Best laptops for machine learning
An external graphics processor, in addition to an existing laptop, you can buy an external graphics dock extension…
If you are seriously engaged in Data Science, sooner or later you will come to the conclusion that you need a single customized environment, confidence in resources that are independent of the rules of the employer and admins. Someone will say that everything can be done in the clouds, but constant access, long experiments 24/7, and even with data storage will cost a pretty penny.
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The use of machine learning and deep learning has led to a big revolution in the hardware required for these installations. An external graphics processor, in addition to an existing laptop, you can buy an external graphics dock extension, such as ASUS ROG HD which could be one of the Best laptops for machine learning.
Another insight from the collector, or rather, the promised details about Threadripper: “In general, if the mantra “all memory channels must be filled” sits in you (and Threadripper has 4 of them), you can scroll down. I remind the rest that this processor of the old architecture has an interesting structure of 4 NUMA nodes, nodes with non-uniform memory access. They can work with a single channel, but then you will accumulate delays caused by this architecture. In the newer Threadripper, already built on ZEN 2, this feature has been eliminated, but the wish for the computer to have many memory channels remains.
Memory slots
So, we have deduced the motherboard limit on the number of memory slots, at least 4 (to get 32 gigabytes), and preferably 8. You should also immediately think about whether you are going to take a second video card, and, of course, look at the manufacturer. Here we find out that there are not so many offers on the market for PCs (not server ones) that fit our restrictions (at least there were few when this machine was assembled). Of course, ASUS comes to mind, and with an unlimited budget I would take it, but trying to fit into the framework, we take ASRock, the younger brother of a big company.
Of course, having such a fast calculator, it is strange to rest on the speed of the hard drive, which means we need an SSD. They are, of course, more expensive, but it turns out that few tasks require terabytes of data in constant access. So, you can take 512 GB, and keep datasets that you don’t want to delete yet, along with a collection of home movies, on a separate classic terabyte disk. Or more. How much is needed and what the budget will allow.
Additional items
Having collected the main components, we figure out what can give the farm power. Then think about development and, for example, about the second video card (it's better to take it with a margin). And, of course, it is necessary to decide who will cool this power. Threadrippers are heating up like March 8 flower prices, so a powerful cooling system is needed. Formally, a strong air and water one will do, but I advise you to take a water one: it is comparable in price to a strong air one, but there will not be a constant feeling that you live on a runway. Plus, lately the number of manufacturers offering sane coolers specifically for Threadripper has grown - there is plenty to choose from.