Best Laptops for Machine Learning (2020)

Photo by: Tarn Nguyen

When it comes to selecting the best machine for deep learning people have varied opinions based on different factors such as the training speed and the type of the machine learning model among others. However, the fact remains that training deep learning models is considerably computationally intensive. This is mainly because deep learning models are made of neural networks with multiple matrix multiplications. This computation bottleneck in training deep learning models can be overcome through parallel programming using the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Synonymous with complex simulations and gaming, GPUs have proven useful in non-graphical processing such as in scientific computing like matrix multiplication. The purpose of this article is to help guide you through the process of selecting the best machine for machine learning.

What machines are suitable for high, medium and low budget users?

Setting the right budget is an important part of getting the right machine for machine learning and deep learning. However, having a relatively lower budget should not be a deterrent to doing machine learning especially for students. Although a budget of Ksh. 100,000 to Ksh.300,000($1000-$3000) is recommended for a decent deep learning laptop, you can still get a good machine for under Ksh.100,000.($1000). Here is what to consider when choosing the best laptop for machine learning

Here are some of the machine learning and deep learning laptops available in the market. The list is compiled as of 2020 but the technologies change quickly and better options can be made available in the near or later future.

High budget machines ranging from Ksh.100,000 to Ksh.300,000 ($1000-$3000)

In this price range, you are likely to get high-performance laptops for deep learning. However, you may also sacrifice portability for some laptop brands due to the powerful processing components. It is worth noting that regular use of laptops for deep learning tasks may result in faster wearing. Here are some of the laptops in this price range (the laptops are arranged in no specific order)

1. Acer Predator Triton 700

Price: Ksh.100,000 ($999)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (7^th generation)

RAM: 16 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

Battery: 4 hours

2. HP Omen

Price: Ksh. 140,000 ($1,300)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (8^th generation)

RAM: 32 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 500GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1070

Battery: 3.5 hours

3. Dell G5

Price: Ksh.111,000 ($1,099)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (8^th generation)

RAM: 16 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1650

Battery : 8 hours

4. Asus ROG Zephyrus

Price: Ksh.190,000 ($1900)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (8^th generation)

RAM: 16 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2070

Battery : 3-4 hours

5. Gigabyte Aero 15

Price: Ksh.200,000 ($1,999)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (7^th generation)

RAM: 16 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070

Battery: 6 hours

6. Lambda TensorBook

Price: Ksh.260,000 ($2600)

Processor: Intel Core i7 9750H processor (6 cores)

RAM: 32 GB

Display: 16.1 FHD

Storage: 1TB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 2070

Battery: 1 hour

7. Razor Blade 15

 

Price: Ksh.170, 000 ($1,679)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (8^th generation)

RAM: 16GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 128 GB SSD + 1TB HDD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060

Battery: 4 hours

Medium price machines from Ksh. 70,000 to Ksh.100,000 ($700-$1000)

If your budget falls in this price range then you can get some relatively high-performance laptops on the higher end. However, you are likely to run into performance issues for deep learning tasks especially if the laptop is below the recommended minimum specs (RAM: 16GB, GPU: 8GB, Processor: Core i7, storage:512GB SSD).

1. Eluktronics N850HK1

Price: Ksh.80,000 ($799)

Processor: Intel Core i7 (7^th generation)

RAM: 16 GB

Display: 16 FHD

Storage: 256 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050

Battery: 3.5-4 hours

2. Dell Inspiron i5577

Price: Ksh.80,000 ($799)

Processor: Intel Core i5

RAM: 8 GB

Display: 15 FHD

Storage: 256 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1050

Battery: 3.5 hours

3. Lenovo Ideapad L340

Price: Ksh.70,000 ($696)

Processor: Intel Core i5-9300H

RAM: 8 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Battery: 3.5 hours

4. HP OMEN 17-ANO12DX

Price: Ksh.85,000 ($849)

Processor: Intel Core i7-770HQ Quad-Core

RAM: 12 GB

Display: 17.3 FHD

Storage: 1 TB SATA

Graphics: AMD Radeon RX580 8GB

Battery: 5 hours

Cheaper machines from 30,000 to 70,000 ($300-$700)

If your budget falls in this price range then it is recommended that you consider the free online options such as Kaggle kernels, Google Collab and the one-year free AWS or Azure offers. You can use a low power laptop for preprocessing and data preparation and push it to the free cloud options for training. However, there are users especially students who might not have reliable internet access for online training. If that’s the case then you can opt for cheaper local desktop setup with relatively similar computation capability as the medium price offerings. For example, refurbished HP Z440 Workstation or Dell Precision Workstation T3600 with the following specs ranges from 45,000($450) to 55,000($550): processor: Xeon E5; RAM:16GB; Graphics: NVIDIA NVS 310; storage: 1TB HDD.  Alternatively, you can opt for refurbished laptops specially designed for gaming within the price range. Here are some of the laptops available in this price range.

1. Asus TUF FX505DT

Price: Ksh.65,000 ($649)

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5

RAM: 8 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 256 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Battery: 3.5 hours

2. New HP pavilion

Price: Ksh.59,000 ($589)

Processor: AMD 2^nd gen quad-core

RAM: 8 GB

Display: 15.6 FHD

Storage: 512 GB SSD

Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1050

Battery: 5 hours

Feel free to add any machines out there that fit the price categories in the comments section.

Article by Eugene Oduma