hours
- Brilliant display with Sharp, high resolution 3240*2160
- High-speed Intel processor
- Wonderful fulcrum hinge to flex the opening & closing
- Powerful laptop with Nvidia graphics
- Large yet lightweight to carry
CONS
- Maximum RAM capacity 16 GB
- No Thunderbolt 3
- Heavy GPU load
- Graphic card: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- CPU: 8th Gen Intel Core i7
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 15 inches
- Resolution: 3240*2160
- Battery Life: 17 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
- Port: 2 USB Type – A, 1 USB Type- C & USB 3.1
- Weight: 3.62 pounds
Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a 2-in-1 laptop with awesome sturdy quality. Made up of premium quality, this laptop is catchy and durable.
The surface book is equipped with an 8th generation dual-core i5 processor; it offers an incredible speed. Coming to the battery usage, it promises 14 hours of complete battery back up.
With the rich color reproduction with 3240×2160 screen resolution, the picture quality is very sharp with maximum bright settings. Overall, you will get a lush screen.
The inbuilt surface dial is another fantastic thing to work with lots of software. If you are thinking about its weight could be an issue, let us tell you that it is light enough to be portable. The USP about this laptop is providing the maximum input options.
Being a laptop for computer science, screen size, excellent graphics, and faster performance is what makes this laptop suitable to buy.
Microsoft surface book 2 is fast and powerful enough to let you comfortably run any application on it. Whether you want the photo or video editing, illustration sketching, or even taking notes, go ahead.
2. Microsoft Surface Book 2
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
PROS
- Fast Quad-core performance
- Good battery life up to 13.5 hours
- Longer battery hours
- Lightest and thinnest
- Powerful internal components
- Excellent display with 3:5 aspect ratio
- Responsive display to fingers and pen
CONS
- No USB-C port or Thunderbolt 3
- No WiFi 6 connectivity
- Graphics card:
- Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i5
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display Size: 12.3 inches
- Resolution: 2736×1824
- Battery Life: 13.5 hours
- OS: Windows 10 Home
- Port: USB 3.0, USB Type- A
- Weight: 1.7 pounds
The quad-core i5 and 8 GB RAM is Microsoft surface pro 6. All internal processors are plenty to offer maximum efficiency.
It comes with improved and the latest Kaby Lake Refresh Processors (KABY) to make it more power-efficient. Plus, 13.5 hours of working without charging gives you uninterrupted productivity.
- Just 1.7-pound weight, fold the type cover, and travel anywhere without feeling burdensome.
- 12.3 inch with 2736×1824 pixels in a 3: 2 aspect ratio. It is excellent for working on documents or software.
- The display offers high brightness and vivid color to make your screen working experience superior. You can lower the kickstand to 15 degrees to get the perfect angle for writing.
- The type covers offer a smooth and comfortable typing experience along with the excellent touchpad. The pro model is compatible with the surface dial for the various off-screen interactions.
The quad-core processor is a big upgrade in this laptop for computer science students. Secondly, the touch display offers brilliant pictures.
The laptop’s capability to handle multitasks what’s made it stand out from the crowd. It is an ideal option for streaming and office work for basic tasks.
3. Microsoft Surface Pro 6
4. Apple MacBook Pro
PROS
- Customized touch bar for quick setting changes
- Amazing battery life
- Ultra high resolution 2560*1600
- Much brighter retina screen
- Fast due to flash storage
- Doubled base storage
- Good graphics & computing performance
CONS
- 2 USB ports are very close
- Only integrated graphics
- End-user cant extend the internal storage
- Graphics card: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
- CPU: 8th Gen, Core i5
- Storage: 256 GB
- RAM: 8GB
- Display Size: 13 inch
- Resolution: 2560*1600
- Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
- Operating System: Mac OS
- Port: Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C
- Weight: 3.02 pounds
Apple MacBook Pro is a macOS laptop with 8 GB RAM, a 13-inch display with 2500×1600 pixels. The 13-inch display assures the impressive brightness of up to 500 nits to provide the perfect vision, even working in the natural light. The P3 wide color gamut screen is great for any photo editing work.
Intel Core i5 processor with 8th generation offers an excellent performance maximum of 4.7 GHz. Further, the 256 GB solid-state drive storage boosts the daily performance of reading and writing speed of coding. Coming to the GPU, Mac uses an Intel graphic card for better performance. At the same time, to learn intensive graphic modeling, then you can additionally buy dedicated graphics.
For the developing environment, 8 GB RAM is enough to get with Apple MacBook Pro. Thanks to the Apply new technology to make the logging feature easy with touch ID. If you are planning for regular software development and programming, then you can buy this i5 laptop.
However, for a specific program like Microsoft HoloLens Emulator, it is suggested to go with the i7 processor. As long as you want a high-resolution display, integrated graphics with little connectivity.
4. Apple MacBook Pro
5. Acer Aspire E 15
PROS
- Good display resolution
- Good battery life
- Work-friendly keyboard
- Expandable storage and memory
- Wide range of ports for fastest data transfer
- Decent keyboard for flexibility
CONS
- Dim and Bland display
- Bulky design
- Filled with bloatware
- No touch screen display
- Graphic card: Nvidia GeForce MX150
- CPU: 8th Gen Intel core i5
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920*1080
- Battery Life: Up to 15 hours
- Operating System: Window 10 Home
- Port: 1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 3.1
- Weight: 5.29 pound
Acer Aspire E 15 is a 15-inch laptop, a bit bulky with a sharp 1080p display. It has a non-touch display, which is sharp.
With this laptop resolution of 1920*1080, it is capable of reproducing around 62.3% of the sRGB color gamut. The maximum brightness you can reach is 227 nits. It has a good screen with decent color and a good battery life that stays cool even in a continuous workload.
There is no compromise with the performance quality as 8th Gen Intel Core i5 with 8 GB RAM are easily fulfilling the requirement to fall under the list. 256 GB SSD is wide enough to seamlessly handle all your complex programming software without causing any lagging issues.
You will get spacious keys to make your coding typing easy with a convenient arm set, one of the USP to buy this laptop.
A dedicated MX150 graphic card allows you to play some light games. If you need the laptop for graphic design, watching movies, you might feel about going for something else due to its muted colors.
Overall, Acer Aspire E 15 comes with a powerful processor, an Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics card, and high storage capacity to handle multitasking programming for computer science students.
5. Acer Aspire E 15
6. HP Spectre x360
PROS
- The bright and colorful display
- Strong productivity performance
- Solid vibrant 4K OLED display
- Lightweight to carry anywhere
- Breathtaking battery life
- Face recognition feature
- Fingerprint reader
CONS
- Low brightness with 300 Nit
- Heating issues
- A lot of bloatware
- Fan noise issues
- Graphics card: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- CPU: 8th Gen, Intel core i7
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 13.3 inches
- Resolution: 1920*1080
- Battery Life: Up to 16 hours 45 minutes
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Port: 1 USB 3.1
- Weight: 2.78 pound
What better to get the Full HD Micro edge touch display with an ability to display images at a good resolution of 1920*1080.
To begin with, it is a 2-in-1 convertible laptop with ultra-portability in either mode. With two highly powerful processors, it supports every software-intensive computing task. The RAM and storage are far better at this price than other laptops.
Further, the 16 GB Intel UHD Graphics 620 produces high-quality images. The unique security systems, including IR camera, fingerprint reader, etc. ensure complete data security from accessing your programming work.
The average battery life is 14 hours with a maximum capacity of 16 hours 45 minutes, which is amazing to enable you to do work the whole day without running for the charger. The 360-degree hinges let you convert it into a tablet.
The laptop has maximum brightness up to 300 nits; it’s not that much worse, but yes can be an obstacle while having a direct light over the screen.
The material quality, decent display, and good enough integrated graphic card are ideal for performing all types of simple, complex, or computing jobs.
6. HP Spectre x360
7. MacBook Air
PROS
- Brilliant retina display with true tone
- Thinner and lighter as like iPhone
- Great battery life
- Touch bar & touch ID
- Versatile force touch trackpad
- Loaded with lots of useful applications
- Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
CONS
- Slow performance
- No touch screen
- Graphics card: Intel UHD Graphics 617
- CPU: 8th-Generation Intel Core i5
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display Size: 13.3 inches
- Resolution: 2560*1600
- Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
- Operating System: Mac OS
- Port: Thunderbolt 3, USB-A, USB-C, Mini display port,
- Weight: 2.75 pounds
MacBook Air is a build-up of premium quality with a smooth hinge to open the laptop with a single hand easily. It is a UNIX based laptop, which means you can access any open source software with no compatibility issues than the Window.
MacBook has made it easy for the programmers to program for iOS devices on the same laptop. The 8GB DDR4 RAM is efficient to let you do simultaneous work without any hanging problem.
The laptop is superior from the exterior and internal technical specifications such as Intel core i5 processor, 8th generation of intel chips. Being a dual-core processor lets the laptop handle multi tasks efficiently and effectively.
Although there is no dedicated graphics, the Intel UHD Graphics are decent in smoothly running graphics with applications-related requirements.
It has an impressive battery life of up to 12 hours to let you work productively without switching on or off the charging.
The magic keyboard is replacing the earlier ill-fated butterfly laptop keyboard, which has doubled the key travel for a more convenient typing experience.
If you are facing Macbook pro bit pricey, then opt for the MacBook Air; it is almost the Pro’s alternative.
7. MacBook Air
8. HP 15-cs3019nr Pavilion
PROS
- Epic battery life
- Flexible storage option to upgrade
- Quick charging feature
- BIOS and protection feature is excellent to prevent unwanted access
- Top-notch hardware configurations
CONS
- Dim display & poor outdoor visibility
- High power consumption
- Unpleasant fan noise
- Graphic card: Intel Iris Plus Graphics
- CPU: 10th Generation, Intel core i7
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920*1080
- Battery Life: Up to 10 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
- Port: 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 Display port
- Weight: 4.08 lbs
HP Pavilion with Intel Core i7, 10th generation, is a powerful laptop for everyday use. It is equipped with all necessary hardware for the pickiest programmer.
Starting with remarkable technical aspects that include 512 GB solid-state drive, 16 GB DDR4 SDRAM, Amazon Alexa voice compatibility, and 15.6 inches full HD screen with WLED-backlight.
The super-fast processor 1.3 GHz up to 3.9 GHz with Intel Turbo boost technology offers the maximum speed to complete your tasks.
Most importantly, besides the processor, is the display; after all, you need to see the laptop screen for long continuous hours. To deal with this, the HP Pavilion comes with a full HD IPS WLED backlit screen to provide a screen –body ratio of 80%.
For graphics, you are getting Intel Iris Plus graphics, which is sufficient for the basic tasks.
Coming to the battery life, it is up to 10 hours, but with the fastest charging technology that charges laptops up to 50% just within 45 minutes.
If you are looking for a professional performance laptop for your daily work routine, then you will not get much better than this laptop.
8. HP 15-cs3019nr Pavilion
9. ASUS VivoBook 15
PROS
- Lightweight and portable
- ErgoLift Hinge for better typing
- Full-size backlit keyboard
- Solid port selection
CONS
- Low battery backup
- Weak audio
- Graphic card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050
- CPU: 10th Generation, Intel Core i5
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920*1080
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Port: USB 3.2 Type-C, USB 3.2 Type-A, USB 2.0
- Weight: 3.5 lbs
Asus Vivobook 15 is an another extraordinary laptop in our list with an 88% screen to body ratio. The laptop has a sizable screen of 15.6 inches that lets you perform light photo editing, coding, and programming tasks.
The 10th generation with an i5 processor guarantees quality CPU performance, making it ahead of the competition. With a base frequency of 1.0 GHz up to 3.9 GHz, the four processing cores have terrific output. In handling multiple apps, browser tabs and other noting works.
Can you upgrade the storage in ASUS Vivobook? Although 8 GB RAM is enough to work seamlessly still, you have the option to upgrade the RAM up to 12 GB.
ASUS Vivobook comes with a full HD display of 1920*1080 resolution. The inbuilt In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel technology offers your vibrant colors and clear images.
The fingerprint sensor saves your time in logging the laptop and completes your work with a decent battery back up of 8 hours. Plus, the advantage is quick charging up to 60%tery within 50 minutes.
The long typing session provides the latest mid-range flagship with ergo lift technology to tilt the keyboard slightly.
In your day to day activities, you can use this laptop for some light video editing. However, it is not recommended for graphically intensive tasks like hardcore gaming due to the lack of a dedicated graphics card.
9. ASUS VivoBook 15
10. Acer Aspire 7 Laptop
PROS
- Highly potential to upgrade
- Average battery life
- Good run times
- Fingerprint reader
- Decent power for daily computing work
CONS
- Lots of bloatware
- Average display quality
- Low brightness
- Graphic card: NVIDIA GeForce MX150
- CPU: 8th Gen, Intel Core i5
- Storage: 512 GB SSD
- RAM: 8 GB
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 1920*1080
- Battery Life: Up to 7.5 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Port: 1 USB 3.1, 2 USB 2.0 ports
- Weight: 4.85 lbs
Whether gaming or programming, Acer Aspire is an all-rounded laptop for computer science. The laptop is powered by an 8th Generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor.
The laptop is calibrated to deliver fast WiFi and plenty of storage of 512 GB SSD. Isn’t it amazing? The latest NVIDIA graphics make your play and work super easy. Intel Core i5 is 4 x 1.60 GHz with turbo speeds of up to 4.20 GHz.
The combination of high storage and GeForce MX150 makes the laptop more appealing for coding and casual gaming experience.
Stunning visibility with the two narrow bezels and 81.61% screen-body ratio enhances the display power. In addition, Acer Color Intelligence and ExaColor ensure the color contrast.
The display resolution is 1920 X 1080 pixels bright with good color saturation to offer you a solid visual experience. The screen 16: 9 aspect ratio is a non-reflective surface with wider viewing angles.
The battery life is okay, up to 7.5 hours at the fixed brightness. The best thing about the Acer Aspire Laptop is its upgradable feature up to your convenience.
Overall, Acer 15.6 inches laptop is an inexpensive best laptop for computer science students that supports WIFI 6 and has the capacity to expand storage with a 2.5 inch SATA SSD/HDD.
10. Acer Aspire 7 Laptop
11. Dell XPS 15
PROS
- Lightweight and portable
- Fantastic display quality with HDR 4K OLED and LCD
- Discrete GPU
- Upgradable storage and memory
- Great keyboard and touchpad
CONS
- Unwanted bloatware
- The thermal situation needs improvement
- Average battery life
- Graphic card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
- CPU: 9th Generation Intel Core i7
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 15.6 inches
- Resolution: 3840 X 2160
- Battery Life: Up to 8 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Port: Thunderbolt, USB 3. 0
- Weight: 5.51 lbs
Dell XPS 15 includes Core i7, 16 GB of RAM, 256 GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, and amazing 3480 X 2160 Screen resolutions. If you want to do any type of computing work, nothing is more powerful than the i7 processor.
The XPS comes with a four-sided infinity edge with thin bezels with 92.9% screen to body ratio. The touch screen is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 6 that has one of the highest 2840 X 2160 resolutions.
The large 15-inch screen is gorgeous for the 4K Ultra HD touch screen with excellent, bright colors. The display supports a 16: 10 aspect ratio with more vertical pixels.
In addition, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is an excellent graphic to accelerate your creative apps for faster speed and fantastic performance in photo and video editing, graphic designing, and game broadcasting.
Coming to its performance configurations, you will get Intel 8th Generation with 256 GB SSD storage delivering ultimate power to the creators and gamers. One dislike is that it has an average battery back up to 8 hours compared to others in the same budget.
The smooth touchpad prevents floating cursors and stops any unwanted clicks. Overall, the Dell XPS 15 is fully optimized for content creators and graphic-intensive users.
11. Dell XPS 15
12. MacBook Pro (16-inch)
PROS
- Improved keyboard for convenient typing
- Good battery life
- Improved thermals
- Epic power from 8-core Core i9 processor
- SSD storage option up to 8TB
- Excellent larger retina display
CONS
- Display not 4K
- Bit heavier
- No touch screen option
- Graphic card: Intel UHD Graphics 630
- CPU: 9th Generation, Intel core i9
- Storage: 512 GB or 1 TB
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 16 inches
- Resolution: 3072*1920
- Battery Life: Up to 11 hours
- Operating System: Mac OS
- Port: USB 3.1 Gen 2, 4 Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
- Weight: 4.3 lbs
The most reliable and high-performance laptop for computer science students available from the reputed brand, i.e., Apple. The MacBook Pro’s 15-inch full larger screen is a color-accurate retina screen.
- It has up to an 8-core Core i9 processor, up to 1 TB storage, and 16 GB RAM.
- The battery life has been boosted with a 100 watt-hour battery to charge up to 12 hours, along with a faster core i9 CPU and faster Radeon Pro 5500M graphics.
- Memory speed has been boosted to 2,666 MHz; however, the most significant UPS is adopting new graphics chips.
- On the graphic front, the MacBook Pro can easily handle any workload with AMD Radeon Pro 5300M and can upgrade it to the 5500M.
The laptop’s display is designed explicitly for 4k video editing to handle up to 11 4k streams constantly. You will get 3072 X 1920 resolution.
In performing the multimedia tasks, such as editing images and rendering 3D graphics, the MacBook Pro is still competitive.
When looking for the best laptop for programming, especially for macOS, you will look forward to buying a MacBook Pro. Overall, this laptop is incredibly creative for demanding needs like coders, gamers, editors, etc.
12. MacBook Pro (16-inch)
13. ASUS ZenBook 14
PROS
- Impressive design
- Fast SSD operations
- Good battery life
- Innovative Numpad
- High contrast IPS LED panel
- Powerful performance
CONS
- No thunderbolt 3
- Dim-light screen
- No fingerprint sensor
- Graphics card: Intel HD
- CPU: 8th Gen, Intel Core i7
- Storage: 512 GB PCle SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 14 inches
- Resolution: 1920 X 1080
- Battery Life: Up to 16 hours
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home
- Port: USB 3.1, USB 3.0, USB 2.0,
- Weight: 2.6 lbs
ASUS Zenbook is a thin and stylish laptop that has a metallic chassis to ensure durability. In this laptop, you will get the powerful 8th Gen Intel core i7 processor. It has a 90% screen body ratio that is more expressive than other pricey laptops.
To make your tasks speedy and enhance the visual quality, it comes with 8 GB DDR4 RAM with Intel HD graphics.
The ASUS Zenbook display reproduced 121% of the sRGB color gamut that offers a more vivid color. But, with 1920 X 1080 resolutions in the outdoor visibility, you will feel dim backlighting.
The 14-inch display has a brightness of 200 nits only, which is okay at this price, but we typically look for at least 300 nits.
When it comes to storage, it has vast storage of 512 GB PCle SSD, which is good enough to run multiple applications in a lane without any issues. The 4-sided nano edge 14-inch IPS panel and the anti-glare panel doesn’t strain your eyes during long coding sessions.
There is no dedicated graphics card in Asus Zenbook 14, so if you need a laptop with a dedicated GPU, it is suggested to look at other options in our list.
As for use in computer science, it is a good platform to work on plug-ins and codes effortlessly.
13. ASUS ZenBook 14
14. Google Pixelbook Go
PROS
- Bright and colorful display
- Great battery life
- Amazing ‘HUSH’ keyboard
- Speedy performance with i7
- Rare 1080p webcam
- Chrome OS platform is solid and reliable
CONS
- No biometric login
- Chunky bezels
- Dim display in direct sunlight
- Graphic card: Intel UHD 615 GPU
- CPU: 8th Generation, i7 Intel Core
- Storage: 256 GB SSD
- RAM: 16 GB
- Display Size: 13.3 inches
- Resolution: 1920 X 1080
- Battery Life: Up to 12 hours
- Operating System: Chrome OS
- Port: USB Type C Port
- Weight: 2.38 lbs
Google Pixelbook is thinner and lighter than the Apple Macbook pro.
The laptop’s display is truly outstanding with 13.3 inch LCD, 1920 X 1080 Full HD resolution, touch panel with a 16: 9 aspect ratio. The pixel density is good enough to keep text legible and put out a decent amount of light.
The screen is made from Corning’s Concore Glass, enhancing the strengthening process, resulting in a damage-resistant screen.
The Pixelbook Go battery ensures full power throughout the day for up to 12 hours with a 47Wh battery and rapid charging. And the keyboard has great backlighting and key travel that makes typing comfortable for a longer duration.
The Pixelbook Go’s Chrome’s OS has everything to offer to the platform’s strength, including writing, keeping up with mail, photo editing, and many more in a single flow. The Pixelbook could be a better choice if you plan to write or doodle on display without digital stylus input.
If you give preference to the Chrome OS, then Google Pixelbook Go is a useful option to buy without a second thought.
Pixelbook Go is speedy and reliable battery life for running continuous coding and programming works. Plus, meeting all the processing and graphic requirements that make it a real winner at the budgeted rate.
14. Google Pixelbook Go
Conclusion
Here, we have completed our list of the best laptops for computer science, meeting all computer science user needs. All the laptops mentioned above are highly efficient in terms of performance, quality, and durability.
All you have to do is, keep your requirements in your mind and then select the best one fulfilling your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
1. How much RAM is required for programming laptops?
The minimum standard requirements of RAM for programming laptops is 8 GB RAM. But, if you want to work with heavy video software, then 16 GB RAM is superior. -
2. Is Windows or macOS better for computer science?
You need to work on UNIX for computer science mostly, and Macs run full time on UNIX-based OS. It makes the programming more comfortable to run the programs in any language as compared to the Window. -
3. What screen size should I choose for a computer science laptop?
It is recommended to buy a laptop with a 15 inches screen as you have to open multiple windows for coding, running programs, note-making, etc. Therefore, a laptop with a bigger screen is a good choice.