Best Laptops for MATLAB: 2020 Buyer’s Guide!

MATLAB, or Matrix Laboratory, is an interactive system for technical computing designed for engineers and scientists. Using the MATLAB language, programmers can analyze data, develop algorithms, create models and applications, and also deep learning and machine learning. That said, MATLAB is a piece of software that can require a powerful machine to run smoothly. And if you’re wondering which laptop to get in order to use MATLAB, then keep reading.

We’ve compiled a small list of some of the best laptops for MATLAB available right now. But before we proceed with the list, let’s first check the official system requirements for MATLAB:

What to consider when looking for a laptop for MATLAB: The Official System Requirements

According to MathWorks, the company behind MATLAB, here are the official recommended hardware and software requirements for MATLAB and Simulink :

• Windows, MacOS or Linux;
• An Intel or AMD x86-64 processor with four logical cores and AVX2 instruction set support
• Up to 31 GB of free disk space for Full installation, minimum of 3,1GB  (an SSD is recommended);
• 8GB of RAM is recommended
• Graphics card is not required, but hardware accelerated graphics card supporting OpenGL 3.3 with 1GB GPU memory is recommended.

As you can see, MATLAB is not a particularly demanding program when it comes to the minimum requirements. However, this does not guarantee that the program will run smoothly in your case.  Actually, it all depends on what you will use MATLAB for, and the types of scripts you’re planning to run. While a laptop with 8GB RAM can be enough for lots of people; some MATLAB scripts can easily require 16GB or even 32GB of RAM to run.

How to choose the best laptop for MATLAB for you?

Ideally, you should have a good understanding of what you will be using MATLAB for. MATLAB can be used for a wide variety of scripts, and depending how you’re going to use the program, you might want to consider spending more money on specs. Mathworks provides an excellent guide here, on how to choose a laptop for running MATLAB. Here are our recommendations:

• The CPU

You probably already know that a laptop with more CPU cores will outperform one with a lower amount, and MATLAB being a multi-threaded software, a laptop that has a multicore processor is highly recommended. Also, if you need to perform heavy computations in MATLAB, or work with large data, you can even consider a desktop.

• Memory

RAM is very important when it comes to programming, and that’s especially true when looking for a laptop for MATLAB. If you’re a beginner, and if you’re that your scripts will only require a “normal” amount of RAM, then you can get a laptop with 8GB of RAM. However, if you’re an advanced user of MATLAB, then consider one with at least 16GB, or a laptop that comes with a free RAM slot, which gives the opportunity to add more RAM if needed.

• Hard Disk

Although not mandatory, laptops with SSD are highly recommended. An SSD makes your laptop faster and more responsive, and you can boot and launch programs quickly.

• Graphics Card
  

MATLAB does not require a dedicated graphics card, but if you’re planning to use MATLAB for sophisticated graphics capability, a graphics card with OpenGL technology is recommended. A laptop with an NVIDIA graphics card is recommended in this case.

Best Laptops for MATLAB:

So, now that you have an idea what to look for in order to choose the best laptop for your needs,it’s time to check some of the best laptops for MATLAB we selected for you. We will add more laptops to the list soon, so if you have a suggestion, ask us in the comments below!

Acer Aspire E 15  E5-576G-5762

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First on our list, the notorious Acer Aspire E 15 E5-576G-5762 is one of the best budget laptops for MATLAB out there. It comes with an 8th Gen intel i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. There is also a dedicated Nvidia GeForce MX150 with 2 GB video memory. The Aspire E15 has is a perfect fit for students and those on a budget.

The keyboard and the touchpad on this laptop both have an exceptional feel to them, but the keyboard backlight turns off very fast, forcing you to press any key in order to turn it back on. This becomes somewhat annoying overtime.

Overall, this laptop is fast and responsive, and can even handle some gaming or some demanding software. Also, it’s easy to upgrade most of its components. It comes with a big 15.6-inch display, providing a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels; and with two USB 3.0 ports; one USB 2.0 port; one VGA output; one HDMI output; one Ethernet port; one SD card slot; and one combo headphone and microphone jack. These ports will sure help when using some functions of MATLAB. The device also has up to some astonishing 12 hours of battery life.

MSI GL63 8RCS-060

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From MSI, our next option comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, giving you a speed of 2.3 GHz, which can increase up to 4.0 GHz when in turbo. It has 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD. The graphics are powered by a 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, giving you game-like graphic support, perfect to run MATLAB.

For the price, this laptop has a decent build quality, with a great keyboard and a commendable performance. This is one of the best devices on our list. Even if the RAM is not that much, you can always upgrade it yourself. Still, the computer will be able run most software and games with no problem.

The screen is a 15.6-inch Full HD display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and the device has quite the amount of ports as well: one Ethernet port, one HDMI port, one Mini-DisplayPort, three USB 3.1 ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one SD card reader, one microphone jack and one headphones jack. However, this powerful laptop has a huge disadvantage: its battery life is incredibly short and will only last you up to 4.15 hours of normal usage.

ASUS ZenBook 14 UX533FD-DH74

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If portability matters to you, and you’re looking for a lightweight laptop for MATLAB, then consider the ASUS ZenBook 14 UX533FD-DH74. This laptop has an Intel i7 8565U  Core Processor, with a speed of 1.8 GHz (that can go up to 4,6 GHz); 16 GB of RAM and an SSD of 512 GB. There is even a dedicated NVIDIA GTX 1050 graphics card.

One of the main advantages of this laptop is how slim and lightweight it is. Thanks to the new four-sided NanoEdge design, the footprint is highly reduced, and even if it is a 15,6 inch laptop; it feels like a 14 inch notebook when carried. This laptop is also only 0.7 inch thick, and weighs less than 3,7 lbs; which is excellent considering what it packs inside. battery life is also excellent, and while Asus claims up to 15 hours of use; you should expect about 8 hours in real world use.

Lenovo ThinkPad X120KH002JUS

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Thinkpads have always been popular among engineers and programmers; and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 features is definitely one of the best laptops for MATLAB you can find. This laptop comes with a Quad Core i7-8650U Processor, 16 GB of RAM, and up to 1 TB of SSD Storage.

This choice gives you tremendous processing power to run most apps, but it fails to deliver on the graphics. However, the laptop manages to be extremely fast, most likely due to the RAM. Just don’t expect an incredible gaming-like performance. There can also be some noise and heat issues with the use of the device.

The 14-inch display provides a good 1920 x 1080 resolution, and the ThinkPad X1 also has some considerable ports: one Ethernet port; one HDMI port; two USB 3.0 ports; and one USB Type-C port. The battery also surprises with up to 18.3 hours of duration.

Dell XPS 15 9570

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For those of you who want a powerful laptop for MATLAB, but still need a portable device, consider the Dell XPS 15 9570. With an Intel Core 8^th Gen i7 Processor, the XPS 9570 can reach speeds up to 4.1 GHz. Complementing the CPU are the incredible 32 GB of RAM and an SSD of 1 TB. The 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050Ti will contribute even more to its power, so you will have no issues running complex scripts MATLAB.

Despite being very expensive, this is a perfect and very powerful option for software engineers. The screen is incredible and will run most demanding apps without problems. The exterior design is also sleek and professional, and the only disappointment is the battery life that can easily decrease with some more power-consuming tasks.

With a big 15.6-inch touchscreen display, you will get an amazing 4K resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The laptop has two USB 3.1 ports, one HDMI 2.0 port, one Thunderbolt 3 port and one headphones jack. The battery can last up to 14 hours of use.