What are The Specs Needed for Best Laptop for Data Science?
A data scientist needs to have a laptop that does not struggle to crunch numbers. A laptop that can maintain a good pace when performing data science applications can help one outdo their peers and remain relevant in the field. Any issues hurting the pace of your machine can impact your clients negatively and in turn, hurt your career. There is a big chance that your data crunching requirements may lead one to use cloud-based computers. But even then, the need to run local data models now and then would still be there, so in this article, we will guide you to carefully choosing the specs that can get you the best laptop for data science.
Specs for Best Laptop for Data Science
Here are a few specs that you need to focus on to get the best laptop for data science
RAM
Big data is only getting larger and was projected to be at 40 zettabytes by 2020. It is essential to have a high RAM unless one is working on a strictly cloud-based or clustered system. A minimum of 8GB RAM is recommended for the field but 16GB is ideal to get a good purchase out of your system.
Processor/CPU
As data scientists, the CPU is an essential spec that you need to pay attention to. It is responsible for performing all the instructions that you provide and thus, needs to be powerful enough to not slow you down when working. Newer generation processors with as many cores as possible are preferable, but generally, a six-core or eight-core CPU is ideal.
Storage
Data scientists need a lot of storage space on their laptops to save all the data they are working on. It is recommended to have a minimum of 512GB of storage space. It is also important to note that the speed of your data depends on where it is stored. Getting a solid-state drive (SSD) with a minimum of 256GB storage capacity can be a great help in this regard.
Upgradability
Data needs will increase in the future, and it is not an exaggeration to state that it is going to outgrow your current specs. With this growth in data, it is alo important to keep in mind the possibility of upgrading your system like RAM, storage, and beefier graphics cards for continued performance.
Graphics cards/GPU
Having a good graphics card (GPU) is also essential for data scientists because it is important for them to visualse data more effectively. A standard CPU has 4-8 processor cores, however, an average GPU has 700 cores. A laptop with a good GPU can enable you to handle large data sets quickly and easily to get you the insight that you need quickly. We recommend you get to a laptop with at least a GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 580 graphics card.
Display
Data scientists must have a quality resource available to visualise the data effectively. A high-resolution screen with at least 1080p resolution can enable the visualisation of data more clearly and precisely so that minute details and patterns are evident.
Ports
While working in data science, one often needs to connect their laptop to different devices to carry out their work without hindrance. This makes it important to choose a laptop that comes with a good selection of ports that can easily and quickly connect to whatever device one needs. Some of these necessary ports are USB-C, Thunderbolt, HDMI, and Ethernet.
Battery Life
Data science can be often very time-consuming so it becomes important that the data science laptop has a good battery life so that one can constantly work on data sets even when they are away from an outlet. The best laptop for data science needs at least 8 hours of battery life to keep up with data science purposes.
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