To get started in data science and statistics, you need the right technological tools. The great news is there are many exceptional laptops available that can run the data science software programs that we cover here on Data Science for Anyone, including R, Python, SPSS and Stata.
On this page, you will find our recommended laptop computers for data science. If you prefer to work on-the-go, make sure to check out this page for our suggested desktops for data science and our guide to essential data science tech.
Dell Inspiron 17 3000 Laptop: This new line of Dell laptops is designed to be sleek and stylish while providing a functional high-performance business machine. It certainly excels in these categories and the i7 allows for speed with little to no lag when running multiple programs at the same time.
It has a sleek finish and reasonable weight for users who commute frequently or who can’t leave their laptop’s side. Dell has emphasized a combination functional design and system performance in recent years, and this offering does a consistently good job of maximizing both elements.
At 17 inches, this screen does a phenomenal job of rendering visualizations and running programs side-by-side, you the screen does add substantial weight and size when traveling. As a whole, this Dell is a solid choice for anyone looking to add a portable workstation their toolbox of technology for data science and for running statistical analysis programs.
HP Envy 17t Touch Quad Core (8th Gen. Intel i7-8550U, 16GB DDR4, 256GB NVMe SSD, NVIDIA GeForce 4GB GDDR5, 17.3″ FHD IPS WLED, Windows 10) – Bang & Olufsen Audio Laptop: The new HP Envy 17 Inch laptop from HP’s new computer line is a powerhouse that can be a true desktop replacement. Whether you are just running R or Python, or also use data visualization software like Tableau and a mapping program like QGIS, this Windows laptop has specifications that will allow easy multitasking and tools to maximize your productivity.
If you happen to also be a gamer, in addition to a data scientist, this PC’s NVIDIA GeForce video card with 4 GB of RAM renders beautiful lifelike graphics for recently released computer games and professional charts with data visualizations.
Much like the Dell Inspiron 17 3000 Laptop reviewed above, this HP is also relatively large at 17 inches, yet this feature also means that this machine packs a punch when it comes to performance. Overall, this HP laptop can be an excellent addition to anyone’s collection of productivity technology.
Acer 2020 Swift 5 Ultrathin Laptop, 15.6″ FHD IPS Touch Display, Intel Core i7-8565U, 16GB RAM DDR4, 512GB PCIe SSD, Windows 10: This relatively new offering from Acer has many useful and innovative features (including a touch screen and 512 GB SSD drive) to utilize statistical packages to their full potential.
This machine is especially useful and convenient for people who are often on-the-go and who like to work in different places (think coffee shops and libraries) because of its ultra thin profile and light weight. At 15.6 inches, this Acer laptop is considerably smaller than the first two reviewed, making it slightly more portable and lighter to carry.
Of course, what you gain in convenience you lose in screen real estate, meaning it might be a bit harder to run two program windows side-by-side on one screen. This is a minor issue, however, and the amount of memory and processing speed that Acer was able to stuff into this small form factor is truly amazing.
New Apple MacBook Pro (16-Inch, 16GB RAM, 512GB Storage) – Space Gray: Apple recently revamped their MacBook line for 2020 and finally added a larger screen model to the mix. This 16-Inch version is perfect for running RStudio, Spyder with Python, or Stata 15 together or alone without any slow downs along the way.
In past years, we would have advised against a machine that runs a MacOS due to software package compatibility issues but luckily Apple computers have become one of the industry standards in the data science and statistical analytics world.
Sporting an i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM, this portable workstation will have no problem on complex computations or algorithms, and it perfect for video chatting for meetings and connecting to projectors for meetings or webinars.
2020 ASUS VivoBook 15 15.6 Inch FHD 1080P Laptop (AMD Ryzen 3 3200U up to 3.5GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Radeon Vega 3, Backlit Keyboard, FP Reader, Windows 10) – 15.6″ FHD – i7-8565U – 12GB – 256GB SSD – Silver: For those who are a little more budget conscious, this notebook from ASUS has a lot of power and speed packed into a small body. The SSD and 8 GB will ensure it is snappy when booting up and opening programs, and the Full HD screen, USB-C port and HDMI output are perfect for delivering impressive presentations.
Sporting a 15.6 inch FHD screen, this laptop’s compact size and manageable weight combine to make it a convenient workstation on an airplane, train or simply working in a local coffee shop. It has a fingerprint reader built-in, so you can maximize your security for logins and passwords, while enhancing convenience.
Similar to the Acer reviewed above, this laptop is somewhat smaller at 15.6 inches, yet more than makes up for that with its ultra-thin body and super speedy AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor, which makes running multiple programs simultaneously a breeze. It also does have less RAM installed when compared to the other offerings above, so be sure to consider your memory needs when considering a laptop computer.
