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Programmers always have laptops as their best friends. It’s where they perform all their work. On the other hand, gamers need high-performing laptops to ensure a seamless gaming experience. While choosing your preferred gaming laptop may seem obvious, the real tussle comes when you are both a gamer and a programmer. The question is whether gaming laptops are ideal for programming. The truth is that yes, they are.
Gaming laptops are powerful and can seamlessly perform a majority of programming tasks. Even more advantageous is that they have top-performing dedicated graphics cards that will magnificently display the projects you are working on. This article offers a guide to gaming and programming laptop buyers, offering insights on the aspect to consider and some examples of gaming and programming laptops you can also consider.
Is a gaming laptop good for coding?
It is important to know the specs to look for in a programming laptop to answer this question effectively.
Specs to look for in a programming laptop
An important aspect of coding is high concentration levels for the programmer; thus, you should always aim for the best possible hardware. An ideal programming laptop should have enough power to handle complex calculations and be lightweight to be easily carried.
As a programmer, before purchasing a laptop, you should have in mind the programs you plan to run on the laptop. For example, a web developer needs or a graphic designer needs to invest in a machine with a powerful graphics card to ensure they create incredible designs. A powerful CPU is also a must for a programmer. Other aspects to consider include:
RAM size
A programming laptop should have enough RAM to handle programming seamlessly. The bare minimum should be at least 8GB of RAM. Avoid lower Ram capacity as this will cause slow system performance, interrupting your programming. Enough RAM is thus essential.
Processor speed
This is one of the most important features to look out for in a programming laptop. For optimal performance, go for at least 2 GHz processor speed.
Screen resolution
This refers to the number of pixels displayed by the laptop’s screen. Screen resolution affects the quality of images that the screen displays. For clarity, choose a laptop with a wide display.
Graphics Card
Normally programming doesn’t require a high-end graphics card. However, if you work with video editing software, you should choose a laptop with a dedicated GPU. High-end gaming laptops have a dedicated GPU, thus offering excellent performance. However, these laptops are quite expensive. You can go for them if you are strictly into video and image design
Keyboard Type
Developers tend to like laptop keyboards compared to desktop keyboards as they are small and provide ease of typing.
Battery life
It is important to go for a battery with a long life. This will ensure you write your code without fear of your laptop going low on charge.
Touchpad
Programmers tend to prefer working with the touchpad. It is thus important to pay attention to the touch pad’s sensitivity level when selecting a suitable programming laptop. Go for the right level of sensitivity; not too sensitive and not without adequate sensitivity,
Is it right to use a laptop both for programming and gaming
A majority of laptops today come with powerful Core i5/i7 CPUs that can perfectly multitask without lagging. Thus, you can use a laptop both for programming and gaming.
Best gaming laptop for programming
1. MSI GL65 Leopard
If you need a laptop with unmatched productivity and gaming power, this is the laptop to go for. It comes with an Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB graphics RAM, 16 GB RAM, a 15.6-inch display, 3ms response time, and a 144Hz refresh rate. For the storage, it is loaded with a 512GB SSD.
At 9 pounds, the laptop has a slim bezel surrounding the display and a plastic chassis. Its outer lid is brushed on an aluminium surface. Its bottom is sufficiently ventilated, with a third of it having perforations for optimum ventilation. These specs are also well suited for programming and can handle even demanding programming and coding.
2. HP Spectre X360
The HP Spectre X360 is an excellent option for programming and gaming. It suits any type of programming, from robotics programming to python. It will perfectly suit anyone who needs a laptop that can run various programs faultlessly.
Though it isn’t your typical traditional gaming laptop, it’s an excellent choice if you require a light gaming laptop.
It runs on an Intel Core i7 processor, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, and has a 13 Inch display. Additional features include a HP stylus pen and a fingerprint reader.
It’s lightweight at 3 pounds, only 0.67 inches thick, and has a sturdy chassis and thin screen bezels. It has two cooling fans that make almost no noise at its base. While it can do gaming, it is important to note that it gets hot when on heavy games and thus isn’t recommended for hardcore gamers.
It has a perfect keyboard, with large keys that suit large fingerprints. It also has a white backlight. The keys are soft and respond timely to touch. The laptop’s trackpad is wide and has a firm click.
As far as the laptop’s performance is concerned, it can perfectly handle your day-to-day tasks without struggle with its 16GB RAM. The programming aspects of the laptop have been tested with programs including Photoshop, Android studio, AutoCAD, and Adobe Premiere Pro. It performs smoothly with these programs.
Other tests performed on the laptop include browsing, streaming videos, and the Microsoft Office software, and it handled them seamlessly.
Final thoughts
Gaming and programming require high-performing machines. This makes a gaming laptop also suitable for programming and vice versa. This article has offered a comprehensive guide for programmers and gamers on what aspects to consider in gaming and programming laptops. The reader will also benefit from some of the laptops on the market; they can choose to perform both tasks seamlessly.
