5 Best Laptops for Computer Science Students in 2025
From this article, you will know what are the best laptops for computer science students you can buy and use in 2025.
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, software development, and software 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Thinkpad T14 | ||
| Apple MacBook Air M3 | ||
| LG Gram 15 | ||
| Microsoft Surface Laptop | ||
| Dell XPS 13 |
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 Intel Core Ultra 7 155U processor and 32GB 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: Intel Core Ultra 7 155U with 12 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 8 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily activities of a computer science student
- Quite sleek and lightweight
- USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports
- Friendly-to-the-eye display
- A quite flexible hinge (stretchable up to 180 degrees)
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
2. Apple MacBook Air M3
Apple MacBook Air M3 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 M3 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 M3 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 M3 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 M3 with 8 cores and a speed of 4.05 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 18 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily activities of a computer science student
- Sleek and lightweight
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Long-lasting battery
- Excellent display and sound outputs
- Excellent webcam and microphones
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A, HDMI ports, and SD card reader slots
- Notched display
3. LG Gram 15
LG Gram 15 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 13 hours of usage capacity.
As for the performance, you don’t have to worry. You should run your applications and files fast with its 13th 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 15 laptop is great and should be one of the laptops you consider buying to support your daily activities.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1080 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 12 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 13 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily activities of a computer science student
- Sleek and lightweight
- A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- A full-HD webcam
- Good display and sound quality
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- May feel a little bit flimsy
4. Microsoft Surface Laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 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 a Snapdragon X Elite processor 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 too.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.8 inches, 2304 x 1536 pixels
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite with 12 cores and speed in the range of 3.4-4 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 20 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily activities of a computer science student
- USB-A and Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Good battery life
- Great display and sound outputs
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No HDMI ports and SD card reader slots
5. Dell XPS 13
Dell XPS 13 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 Intel Core Ultra 155H. 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. When you need to type something, this laptop’s unique keyboard should give you a comfortable typing experience with its excellent keys and optimized key travel.
Looking for a small laptop that can process your tasks as a computer science student capably? Take a look at this Dell XPS 13 laptop too.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 13.4 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H with 16 cores and speed in the range of 3.8-4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 16GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 10 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent specifications to support the daily activities of a computer science student
- Premium build
- Sleek and lightweight
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A, HDMI ports, and SD card reader slots
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 at least a late-generation 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 at least 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 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 that, 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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