10 best budget laptops for programming students - Developer Resources

These best budget programming laptops for students let you create projects, execute thousands of code lines, and interpret big data without problems.

Top 7 Best Laptops In 2023

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Top 7 Best Laptops In 2023

When you have a limited budget for your new laptop, spending your money wisely is important to get the best bang for the buck. A good way to save money on a budget programming laptop is to know which features you need and which you can skip.

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Tips to buy a budget programming laptop

Processor: Look for a laptop with an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, as these are powerful enough for most programming tasks.

Keyboard: Since you would be mostly typing on your laptop’s keyboard. Choose a laptop with a comfortable keyboard, and it’s better to have a backlit keyboard to work in dimly lit environments.

RAM: A minimum of 8 GB of RAM is recommended, but 16 GB is ideal for more demanding projects.

Storage: A solid-state drive (SSD) is preferred for faster performance and quicker load times, but a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) can also be used if the budget is tight.

Display: A full HD (1920×1080) display is a good minimum requirement, but you may want to consider a higher resolution if you need more screen real estate.

Non-touch or touchscreen: A laptop with touch functionalities doesn’t add any value to programming tasks. So skip this feature to save yourself some bucks.

Graphics: Integrated graphics are sufficient for programming tasks, but if you plan to do any graphics-intensive work, a dedicated graphics card is recommended.

Battery life: If you plan to work on the go, look for a laptop with a good battery life to avoid being tethered to a power outlet.

Budget programming laptops under $400

VivoBook 15

Display: 15.6” FHD Display
Processor: Intel i3-1005G1 CPU, 8GB RAM
RAM/ROM:8GB RAM, 128GB SSD,
Weight: 3.75 pounds

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It is impossible to ignore the value the VIvoBook 15 offers. People who do office work, programmers who are working from home, and students in college will find this laptop to meet their needs that too under the budget of $400 bucks. Thanks to the features such as a backlight keyboard that also include a Numpad for numeric work, and to top it all, the keys provide an unmatched level of comfort for the price.

What we like

+A budget laptop for programming students.
+A very portable device.
+Keyboard with backlit, and enough battery life.

What we don’t like

-Except for the mediocre speakers’ quality, there isn’t much to complain about for the price.

Budget programming laptop under $500

Lenovo Ideapad 3 Laptop

Display: Laptop, 15.6″ HD Touchscreen/FHD non-touch
Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4
RAM/ROM: 12GB/8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Weight: 4.07 lbs

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You’ll hardly find a better deal on laptops than the Lenovo Ideapad 3 for under $500 of price point. Choose between two variants, touch screen or non-touch, both with the same processing power from 11th gen Core i3. In general, we consider these two to be good budget laptops for programmers.

With the same display size, a nice keyboard ( unfortunately no backlit), and a touchpad that makes typing more comfortable. Along with the good design, the quality of the material is premium and well-built and looks stunning.

The non-touch variant costs you around $470 bucks, which is $100 more than the touchscreen edition. Ah, don’t let your mind wander, as the higher price comes with benefits, including better display quality, longer battery life, and a memory upgrade of 4GB.

The touchscreen version comes with these configurations. RAM of 8 GB, and a panel with HD resolution that isn’t very impressive. Also, the touch screen consumes battery power, so you will get 3-4 hours of run time in this configuration.

Advice on two:

Get the touch screen variant if you are a programming student since playing with the screen becomes practical. And with affordability in mind, you get the best deal under $400.

The Non-touch Ideapad 3 is the best bet for professional programmers. Hitting every right spot with long battery life, an impressive screen, and a 50% Ram upgrade.

What we like

-Slim and stylish look.
-Fast charging support.
-Good quality speakers.

What we don’t like

+The screen looks dull.
+The keyboard lacks backlighting.
+Average battery life.

Newest 2022 HP

Specs:

Display: 15.6” FHD
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U 6 core CPU (Beat i7-1160G7, up to 4GHz
RAM/ROM: 16GB RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Keyboard: Full-sized, No backlit keyboard
Weight: 3.70 lbs

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the Newest 2022 HP offers great value compared to other laptops. This slim, stylish, lightweight laptop offers all the necessities for programming for only $500.

We believe the 512 SSD memory inside is more than what you would need, but that’s okay as it gives you more onboard storage to store plenty of important files, also photos, and videos.

Packed inside, a mid-power AMD ryzen 5 5500 processor with 16 GB of DDR4 RAM guarantees you a faster compiling rate.

As much as we enjoyed the processing power, the 15.6 FHD display also caught our attention.

While the keyboard quality is comparable to any premium laptop, a backlit keyboard would have a bonus here. The same goes for the battery timing, we’ve only enjoyed 4-5 hours till it shuts off.

What we like

+Boast enormous power.
+Stylish and compact design.
+Good display quality.

What we don’t like

-Lacks backlit keyboard.
-No backlit keyboard

Budget programming laptops under $650

HP ENVY x360- convertible laptop

Display: 15.6″ Full HD Touchscreen
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 4500U Processor up to 4.0GHz
RAM/ROM: 8GB Memory, 256GB PCIe SSD
Weight: ‎4.41 pounds

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For under $600, the HP Envy x360 brings a good value to the table. Its 2-in-1 design is particularly good for programming students.

We like its thin and compact design, weighing only 4.41 pounds, which makes it very comfortable to hold. Also, the keyboard has a backlit which is an important feature.

It is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 4500U processor. That’s not something jaw-dropping but fortunately, the RAM is expandable up to 16 GB, so you don’t have to worry about running out of RAM when 8 GB feels inadequate.

What we like

+Affordable 2-in-1 laptop.
+Compact, portable design.
+Backlit keyboard with comfortable keys.

What we don’t like

-Mediocre performance

ASUS VivoBook 15 R565- Overall best

Display: 15.6″ FHD Display
Processor: Intel i3/i5-1115G4 CPU
RAM/ROM: 8GB DDR4 RAM, 128GB/256 SSD
Weight: 4 pounds

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Asus Vivobook 15 r565 is the best budget laptop for programming, packed with all the important features such as a nice keyboard, sufficient processing power, 15.6 inches of screen size, and also its keyboard lights up, and very comfortable to type on it for long hours.

What we like

+Full-sized backlit keyboard.
+Professional look, and durable design.
+IPS Display panel
+Good value for money

What we don’t like

-Short battery life.
-The screen is not very sharp.

3. ASUS TUF F15

Display: 15.6″ 144Hz FHD IPS-Type Display
Processor: Intel Core i5-10300H Processor (GeForce GTX 1650)
RAM/ROM:8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD
Weight: 7.72 pounds

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In the event that the Lenovo Ideapad 3i is a little out of your budget, but you are still interested in playing games in your spare time. Then, Asus TUF F15 is an alternative cheaper option, at the price tag of $620 dollars.

This is a very heavy device, which is to be expected from a gaming laptop. You also shouldn’t count on the battery to last long. Other than these, ASUS TUF F15 is the best budget laptop for programming and gaming. It’s sufficient to use a daily driver, stream movies, do coding, and run multiple IDEs is just a breeze for this laptop thanks to its 10th-gen core i5 processor.

What we like

+Perfect match for casual gamers and programmers.
+Super vibrant anti-glare screen.

What we don’t like

-Not a portable laptop.
-Battery life isn’t great.

Budget programming laptop under $700

1. Acer Aspire 5

A laptop for basic work under $500

Display: 15.6″ IPS FHD
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U 6 core
RAM/ROM: 8GB RAM, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Weight: 3.88 lbs

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Don’t miss out on the Acer Aspire 5 which is also suitable for work like writing and programming. It has a backlit keyboard, a missing feature in the HP newest 2022. You will be delighted by its dazzling LED display that turns tasks like reading and writing into a more pleasurable experience. Though it lacks a discrete GPU from Nvidia. Nevertheless, your main concern should be CPU power: if you don’t mind playing games in low settings using its AMD GPU.

What we like

+Good battery life.
+The backlit keyboard is nice.
+Compact and portable design, thin bezels.

What we don’t like

-Lack of SD card reader.
-The speakers are not very loud.

2. HP Pavilion 17

Display: 17.3″ FHD IPS
Processor: 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7(up to 4.2 GHz)
RAM/ROM: 16GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB PCIe SSD
Weight: 5.20 lbs

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If a large display is what your eyes find comfortable when coding, then the HP Pavilion is the best laptop for you. Not only does its 17.3 display will allow you to scroll through more lines of code but also the numeric keyboard is comfortable for all kinds of typing work. Additionally, the processing power of 11th gen Core i5, combined with 16GB DDR 4 RAM and 1TB SSD- Expect no lags and other performance issues even if you simultaneously run and work on multiple programs on this laptop.

What we like

+Large IPS display.
+Comfortable keyboard with Numpad
+Powerful 11th gen processor.
+Attractive and slim design.

What we don’t like

-Keyboard lacks backlighting
-This screen isn’t very crisp

Budget programming and gaming laptop under $850

Lenovo Ideapad 3i Gaming

Display: 15.6″ FHD Display
Processor: Intel Core i5-12500H (RTX 3050 Graphics)
RAM/ROM: 8GB DDR4 RAM – 512GB M.2 TLC SSD
Weight: ‎7.7 pounds

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If gaming is something you do to relax your mind after hours of coding. You should opt for a laptop like the Lenovo Ideapad 3i. In spite of being a budget laptop, it has an impressive dedicated GPU from Nvidia, the RTX 3050, at a price of less than $800. Aside from its gaming performance, it also hits all the right notes, thanks to its excellent display, nice keyboard, and CPU from the 12th gen.

The keyboard is what we liked the most, it’s properly designed for typing work and has backlighting in case you work in dim light environments. That’s for you. Not to mention the processing performance is also higher, sporting intel’s 12th gen i5 chip.

We believe that the 8GB RAM is a bit less, particularly for this laptop where the 2GB RAM is shared with the GPU. But the good thing is, you can upgrade it anytime soon you want (which would add extra bucks).

Conclusively, we really enjoyed this device but our two major concerns were: a short battery life and a bulky design. We understand, the bulky design helps cool the laptop’s internals and of course, the high-power GPU is the reason it quickly drains the battery. But, for someone who wants a working laptop, these two add up to the discomfort.

What we like