By Robin Owens 21 days ago, Hardware
What are the best Kali Linux laptops?
This version of Linux is strongly associated with security professionals who rely on the embedded tools to do their job. However, a good Kali Linux laptop will also be useful for students who are learning ethical hacking as a part of their future profession.
No particular computers were designed specifically for this OS version. However, to run smoothly, the system requires hardware of certain quality. To help yourself with the search, look through the list of appropriate models and read the guidelines at the end. Then you will be sure to find a value for money deal.
CPU: hexa-core Core i7 | GPU: NVIDIA | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 15.6 -inch | Weight: 4.74 pounds
⊕ Decent GPU
⊕ RGB illumination
⊕ Performant and quick
⊖ Heating is an unresolved issue
It is only natural to convert a decent gamer machine into a Kali Linux laptop. From the outside, it is quite a beauty with its black anodized metal casing and green accents on the ports and the logo. You can see that manufacturing is good and robust.
The machine has several ports that allow you to connect three displays and a few more accessories, all operating at high speeds. Topped with the Intel Wi-Fi 6, it performs great as a desktop setup. The mechanism of cooling is efficient enough, if not the best, and keeps those performance rates up.
CPU: HP® | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 17 -inch | Weight: 5.09 pounds
⊕ Stylish and attractive
⊕ Suitable for 1080p gaming
⊕ Comfortable to carry
⊖ Underwhelming battery duration
If you are a gamer as well as an ethical hacker, you might want to employ one machine for both purposes. In this case, there are many conveniences that this model provides. For instance, the screen with a very thin edge and good graphics allow you to enjoy any demanding AAA game.
A very efficient cooling mechanism makes sure that when you commence hard pentesting, the device can stand it. When you are ready to level-up, both the build of the laptop and its assembly simplify the task of upgrading parts. Another feature that is not too common in laptops is a good audio system that immerses you into gaming and brightens up dull working hours.
CPU: Intel® | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6 -inch | Weight: 4.65 pounds
⊕ Impressively thin
⊕ HD gaming
⊕ Surprisingly durable battery
⊖ Old-fashioned screen edges
If you want a powerful laptop to run Linux and style trends don’t concern you too much, take a look at this option. It passes the Cinebench R15 test plausibly, which is all you need to know about its computational capabilities.
As for the rest, the device is very comfortable for work. You get a great keyboard that’s just the right balance of soft and tactile. The trackpad is decent, too, if not really exceptional. The sound, however, is just that. For a laptop, it is loud and very satisfactory, not sounding like a tin at all even if the shape prevents the basses from sounding deeper.
CPU: Intel® | GPU: NVIDIA CUDA® | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 13.3 -inch | Weight: 6.14 pounds
⊕ Benefits from discrete GPU
⊕ Striking quad-core performance
⊕ Roomy touchpad
⊖ Lacks battery power
If you were interested in a 4K display, here is where you can find the one coupled with great performance. Apart from being stunningly beautiful, it is also functional thanks to the sensor.
That and the lightness of the device make it comfortable for working on the go, and the manufacturers clearly considered that. The laptop has a pretty robust aluminum shell and good assembly. The keyboard lighting is both pretty and functional. If you want to get more out of the device, you are welcome to hook it to an external graphics card which gives you outstanding visuals.
CPU: Intel® Core™ | GPU: Radeon™ Pro | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1TB | Display: 16-inch | Weight: 7.9 pounds
⊕ Slim and weightless
⊕ Incredible quality
⊕ Great performance speeds
⊖ Low battery duration
If you are hunting for a super-powerful pentesting laptop that can do many other labor-intensive tasks, there is hardly a better device. You get really impressive visuals with the display that is, however, under 4K.
The laptop comes with the much-praised keyboard mechanism of the earlier models as well. Your only inconvenience will be power. A day of intense working away from home will hardly pass without a charge-up so you will have to make sure the adaptor is with you and sockets could be found.
CPU: Intel® Core | GPU: NVIDIA® | RAM: 8 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 17 -inch | Weight: 6.07 lbs
⊕ Great performance, including graphics
⊕ Stylish design
⊕ Good with heat control for a thin device
⊖ Low display brightness
Built as a gaming device, it is a mighty powerful one and will be great for those who combine different activities. It has superb NVIDIA graphics for gaming, a great Intel i5 processor for work and other features to complement the setup.
For instance, this device is impressively slim, and normally heating up would be merciless. The engineers perfected the system and made the device much more stable. The overall style is appealing, too, with the acid green keyboard lights and a vibrant display with barely any visible edge. As a bonus, you also get a decent sound system.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Razer Blade 15
Our choice |
CHECK PRICE → | |
 |
OMEN by HP
Stylish |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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Alienware m15
Compact |
CHECK PRICE → |
The lowest acceptable would be an i5 processor of a recent generation with at least 4 cores if you want to get more advanced programs run smoothly.
If you plan to do some real work, you will have a number of virtual machines running while you’re prying with the special tools to find vulnerabilities. Make sure there are at least 16 GB of RAM to provide for that and get more whenever you can. Nowadays, you can find many good and affordable Razer laptops with this amount of RAM.
Technically, a Kali Linux laptop does not require a powerful graphics card unlike the best Alienware gaming laptops. That being said, the GPU-assisted password breaking and CUDA support would not be to a disadvantage in your toolkit, and they would require a powerful dedicated card.
You should set your preference at a model with 256 GB or more of SSD storage for swift performance. If you want to keep two systems on the same device, consider models with 1 TB of HDD instead.
Naturally, you would want to have versatility, and going for laptops with many types of ports is a good idea. Even more so considering that for deploying wireless attacks it is advised to have external wireless adapters.
You can see them working on average models as well as the most technically advanced ones. Hardware and OS preferences are set with regard to the tasks and methods each ethical hacker deals with daily.
If you are only starting, 8 GB of RAM will be sufficient to learn the ropes and solve easy and medium tasks without hitches. Those with a higher level would need to double that if they want the more advanced tools to work with virtual machines.
There are several components that influence the velocity of processing: CPU, GPU, RAM and storage. Fail to update one, and the abilities will decrease noticeably.
You can technically do it and even experience a boost in performance. However, that boost will be insignificant because you will not be able to get all the juice out of that 8 GB module.
