A programmer’s most important tool (besides our glorious minds, of course) is the laptop. A laptop is a vessel in which you turn the solutions to problems into code, and thus it’s vitally important that every developer has a laptop they feel awesome with.
We’ve rounded up the best laptops for gaming and programming which you can see below. The gaming laptops are in no particular order as each keyboard could be perfect for you depending on your needs.
List Of 10 Best Laptops For Gaming and Programming
- CUK MSI GS63 STEALTH
- ALIENWARE AW15R3
- MSI GV72 8RE-007
- ACER PREDATOR HELIOS 300
- HP OMEN
- ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR II
- ACER ASPIRE 7
- ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS GX501
- HP OMEN 15
- ASUS GAMING THIN AND LIGHT LAPTOP
1. CUK MSI GS63 STEALTH
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H Six Core Processor (9MB Cache, 2.2GHz-4.1GHz) 45W
- RAM: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz | Hard Drive: 512GB Solid State Drive
- Keyboard: Steel Series Per-Key RGB with Anti-Ghost Key (84 Key) | Operating System: Windows 10 Home x64
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 Max-Q | Display: 15.6 Full HD Anti-Glare Wide View Angle 144Hz 7ms 72% NTSC (1920 x 1080)
- 32GB RAM Upgrade | 3-Year CUK Limited Warranty (View warranty section below for more details.)
The CUK MSI GS63 Stealth is light in weight and the brand is a gamer favorite around the world. There is no competition for this beast when it comes to the best gaming laptops for programming.
The processor of this laptop is fully capable of handling even the most complicated games and crucial tasks. It powered by an Intel Core i7-8750H and an ample 32 GB of RAM.
You should have no issues with storage given the combination of a 512GB SSD and a 1TB (1024 GB) hard drive. This gives you both speed and massive storage capacity. Having a large hard drive is an advantage and gives you the freedom to store more games without spending extra money on external storage.
The laptop comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display with 1920 by 1080 pixels of resolution and a dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1060 GPU. This is a good combination for gaming. The display is also ready for virtual reality applications.
2. ALIENWARE AW15R3
- Intel Core i5-7300HQ (Quad-Core, 6MB Cache, up to 3.5GHz w/ Turbo Boost)
- Windows 10 Home HighEnd (64-bit) English
- Memory : 8GB DDR4 at 2133MHz (1x8GB); 32GB Maximum
- Video Graphics : NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
- Hard Drive : 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s
- Display : 15.6 FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS Anti-Glare 300-nits Display W/ G-Sync
The Alienware AW15R3 comes with a lightweight body so it can be carried around easily. In addition, the design is also fantastic with a large keyboard and you can use it for many other professional tasks other than gaming.
It features 15.6 inches full HD screen and it is Anti-Glare with 300-nits display. You will enjoy any type of game in 1920 by 1080 pixels.
It is one of the most advanced gaming laptops with the latest Intel Core i7-7300HQ processor. The advanced technology of Turbo Boost will increase overall processing performance while preserving battery life when the laptop is not being heavily used.
For a smooth and easy experience, Windows 10 is pre-installed and it also comes with USB 3.0 ports which means you can easily connect external devices. It is well built with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU and you can easily run even the most complicated games.
For storing data in bulk, a hard drive of 1TB is provided with 7200RPM which is the most advanced technology for the hard drive. It also includes an HDMI port so you can easily connect it with a big screen.
3. MSI GV72 8RE-007
- Display: 17.3 Full HD eDP Non Reflection 72% NTSC 1920x1080 16:9 | Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: New Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2 - 4.1GHz (6 Cores)
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 3G GDDR5
- RAM: 16GB (8G*2) DDR4 2400MHz, 2 Sockets; Max Memory 32GB | Storage: 256GB M.2 SATA + 1TB (7200RPM)
- Keyboard: Steel Series Red Backlit Customizable Keyboard
MSI is known as one of the top gaming laptop producers in the world and their GV series are among the best economy gaming laptops you can buy. For under $1,500, you are getting a full HD 17.3-inch display, powered by some of the latest GT 10 series NVIDIA graphics.
Despite packing in some of the latest most powerful techs, MSI has managed to keep the weight down to just 5.95 pounds and 1.2-inch thick case.
They also still squeeze in all the ports you need, including USB 3.1 Type C ports, USB 3.1, USB 2.0, Mini Displayport, HDMI out and a Killer E2400 LAN port. They’ve even included a multi-format card reader.
The 17.3-inch full HD displays some vivid graphics with the cutting edge NVIDIA GTX 1060, making it a gaming wonder, it also supports VR. Storage is vast with a 256GB SSD and a fast 7200RPM 1TB HDD.
With 16GB of RAM and that over-clocked i7 processor, this MSI is a powerhouse of productivity and gaming.
If you need the best at a budget, MSI offers all the goods. A hex-core CPU and new, improved, Cooler boost technology ensure that this laptop will breeze through anything you throw at it. With the usual red-backlit keyboard and simple design from MSI, this laptop announces your gaming intentions for all to see.
4. ACER PREDATOR HELIOS 300
- Latest 7th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor 2.8GHz with Turbo Boost Technology up to 3.8GHz | Windows 10 Home 64-bit
- Latest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
- 15.6 Full HD (1920 x 1080) widescreen IPS display, Red Backlit Keyboard
- 16GB DDR4 DRAM Memory & 256GB SSD | Extra empty expandable hard drive slot for 2.5 hard drives
- Up to 7-hours of battery life
The Acer Predator Helios 300 is undoubtedly one of the best gaming laptops for programming and all of its features including its overall look and design are really impressive. The 17-inch display features a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels.
You can easily enjoy all kinds of games on this top-notch gaming machine. It comes with the latest version of the Intel Core i7 processor and it can handle just about anything.
On top of that 16 GB of DDR4 RAM is loaded in it along with 256 GB of SSD for quickly loading your games.
Other than SSD, it also packs a 1 TB of HDD so you can easily store all your multimedia files in it. When it comes to running games, it is as smooth as it gets on a laptop thanks to its NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU.
Windows 10 with home edition is installed for better and easy working. Its 3 hours of battery life is more than enough if you’d like to play your games while traveling.
For better connectivity, there are 4 USB 3.0 Ports available with one power-off charging port. One additional display port is also available. With the SD card reader, you can easily transfer your data from another device.
The quality of Webcam is HD with 1280 by 720 resolutions. Killer Ethernet E2400 is available for gaming connectivity with the latest WiFi and MIMO technology which will certainly help with the performance.
Predator True Harmony Plus sound system is inbuilt so that you can easily enjoy your gaming even without the external audio system.
5. HP OMEN
- Play the latest games, including Fortnight, PUBG, and Overwatch, from anywhere—without sacrificing performance.
- 8th Generation intel(r) core(tm) i5-8300H Processor, quad-core, 2.3GHz up to 4.0GHz for top gaming performance.
- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB GDDR5 dedicated). 15.6-Inch diagonal FHD IPS bright View micro-edge WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080) with 144Hz refresh rate.
- 12 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (upgradable with 2 accessible Memory Slots). 128 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD. 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD.
- Dragon Red Backlit keyboard, full size directional Arrow keys, and illuminated WASD keys for instant recognition.
- Battery life: up to 10 hours and 45 minutes (mixed usage); up to 6 hours and 30 minutes (video playback); up to 5 hours and 30 minutes (wireless streaming).
- Dimensions AND weight (unpackaged): 14.17 inches (W) x 10.35 inches (D) x 0.98 inch (H); 5.40 pounds.
- Operating System: Windows 10 Home.
With the Omen, HP has really gone to town with a machine that is less than an inch thick and weighs in at 5.4 pounds. Although it may not be the thinnest gaming laptop around, it is certainly one of the most affordable in this class.
The display is a 15.6″ FHD IPS (1920 x 1080) which gives good resolution and excellent color accuracy. The only area it fails a little in is the brightness, it only has a rating of 256-Nits compared to the impressive 320-Nit panel of the Razer Blade 14.
As you would expect from an 8th generation Intel CPU and 12GB of RAM, multitasking performance is solid on this laptop. Some users may find the storage limiting at only a 128GB SSD although, it does boast impressive read and write speeds.
The NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti is the real star here allowing games to run at the highest settings with impressive frame rates.
There may be more powerful gaming laptops available, but not many will match the portability and performance of this Omen.
6. ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR II
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 (base: 1215 MHz, Boost: 1440 MHz; TDP: 115W)
- Intel Core i7 8750H Hexa core processor
- 144Hz 3ms 15.6” 1920x1080 IPS type display
- 16GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM | 512GB PCIe SSD | Windows 10 Home
- Gigabit wave 2 Wi Fi 5 (802.11AC) | Quad antennas and ROG RangeBoost technology provides upto 30% wider coverage. Bluetooth 5.0
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar II is one of the best gaming laptops for programming. It’s an earlier model in the Strix Scar series, but still very capable. It is specially designed for advanced gamers with high-end hardware configuration.
One can do just about anything on this machine thanks to its Intel Core i7 processor. On top of that, it features 16 GB of DDR4 RAM which will further boost your gaming speed.
With 1TB hard drive space, you don’t have to worry about anything while storing multimedia files or installing huge games on it. The companion 256GB SSD means that you also get fast boot and application load times. It’s the best of both worlds.
It is well equipped with a 15.6-inch display and 1920 by 1080 pixels of screen resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. This refresh rate is rare in this price range. A gaming laptop must have a great graphics processor and the Strix Scar II comes with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GPU that will handle high-end gaming without a problem.
The battery life isn’t great at 2 to 3 hours. If operation away from power is an important feature for you, then you may want to consider a different model. For connectivity, you will get 1 HDMI 2.0 Port, 1 mini Display port, 802.a/c wireless type and 4.1 Bluetooth.
There are 5 USB 3.0 ports available for connecting your external devices. Overall, it has all the features of gaming-centric and the laptop is relatively lightweight at about 5.3 pounds.
7. ACER ASPIRE 7
- 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H 6-Core Processor (Up to 4.1GHz)
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM
- 15.6 Full HD (1920 x 1080) Widescreen LED-backlit IPS Display
- 8GB DDR4 2400MHz Memory, 128GB SSD & 1TB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi |Backlit Keyboard | USB 3.1 Type C Gen 1 port | Fingerprint Reader
The Acer Aspire 7 will cost you under $1000, which is impressive given its top-notch configuration. It’s great value for the money.
Its design is quite attractive with shiny black color and its ultra-slim body is lightweight and extremely easy to carry around.
The 15.6-inch display features an FHD screen with IPS technology. The processor packed inside is 8th generation Intel Core i7 along with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. The SSD will give you fast boot and application load times and you can also save all your huge movies and games on its 1 TB HDD.
It also features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti GPU for the exceptional gaming experience. Windows 10 is pre-installed for smooth experience along with a little bit of bloatware.
With up to 7 hours of battery life, you can easily work or play a game while you’re away from the plug. Of course, the battery life may be shorter depending on the game.
There are four USB ports, including a USB 3.1 (Type-C) port, which gives you the freedom to connect ample external devices with your computer. USB 3.1 ports are perfect for fast data transfer or external monitors as well. The laptop also supports Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity.
8. ASUS ROG ZEPHYRUS GX501
- Powerful and efficient GeForce GTX 1080 8GB with Max-Q design and 8th-Gen Intel Core i7-8750H (up to 3.9 GHz) Processor
- Ultra-thin and ultra-light gaming laptop with a thickness of only 0.7 (with the lid closed) and weighing only 4.9lbs
- 144Hz 15.6 Full HD IPS-Type AHVA G-SYNC Display with 3ms response time
- Fastest SSD and RAM: featuring 512GB PCIe SSD (Hyperdrive up to 3478 MB/s sequential read rate) and 16GB DDR4 2666MHz; Windows 10 Home
- Quiet and cool featuring ROG Active Aerodynamic System which improves airflow by up to 40 percent and reduces temperatures by up to 20 percent compared to conventional cooling. (Actual cooling performance varies)
ASUS ROG Zephyrus GX501 is a powerhouse contender for the best gaming laptop. The body is ultra-slim with beautiful design and color is perfect for gamers as well as professionals.
The 15.6-inch display with 144Hz refresh rate is perfect and exceptionally good for gaming and we highly recommend this machine due to its display.
The latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with the latest hexa-core technology gives you the freedom to enjoy gaming and fast processing.
With 512 GB of SSD, you can quickly save and load all your work, games, movies, etc. For extraordinary gaming experience, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 drives the display.
It also boasts a backlit keyboard with Aura RGB switch keys technology. Battery life is nothing to brag about at 2 to 3 hours. Whether this is sufficient depends on how you will use the laptop.
The shorter battery life is consistent with the high-end specifications of this laptop and the price point. If you don’t mind being plugged in most of the time, this is an excellent gaming choice.
9. HP OMEN 15
HP OMEN 15 is yet another one of the best gaming laptops for programming by HP with all the gaming-centric features. It features a 15-inch UHD display with a resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels along with anti-glare technology.
It also features Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor along with 2 TB of HDD and 128 GB of SSD which is practically too much for anyone.
For a smooth gaming experience, it includes NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU. For better connectivity advanced LAN, 802.11 wireless type and Bluetooth 4.0 are inbuilt. Windows 10 is also installed to handle most of the latest games.
The keyboard and touchpad are both designed uniquely featuring an accelerometer sensor and backlit. It includes two speakers so you can easily enjoy quality music and movies in your free time.
10. ASUS GAMING THIN AND LIGHT LAPTOP
- 15.6 Inch Full HD Display with Windows 10 Pre-installed
- Fully loaded with Latest 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)
- Powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB discrete graphics.
- Cooled by Intelligent Dual Fan System to cool the CPU and GPU independently
- Fast 128GB SSD combined with Large 1TB 5400RPM HDD and 16GB DDR4 RAM
The ASUS Gaming Thin and Light Laptop is a budget gaming machine that’ll cost you around $1100 and it comes with all the latest features and ample storage capacity.
Its design has been appreciated by gamers worldwide and it includes a Dual Fan system that’ll keep the laptop cool all the time even while playing complicated games.
It not only keeps the device cool but also boosts the performance drastically.
It comes with 15-inch of a full HD display, 7th generation Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and Windows 10.
When it comes to storage drives, it has both, 128 GB of SSD and 1 TB of HDD for storing all your high-end games and movies.
Nothing matters more than a GPU in a gaming notebook and it includes an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB of onboard memory. Battery life is decent with 4 hours of backup and it also packs ports like HDMI, USB 3.0 and SD card reader.
Conclusion
So these are our picks for best gaming laptops for programming. We’re sure that you won’t regret buying one of the gaming machines on our list.
If you have any doubts regarding these notebooks then feel free to get in touch with us through comments or contact us and we’d be more than happy to help.
