One of the most interesting, yet most intriguing fields of study is electrical engineering. From tons of study material to tons of practical work, you will have to cover it all, making it one of the toughest to master as well.
When you are under this department, you will have to work on programming and simulations almost every single day as part of your coursework. And of course, it will get harder as semesters pass.
To tackle all this efficiently, you need a laptop that is geared with the right features to face such pressure.
The best laptops for electrical engineering students have to go through long hours of tedious work. They should have the latest processing units, good speeds, high storage spaces and should contain high battery lives too so you can move without carrying a charger.
If you want to find out which laptop models fit these and all the other criteria listed below, keep on reading.
Contents
| Image | Name | Display | Processor | Graphics Unit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP ZBookX2 G4 | 14-inch(3840 x 2160) | 8Th GenerationIntl Core i7-8550U | Intel UHDGraphics 620 | CheckPrice | |
| HP Zbook15 G5 | 15.6-inch(1920 X 1080) | 8Th GenerationIntel Core i9-8950HK | Intel integrated | CheckPrice | |
| LenovoThinkPad P1 | 15.6-inch(1920 X 1080) | 8Th GenerationIntel Core i5-8400H | NVIDIAQuadro P1000 | CheckPrice | |
| Dell Precision7730 | 17.3-inches(3840x2160) | 8Th GenerationIntel Core i7-8850H | AMD RadeonPro WX 4150 | CheckPrice | |
| Dell Precision5530 | 15.6-inch(1920 X 1080) | 8Th GenerationIntel Core i9-8950H | Nvidia QuadroP2000 | CheckPrice | |
| HP ZbookStudio X360 G5 | 15.6-inch | 8Th GenerationIntel Core i7-8750H | Intel GMA3150 | CheckPrice | |
| AppleMacBook Pro | 15.4-inch(2880 x 1800) | 9th GenerationIntel Core i7 | Radeon Pro555x Graphics | CheckPrice | |
| MSI WS659TK-687 | 15.6-inch(1920 X 1080) | 9th GenerationIntel Core i9-9880H | Nvidia QuadroRTX 3000 | CheckPrice | |
| ASUS ZenBookPro 15 UX580GD | 15.6-inch(3840 x 2160) | 8th GenerationIntel Core i7-8750H | NVidia GTX1050 | CheckPrice |
The HP ZBook X2 G4 comes with the Core i7-8550U quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1.8 GHz, making it suitable for students who are just starting with their electrical engineering courses.
We love that it has a detachable screen because now you can use this as a tablet as well as a workstation depending on what you need at the time.
From using Adobe Creative Cloud applications to getting a complete Adobe RGB gamut coverage, the display is one of the finest features in this device.
You have a 14-inch 4K display which turns into a touchscreen tablet when you want. Another feature that makes this stand out from other laptop models is the Wacom EMR support plus the custom-designed HP pen.
It has a bit of friction when used on the screen which gives it the natural feeling of pen on paper giving you more control over how you use the touchscreen.
All of this with the 16 GB memory and the 512 GB SSD create one of the finest laptops out there for students. It is both flexible and portable and has a good range of specifications suitable for this major as well as other uses making it one of our top choices.
Zbook 15 is the laptop to go for if you want a solid and rugged device for class. We all know how hard it is to continuously carry a laptop in schoolbags, and you end up seeing a few dents or marks here and there.
But this one has a pretty rugged design that prevents such occurrences and protects all the internal drives from damage.
You have a brilliant Core i9-8950HK Hexa-core processor along with 16 GB of memory and 256 GB SSD storage.
The processor has a 2.9 GHz clock speed making it adequate for running programs. While the 16GB ensures that you can have multiple programs running simultaneously while you download and watch YouTube tutorials since you can expect to do that a lot in the initial university days.
The 256 GB SSD proves to be a good choice of a hard drive regarding both space itself as well as have a speed that it can provide.
For the display, you have a 15.6-inch full HD IPS panel. It covers 112% of the sRGB spectrum and has 631 nits of brightness. If you ever have to work in bright lights, you do not have to worry about the screen being dulled down anymore.
If you prioritize a lightweight and slim body design on the laptop then this Lenovo ThinkPad P1 might be what you're looking for.
You have the brilliant 15.6-inch Full HD display that provides you with incredible details on screen and the most vibrant colors.
Now, we might not need the colors for programming, but you will surely need it for other purposes like entertainment or when you're not working on projects.
One of the key features of this laptop is the backlit keyboard. The keys are incredibly comfortable to use with a 2.2 mm key travel so you can press pretty hard without worrying.
Since typing takes up a lot of time for students you'll surely enjoy working on this quiet and nicely spaced keyboard.
You have the Intel Core i5-8400H quad-core processor with 2.5 GHz clock speed plus the 256 GB SSD storage and 16 GB of memory.
All of these points to a mid to high-level specification quality which is more than suitable for electrical engineering students and will cover entertainment as well.
Unlike most, you have a dedicated NVIDIA Quadro P1000 graphics card, which also happens to be one of the higher-end cards. This lets you work on 3D modeling, and you don't have to worry about the display quality or the speed regardless of what you decide to work on.
We love the Dell Precision 7730 because of its strong and sturdy build that makes it hassle-free to carry around as well as all the strong features it carries internally.
The Core i7-8850H processor has a high-performance thanks to its 6 cores and 2.6 GHz clock speed. These assure you that you will never have to face lags and that programs will load on time.
Storage space is absolutely exceptional with 1TB of SSD. You won't have problems with speed, and loading and booting times will be brought down for more efficient working.
And 1TB is an incredible amount of space that lets you store everything you need, from lecture slides to presentations to the multiple programs you will be working on.
Memory is just as exceptional with 32 GB. This is an incredible amount of RAM that makes it easy for you to run numerous programs without facing any sort of lag whatsoever.
Now you won't have any issues with watching those educational YouTube tutorials as you continue to run programs and work on other projects simultaneously.
You also have the AMD radian pro WX4150 graphics to further ensure that from speed to the display everything will have top-notch quality.
If you are keen on buying a laptop that also serves as a tablet, this mobile workstation from Dell can help you out since it can rotate a complete 360°.
You have the ultra-sharp full HD display and a 15.6-inch screen. Plus, there is a 72% color gamut letting you know that the colors will resemble their natural forms on the screen.
Furthermore, the Nvidia Quadro P2000 graphics card with 4GB memory enhances this display further so you can have no complaints regarding the color quality or the details.
The Hexa-core i9-8950H processor has a 2.9 GHz clock speed and a turbo boost of up to 4.8 GHz. Following that you have 512 GB SSD storage as well as 16 GB memory.
Since electrical engineering revolves around lots of programming and simulations, these features easily let you complete projects in due time by facing no lags and being able to work at full speed
The processor is like the brain of the laptop which helps it to function properly. Which is why, it has to be a good and powerful one so it can provide you with sufficient power.
But before you start thinking prices, you do not need the latest or most powerful out there since electrical engineering is quite different than some other forms of engineering.
The work here is mostly 2 dimensional, so you don't have to dish everything out for a laptop.
That being said, you still need a good CPU to get you through programming and simulations. The minimum is a Core i5 processor, and possibly from one from the 7th generation or onwards.
When checking out the models, take notice of the last letters. Model numbers that end in a "U" do not provide a ton of power, are suitable for beginners. At the same time, they do not consume much power either and hence the battery lasts longer.
Ones that end in an "HQ" on the other hand provide a lot more power, but consume more power too and hence result in lower battery life.
Also look for dual-core processors, which are good enough for all sorts of programming at school.
Multi-core processors are better and lets you work with multiple projects. This is more expensive, and hence not a must-have, but if you do not have a budget constraint, we encourage it.
There is a little divide on whether you need a dedicated graphics card for electrical engineering, or if integrated ones can cut it. After all, a dedicated GPU does come expensive, especially when considering a student's budget.
Most low to mid-level programming can be done with an integrated GPU without a problem. But for specific activities like 3D modeling, the dedicated GPU is a must-have. It simply helps provide more power, make work smoother, and takes work off of the main processor.
However, it also uses more battery power, so you might have to carry a charger with you for back to back classes.
The best laptops for electrical engineering students should come at a convenient size which makes it easy to work on screen yet remains portable for carrying to classes. 14 to 15-inch laptops are our favorite in this range.
They are not the bulkiest or heaviest, can be easily carried, and has a good screen space that is comfortable on the eyes when dealing with hundreds of numbers and characters.
You get to see a higher number of codes at a glance instead of scrolling multiple times.
For the resolution consider a Full HD laptop. It is what most good laptops offer today. And if possible, an IPS panel too for better viewing.
Both the storage and memory play a part in how well and fast the device performs. For a fast laptop, we recommend SSD storage over the HDD. It is a lot faster, so you will experience lower loading times. The 512GB storage is good storage to go for.
For memory, a minimum of 16GB is required. But if you are in the last year and require more multitasking, opt for the 32GB instead of flawless speed.
ROG Zephyrus G15 (2020) Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6" 144Hz FHD, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, - Walmart Link
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-52-73L3 Gaming Laptop, Intel i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX - Walmart Link
Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS Screen, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H - Walmart Link
New Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inch UHD+ Touchscreen Laptop (Silver) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th - Walmart Link
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 - 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - - Walmart Link
ASUS ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim Laptop 13.3" Full HD NanoEdge Bezel Display, Intel Core - Walmart Link
Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX - Walmart Link
1.HP ZBook X2 G4 - Walmart Link
2.HP Zbook 15 G5 - Walmart Link
6.HP Zbook Studio X360 G5 - Walmart Link
9.ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GD - Walmart Link
ROG Zephyrus G15 (2020) Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6" 144Hz FHD, GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, - eBay Link
Acer Predator Triton 500 PT515-52-73L3 Gaming Laptop, Intel i7-10750H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX - eBay Link
Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" FHD (1920x1080) IPS Screen, AMD Ryzen 7 4800H - eBay Link
New Dell XPS 15 9500 15.6 inch UHD+ Touchscreen Laptop (Silver) Intel Core i7-10750H 10th - eBay Link
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 - 12.3" Touch-Screen - 10th Gen Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - - eBay Link
ASUS ZenBook 13 Ultra-Slim Laptop 13.3" Full HD NanoEdge Bezel Display, Intel Core - eBay Link
Razer Blade 15 Base Gaming Laptop 2020: Intel Core i7-10750H 6-Core, NVIDIA GeForce RTX - eBay Link
1.HP ZBook X2 G4 - eBay Link
2.HP Zbook 15 G5 - eBay Link
6.HP Zbook Studio X360 G5 - eBay Link
9.ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 UX580GD - eBay Link
Electrical engineering is a subject that is both fascinating and tough at the same time. You do not want to end up with a laptop that keeps breaking down to add to the stress.
The laptop you get should be able to handle the powerful software you will use and provide you with the high speeds required.
Our article here covers some of the best laptops for electrical engineering students. They are all suited for the job but come with certain differences. This is where the decision making comes in with your budget, size, and other factors that you want the device to have.
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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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