Best Laptops for Data Scientists: Top 5 Laptops for Data Science

Data Science is a field that’s getting more and more attention because of how important it has become to solve problems for businesses, and for scientific research in general. Data scientists use scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract knowledge and insights from structured and unstructured data. And it goes without saying that if you want to perform such tasks on a laptop, you’ll need one that’s particularly powerful. In this article, we have selected 5 best laptops for data scientists; and we will also explain what to consider when getting a laptop for data science.

What is Data Science?

Data science is a multidisciplinary field that uses statistics, data analysis, algorithms, machine learning…etc to understand and analyze and solve analytically complex problems. More and more businesses are using it because having access to data doesn’t mean you can use it. Finding a way to create a structure around all the information that is coming in a system is basically the principle behind Data Science.

Data scientists can use a wide variety of tools, depending on the type and size of the date they are working on. This can include tools like:

• Programming languages ( such as Python or Julia)
• Databases in order to integrate data
• Spreadsheets like Excel to perform analysis

Basically, they use any tool that can help them integrate data better and have a better flow in what they do. On top of the above, you might also see Data Scientists using different software that helps them extract data from data warehouses like Toad or PostgreSQL together with software that helps in data preparation like Alteryx.

How to choose a good laptop for Data Science?

When you are not sure the details of the tasks that you will be needed to do for Data Science it is better to do some research when choosing a laptop. Depending on the software that you are going to use chances are quite big you will need a powerful system so here are the most important features:

• RAM – Is important because in order for things to speed up all the processing is going to rely on its memory. 16GB of RAM is ideal but if you can’t go for this avoid going below 8GB.
• SSD – Choosing an SSD is going to make a big difference because this works 3 times faster compared with a normal hard-drive.
• CPU – The processing power is also important but as almost any CPU has a low of power and can calculate up to millions of tasks per second the focus still needs to be on the Storage and RAM.
• GPU – Depending on the type of work you are about to do, you might need a laptop with a dedicated GPU. This especially true if you want to do GPU accelerated programming to speed things up. Usually, it is better to go for an NVIDIA graphics card that has a high number of cores, but sometimes even medium models can still do a good job.

Best Laptops for Data Scientists:

So, now that you have an idea what to look for when buying a laptop for Data science; let’s check out some of the best laptops for Data scientists we selected for you:

• Acer Aspire 5 A515-54G-73WC

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First on our list, the Acer Aspire 5 is a powerful budget laptop to consider, if you have a limited budget, or if you don’t need high specs. This laptop features an 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8565U. This processor goes up to 4.6 GHz and it has 12GB of RAM. The 512GB SSD provides enough space to store all the project files and data that you might be working on. Its display is at 15.6 inches and the max resolution it offers is 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The GPU is a Dedicated 2 GB model and the battery can last 9 hours. Its build is solid and you are going to like its smooth surface. The keyboard is quite ok and you get 3 USB 3.0 ports together with 1 USB 2.0 port.

• Lenovo ThinkPad X1

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This good looking model from Lenovo, the ThinkPad X1 can be a great choice for data science work. It has 16GB of RAM , and an 8th Gen i7-8565U  processor. The Thinkpad X1 is a great buy for business users.

The 512GB SSD can be more than enough for storage space and it is also very fast. The Lithium-Ion battery offers around 8 hours for mixed-use.

The ports that it has included are 2x USB 3.1, 2x USB Type C Thunderbolt, 1 X HDMI, 1 x Mini Rj-45 and the classic audio jack. The screen has 14 inches and the GPU is made by Intel (the HD Graphics 620 model).

• Dell G5 15 G5590-7679BLK-PUS

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Although many consider the DELL G5 15 just a gaming laptop this still can be a reliable choice for data science activities. It has the powerful 9th generation I7-9750H that goes at a speed of 4.5 GHz. The 16GB of Ram is going to be great in terms of speed for processing and the 15.6-inch screen offers enough visual space to multi-task. The 256GB SSD is a bit small but you can always store data in the secondary 1TB hard drive.

The DELL G5 15  also comes with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card, which can be very useful for doing GPU programming.This laptop is also relatively affordable, and in terms of looks, it doesn’t have that “aggressive gaming laptop” design.

It has a thermal design that will keep the entire system cool and it weighs 8.65 pounds. The battery is going to last around 5 or 6 hours depending on what you use it.

• HP Zbook 15V G5

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For those of you who need more power, here is the HP Zbook. This is a new and powerful model that was launched by HP quite recently. The HP Zbook is indeed a cool laptop that is not only strong but also has a full touchscreen.

The Zbook comes with a six-core processor, the i7-8750H together with 32GB of RAM for full speed. The 2TB PCLe SSD offers a lot of space so you will not have to worry about running out of it. Its keyboard feels nice at a touch and the general build is strong.

The display has 15.6 inches and the GPU is the Nvidia P600, a strong and very useful component. It weighs 4.72 pounds and the battery is going to last around 7 hours. It has 2 USB ports on its left side and 1 on its right side. HDMI and thunderbolt are included.

• MSI P75 Creator-469

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Another great laptop for data scientists is the MSI P75. This is a powerful laptop that has the Intel Core i9-9880H processor, which has 8 cores, and a base clock speed of with 2.4 GHz and can reach up to 5GHz in turbo mode. There is also 32GB of RAM , and a 1TB SSD storage. The GPU is brought by Nvidia, and it’s the RTX 2070.

This laptop has a 17,3 inch display, but isn’t very heavy. It’s also quite thin, and has thin bezels around the display, which makes it quite portable for its size. The build quality is excellent, and the design is very professional. The chassis is made of brushed aluminum.