Choosing the Right Laptop for Programming

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on selecting the perfect laptop for your programming needs. This guide is designed to help you understand the key factors to consider when buying a laptop, and provide recommendations for various budgets. We will also discuss Mac v/s Windows later on.

Understanding Processors

The processor is the heart of your laptop. For programming, you need a powerful CPU as it does most of the compiling. We recommend at least a quad-core CPU, such as a Ryzen 5 4000 or an i5 11th gen.

One additional thing, 12th/some 11th Gen Intel models (eg. 1260P) have P-cores and E-cores, so combined they have more cores than Ryzen counterparts. However the E-cores do not boost as much as the P-cores do. Usually many chips will have 2 P-cores and 8 E-cores. This does not necessarily means it performs equivalent to an actual 10 core chip. This P-core and E-core is great for battery life but not necessarily for performance. Ryzen chips (the 8 core ones) out perform these but do not have the same overall TDP.

AMD list you have is a bit inaccurate. AMD 4900HS is faster than a 1135G7 and 12900H is faster than a 6500U. This may not be true for power efficiency. If you want to be super-accurate then, for AMD, the higher the number the better. For Intel, 4-digit (like 1165G7 or 1240P) series the higher it is the better (uses the P and E core models) and 5-digit series the higher the better but 4-digit > 5-digit in power efficiency. If you want to compare Intel vs. AMD together then: it will be a mess, you should google some benchmarks.

Storage: SSD vs HDD

In the modern age, an SSD is a must-have. They offer less storage than HDDs, but they are much faster and more efficient. An SSD means a better battery life as there are no moving parts and faster opening of software as they can be loaded into the RAM faster. If you need more storage, consider getting an external USB HDD.

RAM: How Much is Enough?

While 8GB of RAM is the bare minimum, 16GB is recommended for smooth multitasking. Anything beyond 32GB would be overkill.

The Role of GPU in Programming

A dedicated GPU is necessary if you plan on delving into data science or machine learning. However, it does come at the cost of battery life. You can disable the GPU when not in use to save battery. But having a GPU comes with the tradeoff of battery life but you can disable the GPU when you are not using it and use the integrated GPU (which you will have nonetheless you have a dedicated one or not). Get a laptop with a nVidia GPU if you want to do Machine Learning and AI stuff. AMD GPUs don’t have good performance in Machine Learning. RTX has better performance than GTX in ML. (3050 is 10% better than 1650 ti in other things but approx 30-35% better in ML)

Form Factor: Function Over Form

While sleek, thin laptops with metal bodies may be aesthetically pleasing, they often compromise on performance. Gaming laptops, despite their bulk, offer better cooling and performance.

Display: OLED vs LCD

Unless you’re into graphic design, avoid OLED displays as they suffer from burn-in and have a shorter lifespan.

Connectivity: HDMI and DisplayPort

If you plan on connecting multiple displays, check the HDMI and DisplayPort capabilities of your laptop.

Price Ranges: Recommendations

Depending on your budget, there are several laptops that offer great value for money. From used ThinkPads under 30K to MacBook M1 Air for 90K and beyond, there’s something for everyone.

Before making a purchase, it’s important to do your research. Keep in mind that the thermal performance of a laptop can significantly impact its performance. For instance, two laptops with the same specifications can have a performance difference of up to 25% due to their thermal characteristics.

Laptops Below 30K

For those on a budget, consider purchasing a used ThinkPad. With some upgrades like installing an SSD, RAM, and some thermal paste, a used ThinkPad can outperform any new laptop in this price range. Here are some price guidelines for used ThinkPads:

• T430, X230, L430: Don’t pay more than 16k
• T440, L440, X240: Don’t pay more than 20k
• T450: Don’t pay more than 23k
• T470: Don’t pay more than 25k
• T480: You can now get this model for 25k, which is a better deal.

Why ThinkPad?

ThinkPads are a popular choice due to their plentiful availability, excellent keyboards, great durability, utilitarian design, easy repairability, and excellent Linux & BSD support.

Laptops in the 30-40k Range

• MSI Modern 14 (6 Core, 8GB/512GB): A seriously good deal.
• Vivobook 14 (Quad Core, 8GB/512GB): Suggested by u/DatBoiEk.
• Vostro R3 (Quad Core, 8GB/256GB): A solid choice.

Avoid dual-core processors, whether Intel or AMD.

Laptops in the 40-50k Range

• Bravo 15 (5600H, 8GB/512GB, RX5500M GPU, 144 Hz): Good choice but has an AMD GPU. Better processor though. Will be better compatible with Linux.
• Aspire 7 (5500U, 8GB/512GB, nVidia GTX 1650 GPU): CPU performance is ~10% less than the Bravo 15 but GPU is better.

Laptops in the 50-60k Range

• Acer Aspire 5 Gaming (i5 1260p, 512 Gb, 8 Gb, RTX 2050): Thin and light (1.8 Kg) with enough punch. Addition by u/dhyaan1680.
• Ideapad Gaming 3 (5600H, 8GB/512GB, GTX 1650, 120hz): Good build and cooling.
• Pavallion 5 (5600H, 8GB/512Gb, GTX 1650, 144gz): Similar to the Ideapad Gaming 3.

Laptops in the 60-70k Range

• Aspire 7 (i5 1240p, 8GB/512GB, RTX 3050): Better GPU and CPU performance than anything in this price range.
• Ideapad Gaming 3 (5600H, 8GB/512GB, RTX 3050): Better GPU than the above Ideapad.

Laptops in the 70-80k Range

• Ideapad Gaming 3 (5800H, 16GB/512GB, GTX 1650): A really good value as suggested by u/TibialYeti.
• Ideapad Gaming 3 (5800H, 16GB/512GB, RTX 3050): Better GPU than the other one.

Laptops in the 80-90k Range

• MacBook M1 Air Base Model: A solid choice for Apple fans.
• MSI Gaming Sword 15 (Intel 12th Gen. i5-12500H, 16GB/1TB NVMe SSD, Nvidia RTX 3050): Nice value thanks to u/arjit217.

Laptops Above 90k

For those with a higher budget, consider getting a laptop with an RTX 3060 and Ryzen 6800H. However, we generally do not recommend buying laptops that are this expensive. For mechanical engineers, consider getting a ThinkPad with a Quadro (now called A series) as SolidWorks only works on these GPUs.