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The kind of laptop you need as a math major depends on what you want to use it for. If you are simply a casual college student then you don’t need much, but if you will be running complex calculations using Mathlab then you might want to go with something a little more powerful. If you are going to do advanced things then you might also want to check out our guide on best computers for machine learning. The best laptop for math majors most of the time is a mid-range laptop. If you are doing things such as deep learning then go for a higher end option.
Math majors do tend to venture into data analysis, something can make use of a good laptop. There are also more budget friendly options here for those who will only be using the laptop for regular school activities.
List of best laptops for math majors
Dell Inspiron 15 7000
The Dell Inspiron is a great option for math majors, and it packs a lot of power for its price. This laptop is good for math majors because it provides really good hardware for a good price. It is suitable for all college activities and you can even use it for playing video games and doing some data science activities.
The computer comes with the Intel i7-9750H CPU. This is pretty much the best laptop CPU you will find right now, and even much more expensive laptops come with this same CPU. The CPU is the brain of the computer and a good CPU will make the computer feel fresh for a long time. For a college student it is important that the laptop lasts at least through your time in school, and this CPU certainly will.
There is even a GPU in this laptop. This makes the laptop a good choice for video games and things like machine learning. If you just want a regular laptop then you won’t have much use of a GPU, but it is good sometimes to have a little extra power for those resource intensive programs.
There is 8 GB of RAM on board which should be good. You can always upgrade it in a few years if you feel like you need more at that time.
As far as storage goes there is a 256 GB SSD. This should be enough for most people, but if you will be working with large datasets for class projects then you might want to consider getting some external storage as well.
See the Dell Inspiron (#ad) on Amazon.
Acer Aspire 5
The Acer Aspire is an amazing entry level laptop. This is one of the best laptops for people who just want a laptop for normal use. If you will be browsing the web, writing papers, and watching Netflix, then this is the laptop for you. It is not the most powerful option out there, but it will get those tasks done really well.
The laptop comes with an Intel Core i5-8254U, a CPU that is quite good. It is an 8th generation of the i5 which should still be able to last for 4 years of college. You can get 9th generations now but for most things you won’t notice a difference.
The laptop has 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. This is the same as many mid-range options you will find. The best part is that it is DDR4 ram as many cheap options come with the older DDR3 kind. You wont notice much difference in casual use, but you also can’t upgrade from DDR3 to DDR4, something which is important for the longevity of the laptop.
The storage on this notebook is a 256 GB SSD. This should be good for most people, and you can always get some external storage if you need more.
See the Acer Aspire 5 (#ad) on Amazon.
MSI GS65 Stealth-430
The MSI GS65 is the power laptop in this list. It is the best option for anyone who will be working on resource intensive tasks such as data science or machine learning. Artificial intelligence is a hot market and many math majors tend to go into it, so you might want to consider this option if it fits your budget.
The laptop comes with an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU. This is one of the best CPUs you will find for laptops and there is a reason why most high end laptops have it. This will perform really well. You can see why having this CPU in the Dell Inspiron is such a good deal when you see how powerful this laptop is.
There is a Nvidia GeForce RTX2080 GPU in this laptop. This is one of the best GPUs for laptops and it makes it one of the best laptops for machine learning and also for gaming.
The computer has a 32 GB of DDR4 RAM which definitely should be more than enough for a math major. This only makes sense if you are going to go into things such as artificial intelligence. For gaming this is also very good.
You get a 1 TB SSD on this laptop which is quite good. There should be more than enough space for your whole college career.
See the MSI GS54 Stealth-430 (#ad) on Amazon.
Dell XPS 15 7590
The Dell XPS is the most premium looking laptop in this list. It features tiny bezels and a good build quality. This laptop is good for you if you care what the laptop looks for. It is also good if you want a powerful laptop but don’t want to go all the way in terms of price.
The laptop comes with the same great CPU as the MSI and the Inspiron, the Intel Core i7-9750H. For the price of this laptop you would expect a good CPU and it does deliver.
There is a GPU on this laptop as well. It comes with the GTX 1650 which is quite decent and makes the laptop viable for things such as gaming.
There is 16 GB of DDR4 RAM on board, which should be plenty for most college students. There is also a 1 TB SSD which is great.
You should also check out the screen on this computer. It has an ultra HD screen which is 3840×2160. It can get up to 500 nits bright which is quite high. This laptop has a lot to offer.
See the Dell XPS (#ad) on Amazon.
Conclusion
The best laptop for math majors depends on what it will be used for. If you just want a regular laptop then check out the Aspire. If you want something powerful that you can use for data analysis and machine learning then have a look at the MSI. If you want something premium and very good looking then check out the Dell XPS. Lastly, if you want a lot of bang for your buck then learn more about the Dell Inspiron.
If you want to learn more about laptops you could check out this guide on best laptops for doctoral students.