The “cloud” has been a buzzword for the past few years now. Cloud computing has taken over the IT industry by storm. In this article, you will learn how to buy the best laptops for cloud computing in 2024, what are the things you need to keep an eye out for when making your decision, and lastly, the best laptops according to your preferences. But before diving deep into it, do you know.
Top Rated Budget Laptops
Last update on 2024-12-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re in a hurry, check out our top choice LENOVO LEGION 5 Check price at Amazon.
What is cloud computing?
The “cloud” is nothing but a reference to our old, infamous friend, “The internet”. It is the on-demand delivery of various IT resources to companies and organizations without investing in hardware infrastructure. Buying, operating, and maintaining vast racks of servers is an expensive and laborious job. Cloud computing enables to provide all these services over the internet, and all the data is available over just a few clicks. It leads to the IT team utilizing their time and skills in other essential development areas, which will be productive for the company.
We have been using cloud computing and its services everyday obliviously. From online games to streaming movies on OTT platforms, every major to minor start-up prefers cloud computing. With such a colossal emergence of cloud computing over recent years, cloud computing professionals’ need has arisen subsequently.
If you are a cloud computing engineer or someone looking to start their career in this booming field, you require the best laptops for cloud computing in 2024, and we are here to guide you to make the right choice.
Best Laptops for Cloud Computing – Buyer’s Guide
In 2022, there are a plethora of options available for you to choose from. The best notebook for cloud computing must consider the performance, display, battery life, and storage space of the system. Working on cloud DOES NOT mean you need a powerful, high-end machine.
The best laptops for cloud computing are:
- Lightweight: The laptop needs to be lightweight because, chances are, a cloud computing professional has to carry their machines for the whole day. Hauling a heavy machine would be tiresome and, be honest, not worth the effort.
- Display: Many people out there do not give much preference to the display. The display needs to be big and crystal clear. The developer would be staring at tiny code throughout the day. A bigger screen enables more code to be shown clearly on the monitor and avoids the need to scrolling up-and-down more often.
- Keyboard: Needless to say, the keyboard is one area about which no one gives even a thought. The keyboard keys need to be comfortable, and the spacing between them should be viable according to your comfort. Before buying any laptop, make sure to type a paragraph or two on it so that you can judge for yourselves whether you can type on hours for it or not.
- CPU: Coming to the heart of your machine, the CPU should be pretty decent, but avoid a very powerful chip. Yes, you read that right. Cloud Computing does not demand a lot from your CPU. A potent CPU could result in heating of the keyboard, which would make your typing difficult. Apart from heating, programming typically requires more burst power than sustainable power (required in video editing). A CPU like the i7-9750H with a lower clock, but a higher burst clock is better suited for our purpose.
- RAM: Cloud computing engineers require more RAM because there are several things that you would be working on simultaneously while running consuming software. Cloud computing uses a technique called virtualization, which is demanding and requires a decent amount of RAM. Any laptop with at least 8 GB RAM is a must. I would like to personally recommend going for a computer with 16 GB of RAM.
- Connectivity: Essentially, cloud computing was invented to cut-down hardware infrastructure, and hence, naturally, the same goes for development machines. You would need a laptop which can connect to multiple monitors. I would personally suggest a computer with a built-in USB-C type port. It lets you connect to other displays with ease. And if the laptop supports USB-C type charging, that is a bonus. USB-C type chargers are portable, and you would not need to carry a power brick everywhere.
Now that you have a pretty good idea about what to look for in a laptop when you go out shopping, here are a few personal recommendations for you.
QUICK OVERVIEW:
Best cloud computing laptops at a glance
HP ENVY X360 BUDGET OPTION |
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MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 3 BEST ULTRABOOK |
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LENOVO LEGION 5 BEST GAMING |
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LENOVO THINKPAD X1 EXTREME BEST IN MID-RANGE |
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DELL XPS 15 BEST 4K |
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MACBOOK PRO 16 MOST PREMIUM |
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Last update on 2024-12-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Laptops for Cloud Computing in 2024 – Our Recommendations
1. Hp Envy x360 (Budget-Friendly Laptop for Cloud Computing)
Processor: i7-1165G7 @4.7GHz| GPU: Iris® Xe |Memory: 8GB | Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD | Screen: 13.3-inches 1920 x 1080 | Battery: 11 hours | OS: Windows 10 Home
HP Envy x360 is a compact 2-in-1 laptop that can be folded entirely and packed with a powerful Intel Evo Platform 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 processor which supports a clock rate of 1.3 GHz turbo boost up to 4.7 GHz. This notebook features a compact solution for all your cloud computing needs. It has an FHD IPS display with 8 GB RAM and 512 SSD storage. Moreover, it provides 11 hours and 45 minutes battery life (average usage), Wi-Fi 6 AX201, Bluetooth 5, and Thunderbolt support.
Its lightweight and sleek design allows carrying throughout the day and work while you are on a bus or train. The keyboard is convenient to work on with a 2-level backlight.
Though the display offered is 13-.3 inches only, it almost EDGE-TO-EDGE display and image clarity will impress you colossally.
PROS
- Intel Evo platform powered by 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 1.3 GHz turbo up to 4.7 GHz offers fast performance.
- Thin, light, and sleek design.
- 8 GB DDR4 SDRAM (onboard); 512 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
- The keys are well placed, and the keyboard is comfortable to work on.
- Battery Up to 11 hours and 45 minutes (mixed usage),
- Wi-Fi 6 AX201, Bluetooth 5, and Thunderbolt support.
CONS
- The touchpad is cramped.
- The display size might affect your productivity.
2. Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 (Best Ultrabook for Cloud Computing in 2024)
Processor: i5-1035G7 @3.70GHz | Memory: 8GB | Storage: 256GB NVMe SSD | Screen: 13.5-inches touch 3000 x 2000 | Battery: 17.5 hours | OS: Windows 10 Home
Microsoft has launched its range of Surface Laptops, and oh, how well they have designed their laptops for the developer community. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is powered by the i5-1035G7 Quad-core (4 Core) 1.20 GHz processor, 8 GB RAM, along with 128 GB Solid State Drive storage. This variant has a 15-inches Touch Screen display with an excellent touchpad. Moreover, it feels exceptionally lightweight because of its 15-inch display with a narrow bezel. The battery life is dominating relatively.
This Laptop by Microsoft is great for business professionals. It can handle all day-to-day tasks and some light video and photo editing. Although this laptop seems like a one-stop solution for all the development needs, I must say that I feel there is a lot of room left unused in a 15-inch notebook such as this. Considering the price for this laptop, more power, more ports, and more storage space could have been infused to make this a truly remarkable piece of innovation.
PROS
- Microsoft Surface 3 has a truly premium feel to it. The build-quality is world-class.
- The keyboard is simply outstanding. The travel time is just enough for your fingers and makes the whole typing experience a treat.
- The trackpad is exceptionally smooth. It is big and, therefore, makes tracking the cursor extremely smooth.
- The laptop has clean software.
- This machine delivers high-quality daily performance.
- One of the attributes that I liked the most about this device is that it instantly boots up and is work-ready in no time at all.
CONS
- Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 has finally included a USB-C type port for some future-proofing, but it still lacks thunderbolt support.
- Although it has quite an impressive display, it still lacks Dolby-Vision support or Anti-Glare. I feel these things are a basic necessity in laptops these days.
- This laptop lacks a dedicated GPU.
3. Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop (Best Gaming Laptop for Cloud Computing)
Processor: Ryzen 7 4800H @4.2GH | GPU: GeForce GTX 1660Ti |Memory: 16GB | Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 | Battery: 18 hours | OS: Windows 10 Home
This laptop by Lenovo is simply a beast. It’s backed with a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 4800H Processor, 16 GB DDR4 RAM, and 512 GB Solid State Drive storage. It utilizes the best-in-class Nvidia GTX 1660ti Graphic Card for a great gaming experience. This laptop has so much power that it can handle all heavy, demanding tasks with ease—being a powerful laptop with such high-end spec, this laptop sports a thin and sleek design which makes it truly a unique piece of engineering. Thanks to its light and slim design, it would be a piece of cake for the professionals to carry the laptop around all day.
This gaming laptop made it into this list of the best computers for cloud computing in 2024, all thanks to its super-efficient cooling system. Lenovo is calling this the Legion Coldfront 2.0 cooling system (which I must say sounds so cool).
Legion 5 has a 15.6 inches FHD IPS display with a “blindingly fast” refresh rate of 144 Hz. The picture quality is genuinely remarkable as it supports a 5ms response time and Dolby Vision. This laptop claims that it has a 100% sRGB accuracy, which makes the viewing experience on this laptop nothing but magic! (Wingardium Lenovoisa! XD).
Next up is the keyboard. Lenovo is calling it the TrueStrike keyboard, which has 1.5 mm travel. The keys are said to be hair-touch which is going to make the whole typing experience wonderful. It is a full-size Backlit Keyboard with 100% Anti-Ghosting and soft landing switches.
Talking about the battery, the company claims it has a 5-hour battery life, and I know it seems a little less when compared to its rivals. However, while considering its power, it’s still on the good side.
Furthermore, it has a rapid charging system. This system can charge your Lenovo Legion 5 from 0% to 50% within 30 minutes which is simply amazing.
This laptop has enough ports that include HDMI and USB-C type port (charging not supported).
This laptop seems like a one-stop solution for all the cloud computing and development needs. Not to forget the crazy gameplay you will experience if you decide to do some gaming.
PROS
- The Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming laptop has a good, clean, and durable build. It makes you feel that you are using a premium and powerful device.
- It has a beautiful 100% sRGB accurate display with an incredible 144 Hz refresh rate.
- The keyboard is comfortable, and it is pretty fun to type on the laptop. It has a very smooth trackpad as well.
- The placing of the keyboard and trackpad is convenient for the user.
- The keyboard also has a backlight.
- It has a unique cooling system (Legion Coldfront 2.0) which is very efficient and does not let your system get overheated due to overuse.
- The CPU is mighty, and it can take care of all your heavy day-to-day tasks without breaking a sweat. The GPU is also considerably hefty.
CONS
- This laptop does not have a dedicated SD card slot.
- It lacks USB-C type charging.
- Intel variants of this laptop are a little too expensive.
4. Thinkpad X1 Extreme (Best Mid-Range Notebook for Cloud Computing)
No products found.Processor: i7-10750H @5.0Ghz | GPU: Nvidia GTX 1650Ti 4GB | Memory: 16/32/64 GB | Storage: 256GB – 1TB NVMe SSD | Screen: 15.6-inches, 1920 x 1080 | Battery: 15 hours | OS: Windows 10 Home
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme (GEN 3) is one of the best in its class. It is a compelling laptop while being thin and slim when compared to its competitors. This notebook is packed with a powerful Intel Hexa Core i7-10750H processor along with 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD storage, and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphic processor, Fingerprint sensor, and Windows 10 Home preinstalled.
The 16.6 inches FHD display offers crisp and accurate colors. When combined with the powerful Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti graphic card, the fantastic display gives you the best results if you want to do video or photo editing on the side. This laptop supports heavy games, and hence, you can play around while you are not in the middle of some heavy projects or when you are looking to slack off for some time 😉
PROS
- The beautiful 15.6 inches FHD Display gives you an unparalleled viewing experience. The image sharpness and color accuracy are aspects of this laptop that set it apart from the rest of its competition.
- The keyboard is world-class. The travel time is optimum, and it enables you to type comfortably for long hours.
- HDMI and USB Type-A ports, as well as Thunderbolt 3 ports, are available.
CONS
- The graphic performance is quite bland regarding the specifications mentioned in the laptop.
- Battery life could have been better considering the price point.
5. Dell XPS 15.6 (Best 4K laptop for cloud computing)
Processor: i7-9750H @4.5GHz | GPU: GTX 1650 4GB | Memory: 16GB | Storage: 512GB PICe NVMe SSD | Screen: 15.6-inch, 3840 x 2160 | Battery: 8 hours | OS: Windows 10 Home
The Dell XPS presents you with a super-magnificent OLED 4K Ultra-HD Display. This notebook offers 16 GB DDR4 RAM and 512 GB Solid State Drive storage. It features Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2×2), Bluetooth 5.0, backlit English Keyboard, and Fingerprint Reader.
This notebook has a GREAT battery life considering the heavy power it delivers. This laptop claims that it has the world’s smallest HD webcam, which is a huge step up from its predecessor. In the older model, the webcam was placed under the screen, which was a very awkward angle. Glad that they changed that.
PROS
- The display is the specialty of this laptop. The crisp colors and image clarity offered to make it hassle-free to work on this laptop for hours.
- The battery life is another excellent aspect where this laptop strives. It can last up to 12 hours on rigorous usage.
- The processor, graphic card, and everything in between is top-notch.
- Thin and light.
CONS
- The design could have been better. It feels a bit outdated and underwhelming for the price.
6. Macbook Pro 16 (Most Premium Laptop for Cloud Computing)
No products found.Processor: i9-9980HK @5.0GHz | GPU: Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB |Memory: 64 GB | Storage: 2TB NVMe SSD | Screen: 16-inches 2560 x 1600 | Battery: 15 hours | OS: Mac OSX
Apple Macbook Pro is the most obvious choice if you are looking for a new laptop, given you have the budget for it. All cloud computing processes will execute smoothly on this device alongside a plethora of usability outside of cloud computing. It can easily handle all your graphic designing, video editing, or development needs because it has a 16-inch Retina Display with Touch Bar. The latest Macbook Pro is available with a 9th Gen octa-core Intel Core i9 processor, which supports 2.4 GHz. This version boasts 64 GB RAM (which is genuinely a lot of RAM), 2 TB of SSD storage, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB graphic card to take care of all your video processing operations.
The display of 16-inch MacBook Pro models introduced in 2019 offers a native resolution: 3072 x 1920 at 226 pixels per inch and supports millions of colors. The incredible density of pixels in the display enables the user to experience unworldly clarity when viewed from a certain distance. It makes working on the machine for long hours effortless.
Apple boasts a full-day battery life, but to be very honest, the battery lasts for around 8 hours which is a VERY DECENT amount of time considering the specifications that are being offered. With the powerful CPU and display, the battery life seems pretty reasonable.
PROS
- High-resolution Retina display. The new models have True Tone technology, which can automatically adjust their color temperature based on the surroundings.
- Sleek, lightweight aluminum case design.
- All-day battery life.
- Discontinued 13-Inch non-Touch Bar models have removable internal storage.
- Clever, versatile “Force Touch” trackpad.
- Thunderbolt 3 connectivity standard is fast and easy-to-use.
- The 16-Inch models have a better keyboard design with “scissor” switches and better speakers and microphones.
CONS
- Processor, RAM, and Storage are directly connected to the motherboard and cannot be replaced/upgraded afterward.
- Performance is compromised sometimes due to the sleek design and the absence of an efficient cooling system to prevent overheating.
- The battery is glued in place in all models.
- Keyboard keys are a bit congested and have less travel, so typing is a bit uncomfortable for some users, but it is strictly subject to your preferences.
- Most users find the “Touch Bar” unnecessary.
- No SD Card slot.
- No “MagSafe” power connector.
- Expensive.
Top Rated Laptops for Cloud computing in 2024
We discussed in detail the various aspects and specifications that you should look for in a laptop if you buy one for cloud computing. I would personally like to recommend you to go with the Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop as it checks every required box for cloud computing. It is a fairly powerful machine, and working on it for long hours is seamless. As far as the price is concerned, It is quite budget-friendly considering the specifications of the laptop. Plus, you would be able to play high-end games and do photo and video editing without thinking twice about the system requirements for any heavy software.
If you believe you require something else, you can check out the other laptops that we have recommended.
