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

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Feb 5, 2018

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The Best 1 of 5 OptionsWhy?

What are the most powerful laptops to run numerical computational models around $1500	Price	RAM	CPU
90 HP Omen 15	$1,499.99	16GB DDR4	Intel Core i7 6700HQ 2.6GHz - 3.5GHz
85 ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74	$1,499.00	16GB DDR4 2400MHz	Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)
80 Apple MacBook Pro	$1,299	8/16GB	2.0/2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
-- ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW	$1,489.87	16 GB DDR4	Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz Quadcore CPU (turbo to 3.5GHz)
-- System76 Oryx Pro	$1,475+	–	–

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4 Other Options Considered

ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74

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 generation (6th-gen) processors. See More

Specs

RAM:16GB DDR4 2400MHz

CPU:Intel Core i7-7700HQ 2.8GHz (Turbo up to 3.8GHz)

GPU:NVIDIA GTX1060 6GB GDDR5

Weight:4.9 lbs (2.22 kgs)

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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. See More

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Apple MacBook Pro

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 well and the SSD speeds are unmatched in the laptop market which also helps with general performance. See More

Top Con

RAM is soldered in

A crippling, unmitigated rip-off which prevents you from upgrading the internal RAM. See More

Specs

RAM:8/16GB

CPU:2.0/2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5

GPU: Intel Iris Graphics 540/550

Weight:3.02lbs

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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. See More

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 customize things and tinker with their systems will also find it pretty easy to do so, considering the fact that macOS is a Unix and allows varying degrees of control to users. See More

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. See More

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 the hardware that goes inside their laptops, they can be sure that every OS release will be fully compatible even with their older hardware, ensuring software compatibility for many years after the laptop is released. See More

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. See More

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ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW

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. See More

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. See More

Specs

RAM:16 GB DDR4

CPU:Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6 GHz Quadcore CPU (turbo to 3.5GHz)

GPU:NVIDIA GTX 960m 2GB DDR5

Weight:5 lbs (2.27 kgs)

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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. See More

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. See More

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). See More

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. See More

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. See More

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System76 Oryx Pro

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 (if not all) drivers are available. See More

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. See More

Specs

Weight: Dependent on display size 15″: 4.37 lbs (1.98 kg) 17″: 6.61 lbs (2.99 kg) Base weight. Varies on configuration

Storage:Dependent on display size 15″: 1× M.2, 1× 2.5″ 7mm height drive. Up to 5 TB total 17″: 2× M.2, 1× 2.5″ 7mm height drive. Up to 6 TB total

Dimensions:Dependent on display size 15″: 14.96″ × 9.92″ × 0.73″ (37.99 × 25.19 × 1.85 cm) 17″: 16.48″ × 11.30″ × 0.98″ (41.86 × 28.70 × 2.49 cm)

Battery:Dependent on Display 15″: Embedded 4 Cells Polymer battery pack– 55Wh 17″: Embedded 4 cells Polymer battery pack 66Wh

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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. See More

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 headphone and mic jacks. The GTX 1070 version also includes a headphone amplifier. However, the power brick that comes with the charger is ridiculously large at 2lbs which understandably adds to the weight of the laptop since most of the time you have to carry both with you. See More

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. See More

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. See More

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 Display, a GTX 1070, 6th Gen i7 CPU, 64GB RAM, and two SSDs of 5TB and 4TB respectively. See More

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 the 16GB RAM is ideal. See More

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. See More

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 of varying sizes. The Oryx Pro is perfectly capable of doing some heavy-lifting including 4K video editing and gaming at highest settings without a hitch. See More

See All

MSI VR Ready GE62VR

Asus ROG G752VS

Razer Blade Pro

Asus ROG Strix GL702VM

MSI VR Ready GP62MVR Leopard Pro-218 15.6"

HP omen 15 UHD

MSI GL62 6QF-893 15.6"

MSI GT80 Titan SLI

ASUS ROG STRIX 15.6-inch G-SYNC

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score 17 · Accepted Answer

HP Omen 15

CPU:Intel Core i7 6700HQ 2.6GHz - 3.5GHz

GPU:NVIDIA GeForce 960MX 4GB DDR5

Weight:4.8 lbs (2.18 kgs)

See All Specs

The Best 1 of 5 OptionsWhy?

My Recommendation for HP Omen 15

My Recommendation for HP Omen 15

4 Other Options Considered

My Recommendation for ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74

My Recommendation for ASUS ROG GL702VM-DS74

Fast clock speeds with 7th-gen Intel processor

Improved 2400 MHz RAM

My Recommendation for Apple MacBook Pro

My Recommendation for Apple MacBook Pro

Great performance

RAM is soldered in

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

The OS is exceptionally easy to use

Extremely portable

Both the hardware and software are designed in-house

Can run up to 3 external monitors and output 4K

My Recommendation for ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW

My Recommendation for ASUS ZenBook Pro UX501VW

Navigation with a touchscreen is faster

Less than average battery life

Dedicated GPU

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

Multitude of connectivity options

Very fast storage

Quadcore processor with turbo boost

My Recommendation for System76 Oryx Pro

My Recommendation for System76 Oryx Pro

Great Linux support

No 4K option

Good keyboard

Very heavy and bulky

Good display

Customer service could be much better

Very customizable

Good for gaming

Good speakers

Amazing overall performance

Don't see your favorite option? Add it.

My Recommendation for MSI VR Ready GE62VR

My Recommendation for MSI VR Ready GE62VR

My Recommendation for Asus ROG G752VS

My Recommendation for Asus ROG G752VS

My Recommendation for Razer Blade Pro

My Recommendation for Razer Blade Pro

My Recommendation for Razer Blade Pro

My Recommendation for Razer Blade Pro

My Recommendation for Asus ROG Strix GL702VM

My Recommendation for Asus ROG Strix GL702VM

My Recommendation for MSI VR Ready GP62MVR Leopard Pro-218 15.6"

My Recommendation for MSI VR Ready GP62MVR Leopard Pro-218 15.6"

My Recommendation for HP omen 15 UHD

My Recommendation for HP omen 15 UHD

My Recommendation for MSI GL62 6QF-893 15.6"

My Recommendation for MSI GL62 6QF-893 15.6"

My Recommendation for MSI GT80 Titan SLI

My Recommendation for MSI GT80 Titan SLI

My Recommendation for ASUS ROG STRIX 15.6-inch G-SYNC

My Recommendation for ASUS ROG STRIX 15.6-inch G-SYNC

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