Recommend a MacBook Pro for Data Analysis/Data Science Projects

Fifths on 03/01/2024 - 17:14

Hi Guys,

I am looking for a new computer for Data Analysis/Data Science projects.

Currently, I am using a MacBook Pro early 2015 (Intel Core 15, 8GB ram), running Windows via bootstrap.

Any recommendations on what to get?

M1, M2 or M3 chip?

How many core CPU?

How many core GPU?

Is 18 GB of Unified memory good enough?

SSD Storage? (I am thinking to get 1 TB and split them between Mac OS and Windows)

I would like to run Mac OS and Windows 11 via Bootstrap for power BI projects.

Am I able to install Windows 11 via Bootstrap on the M1, M2, and M3 chip?

Please suggest.

Thanks, everyone.

Computing Apple Computer Laptop

Comments

  • od1n on 03/01/2024 - 17:31
    +4

    I'm not sure whether it's trolling or not. You are running windows on mac already and while looking for upgrade you still look for heavily overpriced mac just to run windows again? (that's beside the fact that bootstrap is not a thing on M chips and at very best you would be able to run it in virtual machine only)

    • Fifths on 03/01/2024 - 17:55
      -2

      I have noticed Windows works better on Mac. This is the reason I would like to get a Mac, but if you have any good Windows laptop recommendations please share. Thanks

      • Wort on 03/01/2024 - 18:55
        +1

        the surface laptops is the closest 'mac' experience you'll probably get. Nice screen, keyboard and touchpad. Overpriced performance wise generally, unless you find a good sale, but my surface laptop 3 is still a great machine. If I need serious power I'll ssh into a server.

        As a fellow data cruncher, I've easily exceed 16gb of ram with excel and would say 32gb is probably a wise choice. Especially if the laptop doesn't have up-gradable ram.

  • freefall101 on 03/01/2024 - 18:15
    +2

    You can't run Windows on M series macs, that's not an option. IMO the only reason Macs felt good running windows is Apple wrote pretty good trackpad drivers, everything else is the same stuff anyway.

    I use a Dell Precision workstation for my analytics work, I've found it awesome. Heavy but the lightweight 13" Dell work had originally given me simply wasn't powerful enough. Just make sure to do the upgrades yourself, Dell charges more than Apple on their workstation machines.

    • Wort on 03/01/2024 - 18:48
      +1

      I think many people compare their $2k macbook to the $500 windows sludge from harvey norman.

    • OMGJL on 03/01/2024 - 20:15
      +1

      Apple wrote pretty good trackpad drivers

      The Native Apple Trackpad drivers is utter crap (I refer to the non-force-touch ones in-build on Macbook between 2013-2015, as well as the force touch enabled magic touchpad 2), I think the nice trackpad drivers you are referring to is a 3rd party driver from GitHub called Mac Precision Touchpad

      This champ wrote the driver on surface, because his girlfriend is about to switch to a macbook pro. Best love story I've ever heard.

      • freefall101 on 03/01/2024 - 23:00

        Cheers, you’re right. Been years since I used a Mac for windows and I forgot I installed that!

        Didn’t know the story either, what a legend.

  • Ynk on 03/01/2024 - 18:27

    Comments are correct if your application requires Windows Macs are no longer for you as they can only run ARM Windows (and not natively). Spin up a VM on AWS if you need serious compute/memory power or just get a Windows device.

    • Fifths on 03/01/2024 - 22:48

      Thank you

  • OMGJL on 03/01/2024 - 20:04

    Installing Windows on Mac is called Bootcamp not bootstrap.

    Windows works better on Mac

    LOL, macbook barely does any power management on Windows at all, rendering the thing runs with extremely short battery life and toasting hot. Let alone the fact Apple almost always used SINGLE heatpipe to cool its CPU.

    Mac computer is only good under macos, period. Good power management, fast sleep, goes to hibernate without user interaction, and recover from sleep fast. List goes on.

    I am also surprised that a person who does DA/DS lacks ability to research, can't even get the fact that Mac with M-Series processor is based on ARM architecture and can't run Windows x86 natively. Not only that, how does a DA come up with conclusion absolutely all over the place?

    • Fifths on 03/01/2024 - 22:48

      Thank you

  • Indomietable on 03/01/2024 - 21:42

    power BI projects.

    Yeah don't get mac. PowerBI and most MS stack are optimised for x86 architecture.

    Running them under Mac ARM architecture ( ie m1, m2 etc) require translation which slow things down.

    My recommendation is to get Workstation laptop with high core count, large memory and lots of disk space.

    Beware of the new Intel CPU as they have mix of efficiency core and performance core. (You want high number of performance core) and You'll need to run Windows 11 thread directors and ensure powerBI / DB source is run using Performance core.

    Examples :
    https://www.hp.com/au-en/shop/hp-zbook-firefly-14-inch-g10-a…

    Or

    https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/precision-7780-…

    • Fifths on 03/01/2024 - 22:48

      Thanks👍

  • Farmos on 13/01/2024 - 09:34
    +1

    I like the multiple levels of trolling here - Windows on Mac, using Power BI for data science projects etc. Gold.

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