Software development
Development tools and virtual machines are mostly a memory and storage load; mobile and game tools also use the graphics chip.
What matters
- System memory: IDEs, emulators, containers and virtual machines each take their own.
- Processor cores speed up builds; the makers' lists give them in words.
- Storage space and speed matter for large projects and are rarely in the lists.
General guidance in our own words. The figures below are the makers' published requirements.
The requirements
| App | Minimum | Recommended | System the list names | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Android Studio | 8 GB memory, No GPU needed for Studio alone; with the emulator the page lists 4 GB VRAM (GeForce 10 series or Radeon RX 5000 or newer) | 32 GB memory, 8 GB graphics memory, 8 GB VRAM GPU such as GeForce 20 series or Radeon RX 6600 or newer | Latest 64-bit Windows | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Visual Studio 2026 | 4 GB memory, Display of at least 1366x768 | 16 GB memory, Display 1920x1080 or higher advised | Windows 11 64-bit | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Docker Desktop | 8 GB memory | not published | Windows 10 22H2 (Pro, Enterprise, Education) or Windows 11 23H2 or... | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| IntelliJ IDEA | 8 GB memory, Display of at least 1280x720 | not published | Windows 10 or 11; macOS 15 or 26; Linux | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Visual Studio Code | not published | 1 GB memory | Supported 64-bit Windows; macOS with Apple security updates; Ubuntu... | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| VMware Workstation Pro | 2 GB memory | 4 GB memory | Windows or Linux host | official page read 2026-10-22 |
| Parallels Desktop | 8 GB memory, Any Apple silicon chip | 16 GB memory, Apple M3 chip or newer for best graphics | macOS Sequoia 15.5 or Tahoe 26 or newer | official page read 2026-10-22 |
Which laptops meet the most of these
The 30 best of 205 listed laptops, compared with each laptop's largest memory option. Memory and graphics memory only. The operating system is not checked: many of these apps and games run only on Windows or only on macOS, so open the source link before you rely on a ranking. A laptop whose maker does not state its graphics memory counts as not meeting any figure that depends on it. The graphics class and processor each maker names are in the source links too.