I am not discovering gunpowder if I say that there are thousands of jobs or trades. Many of them are done on the move, loading or unloading or bringing tapas to the diners' tables, but there are also other jobs where what we are going to move the most are our fingers. I'm talking about those jobs in which we will depend on a laptop to work, and the best computer will depend on the task we are going to perform.
Jobs that are done with a computer there are also many. In some of them we will only have to write texts, for which "almost" any equipment is worth us, but in others we will need more powerful components, such as those in which we have to perform multimedia editing. In this article we will tell you everything what you need to know to choose the best laptop to work, in which we will also include information for students, which is another type of work.
Guide Index
Best Laptops to Work
Apple MacBook Pro
Apple's MacBook Pro is one of the preferred work laptops for many users. It is a device with an M3 Pro or MAX processor that will perfectly run the apple company's macOS operating system, in which the users also have something to say. 18 GB of RAM and the SSD hard drive, 512GB in the entry model, 16.2-inch Liquid Retin XDR screen
Apple screens have been the best since its inception, and this MacBook is a Retina screen in which we will see everything perfectly and without saturated colors that would make us strain our eyes. Its touch panel is one of the best on the market, a Force Touch multi-touch trackpad with which, in addition to making the most common gestures, we can also use extra pressure to launch special options
The most basic MacBook Pro is right now for a price of about € 2100, which is not much if we take into account all that it can offer us.
Dell XPS 13
The Del XPS 13 is a laptop that has one of its strongest points in its lightness. It has a 13.4-inch screen and a weight of 1.2kg that will allow us to move it from one part to another without too much effort. The screen is Full HD (1920 × 1080), which will allow us to see everything with good quality. Despite being such a light piece of equipment, it offers more than acceptable autonomy for a whole day.
The operating system, Windows 11, will be moved by a i5 processor and 16GB of RAM that will allow us to carry out tasks with ease, they will not be a little fair if we are interested in multimedia editing.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Microsoft's Surface Pro 9 is a laptop designed to do all kinds of work, but probably where we will perform best are those where we need to be creative. Like all Surfaces, we are facing a hybrid touchscreen laptop that we can use as a tablet and as a computer with a desktop operating system, Windows 11 in this case.
Inside, this tablet-laptop has a i5 or i7 processor, 8-16GB RAM and an SSD hard drive, from 256 GB to 1TB in the entry model, which ensure that practically everything we do will be done smoothly. As a tablet that it is, it has a good 13-inch screen (2736×1824) and all kinds of sensors and components, such as cameras (8MP for the main one and 5MP for selfies).
Considering that it is an official Microsoft device, its price is a bit surprising: currently, it is available for approximately € 1500.
Lenovo Yoga Duet 7
If we want a laptop to work on something where we want the best quality in terms of image, what interests us is something like the Lenovo Yoga. Their high resolution display, something they have crammed into a panel just under 14 inches (13.9 ″ to be exact). But, in addition, to move the resolution of the screen with ease they have also included very advanced internal components.
The processor included in this Yoga is the Intel i5, which ensures that, together with the 256GB SSD hard drive, everything will open in the blink of an eye. In addition, everything that we open will run seamlessly, thanks to the 8GB of RAM that have been mounted on this computer.
The price for which we can get this Lenovo Yoga is not low, but it is not as high as one would expect for everything it offers us.
Huawei MateBook D16
A good computer to work with due to its quality-price ratio is the Huawei MateBook D16. For about €1000, what we will get if we buy this computer is a computer with an Intel processor Core i5, 16GB of RAM and SSD hard drive, 512GB in this case. In addition, it is a large or standard screen computer, that is, 15.6 inches, which will allow us to work in a larger space.
One of the points that makes this Huawei interesting is that it has the Huawei One Touch, which is a fingerprint sensor with which we can protect all our information with an extra security step without sacrificing comfort. .
How to choose the best laptop to work with
Autonomy
Laptops were not originally designed so that they could be away from an electrical outlet for long periods of time. This is so. Its autonomy was rather limited and the main advantage is that it was easy to take it from one part to another, have it disconnected for a minimum of time and be able to connect it to the next wall. This has changed and is becoming more and more important take autonomy into account. One of the reasons, the simplest, is comfort.
A good autonomy will allow us to forget about the charging cable for a longer time. On the other hand, and this already depends on the work, it will allow us to spend more time without connecting it to a power outlet, which is important if it is not possible to charge it for hours. If our work prevents us from charging our laptop, we have to consider buying a laptop with a greater autonomy. But how much is a good autonomy? In the beginning, a good autonomy is one that is above 5 o'clock. If this point is important to us, there are computers that can offer autonomy close to 10 hours.
Reliability
Nobody likes being in the middle of a task and having to stop it because something is wrong. This can happen more often in computing; Anything can go wrong, so it's worth trying to limit how often we see these types of failures. Therefore, we have to look for a team that offers good reliability and for this we will have to take into account several factors, which, in my opinion, begins with and operating system.
It has always been said, and the blue screens are the best witness, that Windows is the least reliable operating system of the three most popular. The most reliable system, considering that there are dozens of popular distributions on Linux, is Apple's macOS. A good Linux distribution is also reliable, but you would have to choose one with a great company behind it for this to be the case. For example, Ubuntu. Even so, Windows is not as problematic as it was a few years ago and its reliability has a solution: buy a computer with medium-advanced components, like an i7 processor from Intel or a Ryzen 7 from AMD, 8GB of RAM and an SSD hard drive. Thus we will obtain reliability and what we explain in the next point.
Performance
The performance necessary in a laptop to work will depend on the work that we are going to do with it. As we have explained, an important part of the performance is related to the processor, but also to the SSD. When we talk about performance, we can also talk about speed and for a laptop to be fast we have to look at something it has, at least an Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor. If we opt for something less, what we will get will be a team that will cost a lot to open any application.
On the other hand, it is also important to consider the hard drive. The SSD drives They offer higher read / write speed and if we choose one with this type of more modern discs we will do everything faster, which includes starting the operating system. What should not affect performance much is the RAM, but it is worth starting with 8GB if we want to be able to have several processes open at the same time without the computer suffering too much.
Stability
Stability and reliability go hand in hand. Reliability is given to us by the fact that the software does not stop working. Stability also means that whatever you do, you do it well. Therefore, to obtain stability we will have to look for practically the same thing that we look for when we look for reliability, among which we have a good operating system and components like a good processor, good amount of RAM and a good hard drive, like an SSD. We can also avoid buying a poor quality disc that could make everything suffer.
If what we are looking for is stability, it is also very important do not use software in its latest versions, even more so if these versions are in beta. A good example is what LibreOffice does: they usually make available a version recommended for production teams and another with all the news. The former has fewer features, but more maintenance releases have already been released and it is more stable and reliable. The latest version has the latest features, but also more issues. If we want stability, we would have to choose the first option, and this is true for all software. Another example would be, on Linux-based systems, choosing releases that are supported over several years, known as the LTS.
Maintenance
A computer to work has to be a battle computer in which we must not waste time. Time is money, so it is not worth buying something if we are going to spend a lot of time repairing it, and this is true for both hardware and software. If we want to avoid having to always format or reinstall the operating system, a good option is to opt for a computer that uses Windows 10, which, according to Microsoft, will be the latest version of its operating system. But no, this does not mean that they will not release news, but that these will be released as updates and this will be the case forever. In addition, we can also activate automatic disk defragmentation by default and, if we install software from the Microsoft Store, the registry will remain cleaner.
Mobility
When we want to buy a laptop to work, we are also interested in thinking how much are we going to move it. If we are going to work at home, we probably have it most of the time between a table and the sofa. But if we are going to work outside the home, and every time or hour in a place, it is worth buying something lighter. Among laptops there are bigger and smaller, but also heavier and lighter.
If our work is going to force us to carry our laptop from one place to another every so often, maybe we are not interested in a 15.6-inch laptop; we are likely to prefer a computer with 13 inch screen that, in addition, weighs little more than 1kg. This will ensure that it will have good mobility, but we will see less content on the screen. There are also other computers with a larger screen that weigh about 1.5kg, but they are what are known as Ultrabook and their price is somewhat higher. If we want little weight, a slightly larger screen and good autonomy, what interests us is one of those Ultrabooks.
Operating System
The operating system on a laptop to work with depends on several factors. The first is what software do we need. The vast majority of software is available for Windows, so overall, Windows is the best operating system to work with. Of course, it is the slowest, I think it is a fact. Many professionals choose a macOS computer because it offers great compatibility with popular applications and stability, speed, and reliability. The bad thing is that there are apps that will not be for the Apple operating system.
There is also the option of Linux. It is less compatible than macOS and there are far fewer famous applications than in Windows but, if we choose a good distribution, its stability, reliability, speed and security are unrivaled. Among Linux-based systems we also have Android, more specifically its Android-x86 fork, and Chrome OS, but they are two operating systems that I personally would not recommend for a laptop to work with.
Definitely:
- Windows: maximum compatibility.
- macOS: balance, but there will be programs that we will not be able to execute.
- Linux: the best user experience if we can work with open source software.
Most frequent programs for those looking for a laptop to work with
Autocad
If we are looking for a laptop to work in Autocad, we are interested in having a screen with a good size, which means that it has to have a minimum of 15 inches with 1360 × 768 resolution (1920 × 1080 is recommended). Also, it is worth have graph dedicated, it is already a software that requires a lot of power. As for RAM, it can work with 4GB, but 8GB is recommended. It will be mandatory to use Windows 7 or higher operating system.
Photoshop
If we are looking for a laptop to work with Photoshop, in theory we don't need a very powerful laptop, but a 2GHz processor or faster and 2GB of RAM, although 8GB of RAM is also recommended in case we are going to make very heavy creations. As for the screen, and although it is not mandatory, a laptop with a 15-inch screen is worth it, because we will see more content, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or Quadro T1000 graphics card. It will be mandatory to use Windows 7 or higher operating system.
Office
If we are going to use a laptop to work with a suite of Office-type applications, the equipment does not have to be very powerful. For Microsoft Office, a single processor is sufficient 1GHz, 2GB RAM and a little more. Or so Microsoft says. Considering that we also have to move the operating system, I would recommend at least doubling those specifications. If we want to use Microsoft Office offline, it will be mandatory to use Windows 7 or later or macOS 10.8 or later. If we can work with other office suites, LibreOffice and other options are also available for Linux.
To work and play
Between working and playing, the most demanding activity is the one that has to do with video games. No gaming laptop should use a lower processor than the Intel i7 / AMD Ryzen 7, 8GB of RAM and a large storage SSD hard drive to store multiple heavy titles. In addition, it will also be necessary that you have a good graphics card, such as one of the famous NVIDIA.
To work and study
Between working and studying, the most demanding activity is working. If we want to study, most of what we will do is consume texts, which may include searching for them with an internet browser. On the other hand, working can require us to create texts, spreadsheets or presentations as well as perform some video and audio editing tasks. Therefore and depending on our work, the processor that we must look for must be at least the Intel i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 and 4GB of RAM. If we want to play it safe, something with 8GB of RAM and also include an SSD hard drive in the package is worth it.
SolidWorks
If we want to work with the latest version of Solidworks, our laptop must have a 3.3GHz processor or higher, 16GB minimum, dedicated graphics card and use Windows 7 or later operating system. As for its screen, it is worth it that it is 15.6 inches and that it has a Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080).
Lightroom
If we want a laptop to work with Lightroom, we don't need a high-performance computerBut the big 15.6-inch screen is worth it. As for RAM, you can work with 4GB, but 12GB is recommended. To improve performance, it is recommended that you have a dedicated graphics card and a medium-advanced processor, such as an Intel i5 / AMD Ryzen 5 processor or its older "7" siblings.
Use virtual machines
To use virtual machines, it is recommended as a minimum to use a computer with an Intel i7 processor or equivalent and 8GB of RAM. This is to be able to run both host and guest operating systems, but we should still consider more powerful components if we want both operating systems to run at the same time with good performance.
Telecommunications Engineer closely linked to the world of computing. I complement my daily work with a suitable laptop for my tasks and I help you to achieve the same adapted to your needs.
