Finding a good laptop for programming can be challenging. Consider you’re a student working on a limited budget, and things get much harder. However, this is precisely what we are here to help you with today.
We want to help you find the best laptop for a programming student that the market has to offer. Our goal is to help you find a reasonably decent laptop that isn’t going to break the bank. Let’s get to it and look at the top five contenders on the market.
Comparison Chart
Best Laptop for Programming Students: Reviews
HP 17.3” 11th Gen Intel Core i3 Laptop
If you are looking for a laptop with high-end specs and fantastic performance for a fairly reasonable price, this HP laptop might be the one for you.
Review
This laptop has a 17.3” display with HD resolution, 1600 x 1900 pixels. The screen should be large enough for any purpose and to have two windows open side-by-side, and the resolution allows you to see even the smallest characters in your lines of code.
The screen has an anti-glare coating with 220 nits and 60% NTSC; this HP laptop’s color, contrast, clarity, and picture quality are very good.
In addition, this unit comes with an 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 processor, which features a 3GHz base frequency, although this can reach up to 4.1 GHz using the Intel Turbo Boost Tech; it’s a fast machine.
Moreover, it has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, making it a fast and responsive unit, even when doing multiple things simultaneously.
You get a 1 TB hard drive, which should be more than enough space to store all your code, games, and more. There are two superspeed USB ports, a standard USB port, an SD media card reader, a headphone and microphone jack, and an HDMI port to help you connect your necessary accessories.
For a reasonable price, this HP laptop performs very well. It’s good enough for gaming and much more.
Pros
- High performance for a reasonable price
- Great display
- Powerful processor
- Lots of RAM and storage
- Great connectivity features
Cons
- No CD/DVD reader
- Quite bulky and heavy
Lenovo Ideapad 3 Laptop
If you’re a programming student working on a tight budget and want an affordable laptop that still gets the job done, this Lenovo Ideapad 3 deserves a closer look.
Review
This laptop has an 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 Dual-Core 3.0GHz processor. For most purposes, 3GHz should be more than enough. However, with the 6MB Intel Smart Cache, this can be boosted up to 4.1GHz, which should be fast and powerful enough for most purposes.
This Lenovo laptop also has 8 gigabytes of high-bandwidth RAM, allowing you to run multiple applications and tabs simultaneously. For the low price, 8 gigabytes of RAM isn’t too bad. It also has a 256-gigabyte solid-state hard drive. It’s not the biggest, but it should be enough for most basic purposes.
In addition, the 15.6-inch high-definition display features 1366 by 768 pixels. It’s not the highest-resolution screen, but its colors and contrast are pretty good.
Although it’s not the most visually striking laptop, it should be good enough for basic programming and web surfing. Remember that this has a touchscreen display, which many people find pretty convenient.
Moreover, it does come with Windows 11 Home installed. There are two USB 3.2 ports, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, a multi-format SD card reader, and a combination audio jack to connect your favorite devices. It also comes with Bluetooth and WIFI capabilities.
Pros
- Good size for portability
- Affordable price
- Good processing power
- Decent RAM and storage, considering the price
- Great connectivity capabilities
Cons
Display is a bit lackluster
Jumper FHD 14” Laptop
If you are looking for a basic laptop that will get the job done, this laptop from Jumper is no-frills.
Review
This unit has Windows 11 Home installed and a Celeron processor N with 2.4GHz processing power. It’s not as powerful as other units on our list, although, for the attractive price, it’s a small trade-off. It should be more than adequate for basic programming needs.
Moreover, it has 12 gigabytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes of SSD storage. It’s not the most storage, but it should be enough for basic needs.
We like this laptop because it’s relatively compact and lightweight, allowing for greater portability and not taking up much space on your desk. There’s a 14-inch full high-definition display with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels; the color clarity is pretty high-quality.
This model has a 2-megapixel webcam, dual microphones, and dual speakers. It also features a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, and mini HDMI port, a 3.5-millimeter headphone Jack, and a micro SD slot. The micro SD slot allows this laptop to handle an extra 256 gigabytes.
Pros
- Great price
- Nice display
- Portable
- Lots of RAM
- Good connectivity features
Cons
Could have more processing power
Acer Aspire Vero AV15-51-7617 Green PC
This high-end laptop from Acer works well for programming, gaming, and everything in between. It has excellent features, yet it is still reasonably priced.
Review
This laptop had an Intel Core i7-1195G7 Processor with 5.0 GHz of processing power. Based on the processing power alone, this is one of the most powerful units on our list. In addition, it has 16 gigabytes of RAM.
The processing power, combined with the RAM, should be more than enough to run multiple applications simultaneously, whether gaming, programming, or anything else.
In addition, this laptop features 512 gigabytes of SSD storage. There are 9.5 hours of battery life, including video playback and other energy-intensive processes.
This is a so-called green PC, which means that it is made out of sustainable materials, and it’s also designed to be very energy-friendly.
The 15.6-inch full high-definition display has 1920 by 1080 pixels. It’s a widescreen LED-backlit IPS display with 100% SRGB and 300 NIT brightness.
Moreover, there’s 1 Type C USB 3.2 port, dual USB 3.2 ports, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, and an ethernet port, so you can easily connect multiple displays and devices simultaneously.
Pros
- Great processing power
- Lots of RAM
- Decent amount of storage
- Very nice display
- Plenty of connectivity ports
- Good battery life
Cons
Unusual keyboard layout
Dell Inspiron 15 3511 Laptop
Suppose you want a high-end, high-performance laptop and are willing to spend more. If so, this Dell Inspiron model is an excellent choice.
Review
This laptop has an 11th Generation Intel Core I7-1165G7 Quad-Core Processor, which features a frequency of 2.8 GHz, although, when operating at max turbo speed, this can reach 4.7 GHz. This is combined with 64 gigabytes of RAM, so you can be sure this is a powerful and fast laptop.
Moreover, it comes with a 2-terabyte solid-state hard drive, the largest hard drive with the most storage space of any laptop on our list.
In addition, this unit has a 15.6” full high-definition display that features 1920 by 1080 pixels. It also has an anti-glare feature. For clarity and color quality, this is one of the best laptops you can get your hands on for the price. We like that it is still relatively small, so it does remain portable.
Moreover, there are two USB 3.1 ports, a USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, a combination microphone and headphone jack, a power jack, stereo speakers, and a 720P HD webcam. It also has Windows 11 Home installed. It might be the most expensive laptop on the list, but it’s also the best.
Pros
- Great processing power
- Tons of RAM
- Huge storage space
- Great display
- Plenty of awesome features
- Many connectivity options
Cons
Not very budget friendly
Buyer’s Guide
Let’s look at the main features and factors to keep an eye on when purchasing a laptop for a programming student.
The Processor
The processor you get is essential, although the most important thing is the frequency. You need something that has at least 2.4 GHz, although the more, the better. This will ensure that your laptop is fast and efficient no matter what application you run.
RAM
Also, pay attention to how much RAM the laptop has. Some laptops on our list have as few as 8 gigabytes of RAM, whereas others have as much as 64. The more RAM your computer has, the faster it will be, especially when running multiple applications.
Storage
You also need to pay attention to how much storage space the laptop has. As you can see from our reviews, somehow, laptops have as few as 256 gigabytes, whereas others go as high as two terabytes. Therefore, consider how much storage space you need.
Display
Although the display is not the most crucial for programming, it does help if you have something clear with good color quality. Therefore, going for a full high-definition display is recommended.
Connectivity
Consider the devices and displays you want to connect to the laptop. Based on this, look for multiple USB ports, an HDMI port, audio jacks, and more.
Conclusion
The best laptop for programming students on our list is the Dell Inspiron 15 3511 Laptop. It might not be the cheapest model, but it is by far the most powerful and efficient of the five laptops reviewed today.
