Best laptop for computer science students on a budget?

Question

I'm starting my computer science degree this fall and I'm really struggling to find the right laptop without breaking the bank. My budget is around $800, which feels a bit tight for something that needs to last four years through all my coding projects and labs.

I'm mainly looking for:

At least 16GB of RAM for running VMs and IDEs smoothly.

A decent battery that can survive a few lectures without a charger.

Something lightweight enough to carry across campus every day.

I've looked at some used ThinkPads and entry-level Vivobooks, but I'm worried about long-term reliability. Does anyone have a specific model they'd recommend for a student on a budget?

gkynldkpeo · Accepted Answer

Seconding the recommendation above. Honestly, new consumer laptops under $800 are usually disappointing... i had issues with cheap chassis flexing on budget gear. Definitely go refurbished enterprise models for CS instead:

HP EliteBook 845 G9 AMD Ryzen 7 6850U 16GB RAM 512GB SSD - basically the best value for VMs right now.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 3 AMD Ryzen 7 6850U 16GB RAM 512GB SSD - reallyyy solid build and great battery life. gl with the degree!

rzepueqlyn · Answer

Sooo, I remember being in ur shoes years ago. My first laptop died mid-final! Honestly, I think refurbished gear is safer for CS students, I guess.

Apple MacBook Air M1 13.3-inch 16GB RAM 256GB SSD

Basically the best battery life for lectures.

Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2 AMD Ryzen 7 16GB RAM 512GB SSD

Super durable and easy to fix. Lesson learned: reliability over hype. Both rlyyy worked well for me. gl!