5 Best Laptops for Computer Science Students in 2024
From this article, you will know what are the best laptops for computer science students you can buy and use in 2024.
A laptop is something essential to have for a computer science student. After all, they often need to study and work on tasks related to programming and software development and testing during their college years. A laptop with the right specifications is needed so they can do their daily activities optimally.
If you don’t have the right laptop to support you as a computer science student at the moment, you might decide to buy one right now. However, it might be hard to pick a laptop with the right specifications to support your activities from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for computer science students that you can use as your laptop-buying reference.
Want to know what laptops make it into our list and why we recommend them? Let’s get on the list right away.
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| Image | View on Amazon | Product |
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Lenovo Thinkpad T14 | |
 
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Apple MacBook Air M2 | |
 
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LG Gram 15Z90Q | |
 
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 | |
 
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Dell XPS 13 9310 |
Table of Contents:
What are the Best Laptops for Computer Science Students?
Now, let’s see what laptops we think are excellent to be used by computer science students. The specifications of these laptops should help you to do your daily activities that need the support of a laptop smoothly.1. Lenovo Thinkpad T14
Lenovo Thinkpad T14 is the first laptop we think is great for a computer science student to use. Thinkpad laptops are excellent laptops to do programming or software modeling with and we think that this Thinkpad T14 is among the best of the bunch for a computer science student.
The performance of this laptop should be enough to handle all of the programming tasks and lessons you face as a student. It has the AMD Ryzen 7 processor and 16GB RAM. Multitasking with this laptop should be smooth and you should be able to code and simulate your software fast with these specifications in place.
The design of this laptop is solid and robust so you shouldn’t worry when you put it in your bag and walk around. It is also sleek so it should fit in your bag easily. As for the battery, it should be able to last all day on a single charge.
This laptop’s hinge is quite flexible and you can stretch it 180 degrees for more comfortable viewing and usage. All in all, this Lenovo Thinkpad T14 can be a nice choice for the laptop you use every day as a computer science student.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 with speed up to 4.7 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 8 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance to run applications and files
- Full range of ports
- Solid, robust, and sleek build
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
- Quiet fans
Cons
- Average battery life
2. Apple MacBook Air M2
Apple MacBook Air M2 is the next laptop on our list you might want to consider. If you would like to try or you prefer a MacBook over a Windows laptop, you should choose this model.
The M2 processor in this MacBook is powerful and should be able to support your programming activities well. The 16GB RAM capacity is also nice and can handle multitasking well, especially with the support of the M2 processor.
As ever with a MacBook Air, this MacBook is thin and lightweight so it is easy to carry around. This should support your mobility as a student when you go between classes or around your campus. Its portability is supported by its battery as it can go up to 18 hours of normal usage capacity.
The Magic Keyboard on this MacBook is comfortable and responsive to type on so you should get a positive experience when you input your coding lines. Overall, this Apple MacBook Air M2 can be an excellent choice if you want a laptop to support your activities as a computer science student.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.6 inches, 2560 x 1664 pixels
- Processor: Apple M2 with speed up to 3.5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 18 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance to run applications and files
- Thin and lightweight
- Long-lasting battery
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
- High-quality display
Cons
- Lack of ports (USB-A and HDMI)
- Notched display
3. LG Gram 15Z90Q
LG Gram 15Z90Q is another sleek laptop you might want to consider buying and using. It has high-quality specifications and should be able to handle programming activities well.
As with the MacBook Air we previously discussed, this laptop is also sleek and ultra-lightweight. Fitting it in your bag and carrying it around shouldn’t be a problem. The battery is also great with up to 20 hours of usage capacity.
As for the performance, you don’t have to worry. You should run your applications and files fast with its 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. The RAM capacity is 16GB, which is plenty to manage your multitasking.
There are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on this laptop ready for you to use so you can transfer data fast. All in all, this LG Gram 15Z90Q laptop is great and should be one of the laptops you consider buying to support your daily activities.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with speed up to 4.7 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 20 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance to run applications and files
- Full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Ultra-thin and lightweight
- Long-lasting battery
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- Average display
4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 4
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is the next laptop you might want to take a look at. It is a laptop from the Microsoft Surface series that can give you fast performance on your programming applications.
The processor of this laptop is an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 and the RAM capacity is 16GB. These specifications should be good enough to handle your activities as a computer science student. It is also sleek so it should suit your mobility as a student.
The keyboard feels comfortable to type on thanks to the ergonomic design and responsive keys. When you need to work on the go, its long-lasting battery should support you ably before you have to charge this laptop again.
Looking for a nice, stylish, and fast laptop to support your daily student activities? Consider buying this Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 too.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.5 inches, 2256 x 1504 pixels
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i7 with speed up to 4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 17 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance to run applications and files
- Sleek and stylish design
- Long-lasting battery
- Great display
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No HDMI ports
- Thick bezels
5. Dell XPS 13 9310
Dell XPS 13 9310 is the last laptop we recommend on this list. It is a professional-looking laptop from Dell that is small but should give you capable performance.
The processor on this laptop is an 11th Gen Intel Core i7. It is a nice processor that should be able to handle programming activities well. The RAM capacity is 16GB, which is plenty to load multiple applications and files at the same time.
This laptop is sleek and light so you should be able to carry it around easily. The power management of this laptop is also good with advanced thermal engineering and adaptive performance technologies ready to keep its performance stable over time.
Looking for a small laptop that can process your tasks as a computer science student capably? Take a look at this Dell XPS 13 9310 laptop too.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.4 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i7 with speed up to 5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 10 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance to run applications and files
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Sleek and lightweight
- Great display
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A and HDMI ports
- Average sound output
What are the Things We Should Consider When We Want to Buy a Laptop for a Computer Science Student to Use?
Here are the things we think you should consider when you want to buy a laptop for a computer science student.- Processor. Computer science students often need to do programming and software modeling with their laptops. As such, the laptop they use should have a high-quality processor as programming can be a quite taxing task for a laptop. We recommend a laptop with a late-generation of i7 or Ryzen 7 processor for this
- RAM capacity. Programming can also take up a lot of memory space in a laptop, especially if you multitask when you do the programming as well. Thus, the laptop you use should have a large RAM capacity. We recommend a laptop with 16GB RAM for this matter
- SSD storage. SSD storage can make you save and load your applications and files fast. Thus, your laptop should have SSD-type storage. As for the capacity, it should be at least 256GB as applications and files for computer science students often have large file sizes
- Portability. As a student, you often need to move between classes or around the campus to do your activities. As such, the laptop you use should be easy to carry around. Thus, it is better if your laptop is thin, light, and not too big (probably around 13-15 inches in size)
- Battery life. The battery in your laptop should enable you to do your activities on the go without too much problem. A laptop with around 6-8 hours of normal usage capacity or more for its battery should help you to use it all day before you have to charge it again
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I Use a Gaming Laptop for My Activities as a Computer Science Student?
You definitely can use a gaming laptop to support your activities as a computer science student. Performance-wise, a typical gaming laptop should be able to handle programming and software modeling without much problem.However, the disadvantages of a gaming laptop are its design is usually bulky and its battery life is mediocre. Those things might not make a gaming laptop an ideal laptop for computer science students.
However, if you have no problem with those, then a gaming laptop can be a decent choice for you.
Can I Use a Tablet Instead of a Laptop to Support My Activities as a Computer Science Student?
A tablet surely has more portability and is easier to use when you want to take notes during classes. However, we don’t recommend it for a computer science student since we think it isn’t ideal to do coding on a tablet. Besides, it is probably more difficult to do most of your student tasks on a tablet than on a laptop as well.Wrap Up
If you are a computer science student and you don’t have a capable laptop yet, then you might need to find and buy one that can support your daily activities optimally. However, it may be hard to find an ideal laptop for a computer science student to use from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for computer science students to help you.To summarize, here are five laptops we think are great for computer science students.
We hope our list can help you buy the best laptop to support your activities as a computer science student.
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