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Mubeen Jalib
|  August 14, 2021  |  Gaming Laptops, Reviews 
Top 10 Best Laptops For Gaming & Programming

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Top Pick

Alienware M17 R4 Gaming Laptop

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Screen Size: 17.3 Inched FHD, 360Hz
  • Battery Backup: 3 Hours
  • Weight: 5.3 lbs
  • Alienware M17 R4 has great blazing frame rate, quality built and mechanical laptop. It sets the laptop high on the bar.

    It will give you the best gaming experience, best keyboard but the worst battery life- if you can compensate with that, it is worth a purchase.



    Gaming and programming are demanding activities, hence for that, you need a laptop with good features and specifications. Some of the features that a good gaming and professional need are RAM, storage, graphic card, display, and processor. A laptop having all these features in its best version guarantees a long-lasting gaming and programming experience.

    Programming or coding does not require an expensive and very advanced laptop. However, you need a laptop that will process complex images, evaluation, testing, websites, and running applications that you will create. In case you are a big gamer, you need a laptop with having powerful GPU, about 8 GB RAM, a powerful processor core, and a good, smooth keyboard.

    You need a laptop that has a great combination of performance, power, and execution. The problem here lies in there are hundreds of laptops to choose from. If you are on a budget or you have got no time to search thousands of laptops and specifications, we have got you covered. Here is a buyer’s guide and some of the best laptops for programming and gaming that you can choose from!

    Best for Gaming

    Alienware M17 R4

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 10750H
  • RAM: 8 GB DDR4
  • GPU: RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • Display: 17.3″ FHD, 360Hz
  • Battery Backup: 3 Hours
  • Read Review
    Check Price
    Best for Coding

    Apple MacBook Pro

  • Processor: Intel Core i9 Octa-Core 2.3GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB DDR4
  • GPU: AMD Radeon Pro 4GB
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Display: 16″ Retina IPS Display
  • Battery Backup: 11-12 Hours
  • Read Review
    Check Price
    Best Budget

    Razer Blade 15 Base

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 10875H 2.3GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB DDR4
  • GPU: GTX 1660 Ti
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Display: 15.6″ FHD 1080p 120Hz
  • Battery Backup: 5-6 Hours
  • Read Review
    Check Price

    Best Laptops For Gaming and Programming

    After hours of research and considerations, we have come with the best laptop options that work best for gaming and programming.

    1. Asus ROG Strix SCAR II

    Asus ROG Strix SCAR II

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 8750H
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″ Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel, 144 Hz
  • Battery Backup: 5+ Hours
  • Weight: 2.8 lbs
  • ASUS is one of the best manufacturers for gaming laptops. Asus comes with great range of gaming laptops with different combinations of names: ROG (Republic of Gamers), Strix, Zephyrus, Scar, Hero, FX and so on. The GL704 is a compact 17-inch gaming laptop available on the market.

    It has an Intel Core i7-8750H Hexa-Core processor and 16 GB of RAM. It has 512 GB SSD Storage. It has Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6. This laptop has a promising and strong GPU- CPU combination that promises a great performance. This laptop has beat the previous laptops with Nvidia 1070 and 1060 GPUS and is one of the best laptops for gaming.

    It is a high-budget gaming laptop. Asus ROG STRIX has a 15.6” inch laptop with 1920 x 1080 pixels. It lacks features like Nvidia G-Sync support. But, it has 144Hz refresh rate that is generally higher than most laptop screens. Hence, for esports player and programmers who need a low latency and fast refresh rate, this laptop is a good choice,

    It lasts about 5-6 hours. It can be put into an average battery life. The battery recharges very quickly as it has a 66 WH, 4-cell battery. Hence, battery life wise, this laptop is a great choice.

    This laptop has easy, soft clicking and keyboard. The keyboard has customizable lighting that comes in four colors and lighting zones. It is different than per-key lighting. It has all the important WSAD keys that are often built in gaming PCs. This makes this laptop a plus-plus for the gamers!

    Pros
    • It has an impressive compact structure for a 17- inch laptop.
    • It has a matte FHD panel.
    • The laptop comes with an icore7 processor and has one of the lowest response times and fast functioning. The laptop also has an impressive performance.
    • The laptop is easy to repair and maintain. Its hardware is easily available in the market.
    • The laptop has good speakers. It has two 3.5 W speakers that sound good.
    Cons
    • It has loud fans. It gets awkward to work once the laptop gets heated.
    • It has an awkward webcam placement. The webcam is placed below the screen, to the right side.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    2. Alienware M17 R4 – Our Top Pick

    Alienware M17 R4

  • Processor: Intel Core i7-10750H
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Screen Size: 17.3 Inched FHD, 360Hz
  • Battery Backup: 3 Hours
  • Weight: 5.3 lbs
  • Top Pick Best for Gaming

    The Alienware does not fail to give impressive specs and the M17 R4 is one of those top notch machines. It is an aspirational laptop for the serious gamers. It features an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD. It is a good gaming laptop given its features and specifications. It has a remarkably fast performance.

    It is a high-budget laptop. It has an excellent display performance. It features a 17.3-inch FHD (Full HD 1920 x 1080) 360Hz 5ms 300-nits 100% sRGB color gamut with NVIDIA-GSYNC technology. It has the best, fastest HD display you can buy. The display quality is good, with vibrant colors.

    The battery has a performance of 2-3 hours. It has a poor battery life.  It has a great keyboard that is responsive, soft, and packed with anti-ghosting technology. It has unique, satisfying Cherry MX mechanical keyboard. Its unique mechanical keyboard sets it apart from other laptops. A mechanical keyboard is different from other keyboards because they have switches under the keys. These switches are made of several moving parts: a hard plastic “stem” contains two metal contacts and a spring underneath.

    It has a micro-SD slot and pair of USB 3.2 ports on the right as well as Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.2 and a headphone jack on the left. Around back, it has a power brick connector, a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI 2.1, Display Port 1.4 and Alien ware’s Graphic Amplifier port.

    Overall, it has great blazing frame rate, quality built and mechanical laptop. It sets the laptop high on the bar. SO, it will give you the best gaming experience, best keyboard but the worst battery life- if you can compensate with that, it is worth a purchase.

    Pros
    • It has excellent graphics- Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 and great performance being a Core i7.
    • It has a good comfortable mechanical keyboard.
    • It has a beautiful, bright display with a fast refresh rate.
    • It has an attractive design and LED lights base.
    • Alienware features a lightning-fast SSD.
    Cons
    • The battery life is not the best. 2-3 hours is not a good battery life for the programmers.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    3. Acer Predator Triton 500 – 2nd Best Choice for Gaming

    Acer Predator Triton 500

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 9750H 2.6 GHz Hexa-Core
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 6GB
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″ 1920 x 1080
  • Battery Backup: 3.5 Hours
  • Weight: 4.6 lbs
  • Acer Predator Triton 500 is a good powdered thin and portable gaming laptop. It is a feature-packed laptop having a slim design and high-refresh panel. It is like the previous one an expensive laptop but really appeasable to those who can afford it.

    The Acer Predator Triton 500 is one of the best laptops in performance. It has a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 9750H 6 Core Processor and 6GB of RAM to start this system supports up to 16GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory & 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD. It has 512GB SSD Storage. It is NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Graphics with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM.

    Acer Predator Triton 500 has a 15.6-inch display with 1080p screen resolution. The main advantage of this laptop is that its display features Nvidia G-Sync with a refresh rate of 300Hz. This makes it into the list of high-end gaming laptops because most games do not even approach 300 frame-rate-per-second but this laptop has went this far to pursue performance.

    It does not have the most impressive battery life. Here the laptop falls short. It lasts about 3-4 hours. Compared to the previous Acer models, the battery life have improved but still it is not up-to-the-mark for a gaming laptop.

    It has LED-backlit impressive keyboards with thin membranes. The Keyboard is comfortable to type and play. It also has per-key-programmable RGB lighting. The key got a nice bounce and are neither shallow nor hard to type on. The touch pad is a little small, but it is responsive and works great.

    Acer Triton Predator have a lot of ports. It’s a plus point for any user. The Triton 500 includes a useful array of ports, starting with an HDMI port, a USB 3.1 Type-A port, audio jacks, and an Ethernet jack on the left flank. The right side holds two more USB 3.1 ports, a USB-C connection with Thunderbolt 3 support, and a mini Display Port connection.

    Pros
    • It has an excellent screen and display. It is a 300 Hz 1080p screen that gives clear images and excellent pixels.
    • It has NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics which confirms a good gaming experience.
    • It has an elegant design.
    • It has a lot of ports. The Triton 500 comes with a variety of evenly distributed ports. It has a power port, an Ethernet port, a USB-A port, an HDMI port, and two separate 3.5 mm ports for mic and audio.
    Cons
    • It has a really short battery life of about 3-5 hours.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    4. MSI GL63 8RCS-060

    MSI GL63 8RCS-060

  • Processor: Intel Core i5-8300H 2.3 – 4.0GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 4 GB GDDR5
  • Memory: 8 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″ Full HD eDP IPS
  • Battery Backup: 4 Hours
  • Weight: 8.5 lbs
  • MSI has developed some of the best laptops and this is one of those. It is a gaming laptop that you can rely on for a great couple of years. If you’re looking for a laptop with unmatched gaming and productivity power, then the MSI GL65 is one of the best high-power gaming laptops you’ll find on the market.

    It has a Core i5-8300H Processor and 8GB of RAM, this system can handle up to 32GB of memory. It has 256GB SSD Storage. It has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4G GDDR5. This gaming laptop can run Mine craft, PUBG and Fortnite but wouldn’t be able to run games like Apex Legends and GTA V. For a price as low as this, it is a good purchase, if you are looking for a good laptop for programming and average-sized games.

    This laptop can be considered as the best budget gaming laptops of our list, having all the exclusive features yet a minimal price. MSI GL63 has a 15.5” Full HD display with IPS technology. It has resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Having this display features ensures good brightness and contrast rescues the picture quality for gaming and gives the users an enjoyable and vivid screen time

    It lasts about 3-4 hours- if you are continuously using and downloading stuff.  MSI have got a bad reputation for battery life and this laptop also falls short for an optimum battery life we aim for!

    It has a red-backlit keyboard that has soft keys. The keyboard have average key travel and rubbery keystroke. The keyboard lacks dedicated home and end keys. Overall, if you want a back-lit keyboard and can compromise on the key layout choices, this laptop is for you! Its track pad offers a uniform glide for reliable cursor control and multi-touch gestures.

    Pros
    • It has a relatively cool core temperature when you get the gaming and laptop is under loaded.
    • It has a good CPU performance with a corei5 processor.
    • It has a good speaker and sound quality. It has stereo 3W speakers.
    • It has a signature matte display.
    • It has NVIDIA GTX1050, hence proving to give you a great gaming performance.
    • It comes only 1000 dollars. Hence, it is an affordable and good-budget laptop.
    • When under load, it has impressive quitter fans to cool down the system.
    Cons
    • It has a really short battery life of about 3-5 hours.
    • It is a heavyweight laptop
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    5. Acer Predator Helios 300

    Acer Predator Helios 300

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 9750H 2.60 GHz
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″ Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display
  • Battery Backup: 4 Hours
  • Weight: 5.5 lbs
  • Acer Predator Helios 300 is one of the most compelling gaming laptops with best-in-class features. This laptop stands itself for being a gaming laptop with all-black chassis, angled lid corners and an iconic turquoise-backlit Predator logo.

    It features an Intel Core i7 9750H 2.60 GHz processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 1660 Ti GPU, 6 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD. The Helios doesn’t have a Thunderbolt 3 port. There’s only one USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, and it supports neither Display Port nor Power Delivery. The system is fast and smooth. The laptop offers enough computing power for performance-demanding applications such as gaming, video-editing, and image-processing.

    It is a mid-range laptop. Acer Predator Helios 300 has a 15.6-inch screen with a 1080p display and 144 Hz refresh rate. It has a full HD IPS matte display. The screen size is large, the resolution is perfect and can bring every modern game smoothly onto the screen.

    It lasts about 3-4 hours. When you’re doing extensive gaming, the laptop may fall short at 2.5 hours. The battery life can fall in to an acceptable range. Normally, the gaming laptops have 3- 4 hours battery life, and for this features battery life is acceptable.

    The keyboard is average. The plus point is that the keyboard is backlit, which comes handy in dark and for the gamers but the keys are stiff and resistant. The touchpad is also an overly sensitive surface.

    To sum up, Acer Predator Helios 300 features solid features for the money with mid-range gaming machine.

    Pros
    • It has an excellent gaming performance of 1080p with an Intel corei7 processor.
    • This laptop has three storage drives, which is quite impressive.
    • It has powerful hardware.
    • The laptop has lots of configuration options.
    Cons
    • The keyboard is not ideal to use as a gamer or programmer.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    6. Apple MacBook Pro (2019) – Best for Programming

    Apple MacBook Pro (2019)

  • Processor: Intel Core i9 Octa-Core 2.3GHz
  • GPU: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 1 TB SSD
  • Screen Size: 16 Inched Retina IPS Display
  • Battery Backup: 11 Hours
  • Weight: 4.3 lbs
  • Best for Programming

    Apple MacBook Pro 2019 is one of the best laptops Apple has ever made! It delivers a combination of battery life, speed, and display quality.

    Apple 16-inch MacBook Pro falls under the high price tag. It is one of the most expensive laptops and can fall out of some people’s budget.

    Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch has a 16-inch diagonal LED-backlit display with IPS technology. It has 3072 x 1920 resolution with 226 pixels that can support millions of colors. It has excellent retina display with large and slim bezels.

    Apple MacBook Pro can endure up to 8-11 hours of battery life. It means you can have 11 hours of wireless web browsing, programming and gaming without any troubled.

    It has Apple’s iconic Magic Keyboard. The keys have the softest touch. It also has a Touch ID. Apple previously made butterfly laptop which had some setbacks. The new Magic keyboard have covered those differences and came up with softest touch and fast key travel. Magic Keyboard is an important add on for programmers who have to type a lot. Apple’s speakers have great sound with a surprising amount of bass, and the three-mic array is unexpectedly good.

    The 16-inch MacBook Pro is one of the most powerful laptops. It has an 8-core Core i9 CPU and 16GB of RAM to start this system can handle up to 64GB of memory. It has a 1TB SSD Storage but you can configure it to up to 8TB. It has AMD Radeon Pro 5500M Graphics with GDDR6 memory.

    It has four USB Type-C ports that support Thunderbolt 3 speeds and a headphone slot. MacBook Pro have fallen short of ports in this model.

    Previously, Apple users faced issues of heat and battery life in compromise of maintaining a slim profile. But with this version, Apple has risen to the challenge. Apple MacBook Pro 2019 has a long battery life, no issue of early heating up and the best keyboard Apple has ever made.

    Pros
    • It has a magic keyboard. It feels smooth and easy to work on it. It is a great pro for a programmer.
    • It has a large 16- inch display with slimmer bezels. The screen size is optimal and perfect.
    • Apple MacBook have the best sound ever.
    • It has an 8-core Corei9 CPU- one of the best processors in the world right now.
    • The MacBook has a battery life of nearly 11 hours.
    Cons
    • It is expensive and falls in high priced budget.
    • It has no full-size USB Type-A ports or SD card slot.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    7. Razer Blade 15 Base – Budget Friendly

    Razer Blade 15 Base

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 10875H 2.3GHz (6-core, 16MB cache, up to 5.0GHz)
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4 (2,933MHz)
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″ FHD 1080p 120Hz
  • Battery Backup: 5-6 Hours
  • Weight: 4.7 lbs
  • Best Budget

    The Razer Blade 15 is one of the most gaming laptops with its metal chassis, slick and slim design. It offers strong performance and long battery life. The laptop has great graphics power, a powerful 1440 pixels panel.

    It features a 9th Gen Core i7-9750H CPU, 16GB of RAM, dual 128GB SSDs and 1TB HDD hard drives, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card. The laptop has strong GPU performance with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070. Compared to the newer core i9s and latest generations, the CPU has a mediocre CPU performance. But, still it is one of the best choice for gaming and programming laptops.

    It is an expensive laptop. It lasts about 5-6 hours. When you’re doing extensive gaming, the laptop may fall short at 2.5 hours. Razer Blade 15 has a 15.6-inch screen with a 1080p display and 144 Hz refresh rate. It has a resolution of 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution that delivers strong, vibrant colors. Though, this laptop’s screen just not have the required bright display.

    The keyboard is backlit, smooth, and impressive. It has a one-zone RGB-lit keyboard. You can easily customize the single-zone of lighting via the Lighting tab in Razer Synapse. The keyboard keys though come off a little too much soggy. Though, if you want soft butterfly touch- this laptop works great.  The Blade 15’s massive 5.1 x 3.1-inch touchpad is smooth and responsive

    This laptop has there’s the power jack, an Ethernet port, one USB Type-A port, one USB Type-C port and a headphone jack. It also features a security lock slot, an HDMI port, two USB Type-A ports and one USB Type-C port on the right side.

    To sum up, it has a solid graphics performance, a colorful and sharp display as well as a satisfying glass touchpad. The downside of this laptop can be the squishy keyboard- but overall it is worth the purchase.

    Pros
    • It has an aluminum chassis with thin display bezels.
    • It has a good and impressive battery life, lasting about 6 hours.
    • It has a strong performance for a laptop with a 9th generation core i7.
    • It has a lot of ports.
    Cons
    • The laptops get hot quickly.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    8. HP Spectre x360 – 2nd Best Choice For Programming

    HP Spectre x360

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 1065G7 (Quad-Core, 8MB Intel Smart Cache, 3.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
  • GPU:Intel Iris Plus Integrated
  • Memory: 16GB LPDDR4 (3200MHz)
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 13.3″ 4K (3,840 x 2,160) AMOLED
  • Battery Backup: 12 Hours
  • Weight: 2.8 lbs
  • The HP Spectre x360 is an excellent laptop with a stunningly designed 2-in-1 feature. It looks beautiful and offers brilliant battery life as well. Brilliantly built, designs and features powerfully executed- this laptop has got this all covered.

    It features a 10th Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, 16GB of SDRAM, 512 SSDs, and an Iris Plus integrated graphics card. The HP Spectre x360 (2021) delivers the sort of performance you’d expect of a premium laptop at this price point. You certainly won’t be sorely disappointed with this purchase.

    It is an high priced laptop. The HP Spectre x360 does cost more than many 2-in-1s available on the market right now, but it is worth the price. The HP Sectre ensures promising and brilliant display. Also, the screen can flip back completely, turning the HP Spectre x360 (2021) into a tablet-like device, that feels solid and reliable.

    The laptop has well-balanced battery that can last equally well in both light- and medium-use cases. You can easily get through a full work day on this laptop and it offers superb performance, fantastic looks, and won’t need to be plugged in until they return home. It is a best choice for the programmers who have to use the laptop all day long.

    The keyboard is a joy to use, softly backlit in white with nice large keys despite the compact design. There is no Number pad and the arrow keys are a little condensed. It also got handy shortcut keys. But, overall the laptop is enjoyable to use with a nice key travel.

    The laptop have an audio-in jack and full-size USB port on the right, two USB-C ports, a micro SD port and a physical webcam kill switch on the left.

    Pros
    • It has great overall performance with superb battery life.
    • It has the best-added security and privacy system with an IR camera, fingerprint reader, webcam kill switch, and mic mute button.
    • It has an elegant and premium design with 360-degree rotation.
    • It comes with a rechargeable pen.
    • It has handy shortcuts keys.
    Cons
    • It has no HDMI port.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    9. Asus ROG Strix G531GT

    Asus ROG Strix G531GT

  • Processor: Intel Core i7 9750H
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
  • Memory: 16 GB DDR4
  • Storage: 512 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″, 1920 x 1080, 144Hz
  • Battery Backup: 3-4 Hours 10 Mins
  • Weight: 5.3 lbs
  • Asus series has the most expensive range of gaming laptops. Energy-efficient LED backlight, sleek spunky design, punchy keyboards, and awesome graphics and processors make it a cool gaming laptop. It has premium features, premium display and premium value for money. The ROG series lies one rung below the Strix Scar series- and compromises on some features but overall it offers a great performance.

    It has three USB-A 3.1, HDMI 2.0b, LAN, and a headphone jack. It features an Intel Core i7-10750H processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU with 4GB of VRAM, 8GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD. It is a good gaming laptop given its features and specifications. The biggest attraction in this laptop is that it offers the latest 9th generation Intel processor. The GPU is great too. Hence, unless you need to play at the highest possible settings, high-end games are very playable with this laptop.

    But, if you have the budget for this laptop you will surely not be disappointed with its features and performance. It has an excellent display performance. Asus ROG has a 15. 6″ Full HD display; the 1920 x 1080 resolution with 144 Hz boasts impressive color and clarity. The display is moderately bright and is good enough for indoor gaming. 

    The battery has a performance of 3-4 hours. Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours. The keyboard is backlit and the keypads feel punchy to use. For the touchpad, it is quite soft, and the two discrete mouse buttons are responsive and have a decent click to them.

    The Asus ROG Strix G531GT is a good option for people looking for an affordable yet latest generation gaming machine. It has an elegant design, fast refresh rate, quality design and all the features you need for programming and gaming!

    Pros
    • It has a powerful processor and graphics.
    • It has a sleek and spunky design, with the base being backlit.
    • It has a punchy and comfortable keyboard to type on.
    Cons
    • The brightness gets dismal and the colors appear dull.
    • The battery life is not the best. 2-3 hours is not a good battery life for the programmers.
    • The sounds seem low, even at their loudest for a gamer.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.

    10. Asus TUF FX505DT

    Asus TUF FX505DT

  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 R5 3550h Quad-Core
  • GPU: GeForce GTX 1650 4GB
  • Memory: 8 GB DDR
  • Storage: 256 GB SSD
  • Screen Size: 15.6″, 120Hz, IPS Display
  • Battery Backup: 4 Hours
  • Weight: 4.8 lbs
  • This is the perfect laptop for light gamers and programmers. It is a great laptop that has impressive well-built quality and performance. It is an overall terrific value for a gaming laptop. Asus combines Nvidia and AMD tech to make a good gaming laptop.

    ASUS TUF (FX505DT-EB73) Laptop comes with AMD Ryzen 7-3750H Quad-Core Processor, 8GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory and 512GB PCIe Gen3 SSD Solid State Drive internal storage. You’re paying a great price for this laptop and in return this laptop’ GPU and CPU ensures great performance for gaming. This Asus FX505DT-AH51 has an AMD Ryzen 5 3550H CPU and Nvidia’s new GTX 1650 graphics card. This laptop stands out because of its screen and graphic cards!

    It has an excellent display performance. It features a 15.6-inched FHD (Full HD) 120Hz 5ms 300-nits 100% sRGB color gamut with NVIDIA-GSYNC technology. The best, fastest HD display you can buy with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Playing high-definition videos is smoother and enjoyable with this laptop.

    It has a power brick connector, a Thunderbolt 3 port, HDMI 2.1, Display Port 1.4 and Alien ware’s Graphic Amplifier port. It has a single USB-C connector.

    The battery has a performance of 3-4 hours.  It has an RGB Keyboard and easily traceable WSAD Keys. W, S, A, and D keys are used to interact with video games in place of Arrow keys or a controller. W and S control forward and backward movement, while A and D are left and right. Q, E, F, X, Shift and Spacebar are also used in various games.

    Pros
    • It has a compact and portable size.
    • The laptop falls fairly under a good budget.
    • The laptop has two storage bays.
    • The laptop has a 120 Hz display option. The display is good pixelated with vibrant colors.
    Cons
    • The laptop has slower frame rates with low graphical settings.
    • The laptop battery is not optimal for a gamer.
    Want to Buy? We’ve got you covered.
    Looking for Prebuilt Gaming Desktop instead? Check out Best Prebuilt PC Gaming Setups.

    Buyer’s Guide to Buy The Best Laptop For Gaming and Programming

    Here are some of the things you need to look out for in a laptop for the best gaming and programming experiences.

    Screen Size and Quality

    A good screen is what you need the most because you would be sending hours looking at that screen. Screen quality is necessary for programmers and gamers. You need to choose a laptop with 1920 x 1080 resolution or more. For screen size, a screen size of 15- inch would be perfect. A 17- inch screen is good too but it is not portable enough. If the probability is more of a concern to you, a 14- inch laptop is also recommendable.

    Budget

    You have to set a particular budget before going to see the options. It sets a boundary and you can choose from a lesser range. A budget can be about $500, $1000, $1500 or $2000.

    RAM

    The amount of RAM is one of the major things to consider. As a programmer, you have to run heavy IDEs and virtual machines. As a gamer, you need to have a good RAM capacity to run the games smoothly. Such functioning takes a lot of memory and load. So, you have to ensure that your laptop is packed with good RAM capacity for easy multi-tasking. A laptop with at least 8GB or more will be ideal to work. If you can, you should go for 16GB on a gaming PC. A laptop with a GTX 1650 or 1660 Ti usually comes with 8GB. Once you get to a GTX 2060 or higher, some will come with 16GB of RAM. If you can’t get your laptop with 16GB of RAM now, consider upgrading it shortly. Memory is upgradeable in many gaming laptops, so this is an area that you can consider boosting later if you’re handy with a screwdriver.

    Processor

    A fast processor is needed to handle massive projects and graphically intensive applications. You need a high-core processor to work between multiple windows, applications, and screens. We will recommend Intel Corei5, Intel Corei7, and Intel Core i9 work best for gaming and programming. If you are on a budget, an AMD A8 or AMD A10 can also work fine. PUs usually aren’t upgradeable, so you’re making this choice once. 

    Keyboard

    Programmers need to spend endless hours typing on the laptop while a gamer has to spend hours on the machine doing the thing he loves the most- gaming!  It’s very important to find a laptop with a comfortable keyboard. Possibly select one that comes with a numerical pad. Consider the ones that have decent travel and a soft touch. Such features will make the hours you are spending on the laptops easygoing.

    Here are some things you should look in the keyboard while buying:

    Key Travel: It means you have to how far you can press a key.  Keys with over 1.5 millimeters of key travel are preferable and if you hit 2mm, that’s even better. Expensive laptops even have mechanical keys.

    Actuation: This is how much force a person needs to apply to a key to press it down. It is usually between 65 and 70 grams. It is enough to provide resistance without feeling soft.

    Macro Keys: It’s more difficult to find macro keys on gaming notebooks than on desktop. A good set of programmable macro keys will let the user easily complete the most common tasks you complete in games.

    Anti-ghosting and n-key rollover: These are two features that will keep you performing at your best in games. Anti-ghosting means that when you mash on several keys for combos or perform several actions, they will all register. Additionally, n-key rollover means that each key is independent of the others and will be registered no matter which other keys are being pressed.

    Backlighting: Low-budget gaming laptops usually have backlighting in either red or white color. The best keyboards have RGB backlighting (Red, Blue, and Green). Better laptops do it by zone or section of the keyboard, while others are customizable on a per-key basis. Some even let you change the lighting depending on the game.

    GPU

    The GPU is the essential thing you need for optimum gaming performance. GPU stands for ‘Graphics processing units’- a specialized processor that is designed for graphics rendering. Some of the best graphics cards are:

    1. MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio
    2. PNY GeForce GTX 1660 Ti XLR8
    3. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
    4. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
    5. AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
    6. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
    7. AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
    8. AMD Radeon RX 6800

    Storage

    A 246GB or 512 GB storage will be good enough for programming. For gaming, you can go up to 1 TB minimum. It depends upon the games, applications, and programs you are planning to run on the laptop.

    Pro Tips

    • GPU Performance: Games are GPU- dependent. Get a good GPU to ensure that you can play your games at high settings.
    • Upgrading laptops: Usually gaming laptops come with the ability to upgrade the RAM and storage.
    • Pick good resolution or speed: Displays vary at ranges 120 Hz- 360Hz. The fastest displays have resolutions between 1920 x 1080.
    • Keyboard matter the most: Always look out for the keyboard when buying a laptop for gaming or programming. You have to spend a great deal of time on your device, so make it worth the comfort.
    • Battery life: Mostly even great gaming laptops will not offer the best battery life. Hardly, any laptop gets to 8 hours’ worth of battery. You need to have a power supply for the best performance of your laptop.
    Need a Gaming Chair? Check out these Best Gaming Chairs under $200.

    Brands for The Best Laptops for Programming and Gaming

    Apple

    Apple makes the best laptops that go by the MacBook. Apple has also launched its own Apple M1 chip- which is a great step ahead. The Apple laptops have the best design, performance, and battery life. They are worth buying if you are up to the budget.

    Alienware (Dell)

    It has the best thin and light gaming laptop. Alienware is offering the best laptop for art and gaming is the Alienware m17 and Alienware Area-51m. Dells makes the best entry-level machines.

    Asus

    Asus offers the best-designed laptops. They are slick and compact. The laptops have controlled temperature, storage, and RAM. They also offer you customized RGB backlighting. Asus makes the best AMD laptop.

    Acer

    Acer has the most affordable hardware and curved displays and mechanical keyboards. These features make the Acer laptops to standing out.

    HP

    HP has made some of the most aesthetic laptops with high processing CPU and GPU, great RAM, and storage. HP is one of the elite brands for laptops and is definitely worth our trust.

    MSI

    MSI gaming laptops are big, black, and red, the brand has its iconic dragon logo. The MSI has Dragon Centre Software that allows for system monitoring, fan control, and customizable backlit keyboards.

    Razer

    Razer’s design is one of the best for the business and has the best RGB lighting. It allows you to record macros and set lighting on both laptops and accessories.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Can gaming laptops be used for work?

    Yes. Gaming laptops can be used for official tasks as well. It can be used for school, college, and personal use too. Gaming laptops have advanced processors and graphic cards that can do office work proficiently.

    Are gaming laptops good for coding?

    Gaming laptops can be used for programming. With its high-end hardware and high-performing processor, you can carry out any programming-related kind of stuff. You can even do video editing, graphic designing, animation, etc. effortlessly.

    Do I need a powerful laptop for programming?

    You don’t need powerful laptops for programming. Programming is just editing text files, so you can opt for a lower-spec laptop as well and save money.

    What is the best budget laptop for programming?

    From our list, the Microsoft Surface 3 laptop is the best for programming and falls under a normal budget. It has the new Intel 10th Gen processor, Instant On, faster SSD, Type-C 3.1 port, and huge track pad.

    Is Core i5 good for programming?
    The i5 is better for programming. It has fewer cores which means that there is only 1 possible way the CPU can handle a program and it does not have to struggle with multiple threads.

    How much RAM do I need for coding?

    Most programmers will not need more than 16GB of RAM for the major programming and development work. 

    What kind of computer do I need for coding?

    Here are the specifications you would need in the computer:

    • An Intel Core i5 processor with a frequency of 3GHz
    • 4GB of RAM
    • A 256 GB solid-state drive
    • Six-hour battery life

    Is i7 better than i5 for programming?

    The i5 is better for programming. It has fewer cores which means that there is only 1 possible way the CPU can handle a program and it does not have to struggle with multiple threads, unlike the i7 which has 2 possible ways of handling a task, both of which use all 4 cores.

    Is Mac or PC better for coding?

    Here is why we will prefer Mac over windows:

    • Macs can run Windows too
    • macOS is Unix-based
    • macOS has insane community support.
    • macOS has ports of almost everything. 
    • macOS has the best GUI
    • macOS has keyboard shortcuts
    • macOS has GUI automation
    • macOS has great recovery software.

    Which processor is better for programming?

    Some of the best processors for programming are

    • AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Processor 6 cores
    • Intel Corei5 Processor
    • Intel Corei7 Processor

    Is MacBook good for web development?

    MacBook’s are a great machine for full-time web developments. It has the best graphics, is easy to use, is aesthetically pleasing, immensely powerful, and best one of the best-operating systems out there!

    Is Core-i5 processor good for gaming?

    Yes. It is good enough for gaming. Intel Core i5 is a great processor that is made for mainstream users that can boost performance, speed, and graphics. Core i5 is suitable for most of the tasks, even heavy gaming.

    How much RAM is required for gaming?

    You need at least 8 GB RAM for gaming. Your PC will run most of the games smoothly with this much RAM.

    Final Verdict

    There are a lot of things to watch out for while buying a laptop for gaming/ programming. It has to have a good CPU, RAM capacity, optimum storage, budget, and everything good for your consideration. You have to go for the laptop that meets the requirements and one that enables you to feel comfortable whenever you want.

    For gamers, they have to select a laptop that is strong enough to run the high-powered games and for programmers, there are certain specifications they require for coding for working. We have gone through good features and specifications research and come up with our top ten laptops for gaming and programming. They have every feature that makes it a good purchase for a gamer or a programmer.

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