8 Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist- You Must Know

Best Laptops for Data Science Students

Selecting the best laptop for data science requires lots of aspects in mind. Whether you are a beginner in data science or a professional data scientist, you definitely want a perfect laptop that helps you to perform complex operations easily. So if you are looking for a laptop that makes your work easy, read this full article. In this article, I am gonna share the Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientists.

But before I discuss laptops for data science, you must understand the required configuration for data science laptops. In data science, you have to deal with data, analysis, and interpretation. So the requirements for a data science laptop are-

Requirements for Data Science Laptops

RAM

Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist

Any laptop for data analysis should have at least 8 GB of RAM. But I recommend getting at least 16 GB of RAM if you can afford it. Because RAM is important to deal with a large dataset. But if you think a 16 GB RAM laptop is a bit costly for you, you can go with 8 GB RAM, but don’t go below 8 GB.

Minimum Requirement- 8 GB RAM

Standard & Recommended Requirement- 16 GB RAM

GPU

Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist

If you are going to work on some machine learning & deep learning task, always look for advanced and newer graphics cards. My recommendation is an Nvidia GTX series GPU with at least 2GB VRAM. So the laptops that are good for gaming are often good for data science and data analysis.

Minimum Requirement- Intel Integrated UHD 620

Recommended Requirement- Nvidia GTX series GPU with at least 2GB VRAM

Processor

Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist

When it comes to the processor, I would recommend the i7 processor (7th generation). This is more powerful and can easily perform some quite large tasks. The i5 processor laptops also have good performance but it’s not good as i7. So if you are buying a laptop for several years, then go with an i7 or i9 processor.

Minimum Requirement- Intel Core i5

Recommended Requirement- Intel Core i7

Storage

Storage is an important factor when you are searching for data analytics laptops. But if you are working in a company, where everything stored on remote servers, then storage is not that important for you. But if you are doing your own work or doing work locally, then storage becomes the most important requirement for a laptop.

So I recommend going with SSD (Solid State Drive). SSD is a bit expensive but much faster. SSD is memory-based hard drives instead of disk-based hard drives. Especially when it comes to reading and writing the data off the disk, these are significantly faster.

However, if you think SSD is a bit expensive for you, you can go with HDD. HDD is much cheaper than SSD. But I personally recommend SSD.

If you are going with HDD, I would recommend 1 TB of storage space and if you are going with SSD, I would recommend at least 256 GB of storage space.

Minimum Requirement- 1 TB HDD or 256 GB SSD 

Recommended Requirement- 512 GB SSD or more.

Operating System-

When it comes to OS, it’s up to your preference. If you are a MAC lover or want to purchase their products, then it’s a great option for you.

But if you prefer Windows, that’s perfectly fine too. Many people choose Linux. So whatever OS you choose, almost all the applications and programming languages work perfectly fine.

NOTE-

If your budget doesn’t allow you to meet all the requirements that I have discussed, so the less important requirement is storage. Because it’s easy to add on or upgrade later. And if you are accessing remote servers for your work, then you don’t need much storage.

So, these are the requirements that you should keep in mind while choosing the best laptop for data science. I hope now you understood the requirements, so let’s start finding the Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist-

8 Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist

1. Dell XPS 15 7590Best Laptop for Data Analysis & Professionals

  • CPU- 4. 5 GHz Intel Core i7-9750h
  • RAM- 16 GB
  • GPU- 4 GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
  • Storage- 256GB SSD
  • Display- 15.6-inch 4K UHD OLED (3840 x 2160)
  • OS- Windows 10

This is the perfect laptop for you if you are looking for a laptop that can handle technical and academic needs. There is an Intel Core i7-9750 processor on this laptop, so no issue of slow speed. Besides that, this laptop has NVidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU which is powerful and grouped with 4 gigs of VRAM support. 

With respect to OS, you get Windows 10. This laptop has 16 gigs of RAM, which is good to handle complex statistical analyses easily. The 15.6-inch screen size is good enough. The weight of this laptop is merely 4 pounds and features USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, and other productive ports for improved functionality.

Dell also provides a responsive fingerprint scanner and excellent Wireless support to improve the security and connectivity of data scientists. This laptop has a powerful battery that lasts up to 14 hours.

In a nutshell, this Dell XPS 15 7590 is perfect for those data scientists, who want faster performance and excellent display quality.

2. Apple MacBook ProBest Laptop for All

  • CPU- 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 (9th gen)
  • RAM- 16GB
  • GPU- AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics with GDDR6 memory
  • Storage- 512GB SSD
  • Display- 16-inch Retina Display with True Tone technology

I know most data scientists love MacBooks. As a data scientist, you have to focus on processors with multiple cores and the new MacBook Pro has 6. This MacBook Pro has a 512 GB SSD, which is too fast and provides enough capacity for data scientists.

The GPU of this MacBook is AMD Radeon Pro 5300M which works closely with 4 gigs of built-in VRAM. In terms of Display, Apple wins with the 16-inch screen featuring 3072×1920 pixels. This MacBook Pro is also known for the excellent Retina Display technology, supporting deepest blacks, liquid crystal enhancement, and precise visual alignment. 

It has a powerful battery that last up to 11 hours.

In a nutshell, Apple MacBook Pro is good for data scientists as well as data science students. It’s the most user-friendly option for those people getting into the field too. The best part of the Apple MacBook Pro is its excellent graphics support.

3. Asus ROG Strix Scar IIIBest Laptop for Experienced Data Scientists

  • CPU- 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
  • RAM- 16 GB DDR4 3200MHz
  • GPU- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB GDDR6 with ROG Boost
  • Storage- 1TB PCIe SSD
  • Display- 17.3” Full HD 1920×1080

This laptop is the perfect choice for experienced data scientists who want powerful desktop replacement laptops. This laptop would satisfy all the diverse professional requirements of data scientists. Although it’s a gaming laptop, it can handle all applications and tools of data science.

This laptop has a 1 TB PCIe SSD storage unit that leads to ultra-fast processing and data rendering speeds. The high-end tools like SAP Lumira and PostgreSQL work perfectly fine with ROG Boost overclocking tech.

The best part about this laptop is you don’t need to worry about overheating because ROG features enhanced fans with 17 percent increased airflow. This ROG Strix Scar III has an exceptional display with a 17.3” Full HD screen flaunting a resolution of 1920×1080.

But this laptop has only 6 hours of backup that means in terms of battery, this laptop is not as good as other listed laptops.

4. Razer Blade Pro 17

  • CPU- 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-9750H
  • RAM- 16GB
  • GPU- 6GB NVidia GeForce RTX 2060
  • Storage- 512GB SSD
  • Display- 17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)

For data science, processing power is an important requirement, and this Razer Blade Pro 17 has a top-notch Intel Core i7-9750H chipset. If you are working on deep learning and sentiment analysis, this laptop has NVidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU grouped with 6 gigs of functional VRAM.

Besides this, there is a 12 GB of SSD storage unit that is fast and comes with dual-channel upgradeability. The display of this laptop is 17.3-inch which is a good addition for data analysts. Most data scientists work on additional screen space, but this laptop has a 17.3-inch 1080p panel which is the best alternative for the additional screen.

The additional features of this laptop are face unlock, IR sensor, and Windows Hello compatibility. In a nutshell, this laptop is good for those data science learners who are looking for screen size, cooling, and processing power.

5. 2024 Lenovo ThinkPad T490Best Laptop for Data Analysis

  • CPU- Intel Core i5-8265U up to 3.9 GHz
  • RAM- 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • GPU- Don’t have dedicated GPU
  • Storage-  256GB-2TB SSD (Varies from Model to Model)
  • Desktop- 14” TN FHD
  • Weight: 3.41 lbs

This laptop is capable of holding a Unix-Like environment smoothly along with all the powerful specs required to run large data sets. This laptop is the perfect choice for those who want to install Linux Distros on a Windows laptop.

In this laptop, you can configure the RAM (8-40GB) and processor depending upon your needs. But this laptop is not good for those who want to work on parallel computing for Deep Learning/Machine Learning/Neural networks. Because ThinkPads do not have a dedicated GPU.

As the storage unit of ThinkPads is from 256GB-2TB SSD (varies from model to model), so you can test your code with as much data you can fit into its hardware resources.

6. Acer Swift 3Best Laptop for Data Science Students

  • CPU- 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565U
  • RAM- 8GB DDR4
  • GPU- 2GB NVidia GeForce MX150
  • Storage- 256GB SSD
  • Desktop- 14-inch FHD IPS (1920 x 1080)
  • Clock Speed- Can go up to 4.6GHz
  • Weight- 2.97 lbs

If you are a beginner in Data Science and looking to explore the caveats of data visualization, mining, and prototyping, then this Acer Swift 3 is the perfect laptop to invest in. This laptop has an NVIDIA GeForce MX 150 units that can support up to 2 gigs of VRAM.

The storage unit 256GB SSD is also efficient and supports the quickest possible boot-ups. This laptop has a powerful battery that lasts up to 12 hours without requiring a recharge. The 8 GB RAM helps you to handle basic statistical tasks, CRM alignment, and data visualization easily.

In terms of display, this laptop has a 14-inch Full HD screen with extraordinary clarity. The display resolution of this laptop is 1920 x 1080 pixels which also makes excellent visual quality.

7. Asus ZenBook 14Worth for Money Laptop

  • CPU- 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-10510U
  • RAM- 16GB
  • GPU- 2GB NVidia GeForce MX250
  • Storage- 512GB SSD
  • Desktop- 14-inch FHD NanoEdge Bezel (1920 x 1080)
  • Weight- 2.78 lbs

In terms of style, creativity, and innovation, this Asus ZenBook 14 is a perfect choice. This laptop has excellent performance with the 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U processor. The storage unit  512GB PCIe SSD renders data faster.

You will get Windows 10 Pro edition installed on the laptop but this laptop also supports Linux Ubuntu installation. This laptop also has a powerful battery that lasts up to 12 hours. In terms of display, this laptop is awesome because of Nano-Edge display technology and the 14-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.

Overall, this laptop is good for those people who are looking for a fast processor, excellent display, powerful battery, and attractive design. But this laptop is not good for those who are working on neural networks or deep learning.

8. 2024 Newest Acer Aspire 5Best Affordable Laptop For Data Science Students

  • CPU- AMD Ryzen 3 3200U up to 3.5 GHz
  • RAM- 8GB RAM DDR4
  • GPU- Don’t have dedicated GPU
  • Storage- 128GB SSD
  • Desktop- 15.6″ FHD 1080P
  • Weight- 3.97lb

This is an affordable laptop for data science students who are in the learning phase and attend classes and code using small samples. If you see the price, you might think it’s a weak laptop, but this laptop has enough power to use Data Analysis Software/learn libraries, etc (on small samples only).

This laptop is a great option for getting started in data science, but later on, you have to upgrade the quality. But as a beginner, you will be able to do quite a lot with it. This laptop supports full HD resolution which is good. The battery of this laptop is average that lasts up to 6-8 hours.

And here the list ends!. So these are 8 Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist. Now it’s time to wrap up.

Conclusion

I hope you found your best laptop among these 8 Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist. I tried to list the laptops that meet the minimum requirement for data science. If you know of any other laptop that is best for data science, let me know in the comment section.

Summary of the Best Laptops for Data Science Students and Data Scientist-

  1. Dell XPS 15 7590
  2. Apple MacBook Pro
  3. Asus ROG Strix Scar III
  4. Razer Blade Pro 17
  5. 2024 Lenovo ThinkPad T490
  6. Acer Swift 3
  7. Asus ZenBook 14
  8. 2024 Newest Acer Aspire 5

All the Best!

Happy Learning!

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Though of the Day…

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Written By Aqsa Zafar

Founder of MLTUT, Machine Learning Ph.D. scholar at Dayananda Sagar University. Research on social media depression detection. Create tutorials on ML and data science for diverse applications. Passionate about sharing knowledge through website and social media.

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