Top 12 Best Laptop for Pentesting in 2023

Pentesting - this is a step-by-step attack against a system to find its vulnerability. For pen-testing, you cannot just use any laptop. That is why in this article we are going to talk about the best laptop for pentesting! If you are looking for a new laptop, then please read through the article.

Top Laptop for Pentesting by Editors

Best 12 Best Laptop for Pentesting Reviews in 2023

Best 12 Best Laptop for Pentesting Reviews in 2023
Best 12 Best Laptop for Pentesting Reviews in 2023

1. Asus VivoBook S15 S512 Thin and Light 15.6

ASUS VivoBook S15 S512 Thin And Light 15.6
ASUS VivoBook S15 S512 Thin And Light 15.6
ASUS VivoBook S15 S512 Thin And Light 15.6" FHD, Intel Core I5-8265U CPU, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, Windows 10 Home, S512FA-DB51, Silver Metal

Aspiring Asus brings to you its VivoBook S15 S512. They are calling it a Pentesting laptop. Shall we see then how it fares? The laptop comes with an 8th generation Core i5-8265U Quad-core processor. The processor has a base frequency of 1.60 GHz and boosts the speed up to 3.90 GHz. It is a quad-core processor that can handle 8 threads and has 6 MB of cache memory. The laptop also has a DDR4 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD for quick data transactions. There is a 15.6 inches Full HD NanoEdge bezel display. The battery can support for about 7 hours 5 minutes.

Features

  • 8th generation Core i5-8265U Quad-core processor. The processor has a base frequency of 1.60 and boosts the speed up to 3.90 GHz, 6 MB of Cache Memory.
  • DDR4 8 GB RAM.
  • 256 GB SSD. Upgrade possible from Asus.
  • 15.6 inches Full HD IPS display.
  • 7 hours 5 minutes of battery support.

Pros

  • Good processor, RAM, and SSD.

Cons

  • Short Battery life for a high-end pc.

2. Asus ROG Strix Scar II

ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II Gaming Laptop, 17.3
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II Gaming Laptop, 17.3
ASUS ROG Strix SCAR II Gaming Laptop, 17.3" 144Hz IPS-Type FHD, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB, Intel Core I7-8750H Processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD + 1TB SSHD, RGB KB, Windows 10 - GL704GW-DS76

Asus brings to you ROG Strix Scar II. They are calling it a gaming laptop. Shall we see then how it fares? The laptop comes with an 8th Generation Core™ i7-8750H Processor from Intel®. The processor has a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and boosts the speed up to 4.10 GHz. It is a six-core processor that can handle 12 threads and has 9 MB of Smart Cache memory. The laptop also has a DDR4 16 GB RAM at 2666 MHz and 512 GB SSD and an additional 1 TB FireCuda Hard Disk for quick data transactions. There is a 17.3-inches Full HD IPS display that gets support from a GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card from Nvidia, and the graphics card has a dedicated GDDR6 8 GB VRAM. The battery can support for about 80 minutes.

Feature

  • 8th Generation Core™ i7-8750H Processor, a base frequency of 2.20 GHz and boost the speed up to 4.10 GHz, 9 MB of Smart Cache.
  • 16 GB RAM at 2666 MHz and 512 GB SSD + 1 TB hard disk.
  • NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, 8 GB dedicated VRAM.

Pros

  • Good CPU, sound frequency, and SSD+HDD.
  • Good graphics.

Cons

  • Worst Short battery life.

3. Dell XPS Thin and Light

Dell XPS Thin And Light Laptop - 15 15.6' 4K Touch Display, Intel Core I7-7700HQ, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, GTX 1050, Aluminum Chassis, Silver - XPS9560-7369SLV-PUS - Gaming
Dell XPS Thin And Light Laptop - 15 15.6' 4K Touch Display, Intel Core I7-7700HQ, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, GTX 1050, Aluminum Chassis, Silver - XPS9560-7369SLV-PUS - Gaming
Dell XPS Thin And Light Laptop - 15 15.6' 4K Touch Display, Intel Core I7-7700HQ, 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, GTX 1050, Aluminum Chassis, Silver - XPS9560-7369SLV-PUS - Gaming

Dell brings to you its XPS Thin and Light. Shall we see then how it fares? The laptop comes with a 7th Generation Core™ i7-7700HQ from Intel®. The processor has a base frequency of 2.80 GHz and boosts the speed up to 3.80 GHz. It is a 4-core processor that can handle 8 threads and has 6 MB of Smart Cache memory. The laptop also has a dual-channel DDR4 16 GB RAM at 2400 MHz (upgradeable to 32 GB) and 1 TB SSD for quick data transactions. 1 extra slot for RAM upgrade. There is a 15.6 inches 4K Full HD Touch InfinityEdge display that gets support from a GeForce GTX 1050 dedicated graphics card from Nvidia, and the graphics card has a dedicated 3 GB VRAM. The battery can support for about 8 hours.

Feature

  • 10th Generation Core™ i7-10750H from Intel®, a base frequency of 2.60 GHz and boost the speed up to 5.00 GHz, 6 MB of Smart Cache memory.
  • DDR4 16 GB RAM at 2400 MHz and 1 TB SSD.
  • GeForce RTX 1050 graphics card, dedicated GDDR6 3 GB VRAM.

Pros

  • Good processor, RAM, and SSD.
  • Dedicated VRAM and powerful graphics card.

4. HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen Intel Core i5

HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen Intel Core I5-1135G7 Processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD Storage, 15.6
HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen Intel Core I5-1135G7 Processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD Storage, 15.6
HP 15 Laptop, 11th Gen Intel Core I5-1135G7 Processor, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD Storage, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, Windows 10 Home, HP Fast Charge, Lightweight Design (15-dy2021nr, 2020)

Behold HP 15 Laptop. It is a beauty in its design and a beast in its hardware. It comes with a superfast 11th generation Quad-core Core i5-1135G7 with an astonishing maximum of 4.5 MHz and 8 MB of Smart Cache memory. You get a DDR4 8 GB RAM 2666 MHz bus speed. It has a 256 GB SSD. It has a LED-backlit 15.6-inches IPS micro-edge Full HD and an anti-glare display. This display runs on integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. The battery can run the laptop for 8 hours.

Features

  • 11th generation Quad-core Core i5-1135G7 with an astonishing maximum of 4.5 MHz and 8 MB of Smart Cache memory.
  • DDR4 8 GB RAM of 2666 MHz bus speed. 256 GB SSD.
  • 8 hours of battery life.

Pros

  • Fast processor, RAM, and SSD.
  • Good display.
  • Good battery life.

Cons

  • Integrated graphics.
  • Not enough RAM compared to the processor.

5. MSI Creator 15 Professional Laptop

MSI Creator 15 Professional Laptop: 15.6' 4K UHD Ultra-Thin Bezel Display, Intel Core I7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Super, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt 3, 100% Adobe RGB, Win10 PRO (A10SFS-287)
MSI Creator 15 Professional Laptop: 15.6' 4K UHD Ultra-Thin Bezel Display, Intel Core I7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Super, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt 3, 100% Adobe RGB, Win10 PRO (A10SFS-287)
MSI Creator 15 Professional Laptop: 15.6' 4K UHD Ultra-Thin Bezel Display, Intel Core I7-10875H, GeForce RTX 2070 Super, 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, Thunderbolt 3, 100% Adobe RGB, Win10 PRO (A10SFS-287)

Yes, it is MSI again with its Creator 15 Professional Laptop. There is a reason why it is called the Creator 15 Professional Laptop. A monstrous processor is humming inside of its chassis - an Octa-core Intel Core i7 Processor. It has 8 cores capable of running at a maximum of 5.10 GHz. That is not the end of it. There are an edge-to-edge UHD thin bezel 15.6 inches 4K display that runs on a dedicated 8GB GeForce RTX 2070 Super from Nvidia. It has a dual-Channel - 2666 Hz DDR4 32 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. It has a very fleeting battery life of 9 hours.

Feature

  • Intel Core i7 eight-core processor that has a top clock speed of 5.1 GHz.
  • 1 TB SSD.
  • DDR4 32 GB RAM.
  • Dedicated 8GB GeForce RTX 2070 from Nvidia.

Pros

  • Good processor, RAM, and hard disk.
  • Dedicated Good graphics card.
  • Good battery life.

6. HP 14″ Touchscreen

HP 14' Touchscreen Home And Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U, 8GB RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD, Dual-Core Up To 3.50 GHz, Vega 3 Graphics, RJ-45, USB-C, 4K Output HDMI, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1366x768, Win 10
HP 14' Touchscreen Home And Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U, 8GB RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD, Dual-Core Up To 3.50 GHz, Vega 3 Graphics, RJ-45, USB-C, 4K Output HDMI, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1366x768, Win 10
HP 14' Touchscreen Home And Business Laptop Ryzen 3-3200U, 8GB RAM, 128GB M.2 SSD, Dual-Core Up To 3.50 GHz, Vega 3 Graphics, RJ-45, USB-C, 4K Output HDMI, Bluetooth, Webcam, 1366x768, Win 10

The famous HP brand brings you its 14″ Touchscreen model. This beauty houses a superfast Ryzen 3-3200U processor. The process has two cores and can handle 4 threads at a base frequency of 2.60 GHz speed, and can squeeze out a maximum of 3.5 GHz of clock speed. This unbelievable monstrous power is backed up by a 4 MB cache memory. The laptop comes with 8 GB) random access memory at DDR4-2400 MHz bus speed. It has a fast 128 GB SSD for better data transfer. It has a 14-inch HD natural finger-touch display. This display is powered by Vega 3 Graphics from AMD, and it has a shared memory. It has about 8 hours of battery life.

Features

  • Superfast Ryzen 3-3200U processor.
  • 8 GB RAM DDR4.
  • 128 GB SSD.
  • An integrated Vega 3 Graphics from AMD.
  • 8 hours of battery life.

Pros

  • Superfast processor, RAM, and SSD.
  • Touch screen.

7. 2023 Newest Samsung Chromebook 4+

2021 Newest Samsung Chromebook 4+, 15.6' Full HD Screen, Intel Celeron N4000 Processor, 4GB DDR4 Memory, 32GB EMMC, Webcam, Bluetooth, Online Class Ready, Chrome OS, KKE 64GB Micro SD Card
2021 Newest Samsung Chromebook 4+, 15.6' Full HD Screen, Intel Celeron N4000 Processor, 4GB DDR4 Memory, 32GB EMMC, Webcam, Bluetooth, Online Class Ready, Chrome OS, KKE 64GB Micro SD Card
2021 Newest Samsung Chromebook 4+, 15.6' Full HD Screen, Intel Celeron N4000 Processor, 4GB DDR4 Memory, 32GB EMMC, Webcam, Bluetooth, Online Class Ready, Chrome OS, KKE 64GB Micro SD Card

This laptop is from the famous South Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung. This is another installment of budget computing configuration. A dual-core Celeron N4000 runs the computer. The processor has a 4 MB cache memory. The clock speed can reach up to 2.6 GHz speed. It houses a muscular DDR4 2.60 GHz 4 GB RAM. It houses a 32 GB SSD and 64 Micro-SD cards. It has a 15.6 inches full HD display which has an integrated Intel UHD Graphics 600. 11.5 hours of battery life.

Features

  • Dual-core Celeron N4000 (4 MB cache memory, 2.6 GHz).
  • DDR4 2.60 MHz 4 GB RAM.
  • 32 GB SSD.
  • Integrated graphics 600.

Pros

  • Super mobility and productivity.
  • Good battery life.

8. Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 Inches Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 In S Mode, A515-43-R19L, Silver
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 Inches Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 In S Mode, A515-43-R19L, Silver
Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6 Inches Full HD IPS Display, AMD Ryzen 3 3200U, Vega 3 Graphics, 4GB DDR4, 128GB SSD, Backlit Keyboard, Windows 10 In S Mode, A515-43-R19L, Silver

The famous Asus brand brings you its gaming class TUF FX505DT model. This beauty houses a superfast Ryzen 3 3200U Processor from AMD. The process has 2 cores and can handle 4 threads at a base frequency of 2.60 GHz speed, and can squeeze out a maximum of 3.50 GHz of clock speed. This unbelievable monstrous power is backed up by a massive 4 MB L3 cache memory. The laptop comes with 4 GB DDR4 random access memory. It has a fast 128 GB SSD for better data transfer. It has a Full HD IPS 15.6-inch display. The laptop has a Vega 3 Graphics shared. This laptop has 8 hours of battery support.

Features

  • Ryzen 3 3200U Processor from AMD, 2.60 GHz speed can squeeze out a maximum of 3.50 GHz of clock speed, 4 MB cache memory.
  • 4 GB DDR4 random access memory, fast 128 GB SSD.
  • 8 hours of battery life.

Pros

  • Good processor and SSD.
  • Good battery life.

Cons

  • Not enough RAM to run Windows 10 and do multitasking.

9. 2020 HP 15 15.6″ HD Touchscreen

2020 HP 15 15.6' HD Touchscreen Premium Laptop - 10th Gen Intel Core I5-1035G1, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, USB Type-C, HDMI, Windows 10 - Silver W
2020 HP 15 15.6' HD Touchscreen Premium Laptop - 10th Gen Intel Core I5-1035G1, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, USB Type-C, HDMI, Windows 10 - Silver W
2020 HP 15 15.6' HD Touchscreen Premium Laptop - 10th Gen Intel Core I5-1035G1, 16GB DDR4, 512GB SSD, USB Type-C, HDMI, Windows 10 - Silver W

This powerhouse is from HP. It houses a powerful 10th Generation Intel Quad-core Core i5-1035G1 processor, which can speed up to 3.6 GHz and has 6 megabytes of Smart cache memory. With such a sizable cache memory, speed will not be a problem for you. It supports Intel Graphics Coprocessor. It runs on a 16 GB RAM 2666 MHz speed and 512 GB of SSD, which ensures faster loading of windows and apps. It has a built-in microphone with its webcam. It is a touch 15.6'' display unit. The laptop can run the battery for about 8 hours straight.

Features

  • Intel Quad-core Core i5-1035G1 processor, 3.6 GHz max speed, 6 MB cache memory.
  • 16 GB RAM 2666 MHz speed, and 512 GB SSD.

Pros

  • Good processor, speed and cache memory, RAM, and SSD.
  • Comparatively long battery life.

10. Apple MacBook Air 13-inch

Apple MacBook Air
Apple MacBook Air
Apple MacBook Air

The famous Apple brand brings you its MacBook Air model. This silver beauty houses a superfast 8th generation Core™ i5 Processor from Intel®. The process has four cores and can handle 8 threads at a base frequency of 1.60 GHz speed, and can squeeze out a maximum of 3.60 GHz of clock speed. This unbelievable monstrous power is backed up by a massive 4 MB cache memory. The laptop comes with 8 GB random access memory. It has a fast 128 GB SSD for better data transfer. It has a retina 13.3 inches display. The laptop has Intel UHD integrated graphics 617. According to Amazon's official page, this laptop has 12 hours of battery support for web browsing on WIFI.

Features

  • 10th generation Core™ i5-10310U Processor from Intel®, 1.60 GHz speed and squeeze out a maximum of 3.60 GHz of clock speed, 4 MB cache memory.
  • 8 GB random access memory, fast 128 GB SSD, retina display.

Pros

  • Good processor, RAM, and SSD.
  • Awesome battery life.

Cons

  • No dedicated graphics card.

11. Apple MacBook pro-13 inches

2020 Apple MacBook Pro With Intel Processor (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray
2020 Apple MacBook Pro With Intel Processor (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray
2020 Apple MacBook Pro With Intel Processor (13-inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage) - Space Gray

The first laptop on our list is the fantastic 'Apple MacBook pro'. An Intel Core i5 processor runs this device. The Retina display has a technology called 'True Tone'. It has a backlit keyboard. It has a Touch ID and Touch Bar. The Intel Iris plus graphic runs the device. Its SSD is ultrafast. It has 4 thunderbolt USB ports (USB type c). The battery can keep the laptop running for around ten hours. With a 10th generation quad-core processor, eighty percent improvement in graphics, RAM support up to 32 GB at 3733MHz speed, and storage space up to 4TB of SSD, you cannot make a wrong investment of your money. Its release date was April of 2020. It has a 13-inch retina display.

Features

  • 10th generation Core i5 processor with quad-core.
  • RAM supports up to 32 GB at 3733 MHz.
  • Hard disk supports up to 4TB SSD.
  • 10 hours of battery life.

Pros

  • 4 cores running at 2 GHz speed.
  • Tremendous RAM support of up to 32 GB at 3733 MHz.
  • 4TB SSD support.
  • Long battery life.

12. HP 15 Premium Laptop

HP 15 Premium Laptop Computer 15.6' FHD IPS Touchscreen Display 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core I5-1035G1 (Beats I7-8550U) 12GB DDR4 256GB SSD WiFi Webcam Win 10 + ICarp HDMI Cable
HP 15 Premium Laptop Computer 15.6' FHD IPS Touchscreen Display 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core I5-1035G1 (Beats I7-8550U) 12GB DDR4 256GB SSD WiFi Webcam Win 10 + ICarp HDMI Cable
HP 15 Premium Laptop Computer 15.6' FHD IPS Touchscreen Display 10th Gen Intel Quad-Core I5-1035G1 (Beats I7-8550U) 12GB DDR4 256GB SSD WiFi Webcam Win 10 + ICarp HDMI Cable

The famous HP brand brings you its 15 Premium model. This matte black stealth beauty houses a superfast 10th generation Intel® Core - i7-8750H processor. The process has six cores and can handle 12 threads at a base frequency of 2.20 GHz speed, and can squeeze out a maximum of 4.10 GHz of clock speed. This unbelievable monstrous power is backed up by a massive 9 MB cache memory. The laptop comes with 12 GB random access memory. It has a fast 512 GB SSD for better data transfer. It has a 3 ms 144 Hz wide view angle anti-glare 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display with 72 percent NTSC. This display is powered by a dedicated supermassive graphics card GeForce GTX1060 from NVIDIA. It has a dedicated GDDR6 6 GB graphics memory. You can forget about CPU lag forever. The battery can support 3 hours and 36 minutes.

Features

  • Superfast 8th generation Intel® Core i7-8750H processor.
  • 16 GB RAM DDR4.
  • 512 GB SSD.
  • Dedicated GeForce GTX1060 from NVIDIA.

Pros

  • Superfast processor for fast data processing.
  • Large RAM.
  • Dedicated graphics card.
  • Ultra-thin.

Cons

  • Absolutely low battery life.

Buying Guide

Deciding what could be the best laptop for pentesting can be difficult if you do not know anything about mobile computers. For pentesting, you need to watch out for a few components. Let us have a look.

Processing Power of CPU

You will be doing pentesting in a Virtual machine. So, if your processor does not support Virtualization technology, you will not be able to run VMWare. It is not safe to run pentesting in your main machine or main OS. Always do this in a virtual machine. So, look around the Intel, AMD, or Apple website and forum and ask the manufacturer about the perfect processor for your work.

Graphics chip: Integrated or Dedicated?

If you choose an integrated Graphics chip, you will need bigger RAM. Or you can buy a laptop with a dedicated graphics card. Whichever you choose will cost you money. So, be ready.

Memory: How Big?

You need the fastest and comparatively bigger RAM. Why? Because you will be hosting a virtual machine alongside your primary OS. Therefore, it will require double the space in RAM. For faster loading, I suggest DDR4 or LPDDR4 16 or 32 GB RAM.

Unplugged use: How long?

You will need perfect battery life if you are trying to do pentesting while you are moving. For example, you are trying to check your company's security from various places in the office building, and moving with the adapter and the cord will be cumbersome. So, At least 8 hours of battery backup should do fine.

How big or what type of Monitor?

You do not need a bigger monitor all the time if you have a spare monitor sitting on your desk. But at least a 15-inch display is necessary for better viewing.

HDD

You need faster loading of everything app along with your Virtual machine. Also, you need larger space to host multiple OSs. So use a bigger SSD or use SATA and SSD combination. You can also use M.2 NVMe PCIe memory if you have an expansion slot.

FAQs for Laptop for Pentesting Buyers

Is it possible to connect 2 external monitors on Asus VivoBook S15 S512 Thin and Light ?

It is impossible because there is only one HDMI port.

The hard disk here, is it an NVMe or Nonvolatile memory express or SATA for Asus VivoBook S15 S512 Thin and Light ?

It is NVMe, not SATA.

Icicle gold seems less expensive compared to other models of Asus VivoBook S15 S512 Thin and Light ; why?

The exact reason cannot be said. It is maybe because it is not popular.

Hi, here it says that the Asus ROG Strix Scar laptop is a used one. How do I know how old it is?

You cannot say. So, go for a new one. It is better to be happy than regretful.

Why does it say the CPU here is 3+ GHz speed, whereas the Intel website says it is 2 GHz on the Asus ROG Strix Scar laptop?

2.2 is the base speed; the speed will increase till it is 3 GHz if it is necessary.

Buy on Walmart, eBay, Etsy (quality guaranteed)

HP Pavilion 15 Laptop, 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Processor, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

2021 Newest Dell Inspiron 15 3511 Laptop, 15.6" FHD Screen, 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Gen 20QD0005US 14" Touchscreen Ultrabook - 1920 x 1080 - - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

2021 Newest HP 17" Laptop, 17.3" HD+ Non-Touch Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 Gaming Laptop, 17.3” 300Hz FHD IPS Type, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Acer Aspire 5 Slim Laptop, 15.6" Full HD IPS Display, 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U, 8GB - Walmart, Etsy, eBay

ASUS VivoBook S15 S533 Thin and Light Laptop, 15.6” FHD Display, Intel Core i7-10510U - Walmart, Etsy, Ebay

Conclusion on Best Laptop for Pentesting

In this article, I have tried to list the best laptop for pentesting. It solely depends on the pentester exactly what kind of workload s/he is expecting to put her/his laptop through. So, based on the workload and budget, a person should buy a laptop. I would suggest looking at the dedicated graphics card, RAM, SSD, and processor cores. Choose the best that fits your work. Happy hunting!

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