Data management and processing are at the heart of the work of the data scientist for whom the computer is an essential working tool. Although we often imagine him concentrated, sitting in front of his desk PC, the data scientist may, however, have to move and work far from his chair, in airports, stations, libraries, etc. Mobility, therefore, becomes essential. But with the range of portable PCs available on the market, it is not easy to make a choice.

Data science is such that it involves powerful, ergonomic and durable equipment. Indeed, the laptop must be powerful enough to meet the software requirements of Big Data, do not slow down the system, or simply run the programs required for the projects.

The criteria for choosing the best laptop for trading often depend on the profile of the user, but also on their projects. However, the profession converges on a minimum prerequisite for performing intense calculations and turns more to portable PCs with high-end specifications.

Rather than directly offering you a selection of the best portable PCs for data scientists, we invite you to think about the different characteristics of the operating system, the processor, the RAM, the storage, the graphics processor, the screen.

The choice of an operating system for a data scientist: Windows, macOS, Linux
Generally speaking, each of the operating systems has its advantages and disadvantages. However, it is a question of determining the OS best suited to the profile of the data scientist.

macOS is appreciated for its performance and speed of execution.
Windows can be a choice for its better compatibility with a larger number of software, but Linux remains the OS of choice for data scientists.
The operating system appreciated for its security and its completeness, this OS is known as the complex is easy to learn by Big Data experts.

Nowadays, the majority of PCs being delivered under Windows, the OS is not decisive in the choice of your laptop - unless you want to work under macOS -.

You can then make Linux coexist with Windows and work with both systems as needed.

The processor: an Intel Core i7 Quad-Core

The processor is certainly the essential criterion in choosing a laptop for a data scientist. Indeed, the machine must be powerful and fast enough to guarantee an acceptable processing speed when executing algorithms.

A laptop Intel Core i7 is preferred. Just as it is preferable to opt for four hearts rather than two. The Intel Core i3 is not powerful enough, it is to be banned. An Intel Core i5 Quad-Core can do the trick, however.

In addition, the economical U series favoring autonomy over computing power should be discarded in favor of the more efficient HQ series.

Finally, the processor frequency is also to be taken into account: 2.6 GHz is correct if the processor has the Turbo Boost to increase the frequency when necessary.

RAM: 8 GB RAM minimum

RAM is the other essential criteria of your laptop along with the processor.
The more you have a large RAM, the more you will gain in speed of execution.
8 GB of RAM is a minimum for a data scientist.

If you process a large volume of data, 16 GB, and more, will not be a luxury to gain in productivity and efficiency, both in the conservation of data in memory and in the operation of the machine.