How to choose a laptop for a programmer?

The choice of a laptop is fraught with many difficulties. There are more than a dozen models on the market that are suitable for one or another buyer according to the specifications, so it's time to get lost.

A laptop for a programmer is no exception. And if it's important for you to buy the best device, then, undoubtedly, you'll have to get a good look at all the pros and cons.

What should I look for?

Before we discuss in detail how and what to choose a laptop, you need to briefly determine the main factors that would affect the acquisition. First, it is worthwhile to understand for what tasks a device is needed. Programmers are different. Someone needs to work with resource-intensive programs, someone programs simple applications for phones and can manage even a netbook.

Further it is necessary to be defined with the sizes. Some programmers, when choosing a laptop for work, want it to be small in size, so that on the way home and back do not waste time and manage their projects.

Next, you need to understand what screen is needed. If you were working with graphics, this factor would be the key for you. Color rendering in this case should be as accurate as possible. In case you are a programmer, then it's best to bet on the screen size. Also, you should not forget about the autonomy of the device.

The rest of the time will have to be given to the study of characteristics. Usually the laptop for the programmer is chosen by the programmer himself, so questions about the specifications do not arise. These people know a lot about the device. Also have to read reviews and determine the manufacturer.

Company Profile

By the way, about the manufacturers. To say specifically that you are perfect for Apple or Asus, you can not. In addition, opinions always diverge, and the cost of devices is not the least. Nevertheless, there are manufacturers who make notebooks for work or study. They are not gaming, not multimedia, but not completely lost.

So, to such can not be attributed the company Apple, which, in principle, can boast of only the huge cost of a laptop. Although some users who are used to working with the "apple" operating system, can argue with this statement. In addition, "MacBooks" like to choose girls who can easily carry this device anywhere with them.

And yet, if the cost to you is one of the key points, then the choice of Apple products is definitely not for you. The company Acer also drops out of the list of candidates. About 7-8 years ago, it could boast of worthy options, now from this manufacturer fewer and fewer truly decent models are coming.

Packard Bell can be considered unsuccessful. Reading about him, you can immediately see that too often complaints sound on the assembly, the quality of materials and the general attitude of the manufacturer to the device. Although the segment of such problems is expensive, of course, no. Toshiba also does not stand out as something successful and worthwhile. Therefore, it is better to pass by the products of this manufacturer.

Partners

The most successful choice for the programmer will be Asus, Lenovo, MSI and Dell. By the way, these same manufacturers occupy the leading positions in the production of gamer laptops. Therefore, creating a powerful device for them is not a problem. Some models may not be so cheap, but the quality of assembly and hardware is worth it.

There are these companies have entire lines, which are represented by devices of compact dimensions, but with a good "filling". Although many believe that this is a gaming laptop, the view is mistaken. After all, in this case, you need a cooling pad-cooler for the laptop, which makes the device less mobile. Models for programmers usually do not overheat as much as gamer laptops.

Examples of companies

Perhaps this information does not solve your question in choosing a laptop. But the fact remains. Companies that develop software and in principle are engaged in programming, a lot. Leading in the world, of course, less, but they also are, and they are often spoken about. So, their experience of using the working device differs from each other. Therefore, it is interesting to know what is in the offices of Bill Gates or the late Steve Jobs.

In the latter case, the answer is obvious. It is unlikely that the "apple" company puts models for its employees from Asus or Lenovo. But in the company of Google give preference to stationary computers.

But there is information that there are laptops. So, more often there are either "apple" "MacBooks", or the famous thin models ThinkPad from Lenovo. Mark Zuckerberg in the office "Facebook" things are almost standard. There are installed "MacBooks" connected to an external monitor DELL. Microsoft believes that the ideal laptop for the programmer is a powerful workstation from HP and DELL.

Dimensions and dimensions

As we said earlier, it's important to start to decide whether you need a laptop in principle. Or you can use a stationary PC for work. It is better to give preference to the second option. If you still need to move with the laptop from home to work, then you need to decide on the dimensions.

Girls usually prefer the "MacBooks". This option is easy and quite productive, but very expensive. If you look at something cheaper, but a similar format, it's better to choose ThinkPad from Lenovo.

If a laptop for a programmer needs a young man who is able to wear heavier devices, then the choice becomes at times wider. Then you can look at models with a weight of up to three kilograms. The size of the screen should also be selected solely from its preferences. Some users consider themselves to be an ideal laptop with a diagonal of 13 inches. Others categorically state that less than 17 inches display is not worth choosing.

Characteristics

Let us pass directly to the characteristics of the device. Most knowledgeable people say that the best laptops for programmers should not have a powerful graphics card. Of course, it must cope with the tasks, but it is not necessary to choose a gamer accelerator. He, in principle, to anything, and overpay for it will have to be strong.

But the processor should not be the last. Now the most advised to pay attention to Intel Core i7. Although AMD-based systems are also quite good. In addition, they are at times cheaper than the top-end options from the "blue" company. By the way, if you can choose Intel with a processor and find a product from AMD, then the video card is best from NVidia.

Next, look at the operating system. It is important that it is not less than 4 GB - this is the minimum that can not be overcome in any case. If to speak about real indicators, models with 8 or 16 GB of RAM best show themselves. These are laptops that deserve attention.

Next, we look at the autonomy of the device. All current gaming models are practically working only from the network. Therefore, they definitely do not fit, if you want to play in new-fangled toys, and at the same time work. Laptop for work should be kept without recharging for at least 4 hours. And given that the battery sits down over time, and the battery life becomes shorter, it's better to immediately take such models that will live more than 6-8 hours.

Well, finally, it's important to pay attention to the hard disk. Now more often in laptops is HDD. Better, of course, to search for models with SSD. If you can not, then after the purchase, you can replace the HDD with a high-speed one, and leave it as an external drive for files and garbage. The volume is also, in principle, individual. Although, as practice shows and programmers say themselves, less than 500 GB is not recommended.

Models

Even if you know all the popular brands of laptops, this is unlikely to help you make a quick choice. It's best to go to Yandex.Market, specify all the parameters you need, up to weight, size and autonomy, and then consider the appropriate options. We, in turn, will also present the best models of laptops from different manufacturers, which are uniquely suited to programmers.

Options from Apple

In fact, if you need a laptop for a web programmer, you can buy almost any model from Apple. Above we have already mentioned this device and said that it will not suit everyone because of the company's pricing policy. Nevertheless, if you have the means to buy, then why not. MacBook Pro 15 is presented in a huge variety. So you can find options based on different processors, with different RAM and other characteristics.

The most successful option is the model with Core i7, whose frequency is 2.7 GHz. In this case there are four cores inside. The type of video card here is discrete and built-in. The last option is the AMD Radeon Pro 455. A good mobile card, which, although it does not pull on the ultra-settings of the game, with the work tasks will do just fine. And in his spare time will provide an opportunity to defuse the situation in an online shooter.

The amount of video memory - 2 GB, of course, it is better to choose a little more, but this is definitely enough for everyday tasks, in particular for programming. The main advantage of this model is the presence of a hard disk type SSD, the volume of which is 512 GB. All the necessary wireless technology is there.

Not a bad and the appearance of this model. The touchpad is very comfortable, which makes it convenient to use the device on the road. He is big and responds quickly to teams. The keyboard is compact though it has a dedicated block with arrows, which are so "prayed" by programmers. And the left / right keys are increased in size, which is quite unusual, but very convenient. Also, the keyboard has a backlight.

The display size is 15.4 inches, the resolution is excellent - 2880x1800, as is the quality of the TFT IPS matrix. Operating memory inside as much as 16 GB, which will have the best effect on the work. Its type is DDR3L.

Also important for the programmer are the dimensions of the laptop. The model weighs only 1.8 kilograms. The dimensions are also small - 350x241x15 mm. The feature of the hull is that it is made of metal, which means that it is durable, and nothing will break off from it in the course of time, as it happens with plastic. Autonomy 10 hours in general will be a great gift for those who like to travel and work on the road.

Option from ASUS

ZenBook Pro UX501VW is an excellent laptop for the programmer. Although the cost of it - on a par with the "apple" option. It differs in its attractive appearance. It weighs 2 kilograms, the dimensions are practically the same as the "MacBook" ones. Autonomy is somewhat less - up to 6 hours.

The main trump card is a 15.6-inch screen with a resolution of 3840x2160. It runs a quad-core Core i7 with a frequency of 2.6 GHz. RAM - 16 GB, there is a discrete graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, which in principle will cope with any gaming projects. The only thing that can fail is the cooling system. The disk is installed in 512 GB.

Option from HP

Unlike the previous two, this model is twice cheaper. The HP ProBook 450 G4 has a simpler dual core Core i5 7200U with a frequency of 2.5 GHz. RAM here is 8 GB. The discrete NVIDIA GeForce 930MX card is less productive than the models in previous notebooks, although it will cope with the work programs perfectly.

Inside, a 1 TB HDD runs, which, as you remember, can be replaced with a high-speed SSD. Weighs the model also 2 kilograms, autonomous work for as long as 12 hours, which, of course, is very pleasant. The screen is a bit worse because of the lower resolution, although for programmers it will be enough - 1920x1080.

Variant from DELL

This company represents a laptop for the programmer for only 30-35 thousand rubles, which, of course, is very profitable. DELL INSPIRON 5558 runs on the basis of Intel Core i5 5200U with a frequency of 2.2 GHz and two cores. RAM 8 GB, HDD of 1 TB of HDD type. But this model is somewhat heavier - 2.3 kilograms, but autonomy, on the contrary, is less - up to seven hours.

Buyers consider this option the most budgetary and successful, and indeed the entire line of INSPIRON good. Models are suitable for working with office programs and more time-consuming software.

Option from Lenovo

Legendary Lenovo THINKPAD Edge E550 is also one of the budget options for compact notebooks. It is productive, fast and easy. It has several modifications. In one of them works Intel Core i7 5500U with a frequency of 2.4 GHz and two cores. The RAM here is 8 GB, although it is possible to expand to 16 GB. The video card AMD Radeon R7 M265.

Inside works HDD HDD type with a volume of 1 TB. Weight - 2.3 kilograms, the dimensions are small. Autonomy work 9 hours. The block of arrows on the keyboard is highlighted, the touchpad is compact and has additional functions that are not usually found in laptops. There is a red button in the middle of the keyboard - a trackpoint.

Option from MSI

Well, concluding our conversation on how to choose a laptop for the programmer, it is worth turning to MSI, which produces not only good game options, but also good working models. The MSI GL62 6QD is an average model between the gaming and workstations. It may not please some players, but it is perfect for programmers and graphic editors.

It runs a quad-core Core i5 with a frequency of 2.3 GHz. RAM here is 4 or 8 GB. You can expand it to 16 GB. HDD type HDD is also available in versions from 500 GB to 1 TB. The video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M copes with all the tasks. The screen is also quite good, like the resolution. Although the weight is 2.3 kilograms, the dimensions are slightly larger than in the previously reviewed models.