Best Laptops For Cyber Security Students & Professionals-2022
Whether it is an enterprise or an individual, everyone is in the hustle of protecting their sensitive data in this era of technology. Owing to this, skilled cyber security professionals are in high demand, stimulating the masses to opt for this rewarding field. Do you know a laptop is one of the essential tools an IT security expert needs to do his tasks? That’s why investing in the best laptop for cyber security makes sense.
Due to the demanding nature of the job, the configuration of a cyber security laptop is not the same as the one we use for routine tasks. So it can be an arduous effort to pick a balanced device capable of fulfilling your needs as an IT security expert or aspiring to be. Are you looking for a laptop that can protect your identity but still keep up with the demands of everyday life? We have researched and compiled some excellent laptops to meet these needs.
Top Reviews of 10 Best Laptops for Cyber Security
1- Alienware M15 R3
The Alienware M15 R3 is a premium ultrabook for personal and business applications. Despite being an ultra-portable laptop, it comes with some serious hardware and professional-grade software to make your life easier. Intel Core i7 10th gen CPU, outstanding cooling mechanism, and easy to carry body make it a combination of speed, performance, and portability.
A high-quality display and design, killer speakers, and a great sound system make it the best laptop for cyber security. The battery timing is average and will get you through light use all day, while the IPS FHD panel is stuck at 72% NTSC with a 7ms response time. With its powerful graphics and crystal-clear HDR screen, it is a seriously crisp, colorful, and fun gaming laptop.
Typing comfort and speed are enhanced with a full-size island-style keyboard, N-Key Rollover (NKRO), and backlit technology. AlienFX lighting zones allow you to customize the color of each keystroke to reflect your style in over 8 million different colors. Other than that, the onboard 16 GB DDR4 RAM and 512 GB SSD storage enable it to undertake hectic tasks such as legal hacking with ease.
For network connectivity, it features an Ethernet port, 802.11ac 2×2 WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.1. An HDMI 2.0 out port allows you to connect your laptop directly to any 4K display or TV for high-resolution viewing. Moreover, it has no shortage of USB ports as well, enabling the user to connect a bunch of computer peripherals without any mess.
- Elegant design
- Tons of connectivity ports
- Comprehensive cooling system
- Affluent typing experience
- 144 Hz display refresh rate
- No memory up-gradation possibility
- Small trackpad
Our Verdict
The Alienware M15 R3 will appease every gamer with its powerful gaming performance, portable design, and stunning display. No matter what the user is into, there is no need to worry about slow response or stuttering due to lag. Further, it is the laptop for cyber security students one can currently pick from the market. We love this laptop because it gives us smooth services for our IP tasks.
2- HP Spectre x360
Fused with perfection HP Spectre x360 device enables you to accomplish your daily tasks anytime, anywhere. The quality of this best laptop for cyber security lies in its hinge cylinder, engineered so that it never lets the screen and keyboard come in contact. It also has security features such as Trusted Platform Module (TPM), Intel vPro Technology, and Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) for user privacy protection.
The HP Spectre x360 has an elegant design and a thin, light body packed with high-end components. It weighs just 2.8 pounds, delivers 11.5-hour battery life, and has a bright & sharp 15.6-inch display. Additionally, the keyboard and touchpad are comfortable to use, as well as responsive and accurate. Speakers deliver a loud, clear sound that feels catchy when user players watch multimedia.
With an ultra-slim and virtually borderless InfinityEdge display and Full HD resolution, it is a perfect deal for those who love to watch videos. Additionally, the convertible 360-degree design will allow you to use laptops and tablets. As this best laptop for cyber security comes with an Intel Core i7-10510U processor, 16 GB of RAM, and a 1 TB solid-state drive, you will never face any latency while performing your job.
The laptop also has a GeForce MX250 card with 4 GB of dedicated video memory, which will keep its performance stable even if you accomplish heavy work. Amazingly, this device has tons of USB ports, including the Thunderbolt 3 port ideal for transmitting data at a lightning-fast speed. Besides that, for video calls and conferencing, it provides HP Wide Vision FHD IR webcams along with two high-quality mics.
- Long battery life
- Classy design
- Quad speakers for immersive sound quality
- 2x Thunderbolt ports
- Vivid display
- Lacking HDMI output
- Expensive price
Our Verdict
The Spectre x360 is designed to speed up, simplify, and add advanced features to your creative process. With a host of innovative features, this ultrabook gives IT experts the tools they need to create anything from project briefs to customer handling. However, the sky-high price is the only flaw one can find out from this best laptop for cyber security students 2022.
3- Apple MacBook Pro
The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is a stunner due to its endless features, making it worth considering. Besides that, this best laptop for cyber security has an elegant aluminum body with a sleek silver finish and tapered edges. Additionally, the right side of the chassis holds most of the ports, including two Thunderbolt 3 ports, two USB-C ports, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack.
With 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD, this laptop can easily handle your day-to-day tasks. The laptop is powered by an 8-core Intel Core i7 processor, which allows you to enjoy seamless multitasking. The best part is its anti-glare Retina display allowing viewing it under sharp light so you can use it when on an outing with friends and family.
The redesigned thermal architecture gives 28 percent more airflow and 35 percent bigger heatsinks. Besides that, this system enables maximum sustained power that is up to 12 watts higher, ideal for power demanding tasks. Impressively, it delivers up to 10.5 hours of battery life with video streaming on Wi-Fi.
AMD Radeon Pro 5000M graphics card gives this laptop a whopping 8 GB of video memory. So you can tackle the most arduous pro workflows like video editing and 3D rendering without compromising on performance. Do you know this Macbook Pro has a T2 chip? It delivers greater security at the hardware level and adds features for a better user experience.
- Convenient Touch ID
- Effective sound system
- Crisp clear display
- Great battery life
- Latency free performance
- Thick bezels
- Shallow keystrokes travel
Our Verdict
MacBook Pro 2019 has a robust processor, more RAM, and a better keyboard than its predecessor. Further, it has a sharp and colorful display, plenty of power under the hood, a comfortable keyboard and trackpad. The only thing which can hinder you from buying this best laptop cyber security is its Mac OS, typically not adored by Windows lovers.
4- Asus Vivobook K571
IT IS A PROFESSIONAL-GRADE LAPTOP with NVIDIA GeForce discrete graphics, a 128GB SSD/1TB HDD storage combo, and 8GB RAM. VivoBook K571 from ASUS, powered by the Intel Core i7-9750H processor, gives you smooth and responsive computing performance. You can not take your eyes off it due to its sleek polycarbonate dark red and black case with a super high-resolution full-HD touchscreen.
The Asus Vivobook is a 15.6-inch laptop that weighs 2.14 kg (4.72 lbs) and measures 21.9 mm in height. The display has a resolution of 1920 х 1080 pixels, a screen ratio of 16:9, a pixel density of 142 PPI, so you can consider it retina. Moreover, the display is not reflective, which is nice for outdoor usage and for working in strong lighting conditions.
Connecting multiple computer peripherals is possible because this best laptop for cyber security students has many USB ports on either side. With a USB 3.1 Type-C port, you can charge devices quickly because its data transfer speed is double as compared to the USB 3.0 Type-C port. Aside from that, get ready to enjoy faster Wi-Fi speed even in crowded places, thanks to 802.11ac technology.
Efficiently run your PC games, videos, photos, and other graphics-intensive multimedia content with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics. You can clearly type in night and dark places because it encompasses an LED-backlit keyboard. Further, this best laptop for cyber security is designed with a fingerprint scanner that helps keep your laptop secure.
- Anti-glare display
- LED-backlit keyboard
- Bottom positioned speakers
- Equipped with gaming GPU
- Compact and lightweight
- Average battery life
- Costly option
Our Verdict
Are you looking for a noteworthy laptop? The ASUS VivoBook K571 is absolutely worth checking out. It is an excellent machine whose strongest features include its portability, lightweight, and die for performance. Its 6-hour fair battery life is the only messy aspect if you have to work for long without recharging it.
5- Lenovo ThinkPad P15s
The ThinkPad P15s has inside a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H vPro processor, 16 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2666 RAM, 512 GB M.2 PCIe 3.0 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), and an NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 graphics card. There are three SODIMM slots for memory up-gradation up to 32GB. Storage is fast and does not have any bottlenecks, as there are two total M.2 slots inside.
The design is one of the best features of the ThinkPad P15, so is its chassis, which is out of high-quality plastic with a silver finish. A 15.6-inch FHD display provides superb visuals in a 16:9 aspect ratio, with 1920 x 1080 resolution and an anti-glare coating. Besides that, the Dolby speakers deliver rich sound for a delightful multimedia experience.
Its 16 GB built-in memory helps speed up processes and provides enough space for running multiple applications at a time without hiccups. Moreover, the 512 GB storage capacity of the laptop is ample for storing files, documents, presentations, and photos. Aside from this, its battery can last for up to 10 hours after fully recharged, suitable for a techie.
A person with a computer-related job typically finds himself transferring data from one device to another. With onboard USB ports and Bluetooth V52, this best laptop for cyber security professionals 2022 will skyrocket your productivity. 720p webcam and digital microphone arrays ensure crystal clear video chats.
- Aesthetically appealing look
- High-quality webcam
- Incredibly lightweight
- Ergonomic keyboard
- 4K screen resolution
- No optical drive
- The display is not bezel-less
Our Verdict
While the ThinkPad P15s is a great convertible laptop with tremendous performance and tons of features. Other than that, the impressive specs and potential for upgrades make it a flexible machine that you can use for just about anything. Simply put, the ThinkPad P15s is a great laptop that comes with a lot of hardware in the bag but can be expensive for some.
6- Razer Blade Stealth 13
Are you ready to take your favourite games with you wherever you go? Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a gaming ultrabook that will inspire you with a GeForce GTX 950M that is 2.5 times quicker than the GTX 950M and up to 80% faster than the GTX 1050. Experience a full-size keyboard that is twice as responsive with an improved 1.8 mm key travel for greater typing accuracy—even in tight spots.
These best cyber security laptops are equipped with Thunderbolt 3 for fast charging and data transfer speeds of 40Gbps. Aside from that, the 10th Gen Intel Core i7 Processor makes it ideal for both work and play. It has a touchscreen display for extensive hacking tasks that lets you interact with Windows 10 easily using your fingertips or the included active pen stylus pen.
What’s more? The built-in 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD storage enable you to access your favorite games, apps, media files, and more in just seconds. There are two USB-C ports for charging and connecting external devices, plus one USB 3 port for your keyboard or mouse. You can also connect an external 4K monitor or HDTV using the HDMI 2.0 port.
A sleek, all-black anodized aluminum chassis and a stunning edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display make this best laptop for cyber security look aesthetically pleasing. It also comes with a backlit keyboard powered by Chroma lighting with 16.8 million customizable color options. Besides that, the highly efficient power system provides up to 10 hours of battery life so that you can work with peace of mind.
- Study and durable
- Endless customization options
- LED-backlit keyboard
- Spacious touchpad
- Packed with the beasty graphics card
- Pricy
- Thick bezel
Our Verdict
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is a portable ultrabook offering an exceptional cooling system and tons of connectivity options. Moreover, the advanced thermal system ensures that your laptop runs at optimal temperatures when hacking into the client’s system to find loopholes. If an outstanding machine is what you want, you should carefully evaluate purchasing it.
7- Lenovo Yoga C940
The Lenovo Yoga C940 is a wonderful laptop for work and fun due to its relentless features. It has a sleek yet sturdy design with powerful hardware designed to give you excellent performance. A magnesium chassis with a diamond-cut edge design and premium materials adds elegance and durability to its structure.
With a 360° flip-and-fold design and superior craftsmanship, it puts the power of a laptop, tablet, and workstation into the palm of your hand. Its gorgeous 13.9″ FHD IPS display features up to 400 nits of brightness for better multimedia preview. Apart from that, its touchscreen has a resolution of 1080p, which gives it impressive picture quality.
A 720p webcam is also there to feed your video calls and conferencing needs, along with a shutter lock technology. The built-in fingerprint scanner in these best cyber security laptops allows you to log into your computer quickly without typing in a password each time. You can make purchases online without entering your credit card information manually each time.
The laptop has an Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB SSD storage for flawless performance. Impressively, the four-cell lithium polymer battery packed in it keeps the device powered up for 15 hours on a single charge. Besides that, its Dolby Atmos speaker system delivers exceptional audio quality.
- Free stylus
- Excellent processing speed
- Full HD screen resolution
- Crisp audio quality
- Extended battery life
- No RAM up-gradation option
- Limited USB ports
Our Verdict
The Lenovo Yoga C940 is the most recent addition to their popular line of 2-in-1 laptops, combining a 360-degree hinge with a touchscreen and a pen. Featuring Intel Core i7-1065G7, it is ideal for anyone who likes the versatility of a tablet but needs the performance of a PC. It is a convertible laptop with great features, design, and performance but at some price.
8- Microsoft Surface Book 2
The all-new Microsoft Surface Book 2 is a laptop, tablet, portable studio, and so much more, depicting its versatility. Next-generation NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU and a powerful Intel Core i7-8650U make it a dream machine for creators. Whether you want to be productive, creative, or hang out, this best laptop for cyber security has something for everyone.
Microsoft Surface Book 2 is the ultimate laptop for creative professionals and those who need the most power for their work. The 13.5-inch FHD touchscreen display on the notebook means the user can easily take notes or make changes directly using the screen. You can effortlessly multitask on this device because it has 16 GB of internal memory.
Store as much data as you can, ranging from pictures to videos and audio files to text files, thanks to its 512 GB SSD storage. Use Surface Pen and Surface Dial to take notes, sketch ideas, edit photos and create immersive 3D models in studio mode. Integrated 802.11ac technology will let you enjoy wireless internet in high-density times.
It has an excellent backlit keyboard with a firm typing experience and comfortable key travel. Additionally, the beauty of this laptop is you can handily operate it using its responsive touchpad. The webcam has a resolution of 720p and takes sharp images with good color accuracy in daylight conditions.
- Xbox wireless support
- Powerful built-in GPU
- Simply beautiful
- Responsive touchscreen display
- Edge to edge screen
- No chance for multi-monitor setup
- Without any optical disk drive
Our Verdict
If you are looking for a high-end laptop, look no further than the Microsoft Surface Book 2. With a base of a whopping 16GB of RAM and a top-of-the-line i7 Intel processor, it has everything a pro needs. At the same time, it is a pricey deal that may not be the best fit for everyone’s budget.
9- Acer Swift 3
The Acer Swift 3 is a great best budget laptop for cyber security for all it offers. With its lightning-quick storage device, you will experience next-level gaming performance when playing on Acer Swift’s metallic surface. A powerful CPU, plenty of memory, and a sizable solid-state drive (SSD) make multitasking easier than ever.
The Acer Swift’s HD webcam with Super High Dynamic Range (HDR) improves clarity in your video calls with crisp images with rich color and detail. The laptop ensures all communications are clear and filters out typing noise with two built-in mics. An integrated fingerprint reader allows you to access Windows Hello without a password.
Enjoy working and playing on a machine that never slows down, having AMD Ryzen 7 4700U processor, turbocharging, and fast 512 GB SSD storage. 11.5 hour battery life offered by the 4-cell battery loaded in it gives power for the whole day. Its durability has no match with a lightweight aluminum body and durable chassis.
The 14-inch HD anti-glare display allows you to work comfortably indoors or outdoors. The large touchpad is effortless to scroll through long web pages or zoom in and out of pictures with the flick of a finger. Though many connectivity ports are available on both sides of this notebook, USB 3.1 Type-C is at the next level.
- Ultra-Slim
- Solid 720p webcam
- LED lighting keyboard
- Big precision touchpad
- Wi-Fi 6
- SD Card Reader is lacking
- Upgrading memory is not possible
Our Verdict
Acer Swift 3 comes with high-level specs, making these top cyber security professional laptops powerful and efficient. Further, the amazing thing about this best laptop for cyber security is its economical price. Aside from this, it is a suitable gadget for those with a low budget but not ready to compromise on performance and power.
10- HP 15-DY1036NR
HP Pavilion 15 laptop is not only fast enough to smooth performance on the go, but it also has a 10-hour long battery life enough to keep you productive. Amazingly, thanks to its fast charging technology, that battery percentage goes from 0 to 50 in 45 minutes. Featuring a micro-edge bezel design, these best laptops for security are some of the slimmest notebooks on the planet.
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) card and Bluetooth 5.0 are its wireless connectivity offerings for those who do not want to transfer data using data cables. A Gigabyte Ethernet port is also on the board if you like to enjoy data without the hassle of network congestion. You can handily use the voice commands functionality of this best laptop for cyber security for controlling it.
The laptop also comes with a 1 TB HDD that you can use to store all your files, music, and videos. Perform complex tasks without bothering about slowing it down because themit integrated with 16 GB DDR4 memory. Besides that, it encompasses Intel Core i5 10th generation CPU with a frequency of 3.6 GHz enough for heavy gaming and other demanding undertakings.
Two microphones with noise cancellation technology help you video call without any distortion. A 15.6″ diagonal full HD display (1920 x 1080) with touchscreen functionality is very convenient, especially for those who prefer mobile devices. It provides vast connectivity options in the form of a USB 2.0 port, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type C port, and an HDMI output.
- SSD storage
- Long battery life
- Affordable price
- Full HD display
- Plenty of connectivity ports
- Dim colors
- No SD Card reader
Our Verdict
The HP 15-inch laptop is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to be efficient at work. With a speedy processor, ample amount of memory, and expandable storage options, you never find yourself surrounded by a crisis. Moreover, the price is also friendly for a student learning the skill of Ethical hacking. No reason one can skip this product.
Buying Guide (Quick Shopping Tips)
Picking up the best laptop for cyber security will not be a hectic deal if you keep a few essential things in mind. These are:
Budget
Knowing your budget is an important step in finding a perfect laptop for you. Begin by analyzing the financial statements you have to spend on a newer one. Once you are sure about how much money you can put in, explore the best laptop for security professionals within that range to find one that best suits what is needed. You may want something cheaper or more advanced depending on which course material interests most.
Portability
Cybersecurity professionals always find themselves in a position that requires them to be on-call 24/7. Ensure that your laptop is light and portable, so the first thing to check is its weight after your budget concerns are over. You have to often deal with sensitive information on the job, requiring you to utilize a laptop both indoors and outdoors. A portable notebook is the only solution to their work routine.
Battery Life
The lifetime of a cybersecurity professional is usually hectic in many ways. You have to deal with the clients, management, and other team members if working for a large corporation. Try to get the best laptops for cyber security professionals that can last for at least 6 hours on a single recharge. Additionally, the notebook you are purchasing should have fast charging technology so that your work goes smoothly.
Connectivity
Connecting offered by digital devices, including laptops, is of two types wired and wireless. Built-in Wi-Fi and BlueTooth are wireless connectivity options available in good laptops for cyber security to ensure that they are up to date. The Ethernet, HDMI, USB, and other physical ports are wired connectivity options. These ports determine how many computer peripherals you can attach to your notebook in the future.
Memory
System memory is also known as RAM, is the temporary storage device in a laptop that works to store recently accessed data for later use. With more onboard memory, you will be able to tackle multiple tasks at a specific time, boosting your productivity. Whether you have to perform complex tasks or multitask, you feel a need for more internal memory so that your device works without any latency.
Storage
Due to the interpersonal nature of the job, you have to store the data of your organization and clients. So, the best laptop for information security should be the one with enough storage space that you never run short of it. Aim for a device offering a minimum of 512 GB internal storage. More than that will be ideal and ensure that you get an SSD storage device, not an HDD.
Processor
We can confidently say the CPU (central processing unit) of a laptop is its brain because its function is to process data. Your device’s overall performance will be seamless if it has a strong processor. A tech geek has to do multiple tasks at a time owing to this need for a notebook with a top-notch processor. Whenever you buy a laptop, try to get the one with multiple cores and of the latest generation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best budget laptop for cyber security?
A budget laptop for cyber security is the one that can meet the requirements of the profession by not burdening the pocket of the buyer. HP 15-DY1036NR and Acer Swift 3 are two economical offerings in this list, along with the classy design and high-end specs. If budget is the issue, go for any of them without any doubt.
What is the best laptop for cyber security?
All the laptops we have added to the list aforementioned are top-rated and widely used by renowned cyber security professionals. These notebooks come with such configuration, which is more than enough to feed the needs of the job. If you are hunting for a cyber security laptop, you can not find a better laptop than the ones we have described.
Do I need a good laptop for cyber security?
A powerful yet durable laptop is a critical tool that every cyber security professional must carry with them all the time. Special versions of the Linux operating system, Kali, require a solid specs laptop because of its heavy tools. A dedicated laptop for cyber security is a must if you are a professional in this field or want to be.
What are the minimum laptop specs for cybersecurity professionals?
A laptop requirements for cyber security are as follows:
CPU: Minimum 8th generation Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 4500U
RAM: It must comprise at least 8 GB DDR4 memory for smooth working
Battery: 5 hours of battery life is needed for cyber security work
Display: 14-inch FHD display is good as less than that can be put stress on eyes
Storage: 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD) is enough
Final Words
We hope that you now have a clear idea of what you need in a laptop for cyber security after thoroughly reading this article. We have meanly put in front of you every feature of these best security laptops to help you make a better decision. If I have to pick any three from the list, then my pick would be like:
1- Apple MacBook Pro
2- Alienware M15 R3
3- Acer Swift 3
Apart from that, the list is versatile when it comes to pricing because all the best laptops for cybersecurity professionals have varying prices. No matter what budget you have, it will not be a problem for you to pick the right for your needs as per your budget. For more queries and questions, feel free to contact us.