Best Budget Laptops for Computer Science Students

While studying Computer Science, you need to focus on coding and programming. All laptops do not have each and every feature as icing on the cake. There are some drawbacks, some perks, and so on. You need to understand where you can compromise and where you cannot.

Keeping a few factors in mind, we have found the 10 Best Budget Laptops for Computer science students.

You might choose to compromise with the battery life and not an excellent GPU or a 4K display, while some students might choose the opposite. Eventually, we need to stick to our purpose for a while and select laptops that can not only boost our performance as students of Computer science, but they can also help us with official internships on coding.

The programs that you run for example MATLAB, should not heat up your system and take a toll on it. Basically, as a student of computer science, every feature matters to you even if in a little proportion. Let’s have a look:

Best Budget Laptops for Computer Science Students

Dell XPS 15 9500 (Over $2000)

Key features: 15.6-inch FHD Display; 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H Processor; 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU; 16GB Ram; 512GB SSD storage; 1920×1200 Resolution; 12.5 hours of battery life

This is the computer that can fit the needs of any computer science student. The versatile features leave you absolutely free to explore the CS world and keep advancing in the field. The battery life is enough for a Computer Science student to last him with the entire day’s assignments and aptitude practices.

You get overwhelming connectivity options with 2 Thunderbolt 3 slots, Type-C port with DP compatibility, USB charging support, SD card reader, and Wi-Fi 6. That certainly pumps enough blood to your chest and lets you walk with a safe and confident attitude. Nothing can stop you from admiring its exclusive metal-clad notebook weighing around 4.5 pounds, brilliant display, and backlit keyboard.

Additionally, you get a smooth trackpad of a good size and Waves Nx audio speakers. Elaborating further on the display, it’s an eye-opening 15. 6 inches Full HD toughened screen. You get a perfect match of color production and balanced brightness.

They have used eye-safe technology to keep your eyes safe as a computer science student needs to constantly be on screen. Moving on to the 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-10750H Processor, it ensures less processing speed and keeps you from slow and dragging work while dealing with intense coding. You see the GPU used is 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU keeps you prepared for any Graphic use.

Even if you want to play games that require a good GPU, go ahead with it. Storage is our ultimate attraction. Combining the 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage with the 4 GB GPU, you are a pro with your equipment.

Pros:

• Beautiful and bright display
• Backlit Keyboard
• Sleek and classic design
• Better connectivity options with USB-C and TB 3 ports
• 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU
• Ample storage
• Enough Battery life

Cons:

• None

Lenovo Yoga C930 (Under $1000)

Key features: 13.9-inch 4K UHD Touch Display; 2.6GHz 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-8550U Processor; Intel HD Graphics 620 GPU; 16GB Ram; 1TB SSD storage; 3840 x 2160 Resolution; 10 hours of battery life

Now, in this case, study and computer science are your sole true partners and if you are not much into leisure gaming then you must choose this option. Being a student of computer science you cannot compromise on the technological up-gradation at all. You need a perfect combination of technical support. And that’s what you are getting here.

The 13.9-inch 4K UHD Touchscreen Display gives you deep clarity and prominent sharpness in visuals on the screen. You need not stare at the screen folding your eyelids to concentrate on the display. With 3840 x 2160 Resolution, you can enjoy a stainless study or work at once with the detailed display. You get a real accentuated performance from the CPU of the laptop.

The 2.6GHz 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-8550U Processor works perfectly helping you circulate the data quickly with loaded coding work. Intel HD Graphics 620 GPU might not be brilliant for gaming but then, it’s not bad either. 16GB Ram and 1TB SSD storage team up together to provide you with ample space where you can safely store your notes and programming data. And 10 hours of battery life adds to the features even more advantage.

You get a dedicated slot for a stylus where taking notes for you becomes easier. Moreover, you just cannot ignore the efficiency of its improved Soundbars and Webcam. Hence, the deal sounded convincing to us.

Pros:

• Beautiful and clear bright display
• Standard soundbars
• Sleek and classic design
• 1TB SSD storage
• Dedicated slot for stylus 
• Enough Battery life
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• GPU is not upgraded

Dell XPS 9570 (Over 1500)

Key features: 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H processor; 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti; 16GB Ram; 512GB storage; 1920 x 1080 Resolution; 10 hours of battery life

We can precisely assure you that you are going to love this one. Be it the build, the display, the CPU, the GPU or the battery life; everything is so well equipped and smooth functioning. Streaming on various videos of lectures is going to be so much in-the-flow and light for you as a Computer science student.

The setup will keep you far more updated than your seniors and you would be known to be way smarter than your friends. You get 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution giving you lively and vibrant visuals on the screen.

The accentuated 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H processor leaves you with zero complaints regarding the processing speed of the laptop. You can completely rely on the 4GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti for the ultimate gaming experience in the break hours if you want. You also have your hands on ample storage 16GB Ram

 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD in the system to keep your datas freely stored and circulated in the system. You can store plenty of lectures and notes. You might get these features in our other offers too. But the special part about this laptop is the 10 hours of battery life. That’s not something you can easily find.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Sleek and classic design
• Detailed Resolution
• Ample storage
• Upgraded GPU
• Speeded processor
• Enough Battery

Cons:

• Almost None

HP Envy 13 (under $1000)

Key features: 13.3-inch 4K UHD Touchscreen Display; Intel i7-1065G7 Processor; 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX250; 16GB Ram; 512GB SSD storage; 3840×2160 Resolution; 5 hours of battery life

If you are a student who travels with your laptop, then carry this lightweight laptop along with you wherever you want. That way, you cannot carry a lot of load with you. 13.3-inch 4K screen is received at your end with HD Ultra Touchscreen Display.

The precision and sharpness in the image quality are worth admiration. The color production feels lively. It does not strain your eyes with a balanced color production. You get enraptured with the display quality without a stressed attitude. The top-notch Intel i7-1065G7 Processor works flawlessly to enhance your performance altogether.

Having a 4K display allows you to enjoy the graphics-intensive computer applications too. 8GB DDR4 Memory and 512GB SSD works well for storing lectures and notes. 5 hours battery life might be a bit less. But that’s the only drawback you face. The speakers produce solid and clear sounds.

Pros:

• Excellent display
• Standard soundbars
• Sleek and classic design
• Lightweight and portable 
• Ample storage
• Upgraded GPU
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• Battery life is short due to 4K touchscreen display 

ACER Nitro 5 (under $1000)

Key features: 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display; 10th Gen Intel Core i5; 4GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti; 8-32 GB Ram; 256GB-1TB SSD storage; 1920 x 1080 Resolution; 5 hours of battery life

This is the best affordable option that any computer science student can prefer. The satisfactory features that come are very user-friendly and handy. The battery life is not good enough though but it is enough for a Computer Science student to last him with the homework.

This shortcoming is well balanced with the exceptional 4GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650Ti. You can try your hands on some thrilling gaming experiences for a break time. That brings an instant smile on your face for sure. You get a beautiful 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display with a resolution of 1920x1080p.

That brings a perfect match of color production and balanced brightness. Some eye-safe technology keeps your eyes safe from strain and fatigue. Moving on to the 10th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor, it ensures accelerated processing speed and keeps you from slow and dragging work while dealing with intense coding. Depending upon the laptop you pick, you can get 8 to 32 GB of RAM and 256 GB SSD to 1TB SSD storage with the 4GB GPU, making it a worthy pick.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Elegant look
• Sleek and classic design
• Promising Resolution
• Good storage
• Upgraded GPU
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• Battery life is short
• Heavy, as it is an entry level gaming laptop

HP Notebook Laptop (Around $500)

Key features: 14-inch Display; AMD Athlon Silver 3050U Processor; AMD Radeon Graphics; 16 GB Ram; 1TB SSD storage; 9 hours of battery life

HP’s Notebook series is very popular. In 2021, most of the features got an upgrade. The 14″ machine is the most recommended laptop for students out there due to its affordability and accurately fitting features in the budget. Hence it stands as one of the best budget laptop for computer science students.

Even if you work on it continuously, attending classes, taking notes, programming, and gaming during breaks; you can keep it awake for 7 to 8 hours if not 9 hours. It might get heated up with some extremely intensive programs which in general nobody uses regularly. But, you can deal with it in a smarter way by using less intensified applications and programs.

Coming to the great features, you get an overwhelming display which is a 14-inch HD Display. This is sufficient for basic computer science programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, C, Java, C#, etc.

The AMD Athlon Silver 3050U Processor keeps your work running faster than you expect it to. It is also known to beat Intel i5 – 7th generation processors. For the price, you are getting 16 Gigs of Ram and 1TB SSD storage which is cheap on your budget but fits in all the necessities.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Affordable 
• Sleek and classic design
• Detailed Resolution
• Good storage
• Upgraded GPU
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• Lacks SSD storage

ASUS TUF FX505DT (under $800)

Key features: 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display; 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H processor; 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti; 16GB Ram; 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage; 1920 x 1080 Resolution; 5 hours of battery life

TUF series in ASUS laptops ranges laptops with premium features especially designed for gaming or graphics-intensive works. The key features are all upgraded and reliable. AMD Ryzen 7 3750H makes you wonder about the speed that it boosts.

The 15.6-inch FHD Touchscreen Display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution is not a surprise with the other powerful features. You get an elegant display with balanced color production and sharpness. 6GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti when combined with 16GB Ram and 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD storage we absolutely stand with our jaws wide open. Your processing occurs at the speed of an eye’s blink. The program flows as gently as pouring water.

Its RGB Backlit keyboard is highly known for its 20-million keystroke durability which is the reason why you would be way better with such a laptop as a student of computer science. The only drawback we find is 5 hours of battery life. Now, that’s obvious to happen with such an intense mechanism of features. So if you could bear with this shortcoming, the favors are all yours.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Highly modernized features
• Sleek and classic design
• Detailed Resolution 
• Ample storage
• Upgraded GPU
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• Mediocre battery life

ASUS VivoBook S

Key features: 14-inch FHD NanoEdge Display; 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor; 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX150; 16GB Ram; 256GB; 1920 x 1080 Resolution; 8 hours of battery life

In case you are a girl who is a student of computer science, I am sure black and white would bore you a lot. So you get a lot of color options with this ASUS VivoBook S. In fact, even boys would love to see the smart colors and flaunt them better.

You would praise the ErgoLift hinge design that comes with this laptop. You get a good combo of beautiful vibrant colors and inside features in the laptops. 14-inch FHD NanoEdge Display with 1920 x 1080 Resolution leaves you satisfied with the display quality.

Speaking about the processor you get a 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor which is an absolutely fine deal. The GPU is a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX150 with which you can spend safe hours doing some graphic-intensive work and gaming. Storage-wise you are getting 16GB Ram and 256GB SSD storage.

The battery life however is reported to drain earlier than the company claims. People have reported that the battery drains within two to three hours with intensive workloads.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Variety of colors selections
• Sleek and classic design
• Detailed Resolution 
• Good storage
• Quality GPU
• Speeded processor

Cons:

• Poor battery
• Could have used a better GPU for the price it takes

Microsoft Surface Pro 6

Key features: 12.3-inch PixelSense Display; 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-3960X processor; Integrated Intel HD 620; 16GB Ram; 1TB storage; 2736 x 1824 Resolution; 13.5 hours of battery life

The reason we kept this option towards the end of our list, is the price which might not be suitable for a student. If you are a Computer Science student and you want to have some lively experience working or traveling outdoors with this laptop, you should grab this laptop. It’s absolutely possible because of the commendable battery life of 13.5 hours.

The Surface pen suits our purpose and it is fun to use it pairing up with the top-notch stylus that the laptop carries. That sounds great. We can expect a lot of substantial performance from it. the 12.3-inch PixelSense Display with 2736 x 1824 Resolution provides a clear and crisp screen. The display is gorgeous and lively. With that, you get a 1.3GHz Intel Core i7-3960X processor and an Integrated Intel HD 620 GPU.

So that’s a tempting combination. Storage comes with 16GB Ram and 1TB storage which is good enough for a Computer Science student. Hence, you particularly won’t find a reason not to purchase it. If cost is not a concern, you might have to purchase a few additional things and you are good to go.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Lightweight and portable
• Sleek and classic design
• Detailed Resolution
• Good storage
• Quality GPU
• Speeded processor
• Excellent Battery

Cons:

• Costly

Lenovo IdeaPad 3

Key features: 14 inch Full-HD LED Display; AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Processor; 12GB Ram; 256GB SSD storage; 1920 x 1080 Resolution; AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics; 8.5 hours of battery life

Student life often carries the baggage of a struggling period with it. In case, you are looking for a standard laptop that can fulfill your Computer Science requirements without extravagant attachments here you are with a very affordable option.

This laptop is enough for your studies, programming, coding, and so on. Minor display adjustments would be there, but then that’s hardly an issue for students working on coding. With four cores you get programmer-friendly Virtualization support too. The display of 14-inch HD LED is enhanced by TruBrite technology. Students mostly prefer a 14″ display because of its portability and travel-friendliness.

It also incorporates a Quick and quiet with Q-control with which one can effortlessly swap between fast & powerful performance and quiet battery saving mode. The Resolution being 1920 x 1080 pixels, you cannot miss the Backlit LED and touchscreen panel.

You are free to work on the spacious keyboard and the responsive trackpad. Added benefits include a 720p webcam that comes with privacy protection and speakers with Dopoundsy.

That kind of makes up for more or less any drawback. With the 180-degree hinge, you can use the laptop as a convertible tablet. There are HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity options too. 8.5 hours of battery life is just not meant to be taken lightly.

Pros:

• Beautiful and large display
• Lightweight and portable
• Convertible into tablet
• Detailed Resolution
• Blazing fast processor
• Enough Battery life

Cons:

• Storage could be better
• Display is average at best

What features matter the most for a laptop of Computer Science student?

Here are the factors that influence the performance of a Computer Science student in regard to laptops :

1. Lightweight and portable laptops: As a student, you might need to carry your laptop to your classes daily. You would never want your laptops to weigh your shoulders down as soon as you lift them. Thus, always go for lightweight laptops that allow portability.
   
2. Solid build: When we say lightweight, we do not mean fragile frames of laptops. We have resources that can give us sturdy yet lightweight laptop build material. The manufacturing material should be solid. It should add to the longevity of your laptop. Students are often careless with handling gadgets. So you should be looking for a rough and tough build that can sustain your insane handling. Having said that, we of course expect you to be careful with such pricey devices.
   
3. Display: Look for a fine display. Even though you do not need some extravagant touches, look for a fair or decent display with a good Resolution, balanced brightness, proper color production, and clarity. That saves your eyes from fluorescence.
   
4. Anti-Glare technologies: These work a lot to protect your eyes from straining. Poor eyesight has become very common for computer science students. Hence, we suggest you prevent straining your eyes as much as you can.
   
5. RAM: 16 GB RAM is an ideal offer for any student who is into programming or coding. You will have a fluid flow speed and that’s all we want.
   
6. Storage: Yes, coming to the storage, CSE students cannot compromise much on these parts. Storing lectures, videos, notes, data, assignments, and projects takes up storage in the system. A minimum of 256GB SSD storage is good enough for this keeping other necessities in mind.
   
7. GPU: Now, you might be interested in some extra hobbies like graphic designing or gaming. However, we know the schedule of Computer science students hardly allow long hours of leisure time. Even in free breaks, you are expected to work on your aptitude. That’s pretty sad and hilarious at the same time. But that stays a harsh fact of the education system. But for some graphic intensive programs and projects, you need minimum GPU support in your system.
   
8. Battery life: It completely depends on the availability of options and your personal usage hours. You may choose in between 5 to 14 hours of battery life.
   
9. Processor: There is absolutely no limit to investing in a quality intel processor. The better the processor, the more acceleration you give to your work. From something as good as 2.3GHz AMD Ryzen 7 R7-3750H, you can go for a decent 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8550U processor.
   

Conclusion

That’s all for the best budget laptops for Computer science students that are cheap for your budget, affordable yet helpful. Hope you found the article useful.

A lot of students are opting for Computer science Engineering as their field of qualification nowadays. We hear people saying, “Next 50 years are all glory for Computer science students”. The question remains, is the glory possible without a good armament on the battlefield? Of course not.