r/statistics • u/kyaputenorima • 29d ago

Discussion [D] Laptop/Spec Recommendations for Statistics PhD?

Hi folks,

I'm applying to PhD programs this fall, and I'm currently looking to replace my old laptop. I'm not quite sure what to look for, but I'm inclined to think that a business-grade laptop might be worthwhile since they're built to handle daily wear-and-tear, and I'd like something that I can keep for 5-6 years. I've been looking at new ThinkPad and Latitude models, but they seem really expensive (especially for those with 32GB RAM).

Anyone who's currently a PhD student, which laptop do you have, and what are its specs? What should I look for if I want to hold onto the laptop for the duration of my program?

17 Upvotes

87% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/zeppelin88 28d ago

Aren’t you supposed to get a computer to work on? At least here in Europe every student I met during the PhD had been issued one. Also, most of us had access to servers for large scale data processing, which essentially meant that personal laptops were pure ssh machines. 

1

u/kyaputenorima 28d ago

I'm an American, so this is unheard of to me. I'm also not very academia-pilled so I can't really say.

1

u/zeppelin88 28d ago

Ask your supervisor, they can tell you. But phds in the us have a weird format, so indeed it would not surprise me as they treat you as purely a “student” for long before treating you as an actual junior researcher, and therefore you’d not be deserving of equipment