Best Laptops for Computer Science Students in 2024 Reviews, Buying Guide, FAQs

It really should not come as a surprise that computer science is one of the best subjects that anyone can get into. However, one must always be mindful of the fact that although it is a fun subject, it can also be difficult to keep up with and you can easily mess things up in the process.

The one thing that you will always need here is going to be a good laptop and that is why we have decided to explore the best laptops for computer science students, considering how easy and convenient it has become. So, let’s not waste time and have a look, shall we?

If you are in a hurry and you just want to look at the laptops without too much of a hassle, then this section is for you where you can just check all the offerings that are in the market so you do not have any issues.

Reviewing the Best Laptops for Computer Science Students

Now, the process of reviewing the best laptops for computer science students is not really that difficult. However, the goal here is to help everyone get the better understanding so we are going to list down the laptops that we think are the best so you do not have to spend time being confused about what needs to be done and what doesn’t.

We have only added 5 laptops in the list and if you are wondering why that is the case, it is to ensure that you have an easier time picking the one that you think is right. Let’s not waste more time and have a look.

Over the past couple of years, we have come to realise that when it comes to laptops, Microsoft really knows how to make them stellar. Sure, the company may have not had the same level of luck with their Surface smartphones but if you are looking at laptops, then the Surface offerings are excellent in almost every regard.

With that said, the Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 is the one that is on our table today and to be honest, if you have been looking for something that is solid and something that does not hold back, then this is a great laptop that you should invest in. As someone studying computer science, this laptop makes a lot of sense and we must be aware of that.

• Ryzen 7 Surface Edition.
• 16GB RAM.
• 512GB SSD.
• 15-inch2496×1664 display, PixelSense with touch screen capabilities.

The specs alone make a strong case for the Microsoft Surface 4 and that is just the beginning. I have seen a lot of laptops in the past that delivered solid set of specs but in reality, failed when it came to the real-world testing. However, one must wonder if the same is the case with this laptop and if you are spending some time thinking, then that is not it.

As a student, it is rather safe to assume that you would be using this laptop for long hours and if that is the case, you would be in need of a good battery. Thankfully, the Surface 4 delivers surprisingly excellent battery, which is always a good thing. The efficiency itself is amazing, despite the laptop being a powerful machine.

Speaking of power, all thanks to the Ryzen 7 under the hood, you are getting some really nice performance boost over the previous generation of offering. So, if that is something that has been on your mind, you would be more than happy to know that the performance aspect is well taken care of here.

Another great thing that I love about, something that no one really asked for is the display on this laptop. You are getting a bright and vivid display that is also touch compatible and has a high resolution. Higher than the competition, might I add, and this ensures that your laptop’s performance is not going to run into any issues.

Last but not the least, the Surface 4 also delivers a surprisingly good keyboard and the funniest thing is that you can actually play some games on this laptop, too. Thanks to a moderately powerful GPU that can run most games on lower settings.

As far as the downsides are concerned, there are not a lot. But I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that instead of a Thunderbolt port, Microsoft has gone ahead and added a Surface Connector. Which on paper, looks like a good idea but it simply is not.

Overall, the Surface 4 makes up for the best laptop for students. If you are in the market looking for something that is just going to work and work really well, then getting your hands on this laptop is not a bad idea, at all. For under $1,800 this is one of the best laptops that I can suggest to anyone.

It does not come as a surprise to us that Asus has been making some excellent laptops for some time now and the ROG Flow X13 is just one example of the extraordinary work that the company has done. If you have been in the market looking for something solid, perhaps spending money on Asus is the way to go as you will not be getting something that is average, to say the least.

The ROG Flow X13 is just a testament to that because this is perhaps one of the most innovative laptops that I have seen in some time. From afar, it might look like something that is simple and understated but under the hood, you are getting stellar performance, and something that you will not be regretting.

• 13.4-inch 4K display.
• 120HZ Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen
• Ryzen 9 5900HS
• 16GB RAM.
• 1TB SSD.
• GTX 1650 with optional RTX 3080.

Now, looking at the specs alone, you can tell that the ROG Flow X13 is not messing around but trust me, after testing this laptop for a good chunk of time, I have realised that you are looking at a rather powerful laptop, and for those who have been looking for something that just delivers and delivers on all fronts, you have something good on your hands. The ROG Flow X13 is an excellent laptop and that is not a joke.

The versatile 2-in-1 design remains my favourite as it not only looks good but it is also extremely functional. You can use the laptop as a laptop or as a tablet; the choice is yours. The display here is gorgeous; not only is it covered with Gorilla Glass, but it also has 4K resolution and touch screen support, giving you the best of both worlds. Simply put, if you have been searching for good performance, then this is a great way to get started.

You are also looking at the fact that the GTX 1650 on this laptop is a proper gaming GPU. Sure, it might not be able to let you run games like Doom Eternal or Cyberpunk 2077, but what you have is admirable enough and works really, really well for the price you are paying. It is not going to slow down in terms of the performance, and that just makes everything better.

Another great thing about this laptop is the fact that you are getting access to the option to attach an external RTX 3080 to this laptop and paired with the already powerful Ryzen 9 5900HS, you are getting something that is truly going to change how your laptop is going to work. However, be prepared to spend a good chunk of money on that external GPU connector.

As far as the downsides are concerned, the underside of the laptop does get hot during gaming and the battery life is not the best, but that is something expected.

Overall, the ROG Flow X13 remains to be a laptop that asks you to take it seriously thanks to all the powerful internals and the ability to morph into a full-fledged desktop replacement. If you have been looking for something good, then this laptop is the way to go as it will not be disappointing you. For under $1,500, it certainly is not the cheapest laptop but delivers exceptional performance.

I mean, all of us are more or less familiar with Apple and the wonderful products that they have been selling in the market and the best part is that if you are looking for something that is good and delivers solid performance across the board, then getting your hands on it is the right thing to do as you will not be regretting anything going with such a powerhouse of a device.

With that said, the Apple MacBook Air M2 is definitely something that you should be looking into if you are a student and want to spend some good amount of money on buying a device that is going to last you for years to come.

• 8 core M2 chip with 10 core GPU.
• 13.6-inch display with 2560×1664 resolution.
• HD Camera
• 8GB RAM.
• 256GB SSD.

Now, it is worth noting that these are just the starting specs. You can actually go ahead and upgrade the MacBook Air M2 with 16 gigs of RAB and 1TB of storage if you wish to but then you would have to go pay a good amount of money for that.

Price aside, there is a lot to love about the MacBook Air M2, to e honest. You are getting a design that is ridiculously portable, the bright and colorful 13.6-inch display is a treat to use. For any color correction work, you are going to enjoy a lot because the display is gorgeous enough to provide you with everything that you would want.

The M.2 absolutely shines in terms of performance is one of the best chipsets that we have had the chance to use. It is powerful, power efficient, and does not really get very hot. If you have been searching for something that just works across the board, then this definitely is something that you should be looking into.

Moving further, you are also looking at top-tier battery life here; the MacBook Air M2 is easily an all-day laptop, and typing on it is a lot of fun, too. So, if typing is one thing that is of a concern, then this is a great offering that you should be looking into.

As far as the downsides are concerned, I cannot really seem to think that there is anything wrong with this laptop. However, the notch can be a bit distracting at first and you are only getting support for a single external monitor.

Overall, I would say that the Apple MacBook Air M2 is a wonderful laptop that is built for performance oriented tasks and compute science students will benefit greatly from this machine. For under $1,200, you are looking at an amazing machine that just gets everything done without breaking a sweat.

Lenovo laptops, for the longest time, served as powerful devices that would deliver excellent value for money and everything that you would need from a good laptop and that is exactly what we have been looking into lately. These laptops are excellent in all the cases, and are not going to create any issues for you, either.

The laptop that we are looking at can be upgraded in a number of ways but even the model that we have is plenty powerful to deliver a good overall performance but hey, I am still going to make a point here so you know what you are looking for.

• Ryzen 5 5600U
• 16GB RAM.
• 1TB SSD.
• 14-inch QHD display.
• Radeon Vega graphics.
• Touchscreen Laptop, 2K (2240 x 1400) 16:10 IPS 100% sRGB

Now, it is more than safe to say that in terms of the overall specs, the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is not messing around and that certainly is a good thing because you no longer have to worry about anything going wrong, in the first place.

Thankfully, the specs are not just good on the paper but in real life, too. For starters, the screen is definitely the star of the show. You are looking at a 16:10 2K touch screen that offers full sRGB coverage along with AMD’s FreeSync, so if you do want to game on this laptop, that is theoretically possible.

There is more to this, laptop, however. For starters, the multi-threaded performance is excellent and the single-threaded performance also rules. You can get this laptop and not worry about the fact that you are not going to get the type of performance you are looking for.

Moving further, the laptop also brings a smooth metal chassis that screams premium quality through and through. I cannot really think of anything that this laptop cannot do. You can even go ahead and service this laptop with ease, which is always a good thing.

There is so much to love about the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro that we forget that there are some downsides, too. For starters, the gaming performance is on the slower side, you are not getting latest connectivity offering, and the click pad is not the best.

Overall, if you are spending less than $800 on a laptop, then getting your hands on the Lenovo IdeaPad 5 Pro is something that you should definitely look into. The performance is great, the looks are great, and the laptop actually works really well.

We all know the fact that HP laptops are great and while we always run into situations where you might be looking to get your hands on a different laptop, altogether. The truth is that if you want performance, a good HP laptop can get you that.

The HP 15” Premium is something that is on the more affordable end of things and if you have been looking at something that is performance oriented, then this laptop is definitely the way to go as it will not be disappointing anyone and the performance remains excellent, too.

• 15.6-inch HD display.
• Intel Dual Core N4020 processor.
• 16GB RAM.
• 1TB SSD

You can look at the specs and you will realise that this is not something that is going to break benchmark records but if you are computer science student and you want something that is good and decent for your school or college work, then this is exactly what you should be looking into because it just works and does a great job at that, as well.

Now, the laptop does run Windows 11 and is more than capable of running all the other basic programs that you would want it to run and that is a good thing. However, I would not suggest you to expect too much from this offering as there are some obvious downsides that do come in the way, and we want to keep that in mind going forward.

There is plenty of storage and RAM available for you to get through everything that you might have to deal with and that certainly is a good thing.

As far as the downsides are concerned, the sad state of the HP 15” Premium is that it is not built for extensively productivity-oriented work. Which means if you have been looking for something that is the jack of all trades, this is not something that you want to look into.

Overall, the HP 15” Premium is a good laptop but for under $500, you cannot really expect much and for what it is worth, it still manages to deliver on almost all the fronts and that too, with ease.

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How to Buy the Best Laptop for Computer Science Students

Now that we are done looking at all the best laptops available for computer science students in the market. The next step is to start looking at how you can buy the best laptop, to begin with. After all, you do not want to go ahead and pick the wrong option, do you? We are going to explore a brief buying guide that should give you a better idea as to what you should be doing, in the first place.

• Considering Your Budget: First things first, we are going to start with considering the budget because that is important. In this list, we have looked at laptops from all budgets, so you can have a much easier time picking up the right option and that too, without any issues. Once you have decided the budget, it will be ultimately easy for you to just get what you want.
• Your Requirements: Another thing that I would suggest you is that you should always look at your requirements before you pick up a laptop because that would determine a lot. Are you just looking for a laptop for studies or do you plan on gaming on the laptop too? The choice is yours, but making the right choice is very, very important and you cannot go wrong with that.
• Portability: Although most of the laptops that we have featured here are focused on portability, there are some that are anything but portable. The point here is that you should ask yourself if you want portability or not because without access to that, you might never really get the experience you are trying to get, in the first place.
• Windows of Mac: Another really important thing to look into is asking yourself if you are looking at a Windows-based laptop or Mac. I do understand that this is a little concern but to a lot of people, this matter a lot and getting the wrong one is not going to be the most helpful thing.
• Applications You Want to Run: Another thing that you should be looking into is the applications you plan on running, something that has become a lot more important than before. You will need to understand what applications are you willing to run and once you figure that out, you can narrow down your choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a special laptop for computer science?

No, I would not say that you need a special laptop for computer science, but you do need a laptop that delivers a decent performance across the board.

Which laptop is best for programming and coding students?

All the laptops that we have suggested in this list are going to be excellent for those who are looking to program or code on their laptops.

What kind of computer do I need for computer science?

Just look at the ones that we have mentioned in this list and you would be happy to find the type of laptop you should be looking into.

Conclusion

Computer science happens to be one of my favourite subjects and I do understand that needing the right laptop for it is going to be confusing for some but with this post, the aim was to make it easier for everyone to choose the right laptop and that is exactly what we have done here as we have looked at the laptop that you can buy without running into any issues.

If you want something good, then this is the post that you should be looking into as everything here is as good as it gets.