Kali Linux is a flavor of the Linux operating system which is derived from Debian Linux. The main function of Kali Linux is digital forensics. Along with this, Kali Linux is also used for penetration testing through which it is checked that is any security hole in software through which any hacker can enter the system. Companies are often seeking a penetration test to assure their systems are secure from hackers’ attacks. These laptops which are loaded with moderate specifications also can be considered the best laptops for Kali Linux and Pentesting.
5 Best Laptops for Kali Linux and Pentesting
1. Apple MacBook Pro
Apple laptops are generally considered expensive and no doubt somehow there are but at the same time, these are the most powerful laptops. The same is the case with MacBook Pro. It is a powerful laptop that you can consider best for Kali Linux. In design, MacBook Pro is similar to the MacBook Air which is definitely one of the most unique designs.
Now I told you about the hardware specification of this Laptop. No doubt it has a very powerful processor which is a 9th Generation Intel Core i7 which also has Turbo Boost technology. Remarkable 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of SSD storage. These all up-to-the-mark configurations make this laptop as powerful as any can. This laptop is also above and beyond what you need for Kali Linux. RAM and Storage of this laptop are upgradeable. Sometimes, in Kali Linus, penetration testing is required more space. At that time it is a good option to increase the storage.
The size of the display screen in this laptop is 15 inches with a very high resolution of 2880 x 1800 which is also unusual as compared to other laptops. The retina display of this laptop is also outstanding. Although in the case of Kali Linux, these very high-quality displays are not necessary.
You can use it in gaming or general-purpose when this laptop is used in dual boot conditions. If you’re more into programming, hacking, or even if you’re a music producer who needs a powerhouse day in and day out, this laptop will deliver.
With all these, this laptop also has a butterfly keyboard and a big trackpad which added more value to this laptop. 4 Thunderbolt ports are available in this machine. Apple T2 chip has been provided in the system. The chips include a secure enclave coprocessor and encrypted storage capability. It has beautiful fingerprint security. Ordinarily, the battery lasts for up to 10 hours but that falls to 3 hours when running Kali.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7 2.6 GHz 9th Generation.
- RAM: 16 GB.
- Storage: 256GB, SSD.
- Graphics: Intel UHD 630.
- Screen: 15 inches, 2880 x 1800.
- Ports: USB 3.1 Type C.
- Wireless: 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0.
- Weight: 4.02 lbs.
- Battery: Up to 10 Hours of Battery Life.
2. Dell G5587-7866BLK
Dell G5587 15 laptop is a great option when it comes to performance and a good price range overall. I believe it’s a great machine that won’t break your budget. If you’re looking for an affordable, yet extremely capable laptop, this one from Dell is a great option. It is another best choice for Kali Linux.
As a penetration tester or gaming lover, this laptop is the ultimate option for you which covers all aspects technically and financially. If you’re looking for an affordable, yet extremely capable gaming laptop, this one from Dell is a great option.
When I see the hardware configuration of this laptop than I find there is a new processor, intense graphics card, good storage, enough RAM, a smooth display, a comfortable keyboard, and a trackpad. This laptop comes with a Hexa-core i7 processor of the 8th generation. This processor has a 9 MB cache. This processor is backed up with 16 GB DDR4 RAM and combo storage which consists of 128 GB SSD + 1 TB Hard Disk. These are the ideal configuration of hardware for Kali Linux because these are greater than their requirements.
It has a big screen of size 15.6 inches. A dedicated Graphics card of 4 GB VRAM is also provided on this laptop. All necessary ports are also available on this laptop. Its keyboard is also very comfortable having a backlit which is red in color. It makes an outclass color combination of Red and Black.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8750H 8th Generation.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 (2666 MHz).
- Storage: Combo (128 GB SSD + 1 TB H.D.D).
- Graphics: Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 4GB VRAM.
- Screen: 15.6 inches, FHD IPS, 1920 x 1080.
- Ports: USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI, 2-in-1 Card Reader.
- Wireless: 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1.
- OS: Windows 10 Home.
- Weight: 6.28 lbs.
- Battery: Upto 7 Hours Battery Life.
3. Asus VivoBook Pro
Asus Vivo Book Pro is a great laptop in the Vivobook series of Asus. This laptop also looks perfect for Kali Linux. Asus Vivo Book Pro is mostly compared to MacBook for its high specifications. Its super sleek stylish design is more than one could ask for in a laptop. This is also on the list of best laptops for Kali Linux.
Now have a look at its hardware specifications. It features a massive 8th gen Intel core i7-8565U 4.6 GHz processor. This processor has an 8 MB cache. 16 GB DDR4 RAM comes with this laptop. It also has combo storage like other laptops which I discussed above in this article. In this combo storage, 256 GB SSD is provided which is fast storage while 1 TB Hard Disk is also present. This storage, processing, and RAM are sufficient for Kali Linux to work perfectly.
The display f VivoBook Pro is great. Its 17.3 inches full HD screen is outclassed large display with a 72% gamut. The visuals are beautiful and provide a convenient overview of your files and folders. This laptop is equipped with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card which has 4 GB VRAM. This moderate performance Graphics card is another feature of this laptop.
For comfortable typing, it has been equipped with a backlit Ergonomic keyboard with a Number Pad. Its keyboard is versatile which gives premium performance. All types of connectivity ports are also available. For enhanced security, Fingerprint Reader also comes in this laptop. The battery life of this laptop is approximately 8 hours for normal usage. But since we would be using Kali Linux which is itself a high-end system it may run up to at least 4-5 hours.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8565U 8th Generation.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4.
- Storage: Combo (256 GB SSD + 1 TB H.D.D).
- Graphics: Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, 4GB VRAM.
- Screen: 17.3 inches, FHD , 1920 x 1080.
- Ports: USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 Type C,HDMI Fingerprint Reader.
- Wireless: 802.11ac, Bluetooth.
- OS: Windows 10 Home.
- Weight: 4.85 lbs.
- Battery: Upto 8 Hours Battery Life.
4. Alienware 17 R4
The Alienware 17 R4 is a true one-of-a-kind laptop. It is probably one of the best laptops for Kali Linux in almost every section of its specifications and features. Alienware 17 R4 is an excellent laptop that could serve hackers, programmers, and gamers equally well. As of its name, it contains something out of this world. Its design is also very stunning.
For Processing, it is equipped with the 7th Generation Quad-core Intel Core i7-7820HK processor. The internal cache memory of this processor is 8 MB. It has 16GB RAM that can expand to 32GB max for extensive usage. Also, the storage capacity is everything and more. With an incredible 256GB SSD with 1TB HDD, store all secure files with no need to add up any extra storage.
With a massive 17.3-inch anti-glare display, enjoy all the amazing picture quality. It has a 4ms response time, wide viewing angles, 300 nits of brightness, and NVIDIA G-sync technology on select modules
The keyboard is also comfortable and has backlit so this laptop can also use in dark rooms also with the same comfort.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7 7820 HK 7th Generation (8 MB cache).
- RAM: 16 GB DDR (2400 MHz).
- Storage: Combo (256 GB SSD + 1TB H.D.D).
- Graphics: Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, 8 GB VRAM.
- Screen: 17.3 Inches, FHD IPS, 1920 x 1080 Tobii IR Eye Tracking.
- Ports: USB 3.0, 3.1 Type-C, HDMI.
- Wireless: 802.11ac, Dual Band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1.
- OS: Windows 10.
- Weight: 9.7 lbs.
5. Acer Predator Helios 300
This Acer Predator Helios 300 is a high specs laptop that is considered a pure gaming laptop but at the same time due to its heavy hardware, it is also best for Kali Linux because Kali Linux can work on this laptop without any problem. So if you are looking for work and play on a laptop then this one is a good option for you.
The chassis of this laptop is built with metal in black and spotting with blue accents, which looks attractive. I already write 2 articles, the best laptop for LOL and the best laptop for Roblox. This laptop is also present in both articles. You must read these articles to make your laptop selection more precise.
This wonderful machine has a 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750H 6-Core processor with turbo boost technology up to 4.5GHz. To deliver superfast loading speed this laptop is equipped with 256GB SSD and 16GB DDR4 memory which accelerate boot-up times and shorten app loading times. If the storage of this device is not enough for you then you can able to expand through its extra empty accessible slot of 2.5-inch for a hard drive or SSD.
This Laptop has got 15.6″ inch full HD widescreen LED-backlit IPS display, which delivers brilliant color from any perspective. it comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics with 6GB VRAM to give full-throttle acceleration.
It has all-metal AeroBlade 3D fans which offer advanced aerodynamics and superior airflow to keep the system cool and stable during heavy multitasking or gaming. The battery life of this laptop is also decent which provides up to 6 hours of continuous battery backup on a full charge.
Specifications:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9750H 9th Generation.
- RAM: 16GB DDR4.
- Storage: 256GB, SSD.
- Graphics: Dedicated, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, 6GB RAM.
- Screen: 15.6 inches, HD IPS, 1920 x 1080.
- Ports: USB 3.1 Type C, HDMI with HDCP.
- LAN: E2500 Gigabit Ethernet.
- Wireless: 802.11ac dual-band 2.4 GHz WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0.
- Camera: HD webcam (1280 x 720).
- Weight: 5.07 lbs.
- OS: Windows 10 Home.
- Battery: Upto 6 Hours of Battery Life.
Specialization in Kali Linux
As early stated, in general, it is a Linux flavor and is developed in 2013. It has a big number of installed programs which are about 600. Among these programs, famous cyber-attack management tools, Port scanners, packet analyzers, and many other programs are installed. A package management tool makes it an operating system.
Kali Linux and Hacking
Kali Linux is a choice of hackers; either it is ethical or non-ethical. It has a collection of tools that are used for hacking and penetration of any computer system. As an ethical hacker, you need a laptop on which you can run Kali Linux in a dual boot environment or in a Virtual Machine.
A dual boot laptop is a laptop that can run through 2 Operating Systems like Windows and Kali Linux. If you want to use Microsoft Windows, then on a dual boot laptop, you can run Windows, and later if you need to run Kali Linux then you can select the Kali Linux option from the Boot screen.
When you go for a selection of laptops for Kali Linux in a dual boot environment or in virtual machines then you must consider the i5 processor with 8 GB RAM while Kali Linux does not need any high-end graphics card. It can work properly on any medium-quality integrated graphics card.
Following are the official system requirement for Kali Linux:
- Intel i5 Processor
- 4 GB RAM
- 20 GB Storage (Taken by Kali Linux)
- Integrated Graphics Card of any specification
Being a busy professional, you are not required to waste your time searching for a suitable laptop for Kali Linux. I am here to help you with this. Below is the list of best laptops for Kali Linux from which you can get one according to your choice. Let’s start reviewing these laptops.
Final Words
Like my previous articles, I provide you an overview of the best laptops which you can use for Kali Linux. Among these laptops, such are also available which can be used as all-purpose laptops.
So that you can select one from this list specifically for Kali Linux or all-purpose laptops. You must post your comments.
