Accountants and accounting students need the best laptops for accounting to get the job done. Why? Fast accounting means less time and less room for mistakes. When dealing with money and data, not only do you need a laptop with good security features, but also the device that works best for the job. The best laptop for accounting will have a few key features: a long battery life, a touchscreen display, and plenty of storage space. But you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to get the job done. We’ve compiled the recommended laptops for accountants like you. Here’s what made the list:
Dell XPS 15 9510
PROS
- Great specs
- Amazing performance
- Beautiful, clear display
CONS
- Clunky trackpad
- Battery life can be better
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i7
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 512 GB
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
- Display: 15.6″
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
The Dell XPS 15 is a powerful laptop with a stunning display and is loaded with amazing specs to make it stand out from the crowd. The 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display provides superb viewing angles, while the Intel Core i7 processor is more than capable of handling all your accounting tasks without breaking a sweat. The 16GB DDR4 RAM ensures that you have enough memory to run multiple applications at once without any issues. It also comes with 512 GB SSD for fast boot times and low power consumption as well as an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti with 4GB GDDR5 for smooth gaming performance on the go. The only downside is the clunky trackpad which many users complain about. But it’s an issue that can be solved with a wireless mouse.
Dell XPS 15 9510
ASUS VivoBook 17
PROS
- Affordable price
- Great price-to-performance ratio
- Huge display
- Many ports
CONS
- Weak battery life
- Fragile design
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core i5
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 1 TB
- GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 620
- Display: 17.3″
- OS: Windows 10 Home
If you want a laptop that’s big enough to do some serious work, but small enough to carry around the office, the ASUS VivoBook 17 is your best bet. With its near-perfect balance between power and portability, this touchscreen laptop is highly portable and powerful. The VivoBook’s powerful processor and graphics card allow it to run multiple programs at once without bogging down or getting hot—a problem that plagues many laptops with similar specs. The downside of this affordable laptop? It only has a few hours of battery life (approximately 3 hours). However, you can be confident that this machine will be able to complete your tasks when needed.
ASUS VivoBook 17
Apple MacBook Air M1
PROS
- Amazing performance
- Good battery life
- Sharp and crisp display
CONS
- Fanless design laptop
Specs:
- CPU: Apple M1 Chip
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 256 GB – 512 GB
- GPU: Apple M1 Chip
- Display: 13.3″
- OS: Mac OS
The best laptop for accounting among the Apple MacBook laptops is the Air M1 chip version. The 13.3-inch retina display offers sharp and crisp viewing angles, comfortable enough for long days of work. It also has the Apple M1 Chip to back up its performance, along with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD storage. One thing that stands out about this laptop is its battery life, capable of withstanding up to 20 hours on a single charge. The downsides are the lack of an optical drive and a fanless design. But those can be ignored if you don’t need them in the first place.
Apple MacBook Air M1
Acer Aspire 5
PROS
- Affordable, with great specs
- Decent display
- Upgradable parts
CONS
- Plastic build Uncomfortable keyboard
- Plastic build Uncomfortable keyboard
Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 3
- RAM: 4GB – 8 GB
- Storage: 128 GB – 512 GB
- GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 6
- Display: 15.6″
- OS: Windows Home
A solid budget option, the Acer Aspire 5 has one of the best price-to-performance ratios out of all the laptops on this list. It has a 15.6-inch display and AMD Ryzen 3 processor (upgradeable depending on your choice of model), which is plenty of power to run accounting software like QuickBooks Online or Xero. The 8GB of RAM will also help with multi-tasking, as well as storing large amounts of data in Excel spreadsheets without slowing down too much. The 512GB SSD storage should be enough room for your important files and accounting software if you’re not planning to store very many pictures or videos on it—but if you need more space, there’s always something in the cloud. Some people do not prefer the plastic build, but it’s durable enough to get the job done.
Acer Aspire 5
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
PROS
- Strong performance
- Larger display
- Stylish 2-in-1 design
CONS
- The stylus and keyboard are sold separately
Specs:
- CPU: Intel® Evo Platform Core™ i5/i7
- RAM: 8GB – 32 GB
- Storage: 256 GB – 1 TB SSD
- GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Display: 13″
- OS: Windows 10
With a great screen, excellent specs, and a solid GPU, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is one of the best laptops for accounting. It also runs on Windows 10 and has enough power to handle smaller tasks. The device comes with a 13-inch display with a resolution of 2880 x 1920 pixels. For accountants looking for a tablet/laptop hybrid, this is your best bet. Its keyboard and stylus are sold separately, for those who prefer those accessories.
Microsoft Surface Pro 8
Laptops for accounting must perform well
When it comes to picking out a laptop for accounting, there are a few things you need to consider.
To begin with, you need a machine that can run your accounting software and other programs well. That means it should have at least 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 or better processor.
You’ll also want something that has at least 256GB of storage space as well; this will help keep everything running smoothly once files start piling up on your hard drive due to all the data inputting and analyzing that goes into doing accounting work. Finally, the battery life—accountants often spend long periods away from their desks during tax season so they need something light enough that won’t break their backs when they’re carrying around all those papers.
Hopefully, this list has helped you find the best laptop for accounting that fits your budget and needs. We’re confident that any of these laptops will be great for your business, so now it’s time to get started on those spreadsheets!
Frequently Asked Questions
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What computer specs do I need for accounting?
- 16 GB RAM - 1.6 GHz or Faster, 64-bit 2-Core Processor. - 512 GB or more storage space - 1920×1080 pixels or more for screen resolution