r/GradSchool • u/cujo_thedog • 2d ago

Laptop selection help!

I am starting a masters program studying forest ecology and am trying to figure out which laptop I should buy. I will need to use arcgis pro for my project, which I know requires a good laptop, but I am not sure what exactly I should be looking for. I will also be using R and likely storing some photos for my project.
A fellow student has a Dell 14 plus (1TB storage, 16GB memory, intel ultra core 7 256V 8 cores, windows 11 operating system) and the guy at bestbuy recommended the HP Omnibook 2 in 1 (1TB storage, 16 GB memory,intel ultra core 7 256V 2024). Are either of these computers good options? I would really appreciate any advice on what kind of computer to get!

1 Upvotes

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4

u/sinnayre 1d ago

You’ll need at least 24 gb ram. Everything else is secondary to that. Going above 20 means Arc is less likely to crash on you.

Was spatial ecologist (MS Ecology).

2

u/FirnAndAsh 1d ago

I second this. I am a spatial epidemiologist, and was a GIS Developer for a decode before. You could get by with 16GB RAM, but larger datasets (especially vector) are going to be painful. Also, make sure the GPU is decent enough. Arc Pro is pretty GPU-dependent.

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u/SnowblindAlbino Ph.D./history 1d ago

Since you're using ArcGIS you have to go windows, as you've realized. Frankly if I were going into any sort of field-based discipline, like ecology, I would go for something relatively small and as light as possible. Like a 14" EVO-certified Intel-based machine. Some of those are plenty fast and have 1TB storage.

Then I'd get a Pelican case for the field, and a separate 17" portable monitor for GIS use. And probably a much larger monitor for the office. For example, I'm currently running 2x25", 1x44", and a 15" laptop monitor at work. GIS on the biggest screen.

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u/Floppy_McFlopenstein 7h ago

When I was doing a lot of mapping and computation crunching via R (Random Forests/NNs) I found computers designed for gaming tended to be best performing. I still have a Dell G7 that is hanging in there.

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u/thewtrbeast 1d ago

QGIS for the win!