In order to be a successful information security professional, you must have the best tools at your disposal. The type of tools you use depends on what kind of information security work you do. A security analyst might use different tools than a pen tester. A hacker or white-hat penetration tester might use different tools than an incident responder.
But no matter the type of work you do, the most valuable tool you can use is a computer.
In this article, we investigate some of the best laptops for information security professionals.
1.Alienware AW17R3-1675SLV
| Series | Alienware 17 R3 |
| Brand | Alienware |
| Specific Uses For Product | Personal, gaming |
| Screen Size | 17.3 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
The Alienware 17 is thinner and lighter than any 17″ laptop we’ve created before, but that doesn’t mean we skimped on performance. It’s crafted with aerospace-inspired carbon fiber filled surfaces that add stiffness and durability, and copper heat sinks that enable proper cooling, so you can go thinner without sacrificing performance or power.
A new thin and light design combined with the latest Intel processors makes this laptop ideal for both work and play.
Alienware’s most powerful 17 inch gaming laptop is designed for VR with NVIDIA GeForce 10-series graphics and Tobii Aware software, taking you deeper into the game.
The Alienware 17 R3 Gaming Laptop from Dell balances power and portability. Weighing in at 7.1 pounds and 1.18 inches thick, it offers a 17.3″ IPS display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution for viewing detailed high-definition content. Visuals are handled by the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M graphics card with 3GB of GDDR5 VRAM, which features a 965MHz core clock speed, 1038MHz boost clock speed, 80 texture units, 64 ROPs, and support for DirectX 12 API (feature level 12_1). With this GPU you can play your favorite.
2.MSI GL62M 7REX-1896US
| Series | GL62M 7REX-1896 |
| Brand | MSI |
| Specific Uses For Product | Personal, gaming, business |
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
If the computer you are upgrading from is a fairly recent model that has USB ports, you can get a cable with a USB connector at one end and either an Ethernet or a dial-up modem connector at the other end. To use it, plug the USB connector into your computer and the other end into the appropriate wall jack.
If the computer you are upgrading from is an older model that has only serial ports, you will need to buy an external modem. You can connect an external modem to any type of serial port, including those on older Macintosh computers. Many new computers have USB ports but no serial ports (or even no expansion slots). If your new computer doesn’t have a serial port, and if it also doesn’t have a slot for an expansion card with a serial port, you can buy a USB-to-serial adapter that will let you plug the external modem into your computer’s USB port.
If your old computer is more than five years old, you should probably buy both a new modem and a new video display card instead of trying to reuse parts from the old system. However, if all you plan to do with the new system is write letters or work with spreadsheets, an older monitor may work fine.
3.Asus ROG Strix Scar Edition
| Series | ASUS ROG Strix |
| Brand | ASUS |
| Specific Uses For Product | Multimedia, Personal, Gaming |
| Screen Size | 17.3 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
The ASUS ROG Strix Scar Edition is a slim and lightweight gaming laptop with some powerful components. With an updated Intel 8th-gen processor, the latest GTX graphics, and a 144Hz display, it’s one of the most powerful gaming laptops in its class.
The ROG Strix Scar Edition (GL703GS) is a new addition to the lineup and an update to last year’s ROG Strix (GL703VD). The new Scar Edition borrows the same look from the updated ROG Zephyrus series with a super-slim profile and some RGB lighting. It’s also more powerful than last year’s model, with an Intel Core i7-8750H processor, 16GB of RAM, and Nvidia GTX 1070 graphics.
The GL703GS isn’t as thin or as light as the Zephyrus series, but it’s still pretty impressive for a 17in gaming laptop. It measures just 28mm thick and weighs 2.95kg — you can easily take it with you on your next trip. This is particularly impressive considering that it houses an Nvidia GTX 1070 GPU (8GB of VRAM), which is one of the most powerful mobile GPUs available today.
4. Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro
| Series | Acer Aspire |
| Brand | Acer |
| Specific Uses For Product | Gaming |
| Screen Size | 17.3 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
The Aspire V Nitro Black Edition has a look that is striking, yet subtle. At first glance you are greeted with a clean style that is understated and elegant. But upon closer inspection you will discover the bold accents and finer details that give this laptop its true personality. From the metallic hinge covers to the glossy black keys, every part of this notebook exudes precision craftsmanship and a sense of style all its own.
The Aspire V Nitro Black Edition has a look that is striking, yet subtle. At first glance you are greeted with a clean style that is understated and elegant. But upon closer inspection you will discover the bold accents and finer details that give this laptop its true personality. From the metallic hinge covers to the glossy black keys, every part of this notebook exudes precision craftsmanship and a sense of style all its own.
The Aspire V Nitro Black Edition has a look that is striking, yet subtle. At first glance you are greeted with a clean style that is understated and elegant. But upon closer inspection you will discover the bold accents and finer details that give this laptop its true personality. From the metallic hinge covers to the glossy black keys, every part of this notebook exudes precision craftsmanship and a sense of style.
5.CUK HP Pavilion
| Series | HP Pavilion |
| Brand | HP |
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
| Human Interface Input | Microphone, Keyboard |
The CUK HP Pavilion 15 Power Gaming Notebook is perfectly suited for gaming, home and business use. The design is sleek, functional and stylish. When you are looking for a notebook that has the power to handle intensive games, photo editing programs and video editing as well as high-end computing applications, the answer is simple: The CUK HP Pavilion 15 Power Gaming Notebook!
This powerful notebook will allow you to run games at the highest settings with no lag or slow down. The NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card lets you enjoy high frame rates in your favorite games. The Intel Core i7-7700HQ processor and 16GB of RAM combine to deliver fast performance. For storage, there is a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) for lightning-fast boots and loads times.
The 15.6-inch Full HD display ensures a clear picture and vibrant colors for gaming or watching movies. Lightweight and easy to carry around at just 5 pounds, this notebook can go with you everywhere so you never miss out on the action.
6.Lenovo Idea Pad Y700
| Series | FBA_80NV00W4US |
| Brand | Lenovo |
| Specific Uses For Product | Personal, gaming, business |
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 |
The Lenovo Y700 combines the latest processor with discrete graphics, high-definition display, and Dolby audio to deliver a gaming experience with powerful processing, great graphics, and superior sound. The Y700 is available in three screen sizes — 15.6″, 17.3″ and a new 15″ touchscreen model.
The Lenovo Y700 features an Intel® Core i7 quad-core processor for responsive multitasking performance and energy efficiency in whatever you choose to do. A professional-grade NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M graphics card provides the muscle you need for cinematic gameplay and ultra-detailed 4K video streaming. With up to 16 GB of memory and up to 1 TB of HDD storage or a hybrid SSHD with up to 8 GB of cache memory, the Y700 has plenty of power to run your games and all your favorite applications without slowing down.
The Lenovo Y700 laptop computer offers a smooth gaming experience thanks to its HD display (17.3″ only), an anti-glare panel that reduces eye strain, integrated JBL® stereo speakers that create immersive audio, and a subwoofer that delivers booming bass. Plus, the keyboard has adjustable backlighting so you can game anytime, anywhere.
7.Apple MacBook Pro
| Series | MacBook Pro |
| Brand | Apple |
| Screen Size | 13 Inches |
| Operating System | MacOS 10.14 Mojave |
| Human Interface Input | Keypad |
When you have a great product, sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is take it back to its roots. MacBook Pro starts with a breakthrough M1 chip — the first of its kind built on 5-nanometer process technology. With an astonishing 8-core CPU, up to an 8‑core GPU, and our 16-core Neural Engine, MacBook Pro delivers mind‑blowing speed and power. And with the longest battery life ever in a Mac, MacBook Pro gives you more time to do more things.
Supercharge your workflow with incredible performance in apps like Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, and Final Cut Pro. Experience smooth gameplay in League of Legends or Fortnite at high settings. And use machine learning to make every click more powerful with ML‑enhanced apps like Safari and Pages. All this performance and capability comes in an incredibly thin and light enclosure that weighs only two pounds and fits easily into your bag.
MacBook Pro features an advanced thermal architecture for groundbreaking speed and power efficiency. The system’s M1 chip integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I/O, and more onto a single small chip — making everything faster while using less energy. This new architecture also enables you to combine low‑power components when you don.
8.Dell G5587-7866BLK
| Series | G5587-7866BLK-PUS |
| Brand | Dell |
| Specific Uses For Product | Gaming |
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
The Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS is the latest version of a beloved gaming laptop that offers great value for money. It’s incredibly stylish and packs a serious punch in terms of performance, but it is still affordable enough for most gamers to consider.
The Dell G5587-7866BLK-PUS features an 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H Processor (6-Core, 9MB Cache, up to 3.9GHz w/Turbo Boost) which provides all the computing capability you need to play your favorite games and run other applications. The processor is paired with 16GB DDR4 RAM which gives you plenty of memory to play around with, plus 128 GB SSD Boot + 1 TB 5400 RPM [SATA] HDD Storage which allows you to store all your files on one device. If you want more storage space then there’s always the option of adding another hard drive later on (sold separately).
When it comes to gaming, graphics are everything and that’s why this laptop has Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4GB GDDR5 Graphics memory built-in so you can enjoy stunning visuals without any lag time. The screen resolution is 1920 x 1080p which gives you plenty.
9.Razer Blade Stealth
| Series | Razer Blade |
| Brand | Razer |
| Specific Uses For Product | Personal, gaming, business |
| Screen Size | 13.3 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is the world’s first gaming ultrabook. Featuring a visually stunning display and optional 4K touch screen, the latest 8th Gen Intel Quad-Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 discrete graphics and up to 10 hours of battery life. The new Razer Blade Stealth 13 is individually calibrated at the factory for colour accuracy, 100% sRGB gamut, and factory calibrated delta-E less than 2 out of the box.
The 13” thin bezel full HD matte display has been calibrated to deliver 100% sRGB colour saturation on its 1920 x 1080 high resolution screen, while an optional 4K multi-touch screen with 60hz refresh rate delivers immersive visuals. The 8th gen Intel Core i7-8565U processor is paired with 16GB of LPDDR3 RAM and a performance packed 512GB PCIe SSD for fast load times and ample storage for your game library.
The ultra-thin 0.54-inch unibody aluminium frame houses powerful components in a compact package weighing just 1.3kg that fits easily into your bag or backpack when you’re on the go. The CNC aluminium chassis provides a rigid and durable base for maximum portability with minimal flex while remaining incredibly light.
10.Acer Predator Helios 300
| Series | PH315-53-72XD |
| Brand | Acer |
| Specific Uses For Product | Multimedia, Personal, Gaming |
| Screen Size | 15.6 Inches |
| Operating System | Windows 10 Home |
The first thing you notice when you open the box is the eye catching design. It’s a sleek, bold look that makes it stand out from the rest of the laptops on the market. The metal chassis and red accents match most gaming gear and peripherals well.
The second thing you notice is how light it is. It’s an absolute pleasure to carry this laptop around for extended periods of time. I took it on a week long trip with me and it was a breeze compared to my normal laptop I use for work.
When you turn on the laptop, it boots up very quickly. Windows 10 runs very smooth despite having so many programs installed already.
The sound quality is great, I would put it on par with other laptops in its price range if not better.
The backlit keyboard works well, but I wish there were multiple color options instead of just red. Would be nice to have blue or white options as well.
With gaming, this laptop runs all of my games at max settings without any stuttering or lagging issues at all. It also stays very cool while doing so which is a huge plus! It also comes with a Acer PredatorSense app which lets you adjust settings on the fly when gaming so that’s another added bonus!
