You cannot rely on a generic laptop to handle the complexities of network engineering, from designing and building networks to network upgrades. The best laptop for network engineers must be powerful, lightweight and portable with sufficient storage space and long battery life.
You deserve an advanced laptop to conduct your day-to-day network engineering tasks more efficiently, whether in the office or remotely. A good laptop should run CISCO applications, MATLAB, and Microsoft networking apps effortlessly.
This article reviews the best laptops for network engineers and students, as well as the key factors you should consider when buying a laptop for network engineering.
Here are our top picks
- Acer Predator Helios 300– Editors Pick
- Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R3UB- Best Budget
- Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop-Best Value
Best Laptop For Network Engineers- Top Picks
Let’s take a look at the laptops network engineers should consider getting.
1. Acer Predator Helios 300
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 2666MHz Memory
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Processor: Intel Core i7
- Graphics coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti
This is a popular choice for network engineers because it comes with sufficient features to help handle all the aspects of your work and even gaming. Its performance and graphics are unmatched, featuring 16 GB DDR RAM and a full HD display screen with excellent resolution.
Moreover, Helios 300 9th Gen intel core i7 processor and 2666MHZ memory, so you can rest assured that it can process and store big files. You will enjoy the efficient and dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card equipped with 6 GB GDDR6 VRAM and Turing architecture.
In addition, the images in this laptop will look pristine with 72% NTSC and 300-nit brightness, thanks to its 144 HZ IPS LED-backlit display. Unfortunately, it has an off-center trackpad.
Pros
- Lightweight and sleek
- Fast response time
- It has a quality cooling and airflow system
- Powerful windows 10 OS
Cons
- Average battery life
2. Acer Aspire 5 A515-46-R3UB
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 128GB NVMe SSD
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Graphics coprocessor: AMD Radeon Vega 6
- CPU model: Ryzen 3
If you are on a budget but looking for a powerful laptop for network engineering, then Acer Aspire 5 is an excellent option. This laptop is made for home use and can handle a wide variety of functions, delivering firm productivity.
It offers excellent battery life for such an affordable laptop. In addition, the brand has picked modern hardware, including a high-speed SSD, next-gen high-speed WiFi, and a dual-core Intel Core processor.
Acer Aspire 5 doesn’t disappoint in the looks department either, as it embodies a stylish and solid look with a matte black keyboard design. Additionally, its’ sleek and thin with an eye-catching but not distracting LED-backlit widescreen IPS display.
However, you cannot light up the keys by simply moving the keys.
Pros
- Easy-to-easy keyboard with a backlit
- Quality, high-contrast screen
- Portable and light
- Powerful and reliable productivity
Cons
- The flap doesn’t open too far
3. Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 256GB SSD
- Screen size: 15.6 inches
- Processor: 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 T
With this laptop, you get plenty of storage, a nice display, excellent battery life, and a premium build, but it will cost you a pretty penny. It will effortlessly run your networking engineering and other tasks concurrently because of its powerful 10th Gen Intel Core i7-10750H processor.
The processor offers up to 6 cores and a 5.0GHz Max Turbo. In terms of display, the laptop has a pretty decent 144Hz 1080p screen, but it’s not the best quality the market offers.
It’s compact and thick with an aluminum unibody frame giving you a durable and portable machine. For storage, it gives 256GB SSD to give you the best possible speed.
However, it doesn’t have the best battery and the fans are a bit noisy.
Pros
- Fantastic performance and power
- It’s excellent for creative work and gaming
- It offers stunning visuals
- Durable and portable
Cons
- Not the best battery
- Noisy fans
4. HP 15 15.6” HD Touchscreen Premium Laptop
- RAM: 16 GB
- Screen: 15.6 inches
- Storage: 512GB SSD
- Processor: 10th Generation intel core i5-1035g1
- Graphics coprocessor: Intel Graphics coprocessor
HP is a well-renowned brand with plenty of quality HP laptops in the market, so it can be difficult to narrow down the options. However, HP 15 15.6” HD touchscreen premium laptop is excellent for a networking engineer.
You can effortlessly carry around this tiny, powerful gadget and handle multiple tasks simultaneously due to its high-performance CPU. It has a 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM, a 15.6-inch display, a backlit touchscreen, and turbo-boosting technology.
Pros
- Good performance and a great keyboard
- Beautiful design
- High-speed processor
- Touchscreen
- Decent speakers
Cons
- Noisy fan
How To Pick The Best Laptop For Network Engineers (Buyer’s Guide)
Consider the features before when buying a laptop for network engineering.
1. Graphics Card and RAM
You need sufficient RAM to execute tasks simultaneously or handle heavy work. Therefore, if you can, go for 16 GB RAM and a graphics card to run programs such as 3D image editing software or Autodesk Inventor.
2. Processor
Make sure your laptop has a powerful, fast processor with at least two cores. A network engineering laptop should run with Intel Core i5 or higher.
3. Portability
Ideally, get a laptop weighing 3-5 pounds to ensure you can carry it around effortlessly.
4. Storage
You need enough storage in your laptop for fast performance, which means getting at least 256 GB HDD or 256 GB SSD. Remember, SSDs are better than HDDs in durability and performance.
5. Connectivity and Battery Life
A laptop with 8 to 10 hours of battery life is ideal for network engineers as it allows continuous use without requiring a charge. Additionally, it should have excellent connectivity options like an HDMI port, RJ 45 port, at least WiFi 5, type C USB, and at least Bluetooth 4.0.
Conclusion
With the ever-changing network engineering environment, you need a laptop that is up to the task. A good laptop for network engineers should be blazingly fast, meaning you need good RAM, a good processor, and a good graphics card. You should also pick a laptop with sufficient storage for your files; you can get a laptop with at least 500GB SSD storage, or a laptop with both SSD and HDD storage. Also, consider the screen size, battery life, portability, and performance.