Best Laptops for Network Engineers : Top 5 laptops for Network Engineers

If you’re a network engineer, or a student who wants to pursue a career in this field, you’re probably looking to upgrade your current laptop but wondering which laptop is best for you. Well, we’re here to help you make the best decision and find a laptop that can fulfill your needs.

What to look for in a laptop for Network Engineering?

As a network engineer or an engineering student, you’ll want a laptop that is portable, because you’ll always be on the go, no matter what. Thus, your best choice is to pick one with a thin chassis design, or even a 13” one rather than the traditional 15” size. That’d be great choice. We wouldn’t advise, though, to go for a laptop with a screen resolution lower than 1366×768. Nowadays, that’s the minimum standard you’ll want to run your software on, or even occasionally stream your videos and night movies.

One of the most important specs you need to look out for is a fast enough CPU. The more processing power, the faster your laptop will boot and run your software of choice. Software like Excel and Matlab are the most demanding in terms of CPU. Choosing a laptop with an solid state drive (SSD) rather than an old HDD unit is another means of having a fast running machine. It’s true, SSDs are a little bit expensive, but you can also opt for hybrid laptops. That is, ones that come with both an SSD for a fast booting operating system and a large HDD for storing your files.

Then, we have the RAM. I’d recommend a minimum of 6 GB of RAM, although it’s a secondary spec to the processor. But, the more RAM your laptop has, the better. If you’re going to run 3D modeling and rendering software, like the popular AutoCAD, you may concede a little of RAM in favor of a laptop with a dedicated graphics card, that usually comes with at least 2 GB of RAM on its own.

So, now that we actually covered all of your needs, let’s have a look at our 5 best laptops for network engineers.

Best laptops for Network Engineers:

Lenovo ThinkPad E580

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First, we have the Lenovo ThinkPad E580, a high performance professional laptop, with a 15.6”, anti-glare Full HD display. It’s packed with an 8^th generation Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processor, 32 GB of RAM and a great deal of 1 TB of solid state drive. The ThinkPad E580 features an integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics card.

The ThinkPad E580 is a great choice if you’re already a professional, with solid experience and income from your job. With its ergonomic keyboard, the fingerprint reader and the included Windows 10 Pro OS, you’ll definitely upgrade your computing experience overall.

The ThinkPad E580 also offers great connectivity options, including a new USB Type-C port. Its battery life is guaranteed to last up to 4-6 hours of power usage, enabling you to run the most demanding software.

Dell Latitude 5490

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At a slightly lower price range, we have the Dell Latitude 5490. It is a good looking, sleek design 14” laptop, with a Full HD display. It features an 8^th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid state drive for a fast booting experience. The Latitude 5490 is equipped with an integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics card.

The Latitude 5490 is a great option if you’re looking for a rather portable laptop, one that also offers the great durability the company is notably accounted for. If you’re always on the run, you’re guaranteed to find a great companion with this purchase.

The Latitude 5490 also comes with a Windows 10 Pro operating system. It features a USB Type-C port among the other connectivity options.

Asus PRO P2540UB-XB51

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Asus is known for their consumer and gaming laptops, but they also make some great business laptops, like the Asus P2540UB-XB51 featured here. This laptop features an 8^th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid state drive. The Asus PRO laptop comes with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX 110 graphics card.

The Asus PRO is a great option if you’re looking for raw performance, rather than good looks. Thanks to its dedicated graphics card, you’ll have no problem running your design and rendering software at the highest speed.

The Asus PRO is designed in a way that is easily RAM upgradeable, for even more power. If offers an impressive battery life, that is 9 hours on casual usage. On top of it, it includes a fingerprint reader and the Windows 10 Pro operating system.

Dell XPS 9380

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The Dell XPS 9380 is a high-end, 13.3” touch screen laptop with a 4K (3840×2160) display. It features an 8^th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of solid state drive for the best performance.

You would be surprised to see all the goodies that are packed in this very portable and thin laptop, including a fingerprint reader and a backlit keyboard.

The XPS 9380 is a laptop we definitely recommend to anyone who doesn’t necessarily care about the budget, but wants the best compromise of portability, ease of usage and powerful performance.

Here a review of the New Dell XPS from “Mobile Tech Review”

LG Gram 15Z975-U.AAS7U1

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The LG Gram 15Z975-U.AAS7U1 is another thin and light laptop, but with a traditional 15.6” Full HD display. The screen has a nice, ultra-slim bezel design. It’s packed with an 8^th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of solid state drive.

The LG Gram is a great option if you want a portable laptop, but don’t want to renounce a standard screen size. Weighting less than 2.5lbs, it features a backlit keyboard and includes a USB Type-C port for the best connectivity.

The LG Gram also offers an impressive battery life, that the manufacturer declares to be up to 13.4 hours.