Hacking is a very complex task so it requires a lot of power from the CPU and GPU depending on what kind of hacker you are that is white hat or black hat(Psst! You’re a white hat hacker right?), but in general, can gaming laptops really be used for hacking?
In this post I’m going to explain everything there is about this question.
But First, What Does A Typical Hacker Really Want?
There are several types of hackers, but when we talk about the main purpose of white hat hackers , it’s to check system vulnerabilities. To Check if certain software/computers can be penetrated.
So a typical hacker is looking for a laptop that’s untraceable, has a good battery and of course, a very strong CPU.
Many hackers need to run password cracking tools, virtual machines, kali linux etc so they need hardware that can comfortably handle these processes/ operating systems.
And of course gaming laptops run the linux operating system very effeciently.
10 Reasons Why Gaming Laptops Can Be Used For Hacking
- Gaming Laptops Have A Large Storage
Gaming laptops, unlike regular laptops usually come with a 500GB Storage Capacity or a 1TB Storage capacity, you will hardly see a gaming laptop which comes with a storage space less than 500GB, you as a ethical hacker need atleast 500GB of space to be able to run a Robust IDE and be able to store multiple virtual machines on the same device. - Gaming Laptops Have A Better Processor
Hacking requires a lot of testing and compiling, a fast processor will make the compiling easier and you’ll be able to debug your code at a faster pace, whereas a slow processor will only make things worse. And as a hacker you might even need to perform some tasks within a certain time-limit so gaming laptops will easily be able to handle that as well. - Gaming Laptops Have More RAM
Having a lot of RAM is essential when it comes to hacking, because less ram will make the compiling of code very slow and that’s not what you want. A low end gaming laptop has a minimum of 8GB RAM whereas a mid-spec gaming laptop has 16GB RAM, ideally, you’ll need 16GB RAM, because hackers usually need to perform multiple tasks at the same time so they need a lot of RAM. - Gaming Laptops Have SSDs
The majority of gaming laptops come with SSDs which load programs faster, and when it comes to creating multiple virtual machines, you’ll be needing a fast storage device to load them immediately, a standard hard drive won’t cut it so an SSD will give you a big advantage. - Gaming Laptops Support Linux
Linux is an open source operating system that the majority of hackers use. It’s basically an unlocked operating system where you can perform any kind of task without being limited. So gaming laptops are 100% compatible with the Linux operating system and run it very efficiently, some gaming laptops even ran cooler when tested with the Linux operating system as opposed to Microsoft Windows. - Gaming Laptops Dissipate Heat Effectively
Gaming laptops have proper cooling mechanisms in place to keep the temperatures under control, as a hacker, you’ll be running CPU intensive tasks that typically overheat a laptop, but in a gaming laptop everything will be under control. - Gaming Laptops Have Dedicated Graphics Cards
All of the gaming laptops come with graphics cards, and a laptop with a dedicated graphics card will definitely give you an edge, because when it comes to brute-force attacks , graphics cards play a key role and give you an additional performance boost to complete the task in as less time as possible. - Gaming Laptops Are Secure
Gaming laptops are usually secure and since hackers need something untraceable they can easily make it so by using any kind of secure program without having to worry about compatibility issues. - Gaming Laptops Have More Wifi Reach
This is a major advantage, when it comes to hacking , internet speed is an important factor and with an extended wifi reach, your gaming laptop will be able to perform the required task in a real world scenario with relative ease. - Gaming Laptops Are Durable
Most gaming laptops are built to last and as a hacker, you need something to get acclimated to because the best hackers are virtually one with their machines, if you know your laptop inside and out you can perform any kind of hacking task.
A limiting factor is the battery, gaming laptops usually come with a lower battery life so if you’re getting a gaming laptop for hacking then bare in mind that you’ll have to sacrifice a little bit of the portability because of the battery life.
If your gaming laptop has an average battery backup of 8-10 hours then you don’t have to worry about anything, however, most gaming laptops last only about 5 hours.
Recommended System Requirements For Hacking
For your hacking session to be completed efficiently, these laptop specifications would be perfect.
| Processor | Intel Core i7 10750H Processor 6 core/ 12 threads |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 RAM |
| Graphics Card | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660ti 6GB Graphics Card |
| Storage | 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Operating System | Linux |
| Battery Backup | Minimum of 6 hours battery time |
FAQs
Do You Need A Powerful Laptop For Hacking?
You don’t need a powerful laptop for hacking per say, but if your requirements are high and you need to compile code faster, run multiple virtual machines , use brute force attacks then you’re definitely going to get an edge over a regular laptop.
Is Graphics Card Necessary For Hacking?
Again, a graphics card isn’t necessary for hacking but it’ll just make your work much faster.
How Much RAM Do You Need For Hacking?
If you’re a serious ethical hacker then you need a minimum of 16GB RAM.
Which Brand Laptop Is The Best For Hacking?
All brands are good in their own way, but the top ones are Lenovo, Acer, HP, and DELL. These brands are the most trusted ones and have top of the line gaming laptops that can be used for hacking.
Is AMD Or Intel Better For Pen-Testing?
Penetration testing requires a lot of CPU power and consumes a lot of laptop resources, so it doesn’t matter whether it’s an AMD Processor or an Intel Processor, what matters is that your laptop processor should have atleast 4 cores and 8 threads, but it’s recommended that to future proof your laptop, it should have 6 cores and 8 threads.
The more cores there are the faster the cracking will be.
Conclusion
Gaming laptops are the perfect choice for ethical hackers because they give you a good amount of performance and make your pen-testing and brute force attacks faster.
And if you plan to run Linux on your laptop then gaming laptops are perfectly compatible with that as well.
