Where to run your Data Science experiments.
Data Science is on the rise and with more data comes the need for more powerful infrastructure. If you?re running experiments by yourself then the best solution might be Google Colab, which is a free GPU machine available to anyone. But if that is not enough, or you want to run longer experiments then you need a proper computer. In this post I?ll review the best laptops for data science available in 2020.
Best Data Science Laptops in 2020
Apple MacBook Pro Space Gray
Apple is sleek, convenient to use and run. Not the strongest, but will rarely fail you, especially when it comes to security of your data.
Apple MacBook
Features:
- 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
- Brilliant Retina display with True Tone technology
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
- Radeon Pro 555X or 560X graphics with 4GB of video memory
- Ultra-fast SSD
- Intel UHD Graphics 630
- Four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports
- Up to 10 hours of battery life
- 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- Latest Apple-designed keyboard and Force Touch trackpad
Tensorbook by Lambda
Lambda is a newcomer but it focuses primarily on data scientists and machine learning engineers and is definitely worth trying. Lambda?s primary laptop offering is Tensorbook, a GPU laptop built for deep learning.
Features:
- GPU: RTX 2080 Super Max-Q, 8 GB GDDR6, 3072 CUDA cores, 1080 MHz base clock
- Processor: 8 cores, 2.30 GHz, Intel Core i7?10875H with 16 threads, 5.10 GHz turbo, and 16 MB cache
- Memory: 64 GB, of 2666 MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM
- Storage: 2 TB; Samsung 970 EVO with 1 TB, 3,500 MB/s seq. read, 2,500 MB/s seq. write; Samsung 860 EVO with 1 TB, 550 MB/s seq. read, 520 MB/s seq. write
- Size & weight: Width: 14.07″ (357 mm), Height: 0.78″ (20 mm), Depth: 9.37″ (238 mm), Weight: 4.39 lbs (2 kgs)
- Display: 15.6″, 1920×1080 (Full HD), 144 Hz, Matte, 72% NTSC
- Audio ports: 1x 3.5mm 2-in-1 audio jack (headphone + microphone), 1x 3.5mm 2-in-1 audio jack (microphone + S/PDIF optical)
- Video ports: 1x HDMI with HDCP, 1x Mini DisplayPort 1.4, 1x Thunderbolt 3
- USB ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A, 1x powered (AC/DC) USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A
- Networking: Ethernet: 1x 10/100/1000 Mbps RJ45 port, Wireless: Intel Dual Band WiFi 6 AX, Bluetooth: Supported
Razer Blade Pro 17 Gaming Laptop 2019
Razer is known for its top-quality gaming laptops and this one is no different. Gaming is close to data science because both require GPUs and a lot of computing power. This Razer Blade Pro 17 is absolutely the best for that.
Razer Blade Pro
Features:
- 9th Gen Intel Core i7?9750H Processor: With Turbo Boost of 4.5 GHz and up to 64 GB RAM for powerful gaming and work performance
- Powered by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 20 Series: Ray tracing technology that delivers cinematic-quality rendering
- 144Hz FHD Display with Thin Bezels: Silky-smooth performance and maximized screen size
- Custom Vapor Chamber Cooling System: Dual heat exchangers and custom fans to maximize heat dissipation and airflow
- Advanced Connectivity: Featuring USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, UHS-III SD Card Reader, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Windows Hello and Thunderbolt 3
Lenovo Ideapad L340 Gaming Laptop
On the other end of price range comes Lenovo, which is much cheaper than Apple or Razer and still comes with GPU and a great performance. Have a look at this Ideapad:
Lenovo IdeaPad
Features:
- With 9th-generation Intel Core i7?9750H processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD + 256GB NVMe SSD storage, this gaming notebook has all the power you need to outshoot, outrun, and outsmart anyone
- The 15.6-inch screen delivers a stunning full HD IPS display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, anti-glare technology, 250 nits, 45% Color Gamut
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics deliver faster, smoother gameplay and more power-efficient performance
- This Lenovo gaming notebook is game ready ? are you? With cool blue ambient lighting, extended battery life (up to 9 hours), and a 720p HD camera with privacy shutter, you?ll be ready to play anytime, anywhere. Final product may vary slightly from image.
- North American-English QWERTY Keyboard
Lenovo ThinkPad
Lenovo ThinkPad is hardly sleek or beautiful but it is effective and durable. It?s definitely one of the favourites among data scientists, as it lasts long even under heavy use.
Lenovo ThinkPad
Features:
- Intel Core i7?8565U 1.8GHz
- 16GB DDR4 + 512GB SSD
- 15.6 Full HD Display
- AMD Radeon RX 550X 2GB
- Windows 10 Pro
Dell G5 Gaming Laptop 15.6″
Dell G5 Gaming Laptop is a great quality gaming laptop in mid price range. Versatile, easy to use, Windows-based is fantastic for running your data science experiments:
Dell G5 Gaming Laptop
Features:
- Alienware?s first-ever narrow-bezel display, the slimmer frame maximises viewing space, allowing visuals to come alive with a crisp range of colours
- High-end materials like magnesium alloy, copper, anodized aluminium and steel provide a premium, lightweight and performance-driven gaming experience
- Alienware cryo-tech v2.0 optimises component cooling, which maximises overall performance and keeps your laptop cool to the touch
- Experience faster load times with 256 GB SSD, PCle M.2 and 1 TB high-capacity hybrid HDDs with 8 GB solid-state memory
- New Alienware m-series keyboard offers four-zone AlienFX RGB enabled keys and a numeric keypad ? this is Dell?s first time with a numeric keypad on a sub 17 Inch laptop
- OS: Windows 10
Conclusion: Data Science Laptop to buy
No matter what?s you budget you?ll find a good data science laptop. Just remember to always check that your new laptop will have a GPU. That?s a must for Data Science. Alternatively you can settle for working fully on the cloud. Without a GPU of your own, you?ll just need a good WiFi and you?re good to use Google Colab and free resources given to you by Google. That?s an amazing tool to use from scratch, if you?re on budget.
And if you?re not ? then go for Gaming Laptops and see my text here.
With larger budget you can either go for one of the gaming laptops we?ve listed above or also go for one of dedicated cloud services. For example you can use Alibaba Cloud or Microsoft Azure to set up a virtual machine.
Whatever will be your choice, think about what exactly you need for: experiments at home or constant access to your analysis wherever you go. Depending on your budget and accessibility you require from your laptop, you should make a choice of either strong gaming laptop or something smaller and portable but with a good Internet connection to use online tools like Google Colab and Alibaba Cloud.
For more materials about Data Science, have a look at our other texts:
- Data Science Books you should read in 2020
- Keras courses and Tensorflow courses
- Top 10 courses on Coursera
