Working from home has become the new normal, and has forced a lot of workers to create their own little home-offices. But not everyone gets a laptop provided from their companies and must get one for themselves.
Do not feel bummed out, because you get to choose the laptop when you buy it, and get to use it for other purposes too!
Down below we have provided an elaborate list of laptops that you can check out for your brand-new home office. Some are bigger than others, while some are well suited to games, and others more affordable. The list covers a wide range so everyone can have a pick.
The best laptop for working from home doesn't necessarily have to be an over-the-top expensive device. It simply has to have a good processor, storage, and memory for the basics. And if you feel like gaming or want top-notch entertainment, then a dedicated graphics unit on top of all should be more than enough.
Contents
| PRODUCT | DISPLAY | PROCESSOR | MEMORY | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP Envy 17T | 17.3-inchFull HD | Intel Corei7-8550U | 16GB | |
| MSI GV728RE-007 | 17.3-inchFull HD | Intel Corei7-8750H | 16GB | |
| Dell Inspiron17 3000 | 17.3-inchFull HD | Intel Corei5-8265U | 8GB | |
| Acer Aspire 5 | 15.6-inchFull HD | Intel Corei5-10210U | 8GB | |
| Acer PredatorHelios 300 | 15.6-inchFull HD | Intel Corei7-9750H | 16GB | |
| ASUS VivoBook 15 | 15.6-inchFull HD | Intel Corei3-8145U | 12GB | |
| Dell 5000 | 13.3-inchFull HD | Intel Corei7-6500U | 8GB | |
| Newest HPPavilion | 17.3-inch(1600 x 900) | Intel Corei5-8265U | 8GB | |
| Lenovo L340-17 | 17.3-inchHD | Ryzen 53500U | 16GB | |
| LenovoIdeapad L340 | 15.60-inchFull HD | Intel Corei5-9300H | 8GB |
The HP Envy 17T is a 17.3-inch full HD laptop with a touch display for better interaction. It has the Intel Core i7-8550U processor (8th Generation) with a decent clock speed up to 4.6 GHz. Also, the Intel Turbo Boost Technology provides flawless speeds at all times.
This is suitable for use as a remote desktop connection because it has the Windows 10 operating system which makes the connection easier to establish. You can now access desktops from work while being at home which makes remote working a lot more convenient.
It also comes with the Nvidia GeForce MX150 graphics unit with 4 GB graphics memory. This easily allows the user to play games and makes the device suitable for use with sophisticated editing software, hence making it a fine choice for people working in the creative field.
You also get to experience enhanced audiowith the Bang & Olufsen speaker. You might or might not require this for work specifically, but it will surely increase the appeal of the laptop.
For storage, you have the 512 GB SSD and 16 GB memory. These give you those high speeds you seek when trying to meet multiple deadlines.
This is a gaming laptop from MSI, but we love it for our home office because this is a solid piece of device that is packed with solid features.
Even though this is a gaming device, it is not one of those bulky laptops that is frustrating to carry. It is lightweight and slim which gives it mobility even at home.
The laptop has the Intel Hexa-Core i7-8750H processor with a clock speed of up to 4.1 GHz. Coming from the 8th Generation the processor is 20% faster than ones hailing from previous generations.
This makes it highly suitable for gaming as its intended purpose, but it makes it equally suitable for creative work such as 3D designing, animations, or working on video edits, all of which require a high-powered processor like this one.
Not just that, having the NVIDIA GeForce GTX1060 graphics unit equally makes this suitable for such high-tier work which requires specialized laptops.
The MSI NTSC Display technology also provides vivid and intense colors that help to breathe life to animations on screen.
We understand this is a pretty powerful laptop, which is why it has just a good cooling system to keep it efficient all through. The exclusive Cooler Boost technology comes with six heat pipes dissipating heat as you work.
If you want no fuss, simple, yet good laptop that gets your work done and serves as a good entertainment device, and this is Dell Inspiron is the one to go for. It also makes it a great choice for users who are on a budget.
Even though this is an affordable choice, you still get the 8th Generation Intel Quad-Core i5-8265U processor that has an impressive speed of up to 3.9 GHz.
Furthermore, it has the AMD Radeon 520 Graphics which lets you play games too. It might not be able to support some of the newer high-power demanding games, but it does a brilliant job for office work even if it involves edits or design.
One of the highlights of this laptop is without a doubt the storage space. Besides having a 128GB PCIe SSD storage, you also have a 1TB HDD storage. Now you can use the laptop for more than simply office work. You can store tons of videos and games given the high storage space and still not have to worry about speed thanks to the SSD.
It also has 8 GB of RAM, which is the perfect amount for everyday work with the occasional need for a boost.
i5-8250U) up to 3.9GHz, 8GB DDR4, 128GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD, 2GB AMD Radeon 520 WiFi Bluetooth HDMI DVD Win 10"> The Acer Aspire 5 is well known to be one of the more reliable devicesout there. Even though it looks like a high-end laptop from the exterior, it comes at a very reasonable price making it accessible for everybody.
It has the latest 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10210U processor along with the Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics unit with 2 GB graphics memory. These make the laptop a good choice for users who require the use of high-end graphics on the screen as well as a ton of power.
We also love the battery life on this. You can use it for 9.5 hours straight from a single charge. Even though this isn't a requirement for a Home Office, it's still great to have for some mobility around the home.
With the Acer Color Intelligence feature colors on the screen are seen in a livelier and vivid manner. And the Acer BlueLightShield feature reduces stress on the eyes so you can work for longer.
The Acer TrueHarmony feature is capable of giving you higher volumes and deeper bass for an overall enhanced audio experience for an enjoyable video display session.
This is another gaming laptop that comes with some high-end features making it suitable for users who are in creative work fields, have to work with 3D models, designs or edits.
You have the Intel Hexa-Core i7-9750H processor with a clock speed of up to 4.5 GHz. Notice the 'H' at the end of the processor because it denotes that the processor consumes and provides a lot of power to the user.
Because of this, the battery life is not super high, but six hours only, which is still pretty great for working at home
You also have the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660TI graphics unit with 6 GB of graphics memory. As one of the more powerful and higher-end GPUs in the market, this is created for the most power demanding and latest games.
It can also be used for power demanding editing applications and software just as well.
If you're into animations are video edits, you will love this. The refresh rate is 144 Hz, you have 3ms of overdrive response time, 22% NTSC as well as 300 nits brightness.
These eventually result in a clear and crisp screen where you practically never experience any sort of distortion or blurs. Videos play in the smoothest manner where every single frame you see is excellent.
For the home, you should look for a decent-sized laptop since high portability is not needed.
If you plan on using the same laptop for entertainment and gaming, 17-inch screens or bigger would do you well. For just work where you need a good spacious screen, 15-inch screens are good.
Next comes the quality. A Full HD display is what you need at the least. Any lower will be a disappointment. If you have display intensive work such as animations, 3D rendering, video edits, and more than go for the 4K resolution instead.
We also love IPS panels since colors are just better on this, and so is the view.
Having a good processor is one of the main things to look for when you are hunting for the best laptop for work at home.
For regular office work, you can go with the Intel Core i5 processor, or its equivalent the Ryzen 5. If work revolves around using lots of high-end software and applications, then the Core i7 or Ryzen 7 would be better suited.
When buying, check out the letters at the end of the model number. Some will have 'U' in the end, which you will find in in most models. This is the right one suited for typical office work.
Ones that end in 'HQ' or 'K' have four cores and higher wattage and are required by heavy power users. Gaming, working with heavy editing software are the kinds of work that require these.
Processors should be from the 7th generation, or any after that until the current 10th generation. Having a latest-generation processor ensures that the laptop can be used and updated properly for a good while in the future.
The higher the RAM you have, the better the laptop will be multitasking. For using Microsoft Office applications with the usual social media and Netflix, 8GB RAM is sufficient.
If you have more work, then the 16GB would be better. And if applications you use to consume a lot of power or are heavy files, only then go for the 32GB RAM.
When looking at the storage, you will be faced with a few options. There is a solid-state drive (SSD) that provides a lot of speed, lowers loading times, and improves the performance of the entire device.
It also happens to be more expensive for this reason, and hence come with smaller storage spaces in lower-priced laptops.
This is suitable for users who must have a lot of power and speed for their work, such as editing or working on motion graphics and other heavy applications.
The hard disk drive (HDD) is more affordable, and usually has a higher storage space. But it does not have the speed you get from an SSD. For MS Office applications and web browsing, this will serve you just fine.
There are some which carry hybrid hard drives with both an SSD and HDD. If you can afford the splurge and feel like you need it, this would be the optimal choice.
2020 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space - Walmart Link
2019 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage, 2.6GHz Intel Core i7) - Space - Walmart Link
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13" Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - Walmart Link
Google Pixelbook Go - Lightweight Chromebook Laptop - Up to 12 Hours Battery Life[1] - - Walmart Link
Acer Aspire 7 Laptop, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX - Walmart Link
Dell XPS 13 (9310), 13.4- inch FHD+ Touch Laptop - Intel Core i7-1185G7, 16GB 4267MHz - Walmart Link
Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 Inch Touch-Screen 512GB i7 32GB RAM with Windows 10 Pro - Walmart Link
3.Dell Inspiron 17 3000 - Walmart Link
5.Acer Predator Helios 300 - Walmart Link
i5-8250U) up to 3.9GHz, 8GB DDR4, 128GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD, 2GB AMD Radeon 520 WiFi Bluetooth HDMI DVD Win 10"> - Walmart Link
2020 Apple MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Chip (13-inch, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space - eBay Link
2019 Apple MacBook Pro (16-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage, 2.6GHz Intel Core i7) - Space - eBay Link
2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop: Apple M1 Chip, 13" Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - eBay Link
Google Pixelbook Go - Lightweight Chromebook Laptop - Up to 12 Hours Battery Life[1] - - eBay Link
Acer Aspire 7 Laptop, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX - eBay Link
Dell XPS 13 (9310), 13.4- inch FHD+ Touch Laptop - Intel Core i7-1185G7, 16GB 4267MHz - eBay Link
Microsoft Surface Book 3 13.5 Inch Touch-Screen 512GB i7 32GB RAM with Windows 10 Pro - eBay Link
3.Dell Inspiron 17 3000 - eBay Link
5.Acer Predator Helios 300 - eBay Link
i5-8250U) up to 3.9GHz, 8GB DDR4, 128GB PCIe SSD + 1TB HDD, 2GB AMD Radeon 520 WiFi Bluetooth HDMI DVD Win 10"> - eBay Link
Since working from home does not have the most specific specifications for a laptop, users tend to get confused easily.
When searching for the best laptop for working from home, what you need is a good device overall with impressive specs that make it long-lasting.
And if you have special requirements, such as a large display or more speed, check those out separately after deciding on the core factors.
Do check out all the individual reviews followed by the comparison chart for a better idea of how one model holds up against the next.
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About Dror Wettenstein
Dror Wettenstein is a software engineer and entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. He is the founder of TechTreeRepeat, a company that enables technical writers to publish their work faster and share it with readers across the globe. Dror has a master’s degree in computer science from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from UC Irvine.
When he’s not working on software projects, Dror enjoys writing articles and essays on various topics. He also likes playing guitar and spending time with his wife and two young children.
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