Data scientists deal with a lot of data collecting, analyzing as well as interpreting it in a way that benefits the business. For this reason, when handling large amounts of data, you also need one of the best laptops for data science to ensure that the work is made easier and a lot smoother.
Since the statistic analysis requires a lot of computation, a laptop with high-end specifications might be all you need so that you can do more in less time. However, in order to get a more balanced performance, you need one with a faster processor, a responsive OS, a great operating system, and an impressive amount of storage.
However, choosing a laptop for a data scientist can become a bit challenging because there are a number of things that you need to take into account. Below you will find five laptops with great configurations, their pros and cons, as well as the factors you should consider before getting one.
5 Best Laptops for Data Science
1. 2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop
- All-Day Battery Life – Go longer than ever with up to 18 hours of battery life.
- Powerful Performance – Take on everything from professional-quality editing to action-packed gaming with ease. The Apple M1 chip with an 8-core CPU delivers up to 3.5x faster performance than the previous generation while using way less power.
- Superfast Memory – 8GB of unified memory makes your entire system speedy and responsive. That way it can support tasks like memory-hogging multitab browsing and opening a huge graphic file quickly and easily.
- Stunning Display – With a 13.3” Retina display, images come alive with new levels of realism. Text is sharp and clear, and colors are more vibrant.
- Why Mac – Easy to learn. Easy to set up. Astoundingly powerful. Intuitive. Packed with apps to use right out of the box. Mac is designed to let you work, play, and create like never before.
The 2020 Apple MacBook Air Laptop is the Mac laptop for data sciences and data analysis with the great M1 chip. It features a UNIX-like environment, and the M1 chip has eight cores that perform better than the latest AMD and Intel processors.
Its M1 chip has been designed to boost machine learning. In addition, it boasts a brilliant retina display, an outstanding battery life, a touch ID, a force touch trackpad, and the latest generation keyboard. It is also one of the lightest laptops available with an iconic design.
The default memory is 8GB with a storage of 128 GB that can be expanded up to 256 GB. The eighth-gen intel core i5 processor is reliable enough, and it also comes with three microphones that capture the voice even more accurately.
2. ASUS ZenBook 15 Ultra-Slim Laptop 15.6” FHD NanoEdge Bezel, Intel Core i7
- 15.6 inch wide-view 4K UHD 4-way NanoEdge bezel display with 92% screen to body ratio
- Innovative ScreenPad: 5.65-inch interactive touchscreen trackpad that adapts to your needs for smarter control and multitasking
- Latest 10th generation Intel Core i7-10510U Quad Core Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.9 GHz) with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q discrete graphics
- Fast storage and memory featuring 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD and 16GB RAM
- Works with Amazon Alexa Voice Service that helps you with tasks, entertainment, general information, and more.
The performance of the ASUS ZenBook 15 Ultra-Slim Laptop is top-notch with a 10th gen Intel Core i7 U-series processor and a SOC that can speed up to 4.9GHz. In addition, it features an improved NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q GPU that has 4GB VRAM support.
Its 16GB RAM minimizes the data mining and creation time, and the 512GB PCIe SSD storage unit renders data quicker. The 15.6-inch screen has a display resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels as well as a Nano-Edge display technology.
The 4K UHD panel also has a 178-degree wide-view technology with sharp viewing angles. It also has a backlit keyboard, a 1.4mm key travel, and faster access keys. The model also has a Gigabit Wi-Fi 6 and advanced Bluetooth connectivity for data scientists to be able to work with remote servers.
3. 2019 Apple MacBook Pro Intel Core i7
- Ninth-generation 6-Core Intel Core i7 Processor
- Stunning 16-inch Retina Display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory
- Ultrafast SSD
The 2019 Apple MacBook Pro is another great laptop that provides an amazing scope to develop both android and iOS apps without stopping the ongoing applications. It features a reliable 9th generation intel core i7 processor CPU that stands out from other laptop models.
It also features a stunning 16-inch retina Display with True Tone technology to provide ample scope for viewing an app you developed. In addition, this newer version of Apple has a Touch Bar and ID, which are features that are hard to find on a single laptop.
The Apple MacBook Pro has an AMD Radeon graphics processor that powers up the iCore 7 8 Core processor CPU, which means it won't let other apps disturb you while working. Moreover, the high bandwidth 8GBM2 memory graphics has a speed of 3.5x, and 64GB DDR4 RAM memory can help save multiple files.
4. Dell i5577-5335BLK-PUS Inspiron 15" Full HD Gaming Laptop
- 7th Generation Intel Core i5-7300HQ Quad Core (6MB Cache, up to 3.5 GHz)
- 8GB 2400MHz DDR4 up to 32GB (additional memory sold separately)
- 256GB Solid State Drive , No Optical Drive option
- 15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Display
- Windows 10 Home 64-bit English
Dell is one of the trusted laptop companies available in the world with a wide range of quality products. The Dell i5577-5335BLK-PUS Inspiron 15" Full HD Gaming Laptop is a choice for many professionals because of its powerful CPU processor.
The i-core 5577 CPU is very efficient on most app development platforms to ensure that the program won't crash. In addition, it is empowered with a 7th generation Quad Core i5 processor that has a 6Mb cache cleaning ability.
Moreover, it has a speed of up to 3.5 GHz and the 8GB DDR4 2400 Mhz provides ample space to load the setup installer exe files and extension files with no hassle. With this laptop, you can also upgrade the memory up to 32 GB if you think the application will be bigger.
5. Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop Core i7-9750H 6 Core
- Zero-Compromise Powerhouse: Built for gaming and creative work in a 0.78" thin CNC aluminum unibody with high-performance vapor chamber cooling
- Futureproof Design: Thunderbolt 3 enabled, compatible with Razer Core external GPU enclosures for additional graphics power; supports SSD and dual-channel memory upgradeability
- Perfect Display for Work or Play: An edge-to-edge, 100% sRGB, factory-calibrated matte screen with a 144Hz refresh rate offers the best experience for both creative tasks or intense gaming sessions
- Customizable RGB Individual Key Lighting: Includes 16.8 million colors available with dozens of preset profiles
- Biometric Security: Supports Windows Hello instant facial unlock with integrated webcam and IR sensor
If you're looking for a data science laptop that can double up as a gaming laptop, consider the Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop. This laptop comes with a powerful CPU processor, and although it is meant for 4K+ gaming, it is also a perfect choice for data science.
It features a high-performance vapor chamber cooling mechanism that comes in handy for all creative work. In addition, the 1*25 Gbit Ethernet port supports 802.11 axes wireless connectivity to ensure the connection is reliable for intensive tasks.
The NVIDIA chipset brand graphics processor GPU features RTX Max Q Quad-Core processor that has an 8GB RAM memory. Additionally, it comes with 16GB DDR4 RAM memory and an additional 512 GB SSD slot. Furthermore, a CNC aluminum unibody is provided for high CPU-intensive tasks.
Why Do You Need a Good Laptop for Data Science?
If you're a professional data scientist or a learning data science and machine learning, then you will probably need a good laptop. This is because traditional laptops may be the best for your tasks.
As a result, as a data scientist, it is important to consider the laptop specifications to ensure it is perfect for the tasks. While a good desktop might also work well but when it comes to portability, you might want to consider a laptop.
These laptops will not only make the tasks easier to do but will also ensure accuracy and comes with a number of features to support the installation of different programs and applications. However, for a laptop to be a good one for data science, you should consider a number of factors and features before getting one.
What Important Aspects Should One Consider Before Buying the Best Laptop for Data Science?
1. Processor
Since a data scientist will need to work on serious numbers, you need to find a laptop with new generation processors and a lot of cores to leverage parallel computing. Although the processor speed won't matter for some data science tasks, it is also a great option to get one with a great speed.
2. RAM (Random Access Memory)
The bigger the RAM is the better because data won't be getting any smaller. However, if you'll be strictly using the clusters or on cloud-based, then a big RAM might not matter more. The best laptop for data science needs to have at least 8GB of RAM, but some professionals may recommend at least 16GB. If you're on a budget, a laptop with 8GB RAM and other great features will work just perfectly.
3. Storage
It is said that your data is as fast as where it is stored. If you're on a budget, you can get a laptop with 256GB SSD storage and then rely on the inexpensive external SATA drives for data backup. However, it is important to ensure that the best laptops for data science have Thunderbolt-C ports for faster data transfers.
4. Form Factor
When it comes to data science, you will most likely use external keyboards and monitors for your bulk work. As a result, a full-size keyboard and a minimum of the 15-inch display screen are important in the data science world.
These laptops should also have flexibility, and in this case, you can consider a convertible model because it allows you to choose from the different work modes,
5. Graphic Cards
Why does a graphic card matter when it comes to the best data science laptops? First, graphic cards make the laptop easier to use. A standard CPU will have four to eight processing cores, but an average GPU will have 700 cores, with some of them have 2000 or sometimes more.
NVIDIA has created a CUDA parallel computing platform that helps in leveraging the parallel computing power required for data science. However, to run CUDA, you’ll want a laptop that has CUDA-capable, but even one with integrated graphics that can run open-source OpenCL applications is good enough.
6. Expandability or Upgradability
If you're looking for data science laptops that could last for a good number of years, then as much as you should consider the durability of the parts, you should also consider the upgradability of the laptops.
A laptop with less memory and smaller processors may not be best because you will need to grow, and the data will increase. Luckily, there are some laptops that are easy to upgrade, meaning you can easily expand the RAM, storage, and graphic cards to a higher degree to match the task.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Data Science Laptops
1. How much RAM do I need for data science?
For data science tasks, you want to get a laptop with RAM that is at least 8GB and the ability to expand the RAM if need be. However, if you're strictly cloud-based, then a big RAM will matter less.
2. Is data science and data analytics still in demand in 2021?
Yes. The demand for data scientists has been increasing in the past years, and the data science roles have expanded to big data technology skills and machine learning. In addition, it has been reported that about 70% of business leaders prefer job applicants with either data science or data analysis skills.
3. Is an Apple laptop good for data science?
Apple laptops, specifically Macbook Air and Macbook Pro laptops, are great laptops for data tasks and applications. This is because they have a powerful processing power, superb operating system, and a powerful GPU to accelerate different data science and data analytics tasks.
4. Are Gaming laptops sufficient for Data Scientists?
The best laptop for data scientists is dependent on the laptop's processing power, depending on the tasks you're hoping to finish. Most gaming laptops come with a decent operating system, powerful processor, and RAM making a great option for a data scientist.
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