Top 8 Best Laptops For Programming – A One Stop Shop Guide May 02, 2018 by Mike Johnson in Best of Best If you are just starting off with programming as a student or you are a software engineer for a well-established firm or you are an entrepreneur building something revolutionary by coding, a laptop is what you need to program all your ideas. Whether you're a rising college freshman or a fourth-year grad student, there are a few factors to consider when purchasing a computer for school work. College is expensive enough already, so it's important to shop smart. Whether you're working with a tight budget or you have a little expendable income, we've got something for everyone. From sleek ultraportables to traditional clamshell-style laptops, here are the best laptops for students.

• Best Macbook For College Student
• Dell Computers For College Students
• Best Macbook Pro For College
• Free Macbook Pro For Students

Thanks to the fierce competition, Apple is under more pressure to design the best Macs ever. As a result, we’re getting better and more powerful machines like the Mac Pro 2019, which is coming later in 2019 possibly alongside the rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro.

• Top 10 Best Tablets for College Students in 2018 September 18, 2018 Computing, Students When a new school year is getting ready to kick into session many students and parents are considering a new tablet to fit their needs.
• College students today grew up with Apple products, from the iPod, iPad, to iPhone and probably even had a Mac growing up and maybe even in their elementary school. Apple has a reputation for making good, high quality computers that last for a long time, making it likely that buying a single Mac will get you through college and possibly graduate school.

In fact, if you’d rather not wait and want to get your hands on one of the best Macs now, there’s already quite a few excellent options to choose from, especially with Apple recently giving its MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro much-needed refresh.

To expand your choices further, the Apple computers are incredibly diverse. The best Macs cover everything from thin and light notebooks like the 12-inch MacBook, which is still on hand at third-party sites despite being discontinued, to professional workhorses like the iMac Pro.

Taking all these into consideration, it can be tricky choosing the perfect Mac for you. We put together a list of the best Macs we’ve tested ourselves – from iMacs to MacBooks – to help you with that important decision. Let’s dive in to all the best Macs you can buy right now, no matter your budget and use.

1. Mac Mini 2018

CPU: 8th-generation Intel Core i3 – Core i7 Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 630 RAM: 8GB – 32GB Storage: 128GB – 2TB PCIe-based SSD Dimensions (W x D x H): 19.7 x 19.7 x 3.6cm

Mac Mini fans, rejoice! The Mac Mini has finally been upgraded with modern hardware, ushering Apple’s smallest Mac to the modern age and naturally warranting it the top spot in our best Macs list. This tiny thing is packed with 8th-generation desktop processors, a ton of RAM and some of the fastest SSDs we’ve seen – all while keeping the same adored form factor. It’s a tad pricier this time around, but with the raw speed on offer, you’ll find that it’s worth the price increase.

Read the full review: Mac Mini 2018

2. MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)

Apple’s productivity machine gets the latest Intel tech

CPU: 9th-generation Intel Core i7 – i9 Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 555X – 560X, Intel UHD Graphics 630 RAM: 16GB – 32GB Screen: 15.4-inch, 2,880 x 1,800 Retina display Storage: 512GB – 4TB SSD Dimensions (H x W x D): 34.93 x 24.07 x 1.55cm

Best Macbook For College Student

If you want the most performance you can get in a MacBook without needing to pull off a heist, you’ll want to look into the MacBook Pro 15-inch. Now refreshed with hexa-core 9th-generation processors and up to 32GB of RAM, you won’t be held back by anything you throw at it – especially now that you can get Radeon Pro Vega 20 graphics. With that kind of performance, the MacBook Pro takes a lofty spot on our best Macs list without breaking a sweat.

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Read the full review:MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)

3. Apple iMac (27-inch, 2019)

Apple’s most affordable all-in-one

CPU: up to 3.6GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 570X – Radeon Pro Vega 48 RAM: 8GB – 64GB Screen: 27-inch (diagonal) Retina 5K display 5120 x 2880 Storage: 1TB Fusion Drive – 2TB SSD Dimensions (H x W x D): 51.6 x 65.0 x 20.3 cm

The iMac has long been one of the cheaper ways to get into the macOS ecosystem, and we’re glad that hasn’t changed. Though what has changed, we also appreciate. The new iMac is packing with 8th- and 9th-generation desktop-class processors, letting this stylish all-in-one reach that fabled 8-core performance. If you’re looking for an all-in-one Mac, the new 27-inch iMac might just be the best Mac for you, at least if you’re on a budget.

Read the full review:iMac (27-inch, 2019)

4. MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch, mid-2018)

CPU: 7th-generation Intel Core i5 – 8th-generation Intel Core i5 Graphics: Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 – 655 RAM: 8GB – 16GB Screen: 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2,560 x 1,600 Storage: 256GB – 2TB SSD Dimensions (H x W x D): 30.41 x 21.24 x 1.49cm

The biggest issue with the older MacBook Pro was that it was still packing Kaby Lake processors while its rivals had moved ahead. Luckily, the MacBook Pro 2018 changes everything, making it more powerful than ever. It still has the controversial Butterfly keyboard, but that’s also been improved so that its quieter and more reliable. It’s not hard to recommend the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2018 to anyone looking for the best Macs.

Read the full review: MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (13-inch, mid-2018)

5. iMac Pro

CPU: 8 to 18-core Intel Xeon W Graphics: Radeon Pro Vega 56 - Radeon Pro Vega 64 RAM: 32GB – 256GB DDR4 ECC Screen: 27-inch 5K (5,120 x 2,880) Retina display (P3 wide color) Storage: 1TB – 4TB PCIe 3.0 SSD Dimensions (H x W x D): 65 x 20.3 x 51.6cm

Professionals and creatives need something that can handle any workload they can possibly throw at it. If you’re one such user, the iMac Pro isn’t just one of the best Macs for you; it’s the only Mac to consider. Not only does it have a vibrant 27-inch 5K display with a P3 wide color gamut, but it also boasts the most powerful hardware Apple could get its hands on. It’s extremely expensive though, so it’s really only meant for folks who have deep pockets and need that unbridled power to get through their daily workloads.

Read the full review:iMac Pro

6. Apple MacBook Air (2019)

CPU: 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 617 RAM: 8GB – 16GB Screen: 13.3-inch (diagonal) 2,560 x 1,600 LED-backlit display with IPS technology Storage: 128GB – 1TB SSD Dimensions: 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.61 inches (30.41 x 21.24 x 1.56cm; W x D x H)

Apple takes the MacBook Air (2018) and gives it a bit of refresh, adding True Tone technology to its display and an even more reliable keyboard. Unfortunately, it hasn’t upgraded the specs – which actually leads us to think that there might be a bigger update by early 2020. However, to be fair to this refresh, the 2018 version has already made our list, so this improved version is just as deserving or more so. But the best part is yet to come: this refresh is even cheaper, so you’re definitely getting more value for less.

Read the full review: MacBook Air (2019)

7. MacBook (2017)

Small and stylish

Best Macbook Pro For College

CPU: Dual-core Intel Core m3 – Core i5 Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 615 RAM: 8GB – 16GB Screen: 12-inch Retina (2,304 x 1,440) IPS Storage: 256GB – 512GB PCIe SSD Dimensions (W x D x H): 11.04 x 7.74 x 0.14~0.52in

Free Macbook Pro For Students

While Apple has officially taken the MacBook out of its MacBook lineup, many third parties are still carry it. And because the 12-inch MacBook has found its niche as an ultraportable and lightweight laptop, it’s still deserving of a spot on our best Macs list… that is, until stock runs out. It’s low on ports, but that’s hardly a surprise in a laptop this thin. It can support basically everything under the sun with its Thunderbolt 3 port, anyway. It’s not as powerful as the MacBook Pro, but if you’re looking for a MacBook that’s easy to take with you wherever you go, look no further.

Read the full review: Apple MacBook (2017)

Michelle Rae Uy, Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article

• Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptops 2019
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