Laptops in 2017

  • Thread starter Thread starter MRoss
  • Start date Start date
Hello All,

I would like to know which laptop/config should be ideal/good for the quant coursework (MFE/MQF) at graduate school.
It should be economical (As I can not afford astronomical prices during studies :P), sturdy & fast enough to handle the simulations and heavy calculations.

Thanks,
 
Do you mind large/heavy?

I can tell you from my FE experience that the single most frustrating issue was using a tiny monitor while trying to code/debug. Eve if you are like me and like small/light laptops I encourage you to go with 15"+ for MFE. Aside from that I would caution you the following:

1. At least an i5
2. 8GB RAM is usually sufficient. Not less
3. Dedicated graphics is a luxury and expensive but for hard core coding might be a nice addition
4. SSD is fun and boots your PC much quicker but for FE purposes is unnecessary (if you are trying to save)

Pretty much just grab the cheapest laptop on the market that satisfies these requirements and you should be good to go.

Anyone else see anything I missed?
 
MRoss said:
Do you mind large/heavy?

I can tell you from my FE experience that the single most frustrating issue was using a tiny monitor while trying to code/debug. Eve if you are like me and like small/light laptops I encourage you to go with 15"+ for MFE. Aside from that I would caution you the following:

1. At least an i5
2. 8GB RAM is usually sufficient. Not less
3. Dedicated graphics is a luxury and expensive but for hard core coding might be a nice addition
4. SSD is fun and boots your PC much quicker but for FE purposes is unnecessary (if you are trying to save)

Pretty much just grab the cheapest laptop on the market that satisfies these requirements and you should be good to go.

Anyone else see anything I missed?
Click to expand...
large and heavy is the way to go! i hate doing hw in mac...
 
MRoss said:
Do you mind large/heavy?

I can tell you from my FE experience that the single most frustrating issue was using a tiny monitor while trying to code/debug. Eve if you are like me and like small/light laptops I encourage you to go with 15"+ for MFE. Aside from that I would caution you the following:

1. At least an i5
2. 8GB RAM is usually sufficient. Not less
3. Dedicated graphics is a luxury and expensive but for hard core coding might be a nice addition
4. SSD is fun and boots your PC much quicker but for FE purposes is unnecessary (if you are trying to save)

Pretty much just grab the cheapest laptop on the market that satisfies these requirements and you should be good to go.

Anyone else see anything I missed?
Click to expand...
Thank you for the details, would go for 15'' + display, as i am not so fond of smaller screen sizes. Rest of the configs, would keep in mind while buying.
Thanks again.
 
I would be joining Columbia MAFN this fall and would like to know if buying Macbook Pro would be a good option.

Thanks.
 
MRoss said:
But again; are you going to be comfortable coding on a 13" laptop?
Click to expand...
yes.

What is your opinion on the new 2-1 like the Microsoft Surface Pro? I think Dell and HP also have similar offers.
 
I'm the wrong guy for these toys. The 5285, Surface, etc. I've tried coding and in general working on spreadsheets on these and the feel just wasn't right. The keyboards aren't as solid as a real laptop and for a program such as FE I think that should be a deal-breaker.

When I used a convertible in the FE program it was an old IBM flip laptop that had an awesome keyboard. These removable ones just don't do it for me. That being said; I have never owned one of these long enough to make a very accurate and unbiased assessment, so best ask someone else.

Two other small points:

1. I see the 5285 is a "U" processor. Does that still stand for "Ultra low voltage"? If so you might want to take care, those tend not to preform so well in heavy CPU applications (gaming, programming, etc.)

2. I like laptops to be customizable so I can upgrade the ram, HD, etc. I doubt if these tablet machines are. I don't know for sure but it is something you might want to check.

P.S. If you are going for a writing tablet you might want to check the pen technology. Back when I followed those tables, Wacom was king and N-Trig was a wannabe. N-Trig was the Surface technology and it was less than desirable to write with. I had many Wacom tables and loved them all.
 
MRoss said:
Do you mind large/heavy?

I can tell you from my FE experience that the single most frustrating issue was using a tiny monitor while trying to code/debug. Eve if you are like me and like small/light laptops I encourage you to go with 15"+ for MFE. Aside from that I would caution you the following:

1. At least an i5
2. 8GB RAM is usually sufficient. Not less
3. Dedicated graphics is a luxury and expensive but for hard core coding might be a nice addition
4. SSD is fun and boots your PC much quicker but for FE purposes is unnecessary (if you are trying to save)

Pretty much just grab the cheapest laptop on the market that satisfies these requirements and you should be good to go.

Anyone else see anything I missed?
Click to expand...

Agree except #1. I don't think it makes that much of a difference visàvis an i3. difference is tiny compared to choices you make in your coding, imo. I would put more emphasis on #4 instead. Day in day out you will have less of these tiny wasteful moment where your harddisk needs to search.
 
GracielaGreen said:
I would like to know from a person who had more than 100 laptops, what is the best gaming laptop for today?
Click to expand...
Well that's a loaded question...

1. Does weight matter?
2. Does price matter?
3. Screen size?
4. For which games?

I found most people interested in entry to mid level gaming are usually very happy with the Gigabyte laptops I have recommended in the past (Alienware/Razer like specs, don't pay for name or flair). However, the company has become a bit more popular recently and the prices have adjusted accordingly.
 
My 13" MBP is 3 years old and I have been looking at a replacement. Apple latest MBPs do not seem like a big improvement.
Maybe I should entertain the thoughts of getting something else? Maybe something like a Dell XPS 13"?
@MRoss
 

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