Look, speaking from my own experience, finding the best laptop for Excel will save you massive headaches, especially if you're dealing with large spreadsheets. Since Excel can put a serious drain on your PC's memory, my list breaks down the premium and budget-friendly laptops for spreadsheets that deliver high RAM, or upgradeable RAM options.
Outside of RAM, specifications I've kept an eye out for — and you should too— are processing speed, keyboard comfort, display quality and battery life.
Whether you're looking for a laptop for accounting, data analysis or for college, you're more than likely going to end up with a PC from this list:
Best Windows Laptop for Excel
HP Envy 17
I love the HP Envy 17 for heavy Excel use for a few reasons:
Powerful Processor: Equipped with a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H processor, which includes 14 cores and 20 threads, the HP Envy 17 offers robust performance. This high level of processing power is ideal for handling large datasets and complex calculations in Excel without lag.
Ample Memory: With 64GB of SDRAM, this laptop provides more than enough memory to handle multiple large Excel files simultaneously. This is especially useful for power users who work with data-intensive spreadsheets or who need to run multiple applications alongside Excel.
High Storage Capacity: The 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD offers ample storage space and fast data retrieval speeds. This is beneficial for storing and quickly accessing large databases and extensive collections of spreadsheets.
Large, High-Quality Display: The 17.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) multitouch-enabled IPS display, with 300 nits of brightness, provides clear and crisp visuals. A larger screen size allows for more comfortable viewing of detailed spreadsheets, reducing eye strain during long work sessions.
Ergonomic Keyboard Design: The backlit keyboard with a numeric keypad is a significant advantage for Excel users. The numeric keypad allows for easier and faster data entry, which is a core part of working with Excel.
Operating System: Running on Windows 11 Home, it supports the latest versions of Microsoft Office, ensuring compatibility and the latest features from Excel.
Portability: Despite its large screen, the HP Envy 17 maintains a reasonable weight of 5.5 lbs, making it relatively portable for a laptop of its size.
Specification | Details of HP Envy 17 |
Processor | 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13700H (14 Cores, 20 threads, 1.80GHz-5.00GHz) |
Memory | 64GB SDRAM |
Storage | 2TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD |
Display | 17.3" FHD (1920 x 1080), Multitouch, IPS, 300 nits |
Keyboard | Backlit, Numeric keypad |
Operating System | Windows 11 Home |
Weight | 5.5 lbs |
Price |
Best MacBook for Excel
Let me be clear — I think the Envy is actually a much better bang-for-your-buck for Excel than the MacBook Pro, and in general I do prefer Windows OS for Excel.
But, I can't deny that the MacBook Pro M3 Max is one of the best laptops to come out last year in 2023, largely for its beautiful display, ultrafast processing and long battery life. It costs significantly more than the Envy on Amazon, but has less RAM (32GB) and an equal amount of storage.
The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display is a standout feature though, offering exceptional clarity and brightness in a league of its own. This high-quality display has a noticeable impact on my eye strain during prolonged use and I've found it also enhances the visibility of detailed data and charts, which is nice for those who spend a lot of time on data analysis and visualization in Excel.
Plus its long battery life (18 hours) means I'm able to work on my Excel projects throughout the day without the need for frequent recharging, making it super reliable for myself and other on-the-go professionals or students out there.
Specification | Details of 2023 MacBook Pro M3 Max |
Screen Size | 14.2 Inches |
Hard Disk Size | 1 TB |
RAM Memory Installed Size | 36 GB |
Operating System | Mac OS |
Processor | M3 Max with up to 16-core CPU and up to 40-core GPU |
Battery Life | Up to 18 hours |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, MagSafe charging port, three Thunderbolt 4 ports, SDXC card slot, HDMI port, headphone jack |
Price |
Honorable Mentions
Let us know down in the comments if you think we're missing any of the best laptops for spreadsheets and Excel functions.
FAQs
What laptop specs do I need for heavy Excel use?
Because Excel is such a memory hog, you'll want to aim for laptops that have at minimum 16GB RAM and an i5 or i7 processor.
Which Apple laptop is best for Excel?
Is Mac or Windows better for Excel?
Leave a comment with your thoughts!