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What are the most powerful laptops to run numerical computational models around $1500?

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The Best 1 of 5 OptionsWhy?

5 Options ConsideredPriceRAMCPU
Excellent
HP Omen 15
16GB DDR4Intel Core i7 6700HQ 2.6GHz - 3.5GHz
ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74
16GB DDR4 2400MHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)
Apple MacBook Pro
8/16GB2.0/2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW
16 GB DDR4Intel Core i7­-6700HQ 2.6 GHz Quad­core CPU (turbo to 3.5GHz)
System76 Oryx Pro
8GB-64GB DDR4 @ 2400 MHzi7 7th Gen
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Excellent

HP Omen 15

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4 Other Options Considered

ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74

Prince
Top Pro

Fast clock speeds with 7th-gen Intel processor

•••
CPU clock runs at a base frequency of 2.8 GHz (4 cores) to reduce power consumption and heat. The clock speed can be increased using turbo boost to 3.4 GHz (4 cores), 3.6 GHz (2 cores), or 3.8 GHz (1 core). Each core can run two threads. Computations execute significantly faster than the previous g...
Prince
Top Pro

Improved 2400 MHz RAM

•••
The RAM frequency with last generation laptops is usually 2133 MHz or lesser. So the higher the frequency is, the faster the data loads from/to the storage to/from the processor (CPU). This contributes to overall performance enhancement.
Know any negative aspects of this option?
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Apple MacBook Pro

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Endi Sukaj
WhiteLilac
Top Pro

One of the best SSDs that can be found on a laptop

•••
With read speeds at 3.1Gbps and write speeds at around 4.7Gbps, the SSD used in the Macbook Pro is the best in the market by far. This doesn't just mean opening/saving files is quicker, but it also has a pretty huge impact on general application performance.
Endi Sukaj
WhiteLilac
Top Pro

Great performance

•••
The MacBook pro offers great performance both for day-to-day stuff and more niche graphic-related activities. The latest model also has had an update in hardware specs where both the CPU and GPU have been upgraded to their respective latest generations. The 16GB to 32GB help with performance as we...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

The OS is exceptionally easy to use

•••
Macbooks are famous for working out of the box. The default operating system (macOS) is also exceptionally easy to use even for people who have never used it before. Most people will not need to customize or change anything since all the apps just work out of the box. The people who like to custom...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Extremely portable

•••
The latest Macbook Pro has a trimmed down design compared to predecessors. It's 0.61 inches (15.5 mm) thick and and weighs 4.02 pounds. It's thinner than Macbook Air even.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Both the hardware and software are designed in-house

•••
Both the operating system and the hardware are designed by Apple and are made to be as compatible as possible from the get-go. Any drawback that the hardware might have compared to competitors, is made up by the great compatibility between the hardware and OS. Furthermore, because Apple controls t...
WhiteLilac
Top Pro

Can run up to 3 external monitors and output 4K

•••
With 2 Thunderbolt (DisplayPort) plugs and 1 HDMI, MBP can run up to 3 external monitors and output 4K over HDMI.
WhiteLilac
Top Con

RAM is soldered in

•••
A crippling, unmitigated rip-off which prevents you from upgrading the internal RAM.
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ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW

Prince
Top Pro

Navigation with a touchscreen is faster

•••
Using the track-pad all the time can get sticky and a bit tiring. With a 10-point touchscreen, navigating through documents is much easier. Also drawing on screen and taking quick notes can be done quickly.
Prince
Top Pro

Dedicated GPU

•••
Taking some load of the CPU by processing all the graphics elements, the dedicated GPU will come in handy. Especially since it's a 4K display, a GPU is rather mandatory.
Prince
Top Pro

4K resolution on a 15.6" display makes the picture clearer

•••
Side-by-side windows stacking is more convenient on the eyes, as the 4K resolution will legibly display all the elements. Even considerably small fonts can be read with ease.
Prince
Top Pro

Multitude of connectivity options

•••
This laptop comes with a Thunderbolt, 3 USB 3 ports (regular and gen-2). Lets the user connect to most external storage devices with ease and speed. Can even use external GPU when needed (will need a separate power source for GPU).
Prince
Top Pro

Very fast storage

•••
With an NVMe m.2 SSD, data storage and retrieval is faster than ever. Providing up to 1600 MB/s read and 1500 MB/s write (sequential). Boot time can be as low as 9 seconds; allows the user to power off the laptop whenever and still get back to work swiftly.
Prince
Top Pro

Quadcore processor with turbo boost

•••
The processor can boost the clock speed from 2.6 GHz to 3.4 GHz. This allows for faster computations.
Prince
Top Con

Less than average battery life

•••
4K display with touch input will lower the battery life. It's hefty price to pay better PPI. The average usage on battery comes to around 3 hours. The user will need an extra battery or will have to carry a power adapter with the laptop. This reduces overall mobility of the laptop.
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System76 Oryx Pro

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Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Amazing overall performance

•••
The default 6th generation i7 Processor coupled with the 16GB of RAM (even better with the versions with 32GB and 64GB) make for an absolutely amazing machine. It has a dedicated SSD for the OS only which massively increases startup time and for anything else you can choose up to two SSDs or HDDs...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good speakers

•••
One of the bonuses of having a larger body is that you get to use good speakers instead of some small ones stuck underneath the laptop. They are also angled toward the user and the sound is crisp and loud enough, even though it lacks some bass.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good for gaming

•••
The Oryx Pro is probably the best laptop with Linux support out of the box that is great for gaming as well. This is mostly because of the NVIDIA graphics cards. It comes by default with the GTX 1060 but for $289 more, you can add a GTX 1070 instead. The default 8GB of RAM is good for gaming but t...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Very customizable

•••
Before buying the System76 Oryx Pro from the System76 website, you get to customize almost every aspect of the laptop as far as specs go. The price depends on what you choose to put inside your laptop and prices vary from $1475 for the basic version to $7000 for a laptop with a 17.3" Matte IPS...
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good display

•••
Has a 1080p matte display with an optional IPS matte display version. With great colors and brightness and almost no eye strain even when it's used for extended periods.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Good keyboard

•••
The keyboard is very nice, it's not amazing by any means but quite comfortable to work with. The keys are pretty thick, thicker than what you may find in laptops today and with a nice springiness to them. The keyboard also supports multicolor backlighting.
Endi Sukaj
Top Pro

Great Linux support

•••
All System76 laptops come with Linux out of the box. The Oryx Pro comes with either Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or Ubuntu 16.10. But that does not mean that other Linux distributions are not supported, quite the contrary. Most Linux distros should work without any major problems with the Oryx pro and most (...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Very heavy and bulky

•••
Weighing at 5.5lbs for the 15.6" version it's relatively heavy and it's one inch thicker than the XPS 13. But the extra space is not put to waste, considering how it has an Ethernet port, SD card slot, 2 Mini DisplayPrts, HDMI port, 2 USB 3.1 Type-C ports, 3 USB 3.0 Type-A ports and he...
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

No 4K option

•••
It lacks the option to have a 4K display. While not a deal breaker, it's a shame that a laptop with a display as good as Oryx Pro's does not have a 4K option which would also be a great plus for gamers.
Endi Sukaj
Top Con

Customer service could be much better

•••
System76's technical support is pretty bad. When there's a problem that should be solved by them, they usually resort to sending replacement parts instead or blaming third-parties (even if those third-parties are not at fault) of something that they should be fixing.
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MSI VR Ready GE62VR

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MSI VR Ready GP62MVR Leopard Pro-218 15.6"

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MSI GL62 6QF-893 15.6"

Flagged

ASUS ROG STRIX 15.6-inch G-SYNC

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