Hello, guys. This article is for computer science students. A laptop is a primary need for CSE students as programming involved. So, today, in this article, I am going to show you the best 23 laptops that you should consider buying. All laptops are not for everyone for every job. Hence, I will also give you a detailed guide on how to select a laptop for computer science engineering.
So, let's get started.
List of the best laptops for CSE students [Updated on 13 January 2021]
The laptops in the following table follow the order of Cinebench (CB) R20 multi-core score.
| Laptops | CB R20 Multi Core Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo Legion 5Pi | 3102 | Buy Now |
| HP Omen 15-ek0019TX | 3086 | Buy Now |
| Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU | 3049 | Buy Now |
| Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55 | 2578 | Buy Now |
| Acer Swift 3 SF314-42 | 2397 | Buy Now |
| MSI Prestige 14 A10RB | 2367 | Buy Now |
| Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II | 2280 | Buy Now |
| Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 | 2169 | Buy Now |
| Dell G3 3500 | 1858 | Buy Now |
| Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G | 1807 | Buy Now |
| Asus VivoBook 15 X512JP | 1796 | Buy Now |
| MSI GL65 Leopard | 1728 | Buy Now |
| Asus Zenbook 14 UX425EA | 1726 | Buy Now |
| Asus VivoBook F571GT | 1523 | Buy Now |
| HP 15s-eq0132AU | 1498 | Buy Now |
| Dell Inspiron 5409 | 1496 | Buy Now |
| Acer ConceptD 5 CN515-51 | 1471 | Buy Now |
| Lenovo IdeaPad S540 13.3-inch | 1429 | Buy Now |
| Lenovo IdeaPad S340 | 1421 | Buy Now |
| Lenovo IdeaPad 5i | 1409 | Buy Now |
| Dell Inspiron 7570 | 1352 | Buy Now |
| HP Pavilion x360 14-dh0045TX | 1211 | Buy Now |
| Mi Notebook 14 Horizon | 891 | Buy Now |
Next, we will look at every laptop in detail. But, before that, look at below.
Lenovo Legion 5Pi
- CPU: 2.6GHz 4 Core Intel Core i7-10750H Processor, 12MB cache | 3.6GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 16GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 317 nits | 144Hz
- Battery: 80Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5.1 lb (2.3kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.3 x 25.9 x 2.3 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen-1, 4 x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen-1, 1 x 3.5mm Headphone/mic combo jack, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45)
- High performance
- Above an average brighter display
- Display color gamut is quite good including refresh rate
- Good viewing angle display
- Pretty higher and faster storage
- Pretty solid and sturdy aluminum build with a plastic base
- Fast charging technology
- Premium in design
- Tactile keyboard
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Enough big and fairly closely placed arrow keys.
- RGB backlit
- A powerful dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Dual-channel RAM for smoother multitasking
- Impressive thermal management
- Speakers are above an average loud and clear
- A very thin bezels
- Average battery life
- RAM expansion is possible
- Opens up with just one finger
- Faster SSD storage
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-sync although not required here.
- Keyboard has little flex but not problematic during normal use
- The display has little flex
- Little heavy
- No camera
- No Windows Hello support
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 479 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 3102 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1259 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 6172 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5312 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 14975 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 100, 86 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
This laptop has both a higher processor and graphics for better and speedy computational power and a brighter display with higher refresh rates and quite a high color gamut for photo and video editing. This device is really an all-in-one for CSE students.
HP Omen 15 EK0019TX
- CPU: 2.6GHz 6 Core Intel Core i7-10750H Processor, 12MB cache | 3.6GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 16GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 307 nits | 144Hz
- Battery: 52.5Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5.2 lb (2.36kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.8 x 24 x 2.3 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen-1 (Supports DisplayPort 1.4 and Charge), 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen-1 (Supports Charge), 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 1 (Data transfer), 1 x miniDisplay Port, 1 x Power input, 1 x 3.5mm Headphone/mic combo jack, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 Ethernet (RJ-45)
- High performance
- Much amount of high-speed RAM for smoother multitasking
- The pretty solid and sturdy metal build
- Average brighter display
- Screen color gamut are above an average
- The display has quite high refresh rates with good viewing angles
- A powerful dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Tactile keyboard
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- A very thin side bezels
- The keyboard has RGB backlit
- RAM expansion is possible
- Good thermal management
- Pretty loud and clear speakers
- Opens up with just one finger
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty fast wireless speed powered by Wi-Fi 6
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync although not required
- Touchpad doesn't use Windows precision drivers
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to wipe-off
- Little flex to both screen and keyboard
- Little heavy
- Camera and Mic quality is below average
- Poor battery life
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 459 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 3086 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1221 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 6201 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5987 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 9142 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 87, 73 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
This HP gaming laptop is coming with enough high processor and graphics to process your data faster. In addition to that, it has a good color gamut display with an average brightness level. So, you can use it for graphics & video editing as well.
But, to be frank, I would opt for Lenovo Legion 5Pi. Because both have a nearly similar price but, Lenovo has to offer more than HP here.
Asus ROG Strix G15 G512LU
- CPU: 2.6GHz 6 Core Intel Core i7-10750H Processor, 12MB cache | 5GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 6GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 16GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 273 nits | 144Hz
- Battery: 66Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5.2 lb (2.36kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36 x 27 x 2.58 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C (Support DisplayPort), 3 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI (HDMI 2.0b Support 4K HDR), 1 Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- Dual-channel RAM for smooth multitasking
- Faster SSD storage
- The pretty solid plastic build
- The display has good viewing angles
- Average thermal management
- Tactile keyboard with RGB backlit
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Premium design
- Pretty loud and clear speakers
- Thin side bezels
- Pretty faster wireless speed powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Average battery life
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Average thermal management
- Opens up with just one finger
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync although it's not required, but Aura Sync
- No Camera
- Little below-average brighter display
- Screen color gamut are falling on the little poor side
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to clean
- Both keyboard and display have flex but not problematic
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 457 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 3049 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1228 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 6341 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5513 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 9841 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 61, 39 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
I believe HP Omen 15 is quite better than this one. A poor color gamut display of this ROG makes it unusable for professional photo & video editing.
But, it's okay to get the computer science engineering job done. I have said that it can edit both graphics and videos smoothly. That's just because of its high-end specs. Professional editing also encounters color accuracy here, and that requires a high color gamut screen. So, in terms of color accuracy, this laptop falls far behind other laptops.
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55
- CPU: 2.6GHz 6 Core Intel Core i7-10750H Processor | 5GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 16GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 32GB
- Storage: 1TB 7200RPM + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 261 nits | 144Hz
- Battery: 57.5Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.3 x 25.5 x 2.4 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A with Charge support, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- A high amount of RAM for better multitasking
- Average battery life
- The pretty sturdy plastic build
- Tactile keyboard with RGB backlit
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- The display has a quite higher refresh rate
- Opens up with just one finger
- Well bigger and good placement of arrow keys
- Highlighted WASD keys
- Fans are average loud
- Impressive thermal management
- Pretty faster wireless speed powered by Wi-Fi 6
- A dedicated NVIDIA GPU
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync although not required even.
- Little poor screen color gamut
- The display is below average brighter
- The touchpad isn't Windows recognized precision unit
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to clean
- Little more screen flex observed
- Keyboard flex found to be extended to the palm rest area
- No Windows Hello support
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 439 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 2578 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1214 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 6012 |
| PCMark 10 | : | NA |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 8896 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 66, 51 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
Acer has equipped too much except for brighter and average color gamut display in this laptop. For CSE students, this one is best under ₹1 lakh. However, not recommended for professional photo & video editing just because of the inability of the screen.
In terms of processing power, you should opt for this machine. Furthermore, read the full review of Acer Nitro 5 AN515 (Core i5 version).
Acer Swift 3 SF314-42
- CPU: 2GHz 8 Core AMD Ryzen 7-4700U Processor, 8MB cache| 4.1GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 graphics
- RAM: Dual Channel 8GB LPDDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 266 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 56Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 2.65 lb (1.2 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 32.3 x 21.89 x 1.6 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C with support for DisplayPort, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-A with Charge support, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Audio combo jack.
- High performance
- Pretty solid metal build
- Faster SSD storage
- The average amount of RAM for multitasking
- Tactile keyboard with backlit
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- The display has wide viewing angles
- Fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support
- Premium design
- Pretty faster wireless connectivity powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Opens up with one finger
- Type-C port is more than average fast
- Lightweight
- Quite a silent machine
- No thunderbolt port
- The touchpad isn't Windows recognized precision unit
- Little below-average brighter display
- Screen color gamut is quite on the poor side
- Speakers are not enough loud, also heard unclear
- The camera and microphone are of poor quality
- No dedicated graphics
- Fingerprints show up but not visible directly
- The display is with little more flex
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 464 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 2397 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1134 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 4789 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4827 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 2844 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 57, 36 |
- Can do
- Android Programming without emulator
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Android Programming with emulators in parallel
- Machine Learning
- Smooth Graphics & Video Editing
Acer Swift 3 is the most lightweight laptop in this article. It's recommended for CSE students for programming except android development in parallel to emulators. See the 3DMark Fire Strike score. The quite low value makes it useless for high-end graphics rendering.
MSI Prestige 14 A10RB
- CPU: 1.8GHz 6 Core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10510U Processor, 8MB cache| 4.8GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA MX250 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz Single Channel 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 267 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 52Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 2.84 lb (1.29 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 31.9 x 21.5 x 1.6 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 2 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C port with Thunderbolt-3, DisplayPort support and PD charging, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A., 1 x microSD card.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid metal build
- Much more RAM for smooth multitasking
- Fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support
- Pretty impressive screen color gamut
- Tactile keyboard with a white backlit
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Lightweight
- Good thermal management
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Little longer battery life
- Wide viewing angle display
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Opens up with just one finger
- Thunderbolt-3 ports
- Keyboard has a little more flex
- Only white backlit
- Speakers are a little less loud and a bit unclear
- The camera doesn't support windows hello unlock
- Camera and Microphone found little below average
- The display isn't average brighter even
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 411 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 2367 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1237 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3189 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 3587 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 3298 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 99.9, 76 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
A perfect lightweight laptop for those who need a power in computing along with screen color accuracy in design.
Having an NVIDIA M250 GPU with Intel's Core i7 processor helps you achieve the highest speed possible. And, 99.9% of SRGB and 76% of AdobeRGB will ensure the use for professional photo & video editing. So, the best laptop for computer science students. But, at the same time, the 3DMark Fire Strike score isn't even average, which makes it uncomfortable in terms of a smooth experience for the same PC games.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 GA401II
- CPU: 3.0GHz 6 Core AMD Ryzen 5-4600HS Processor, 8MB cache| 4.0GHz Max Speed.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 3200MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 24GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 267 nits | 120Hz
- Battery: 76Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.74 lb (1.7 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 32.4 x 22 x 2 cms
- Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2x2), Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 2 x USB 3.2 Type-C Gen-2 (1 port has a support for DisplayPort and G-Sync), 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen-1, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack.
- High performance
- Pretty solid metallic build
- Faster SSD storage
- Impressive screen color gamut
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Tactile keyboard
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Adaptive-Sync technology
- Opens up with just one finger
- Fingerprints don't show up
- Much amount of RAM for better multitasking
- Wide viewing angle display
- The display has higher refresh rates
- Above an average faster USB Type-C port
- Fingerprint reader
- Speakers are loud enough
- Not heavy
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync although not required even
- No Windows Hello support
- No camera
- Speakers are a bit unclear
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 429 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 2280 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1128 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 4852 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5223 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 6436 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 100, 86 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
If you don't consider the camera's presence here, this will be an outstanding device after Lenovo Legion 5Pi. For CSE students, it will do processor-intensive tasks with tasks that do require a very high color gamut screen. Having an above-average 3DMark score makes it perfect for both the gaming and running of over 8 emulators in parallel smoothly.
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54
- CPU: 2.4GHz 4 Core 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9300H Processor | 4.10GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 32GB
- Storage: 1TB 7200RPM + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 243 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 55Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.3 x 25.5 x 2.4 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A with Charge support, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- A high amount of RAM for better multitasking
- Average battery life
- The pretty sturdy plastic build
- Tactile keyboard with RGB backlit
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- Opens up with just one finger
- Well bigger and good placement of arrow keys
- Highlighted WASD keys
- Fans are average loud
- Impressive thermal management
- A dedicated NVIDIA GPU
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync although not required even
- Display has an average refresh rate
- Little poor screen color gamut
- The display is below average brighter
- The touchpad isn't Windows recognized precision unit
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to clean
- Little more screen flex observed
- Keyboard flex found to be extended to the palm rest area
- No Windows Hello support
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 413 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 2169 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1133 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 4207 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5002 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 7912 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 59, 36 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
Again, one more Nitro 5 for good performance but below-average in terms of the color gamut. Not great for those CSE students who want to opt for 3D-Game developments.
But, great for those who are willing to choose to code over graphics development. Its low screen color gamut prevents you from accessing the spectrum of huge colors. Furthermore, read the full review of Acer Nitro 5 AN515 (Core i5 version).
Dell G3 3500
- CPU: 2.5GHz 4 Core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10300H Processor | 4.5GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Dual Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 16GB
- Storage: 1TB 7200RPM + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 246 nits | 120Hz
- Battery: 51Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.55 x 25.4 x 2.16 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x Power input, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1 x full size SD card slot.
- High performance
- Faster storage
- RAM upgrade option available
- Pretty sturdy despite a plastic build
- Tactile feedback
- The smooth and responsive precision touchpad
- Dedicated GPU
- Keys have 2-level backlit
- Pretty higher screen contrast ratio
- Easily distinguishable WASD keys
- It’s just possible to open it using one finger
- Side bezels are smaller
- The display has good viewing angles and refreshes at 120Hz
- No G-Sync available
- No thunderbolt port
- The display is a little less bright than average
- Screen color gamut falls on the poor side
- Fingerprints show up
- Little more screen flex
- Keyboard flex has extended to the palm rest
- 2 fans are a little smaller than average
- Slightly bad thermal management observed
- Disappointing battery life
- 2 down-firing speakers are loud at max volume but feel tiny, overall not good
- CPU UV is much more helpful in performance
- Buying a Cooling Pad is much worthy in cooling
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 414 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1858 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1122 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 4206 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 5347 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 8215 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 62, 47 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
It's not a different piece for CSE students. Just like other Dell laptops, it has no better screen for graphics development.
I would recommend opting for Asus ROG Zephyrus over this machine if you're not a die-hard fan of Dell laptops. Read the full review of Dell G3 3500 Laptop here.
Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G
- CPU: 1.0GHz 4 Core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor | 3.60GHz Max Speed, 6MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX350 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz Dual Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 276 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 48Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 4 lb (1.8 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.4 x 25 x 2.8 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ax AX201 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-A (1 with power-off charging), 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x Power input, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid plastic build with aluminum lid
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Much more RAM for better multitasking
- Average battery life
- Wide viewing angles display
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Speakers are okay in clarity
- Thin side bezels
- No thunderbolt port
- Little less bright display
- Screen color gamut are on the poor side
- Not a tactile keyboard
- Doesn't open up with one finger
- Keyboard has average flex
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to wipe-off.
- Little poor thermal management
- Speakers are a little less loud
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 419 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1807 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1109 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3318 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4425 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 3986 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 55, 41 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Machine Learning
I will describe this machine as a struggling unit for color accuracy.
It's not good for long-typing. But, Wi-Fi 6 and a precision touchpad gives a reason for attraction towards it. For a freelancer, having a Wi-Fi 6 device is good. But, if you spend a little bit then you can get an amazing laptop - Asus ROG Zephyrus.
Asus VivoBook 15 X512JP
- CPU: 1.0GHz 4 Core 10th Gen Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor | 3.60GHz Max Speed, 6MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX330 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 3200MHz Dual Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 12GB
- Storage: 1TB 5400RPM HDD + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 245 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 48Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.85 lb (1.75 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.7 x 22 x 2 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x Power input, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1 x microSD card reader.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid plastic build
- Fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support
- Average battery life
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Wide viewing angles display
- Dual-channel RAM for more smooth and better multitasking
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Backlit keyboard
- Good camera and microphone
- Speakers are enough loud at maximum volume
- Silent
- No thunderbolt port
- Not a tactile keyboard
- Typing on the keyboard gives a bit of a shallow feeling
- Doesn't open up with one finger
- 4 arrow keys are small and very closely placed
- Below the average brighter display
- Screen color gamut are on the poor side
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 429 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1796 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1224 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3875 |
| PCMark 10 | : | NA |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 3741 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 59, 46 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Machine Learning
This VivoBook will be a classic laptop for CSE students. And, generally, classic style laptops don't provide a killer performance like gaming laptops.
This one has a bit below-average hardware compared to other laptops of a similar price range. And, if you look at the actual test results of various benchmarks, you will it getting the job done. Still, I advise you to look at the Acer Nitro laptops before buying this one.
MSI GL65 Leopard
- CPU: 2.4GHz 4 Core 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9300H Processor | 4.1GHz Max Speed, 6MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 64GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 277 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 41Wh 6 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.7 x 24.8 x 2.8 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C, 3 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x Power input, 1 x HDMI (4K at 30Hz), 2 x Audio combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1 x full size SD card reader.
- High performance
- Pretty solid aluminum lid with rest of the plastic build
- Faster SSD storage
- A dedicated NVIDIA GPU
- Much more RAM for smoother multitasking
- A big expansion for RAM is possible
- Tactile keyboard with RGB backlit
- Smooth, responsive and, accurate touchpad
- Speakers are loud
- Good thermal management
- Thin side bezels
- No thunderbolt port
- No G-Sync available
- No Windows Hello support
- Poor battery life
- Screen color gamut are on the poor side
- Little below-average brighter display
- Speakers are a bit unclear
- Little noiser
- Little thicker
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 411 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1728 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1142 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3683 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4493 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 8371 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 56, 34 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Gaming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Small scale Machine Learning
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale machine learning
I would recommend this laptop to only those computer science engineering students who have decided to work all-time on the desk with a charging cable plugged-in. This laptop has the worst battery life. It has high-end hardware that requires more processing power but, MSI has foolishly placed just a 41Wh capacity battery.
It's a great machine in the smaller price range. I would really opt for it unless my job doesn't involve much traveling.
Asus ZenBook 14 UX425EA
- CPU: 2.8GHz 4 Core Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor | 4.7GHz Max Speed, 12MB cache.
- Graphics: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- RAM: 4267MHz Dual Channel 16GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 373 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 67Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 2.6 lb (1.17 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 31.9 x 20.8 x 1.4 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ax AX201 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (Support for display and power delivery), 1 x USB 3.2 Type-A Gen-1, 1 x microSD card reader, 1 x HDMI 2.0b.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid metal build
- Impressive capabilities for smooth multitasking
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- Thunderbolt-4 ports
- Above-average brighter display
- Pretty high screen color gamut
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Tactile keyboard with backlit
- Wide viewing angles display
- The most lightweight
- Powerful integrated graphics
- Good camera quality with support for Windows Hello unlock
- Long-lasting battery
- Very silent
- Premium design
- LED-illuminated Num pad
- Speakers are clear
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to wipe-off
- Speakers are a little below average louder
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 539 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1726 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1427 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 5378 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4697 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 4478 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 98, 65 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Machine Learning
- Smooth Gaming
It's the most lightweight laptop with a better color gamut display and average powerful hardware required for CSE students.
In addition to that, it has something unique called a num pad integrated with a touchpad. Asus had managed to make this laptop lightweight as much as possible. It's really a value for money.
Asus VivoBook F571GT-AL319T
- CPU: 2.4GHz 4 Core 9th Gen Intel Core i5-9300H Processor | 4.1GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2400MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 16GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD + 32GB Optane memory
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 261 nits | 120Hz
- Battery: 42Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 4.7 lb (2.14 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.9 x 24.8 x 2.2 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ax AX201 2x2 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen-1, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen-1, 2 USB 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm audio/combo jack, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45), 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x micro SD card, 1 x Power Input.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Good thermal management
- Higher refresh rate screen
- The pretty solid plastic build
- Fingerprint reader
- Good camera quality
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Speakers are enough loud and clear
- No thunderbolt port
- Below-average brighter display
- Poor screen color gamut
- Worst battery life
- No Windows Hello support for both camera and FR
- Poor microphone quality
- Keyboard has no tactile feedback
- The screen shows little more than average flex
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to clean
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 399 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1523 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1118 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 4109 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4467 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 6857 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 72, 59 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Gaming
- Small-scale machine learning
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
This is an average powerful laptop for computer science students. It has an above-average color gamut display with little less brightness at 100% and average capable hardware. You can use it for Unity 3D or UnrealEngine.
HP 15s EQ0132AU
- CPU: 2.3GHz 4 Core AMD Ryzen 7-3700U Processor | 4.0GHz Max Speed, 4MB cache.
- Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
- RAM: 2400MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 241 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 41Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.9 lb (1.77 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.8 x 24.2 x 1.8 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11b/g/n 1x1 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C Gen-1, 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Full size SD card, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Power input.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Speakers are clear
- Wide viewing angles display
- The pretty sturdy plastic build
- A smooth and responsive touchpad
- Average camera quality
- No thunderbolt port
- No dedicated graphics
- No tactile keyboard
- The touchpad isn't Windows recognized precision unit, also found bit inaccurate for zoom gesture
- Doesn't open with one finger
- Poor microphone quality
- The display is quite below average brighter
- Screen color gamut are falling on the poor side
- No Windows Hello support
- Too classic design
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 366 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1498 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1067 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 2841 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4402 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 6078 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 62, 43 |
- Can do
- Android/Desktop/Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Machine Learning
This is a Ryzen powered machine. And Ryzen powered machines have better thermal management than Intel-powered machines. The poor battery life may be the case you consider not to opt for this one, but in terms of hardware they providing except for screen in a quite low price is unmatchable.
Dell Inspiron 5409
- CPU: 2.4GHz 4 Core Intel Core i5-1135G7 Processor | 4.2GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- RAM: 3200MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 256 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 53Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.1 lb (1.4 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 32.1 x 21.6 x 1.7 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-2 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1.4, 1 x microSD card, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Power input.
- Good performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Lightweight
- The pretty solid plastic build
- Long-lasting battery
- Much more RAM for smoother multitasking
- Wide viewing angle display
- A smooth and responsive touchpad
- Good thermal management
- No thunderbolt port
- No dedicated GPU
- No Windows Hello support
- Poor screen color gamut
- The display below average brighter
- Touchpad found inaccurate while handling zoom gesture also not a Windows recognized precision unit
- Fingerprints do show up but easy to clean
- Poor camera and microphone quality
- Typing on the keyboard gives some shallow feeling
- Doesn't open up with one finger
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 413 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1496 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1046 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3415 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4812 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 5486 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 58, 46 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Machine Learning
This Dell Inspiron 5409 is a little less powerful than HP 15 EQ0132U laptop. But, Its price is foolishly higher. This machine is although, not over-pricey, but it feels like when compared to HP's EQ0132U. You should note that the Ryzen processor has a big advantage of less thermal throttling over the Intel processor. So, for CSE students, I would simply not opt for this unless I am a die-hard fan of Dell devices.
Acer ConceptD 5 CN515-51
- CPU: 2.8GHz 4 Core Intel Core i5-8305G Processor | 3.8GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL 4GB Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz Dual Channel 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch 4K Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 350 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 48Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.3 lb (1.5 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36 x 24.2 x 1.7 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4, IR
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A Gen-1 with power-off charging, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x Full size SD card reader, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Power input.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty sturdy plastic and Mg build
- Above-average brighter display
- Impressive screen color gamut
- 4K display
- The display has wide viewing angles
- Much faster dual-channel RAM for smoother and better multitasking
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate precision touchpad
- Pretty tactile keyboard with backlit
- Lightweight
- Good camera and microphone quality
- Fingerprint reader with Windows Hello support
- Good thermal management
- Premium design
- Opens up with one finger
- Speakers are clear
- No thunderbolt port
- Speakers are a bit less loud than average
- Little poor battery life
- Looks a bit yellowish over the use at some part
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 414 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1471 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 864 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3296 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4217 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 6714 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 100, 88 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Gaming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
Acer ConceptD 5 is really an awesome device. Although, it is not lightweight. It has a much better screen color gamut than any other laptops shown in this article. That makes this laptop quite better and effective for graphics and video editing. In addition to that, it is equipped with Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU with 4GB VRAM, which has registered a score of 6714 on the 3DMark Fire Strike.
Quite good results for 3D game development. Those computer science engineers who want to go into that field should think about this laptop. But, again, Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, Acer Nitro 5 AN515-55, and Acer Swift 3 SF314 are something much better than this one despite similar in prices.
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 13.3-inch
- CPU: 1.6GHz 4 Core Intel Core i5-10210U Processor | 4.2GHz Max Speed, 6MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA MX250 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz Dual Channel 8GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 13.3-inch QHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 318 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 56Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 2.9 lb (1.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 30.8 x 21.1 x 1.6 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ax 2x2 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, IR
- Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C (Supports Power Input and Display), 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Lightweight
- Pretty solid aluminum build
- Pretty faster wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- The display is above average brighter
- Screen color gamut pretty good
- Good camera quality with IR face recognition, also supports Windows Hello unlock
- A microphone is still on the good side
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate glass precision touchpad
- Pretty tactile keyboard
- Speakers are enough loud and clear
- Long-lasting battery
- No thunderbolt port
- Initially problematic to open with one finger
- Fingerprints do show up but not directly visible, easy to clean
- No Ethernet or HDMI port
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 423 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1429 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1098 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3596 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4294 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 3496 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 97, 66 |
- Can do
- Android/Desktop/Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Gaming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Medium and above-scale Machine Learning
It's a more classic looking laptop for computer science engineering students. The display with a high screen color gamut and above-average brightness makes it capable of color-accurate photo and video editing. However, it's not powerful like other similar price range laptops.
Lenovo IdeaPad S340
- CPU: 1.0GHz 4 Core Intel Core i5-1035G1 Processor | 3.6GHz Max Speed, 6MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA MX250 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 12GB
- Storage: 1TB 5400RPM HDD + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 292 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 52.5Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 4 lb (1.79 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 35.8 x 24.5 x 1.8 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ac 1x1 Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Power input.
- High performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid build
- Average brighter display
- Long-lasting battery
- A dedicated NVIDIA GPU
- Silent
- Wide viewing angles display
- Good thermal management
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- No thunderbolt port
- Poor camera and microphone quality
- No Windows Hello support
- Screen color gamut falls on the poor side
- Doesn't open up with one finger
- Speakers are not enough loud
- A bit less clear speakers
- Fingerprints do show up but easy clean
- The keyboard isn't tactile
- The touchpad isn't Windows recognized precision unit
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 386 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1421 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1023 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 2643 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4236 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 2686 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 58, 36 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Machine Learning
This laptop is not really mode for all jobs of computer engineering students. However, thanks to its NVIDIA MX250 GPU, it can still do a lot except for running multiple (more than 5) emulators in parallel. The display is not good even for professional photo and video editing.
Lenovo Legion 5i
- CPU: 2.5GHz 4 Core Intel Core i5-10300H Processor | 4.5GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti 4GB GDDR6 Graphics
- RAM: 2933MHz Single Channel 8GB DDR4 | Upgradable to 16GB
- Storage: 1TB 5400RPM HDD + 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD Non-touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 253 nits | 120Hz
- Battery: 60Wh 4 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.3 x 25.9 x 2.3 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11ax 2x2 Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen-1, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Power input, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- Pretty sturdy build
- Average battery life
- Much more RAM for smoother multitasking
- Pretty fast wireless connection powered by Wi-Fi 6
- A dedicated NVIDIA GPU
- Tactile keyboard
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- Wide viewing angle display
- The display has higher refresh rates
- Good screen color gamut
- Opens up with one finger
- Good thermal management
- Speakers are enough loud
- No thunderbolt port
- Below-average brighter display
- The touchpad isn't a Windows recognized precision unit
- Bit unclear speakers
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 323 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1409 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1021 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3204 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4092 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 8527 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 84, 62 |
- Can do
- Android/Desktop/Web Programming
- Gaming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-level Machine Learning
Having much more Graphics doesn't make sense all the time. This laptop has quite higher graphics with much more VRAM. Computer engineering students can play games smoothly but cannot edit photos with much better color accuracy due to the low value of AdobeRGB.
For programming purposes, It's an entry-level device because GPU doesn't compile the computer program.
Dell Inspiron 7570
- CPU: 1.8GHz 4 Core Intel Core i7-8550U Processor | 4.0GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX130 4GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2400MHz Single Channel 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch 4K touch display | IPS & Anti-glare Panel | 241 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 42Wh Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 4.7 lb (2.16 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 36.14 x 24.45 x 1.88 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.2 Gen-1 Type-C, 3 x USB 3.1 Gen-1, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x Full size SD card, 1 x Power input, 1 x Ethernet (RJ-45).
- High performance
- 4K touch display
- Faster SSD storage
- Much more RAM for smoother multitasking
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- Tactile keyboard
- Wide viewing angles display
- 180-degree hinge
- Speakers are clear
- No thunderbolt port
- Below an average camera and microphone
- The display is below average brighter
- Screen color gamut are on the poor side
- The touchpad isn't a Windows precision unit
- Small and very closely placed arrow keys
- Doesn't open up with one finger
- Speakers are not enough loud
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 389 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1352 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 968 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 2813 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4601 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 2189 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 53, 44 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Gaming
- Small-scale Machine Learning
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Medium and above-level Machine Learning
HP Pavilion x360 14 dh0045TX
- CPU: 1.8GHz 4 Core Intel Core i7-8565U Processor | 4.6GHz Max Speed, 8MB cache.
- Graphics: Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce MX250 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2400MHz Single Channel 16GB DDR4
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 15.6-inch FHD touch display | IPS Panel | 247 nits | 60Hz
- Battery: 41Wh 3 Cell Li-ion battery.
- Weight: 3.5 lb (1.59 kg)
- Laptop dimensions: 32.4 x 22.4 x 2 cms
- Wireless connectivity: 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2
- Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-C, 2 x USB 3.1 Gen-1 Type-A, 1 x Power input, 1 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x 3.5mm Audio/combo jack, 1 x microSD card reader.
- Average performance
- Faster SSD storage
- Pretty solid build
- The display has a touch feature
- A dedicated NVIDIA graphics
- Tactile keyboard
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- 360-degree hinge
- A good camera and microphone quality
- Speakers are clear
- No thunderbolt port
- No Windows Hello support
- Speakers are not enough loud
- The display is below average brighter
- Screen color gamut are on the poor side
- Touchpad isn't a Windows precision unit
- Poor thermal management
- The display isn't anti-glare
- Poor battery life
- Doesn't open up with one finger
- The display is fingerprints magnet
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 441 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 1211 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 1134 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 2761 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4689 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 6987 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 63, 47 |
- Can do
- Android Programming
- Desktop Programming
- Web Programming
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Run Engineering-specific software like AutoCAD, CFD, and like.
- Can't do
- Smooth Gaming
- Machine Learning
Mi Notebook 14 Horizon
- CPU: 1.8GHz 4 Core 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10510U Processor
- Graphics: NVIDIA MX350 2GB GDDR5 Graphics
- RAM: 2666MHz 8GB DDR4 Single Channel SDRAM
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- Display: 14-inch FHD display | IPS & Anti-glare panel | 250 nits
- Battery: 48Wh Li-ion battery | Lasted for 7 hours and 29 minutes on YouTube watching.
- Weight: 1.35 kg (2.98 Pounds)
- Laptop dimensions: 32.5 x 23.2 x 1.8 cms
- High performance
- The display has a large contrast ratio
- Better multitasking
- Enough loud and clear speakers
- Pretty average battery life
- Very thin bezels – just 3mm
- Fast storage
- Lightweight
- Smooth, responsive, and accurate touchpad
- No thunderbolt port
- A webcam is not integrated, rather comes separately
- More display flex
- Screen color gamut falls on the poor side
- Keyboard looks messy
- The touchpad bent more than average when pressed
- Touchpad isn’t a precision unit
- Keys are giving inconsistent tactile feedback
- Below an average brighter display
- 2 Arrow keys are small and badly placed
- No Windows Hello support here
- Little poor thermal management
| Benchmarks | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Cinebench R20 Single Core | : | 371 |
| Cinebench R20 Multi Core | : | 891 |
| Geekbench 5 Single Core | : | 967 |
| Geekbench 5 Multi Core | : | 3031 |
| PCMark 10 | : | 4391 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike | : | 3912 |
| SRGB, AdobeRGB % | : | 63, 46 |
- Can do
- Graphics & Video Editing
- Web/Android/Desktop Programming
- Run most of the Engineering software like AutoCAD, CFD, Flow-3D, ANSYS, and many more
- Gaming
- Can’t do
- Machine learning
This is a classic looking laptop like Lenovo IdeaPad S540, but it's not powerful like that. See the benchmarks. They are quite low when compared to other laptops.
What are the jobs of Computer Science Students?
Computer science students go into many fields. Some of the popular fields are Programming and Data Analysis. In addition to that, it also extends to Data administration, Game Development, Technical Writing, Information technology development, and many more.
What is a Computer Programming?
Computer programming is the job of computer science students (during/after graduation) or any person who writes a piece of code that can be run by computers. It involves more than one coding language like C, C++, Java, Python, and like.
What is a Data Analysis?
Data Analysis is the process in which you process millions of data you have collected for some purpose to extract some valuable information like trends, fall and raise, percentages of shares occupied by different objects, errors and success logs, and like.
However, it is to note that you cannot analyze the data without using dedicated software, which in turn require computer programmers to design and develop.
Furthermore, for Game development, there are certain frameworks available like Unity 3D and UnrealEngine. These frameworks have their own requirements for smooth development. If you follow many IT giants like Apple, Facebook, Google, and many more, you will have a dedicated graphics designer.
But, many of CSE students work as a freelancer where they do many jobs like data analysis, programming, and graphics design on their own. A very big example here is Android/iOS development.
In android development, you have to code and also design graphics for the app. That requires you to have extra knowledge of CorelDraw, Adobe Photoshop, or any other graphics development software. A similar case I found with iOS development.
So, the job of computer science students isn't limited to just programming and data analysis. It goes beyond that. So, they need a laptop that does both jobs in a better way. For example, for coding, they need enough good processor and graphics but don't require a good color gamut display. But, for graphics development, they do require a laptop with a possible higher color gamut display along with an efficient processor and GPU.
Popular softwares for programming for CSE students
In this section of this article, I will show you some of the popular software for programming that is used by the community of programmers worldwide. In addition to that, I will also tell you the requirement of each to give you an idea of what kind of laptops you need to buy.
Furthermore, CSE students don't work with just programming software all day. They do other software like many tabs in web browser, CorelDraw, or any other graphics development software, camera, and many more. Hence, much more works they do in parallel to their main job. So, they need a laptop that handles such heavy tasks smoothly.
So, let me start with Visual Studio.
Visual Studio is an IDE (Integrated development environment) which provides you an environment for many programming languages like C, C++ including some mobile development frameworks. It requires a minimum of 8GB of RAM and SSD storage for improved performance.
In addition to that, it also involves emulators to run, which occupies an extra memory. In my experience, emulators for android development have found to be occupied over 1.5GB RAM for each.
Eclipse is also an IDE similar to Visual Studio. And it also comes with a separate bundle for separate tasks. It requires 8GB of minimum RAM with SSD storage and over a GHz speed processor for improved performance.
Android Studio is particular to Android development. Despite that, it consists of a huge package. Google's official documentation states that it requires 8GB of RAM. But, when as I said you will have also a browser opened with many tabs. So, combining that, the RAM usage will be more.
In addition to that, running the emulators in parallel to coding puts a heavy burden on both the processor and RAM. For Android development, the recommended requirement for smooth performance is 16GB of RAM, 2GB of Graphics, and Core i5 or Ryzen 5 CPU. In my experience, I found gaming PCs are best for android development.
Visual Studio Code is a lightweight editor used for web development mainly. However, it has several plugins for C/C++, Python, XML, and many other programming/scripting languages. It requires just 4GB of RAM. In addition to that, having an SSD storage, editing will be more effective due to help from the plugins especially, in the case of jQuery/Javascript coding.
Intellij IDE is what I called the heaviest software like Visual Studio and Android Studio. Let me tell you that Android Studio is the part of Intellij System. So, the requirements and performance I have stated for android studio apply here.
NetBeans IDE is also an integrated development environment like Visual Studio, Eclipse, and IntelliJ. However, in terms of lightweight, this one is similar to Eclipse. It can work with Core i3 processor developments other than android. I would still recommend 8GB of RAM minimum and an SSD storage for that.
Sublime Text is just a lightweight editor. It can work with just 4GB of RAM. But, I do recommend an SSD storage for editing larger files. A laptop with a hard disk only also does a fine job but, SSD can bring the performance to another level.
Atom is also another editor by GitHub, which is a subsidiary of Microsoft. It works with several plugins for web, C/C++, Python, and developments other than mobile apps. I have used it and found that it requires 8GB of RAM and SSD storage for greatly improved performance.
PhpStorm is a dedicated software by Intellij for Php development. As per Intellij's documentation says 2GB of RAM and, it's perfectly true. But, here, you need SSD storage. Hard disk gives an extremely poor performance with this laptop. I have personally used it for the development of my WordPress theme.
