What are the best laptops for programming?

Computer programmers’ preferences for laptops vary across the board. Many programmers can get by with a $500 mid-range laptop PC; others should expect to spend $2,000 for top-of-the-line gear depending on the nature of their work.

Since it’s the main tool for the job, however, the right laptop is critical for programmers to attain their most efficient output.

What are the best laptops for programming? We asked several programmers in the field for what they look for in a laptop computer.

In this analysis, laptops with a “Good” rating are recognized as the best budget buys. These will get the job done with the lowest overhead. “Better” and “Best” were determined by which offers the most-bang for the buck by users in each field.

1. AutoCAD

Programs: SolidWorks, Autodesk

Suggested hardware:

• CPU: Intel Core i7

• RAM: 8-16 GB

• Display & resolution: 15-17 inches; 1920 x 1080 pixels or higher

Notes: CAD programs benefit from a discrete graphics card to deliver smooth workflow. A solid-state drive (SSD) boosts performance for the system, but a large capacity hard disk drive (HDD) should be used in tandem for storing large CAD files. Balance needs for screen size with needs for battery life.

Good: Acer Aspire V Nitro ($950-$1,000), Lenovo IdeaPad Y700 ($800)

Better: HP Envy  ($1,050)

Best: Microsoft Surface Book ($1,900)

2. Full Stack Web Developer

Programs: MySQL, MongoDB

Suggested hardware:

• CPU: Intel Core i5

• RAM: 8-16 GB

• Display & resolution: 13-17 inches; 1920 x 1080 pixels, usually higher

Notes: Programmers that incorporate virtualization (Docker/VMWare) in full-stack prefer quad-core CPUs. Other specs, like battery life and monitor size depend on planned use.

Good: Dell Inspiron ($800)

Better: ASUS Rog G7-series ($1,200-$1,300)

Best: Dell XPS 15 ($1,200)

3. Visual Content Creation

Programs: Premiere, After Effects, Adobe Creative Suite

Suggested hardware:

• CPU: Intel Core i7

• RAM: 16 GB

• Display & resolution: 15-17 inches/4K

Notes: Mobile workstations demand a high level video card (NVIDIA Quadro) for 3D computer animation. SSD boosts overall performance for the operating system and programs; a high capacity HDD stores large video files. Users sacrifice high end display features for shorter battery life. Gaming laptops are commonly used for video production.

Good: Dell Precision 7510 ($1,130)

Better: HP ZBook ($1,390)

Best: MSI Workstation Series WS  ($1,400-$1,900)

4. SysAdmin / Network Admin

Programming: Scripting in Pearl, Command Line, Java, PHP

Suggested hardware:

• CPU: Intel Core i5 or i7

• RAM: 8 GB

• Display & resolution: 15” or smaller; not graphics-intensive work

Notes: Message board research finds SysAdmins favoriting laptops that are mobile and capable. Small screen, well-stocked system memory, and powerful CPU fare well with this user set. The Macbook Air surprisingly fits the bill, thanks to its clean, bloatware free factory setup and lightweight build. The Lenovo ThinkPad T440, with its compact build and sufficient power under the hood, wins over the troubleshooters of the information technology world.

Good: Dell Latitude Ultrabook ($860)

Better: Macbook Air ($900)

Best: Lenovo ThinkPad T440 ($1,100)

Final thoughts

Programmers: What is your current laptop that you use for programming or IT? What do you like about it? What frustrates you?  Let us know on Linkedin.

See open computer programming jobs here. 

Adam Lovinus writes about business computers and hardware at HardBoiled, a blog by NeweggBusiness.