10 Best Budget Laptops For Cyber Security Students

To be effective at learning and practicing cybersecurity, you need a good laptop that can take care of all your needs as a student, from running the latest security tools to storing all your research data. To help you find the best one for your needs, we’ve compiled this list of the ten best budget laptops for cyber security students.

We’ve considered both hardware performance and value when making our selection, so you can rest assured that these are great deals that won’t break the bank. However, while being affordable, these reliable student laptops will work great for cyber security tasks.

You can use these laptops for pen-testing, bug bounty, and much more. Thus, if you want a powerful device, best for your day-to-day task and studies and still want to stay within the budget, these options will satisfy your needs. But before that, it is important for you to know what you need in the best laptop for cyber security student.

Which Laptop Is Best For Cyber Security Students?

If you’re a budding cybersecurity expert and you need to buy a laptop, there are some key factors to consider when making your choice. 

First, check out our guide: What to look for while buying a laptop for students. It helps break down what makes a good laptop for students studying any subject, including cybersecurity studies. 

However, here’s an overview of some things to look for in best laptops for cyber security students: 

A good processor: 

This is especially important if you plan on doing any heavy-duty programming or coding. A powerful processor will allow you to work efficiently; thus, an Intel Core i7 will do the job as best as possible, but anything around Intel Core i3 and i5 will perform decently as well.  

An SSD hard drive: 

This is much faster than a traditional hard drive, making all kinds of operations, including booting up much quicker. However, while staying on a budget it is hard to get an SSD; thus, going for HDD is your best option. 

Thus, looking for a decent storage capacity, still somewhere around 500 GB to 1 TB HDD will do the job for you just fine.

Good memory (RAM): 

8GB or more is ideal for most students and professionals who use their computers for work or school purposes. However, a 4 GB RAM can still provide you with an adequate experience, but it does come with its limitations. 

Good battery life: 

You’ll want something that lasts at least 4 hours between charges so that it doesn’t die during long study sessions! Anything about 4 hours will do fine.

However, if you are getting reliable configurations with low battery life for a good price, try to adjust with it as you can always use your device while connected to a charger if you don’t travel a lot. 

With all the main details out of the way, some of the best budget laptops for cyber security students that you can get from the market include:

10 Best Budget Laptops For Cyber Security Students

Acer Aspire E 15 (E5-575G)

When it comes to top-quality tech, you can’t do much better than an Acer. The company’s computers are consistently at or near the top of multiple rankings. They name great devices like the best laptops for programming, gaming, and whatnot.

They’re also a leader in their category when it comes to price versus performance, as you can find models with cutting-edge specs starting around $750. This laptop offers a 15.6-inch full HD display and has several desirable features, including two USB 3.0 ports and a sleek metal chassis that measures less than an inch thick.

Moreover, you will get pretty satisfactory configurations with this device have an intel core i5 processor along with an 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. You will also get a battery life of around 11 hours which is pretty solid and will give you enough time to work on your projects efficiently.

ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH51

This laptop from ASUS comes with a 15.6-inch FHD display powered by an Intel Core i5-8250U processor and 8GB of RAM. The storage on ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH51 is a 1TB HDD, but if you would like to add more space, it can expand to 3TB.

The display does not offer touch support, but it’s appearing very bright and clear even in harsh lighting, making it a great laptop for direct sunlight. This laptop from ASUS has a pretty decent battery life and is reliably thin and lightweight.

It weighs just 3.7 pounds and can provide up to 7 hours of battery life without charging, which is one of the satisfactory features of any budget laptop around that price range. The laptop also runs pretty smoothly without any lag and can handle adequate software for your work, making it one of the best budget laptops for cyber security.

Lenovo IdeaPad 120S

The Lenovo IdeaPad 120S is one of our top picks for the best laptop for cybersecurity. It comes in at a great price, making it easy to justify investing in a perfect laptop. It has enough power to run various software; and other applications often used when learning to become a cybersecurity expert.

The only downside is that it is not quite as fast as some of its competitors, but it’s still an excellent buy if you’re looking to learn how to become an expert on cybersecurity on a budget.

 It comes with a Celeron Dual Core processor along with 4 GB RAM and a 500 GB HDD. It is not the best configuration that you can get, but with the price tag and affordable price, these are justified. Plus, these specifications will let your laptop handle some pretty intermediate tasks without any problem.

However, if you are looking for a high-speed and quick processor for working on some high-end projects, this might not be the one for you. Lastly, with this device, you will get a battery life of 6 hours which is quite adequate and give you an okay time to work.

Dell Inspiron 15 3000

Those looking to get their hands on a solid yet low-priced one of the good laptops for cyber security that will be able to tackle any computer-related task should consider purchasing Dell’s Inspiron 15 3000.

This model is designed with cybersecurity student users in mind and is a perfect option for those who want something simple, affordable, and efficient enough to handle everything from writing code and carrying out large data transfer projects to watching videos or downloading apps.

While its 4GB of RAM and 500GB hard drive may seem underwhelming, it’s important to remember that the best laptop for cybersecurity students doesn’t necessarily mean the best laptop in general.

However, it is an upgradable device, which means if you want to move upward with time and need a better device, you can just upgrade it by paying some extra money. You can get up to 2 TB SSD and 32 GB RAM with this device, but the price tag for that model is quite high.

Furthermore, it features a battery life of approximately 8 hours which is enough for a student to work. You can also do your day-to-day tasks on this device which always comes in handy.

HP Pavilion x360

The Pavilion x360 is one of HP’s best budget laptops, and it should be on your list if you need a Windows machine. While it isn’t as powerful as some of its competitors, it offers excellent value for money.

It has a 12.5-inch screen to use either as a tablet or a conventional laptop. Additionally, it only weighs around 3.5 pounds which makes it pretty portable and always comes in handy for students as they tend to move a lot from campus to campus.

Moreover, the fact that it also comes with 4GB of RAM is another advantage; however, if you decide to upgrade to 16GB, bear in mind that it is possible, but for that, you will have to invest more money in this device.

Furthermore, it has an Intel Celeron N3060 processor along with a 128GB SSD. This great one of the 2-in-1 best budget laptops for cyber security students also features a battery life of around 7 hours which is pretty reliable. These configurations and battery life will ensure that your laptop performs well and doesn’t crash during class or when working on assignments.

MSI GL62M 7REX

The MSI GL62M 7REX is an excellent choice as a budget-friendly laptop for cybersecurity students. This is a device you can get if you are on a tight budget which is a problem most students face.

It comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 1TB of hard drive space. The GL62M 7REX also has dedicated graphics cards, so you won’t have to compromise on processing power. The storage capacity and the processor provide pretty decent performance and allow you to run some worthy programs and software on the device without lagging. 

One thing that is disappointing about this device is that it only features a battery life of 3 hours which is nowhere near adequate. This means it is not a reliable option if you are always on the go.

Apart from that, this one of the best budget laptops for cyber security students has a pretty aesthetic look to it and features a durable body with satisfactory performance. We recommend it as our Best Budget Pick because it is affordable without low quality.

ASUS K501UX-NS51

The ASUS K501UX-NS51 is a reasonably priced 2-in-1 laptop good enough to work as your everyday productivity tool. Weighing at 4.40 pounds the laptop is not exactly lightweight but it is not too heavy either which means you can carry it around without feeling too much of a burden.

It comes with a powerful 6th generation Intel Core i7 processor and 8GB of RAM to ensure you can handle pretty much any task you throw at it.

This model is also equipped with an NVIDIA GeForce 940M graphics card, which is excellent for playing games and improves video and photo editing performance.

Reliable graphic quality always comes in handy in laptops for students as they tend to multi-task a lot. And if you like watching videos or streaming Netflix on your laptop, you should be glad to know that its screen has the excellent color quality and viewing angles.

Furthermore, you will get a 128 GB SSD along with a working time of 5 hours. The battery life is okay but under a heavy workload, it will die fast which is the case with every device.

ASUS ROG Strix GL553VD-FY114T

The ASUS ROG Strix GL553VD-FY114T is a powerful yet affordable gaming laptop that is a good choice for cybersecurity students on a tight budget.

The ASUS ROG Strix GL553VD-FY114T comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD display, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB hard drive, and an i7 quad-core processor clocked at 2.8 GHz. This machine can efficiently run most of today’s latest games and programs, and it has plenty of space to store your apps and multimedia files.

Also, if you ever need to take your work on the go, you can use its Bluetooth connectivity to connect your laptop to other devices such as smartphones or tablets. However, lasting only 4 hours, the battery life is not something you can expect a lot from.

Apart from that, the performance is pretty justifiable considering its affordable price tag making it a perfect option as one of the best budget laptops for cyber security students.

HP Pavilion 15-cc241nr

When you want to buy a laptop on a tight budget but don’t want to compromise on quality or performance, you should seriously consider getting yourself an HP Pavilion laptop.

This laptop from HP is specifically designed for college and university students who are constantly juggling between assignments and projects and need a device that can help them accomplish all of their tasks with ease.

With its 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display panel and Intel Core i5 processor paired with 8GB of RAM, you will have no problem performing multiple tasks simultaneously without experiencing any lags or slowdowns in performance.

Plus, this device runs on Windows 10 and boasts 512GB of SSD storage capacity. Moreover, you can also work on this device for around 7 hours which is pretty decent battery life for a student’s laptop.

Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK Signature Edition Laptop

If you’re looking for an excellent laptop to help with your cybersecurity studies, Dell is one of your best bets.

This device has an Intel Core i5-7300HQ quad-core processor (3.5 GHz) and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. It also comes with a 15-inch screen, runs Windows 10, and features 256GB of SSD storage capacity.

It is an upgradable device; thus, you won’t have to worry about changing devices in case you need better configurations. You can just invest some extra money in it, and you will be good to go with a better storage capacity and more RAM.

Lastly, you will get an average battery life of around 7.5 hours which is pretty adequate and will work fine for you if you are a student. Considering its price tag and configurations; this one of the best budget laptops for cyber security students will not disappoint you in any way.

How Much RAM Do I Need For Cybersecurity?

To do cybersecurity work, you’ll need a powerful laptop. How much RAM it has will depend on what operating system (OS) you choose to run.

While many cybersecurity professionals use Windows, Apple’s macOS and Google’s Chrome OS are also gaining popularity in certain situations. However, most software designed to protect companies from threats is designed for Windows.

You can run almost any version of Windows on almost any computer, so if you like using Apple or Google products better than Microsoft ones, don’t let that stop you from buying a great laptop.

The minimum RAM requirements are 2GB for 32-bit Windows 7; 4GB for 64-bit Windows 7; 8GB for 32-bit Windows 8/8.1; 16GB for 64-bit Windows 8/8.1; 4GBfor 32-bit macOS Sierra; 6GBfor 64-bit macOS Sierra; 4GBfor 32-bit Chrome OS, and 6 GB for 64 bit Chrome OS.

But having a solid 8 GB RAM will be your most reliable option. Anything less can be an adequate option considering the price range but if you can update it the overall performance will get a lot better.

Conclusion

So, in the above article, we have mentioned some of our top picks of the best budget laptops for cyber security students. As you can see, all of these laptops have their strengths and weaknesses, but we’ve worked hard to include machines from a variety of price points and manufacturers, so there’s something for everyone.

We’re confident that if you’re looking to buy a laptop or want to gift one to a cybersecurity student, then one of these models will fit your needs perfectly.