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9 Best Laptops for Programming in 2020
Long gone are the days where consumers had less than 7 options when buying a new laptop.
Technology has advanced immensely in the past couple of decades, and now there is a slew
of laptops to choose from. Whether users are looking for specific laptops such as gaming
laptops or the best laptops for programming, it is important to determine what they want
before shopping.
TOP PICKS
CHOOSING A LAPTOP FOR PROGRAMMING
Any time people are looking to buy a new piece of technology, they have to know what
specs and features they want in it. This includes a processor, RAM, storage, cache, and
many other things.
“Programming” is a simple word but refers to a vast variety of things. There are now many
different programming languages that techies use to code, so it is important to buy a
laptop that is able to run needed IDEs, virtual machines, etc. whatever you may need for
seamless programming.
Below are some important things to consider when someone is in search of the best laptop
for programming.
BASICS
Programmers spend the majority of their time on their computers. The invention of laptops
was excellent for this group of people because they can work from anywhere and they are
able to travel and still work. Comfort and convenience are key.
Before purchasing a laptop, it’s important to make sure the keyboard is comfortable. Many
people don’t even consider how “touchy” and “responsive” a keyboard is, but developers
have to. People who work at night also find a backlit keyboard useful.
Obviously, decent battery life and portability are also required in a laptop, especially
for freelancers and those who work remotely. Consumers should look for a laptop that
will give a minimum of six hours of battery life.
Smaller screens (more in the 13-inch range) are easier to carry around and usually more
lightweight. Users who stay home or in an office most of the time, on the contrary, can
get by with larger displays (around 17-inches).
DISPLAYS
Displays are also important, as eyestrain is real and programmers spend an enormous
amount of time looking at them. Eye doctors recommend looking away from the screen every
20 minutes, but many people forget or are too engrossed in their work to do so. Also,
the general consensus is that a touchscreen is not necessary unless someone is looking
for a 2-in-1 laptop.
Many companies try to sell expensive 4k displays, but these are usually not necessary. As
long as buyers get a laptop with at least a 1080p display, it should be just fine.
OPERATING SYSTEM
Of course, one of the biggest considerations that needs to be made when buying any type
of laptop is the operating system (OS) consumers want to use. Microsoft Windows and
macOS are the most prominent, but Linux is extremely close.
Microsoft Windows is typically the choice of programmers because Windows offers cheap
laptops that are still able to provide the processing power a programmer needs. Most
programming languages are supported by Windows and therefore are more attractive to
general programmers.
Macs, on the other hand, are typically much more pricey; however, Apple developers need
to work on them. Xcode isn’t available on Windows (well, you can try to emulate it
though) so if you write software for iOS or macOS, Apple laptop is preferred. Apple
laptops are also very popular among front-end developers.
As mentioned, Linux systems can also be used for programming and are mainly useful for
developers who work with Ruby on Rails, Python, and PHP.
PROCESSOR
As one would expect, the processors in the programming laptops are crucial. Regardless
what users are doing with their programming laptops, they will need a processor powerful
enough to support their work.
Intel, of course, has been a powerhouse for processors for many years. Despite being on
the more expensive side, the Intel i7 processor is excellent for programming. If you are
using developing resource-heavy apps and games, the Intel i7 processor is probably the
best choice. Most programmers can usually get by with an Intel i5 processor.
Laptops for programming students who are on a tight budget might have an Intel i3
processor, which is good for basics but not sufficient for heavy programming. These are
probably not the best laptops for video editing and graphic design; however, they work
fine for the basics.
RAM
Another important factor in a programming laptop is RAM. Running a lot of applications
and programs at once can really slow a laptop down, but laptops with a large amount of
RAM can handle them and allow users to switch between them seamlessly.
Entry level and most intermediate programmers can get by with about 8GB of RAM. This can
handle code editors, a browser, local servers, and so on relatively quickly without
problems.
On the other hand, hardcore game developers and graphic designers should have more RAM,
more in the range of 12GB to 16GB.
STORAGE
Basic laptop buyers don’t even consider the debate between hard drives (HDDs) or solid
state drives (SSDs), but programmers do. These both have their pros and cons, so users
should make sure to weigh their options when deciding.
Hard drives are typically much slower than solid-state drives, but they usually also come
with much, much more storage. Solid state drives are much faster but these laptops are
usually more pricey and don’t have as much storage.
Ideally, the best laptop for programming would arguably have a solid state drive and 1TB
of storage, but this is expensive and not everyone has that kind of budget.
Overall, if a user is looking for a lot of storage and average speed, hard drives are
better, but if the user in search of an extremely fast laptop and can sacrifice storage
space, solid-state drives might be the better option.
GRAPHICS
Though experts would know the answer to this, many beginners question whether to get a
discrete graphics card or integrated graphics cards. Luckily, the integrated graphics
card is likely the better option here, and it is cheaper than a discrete graphics card.
This will allow users to use the saved money on other upgrades and options.
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