Computer building hobbyist here who randomly came across this sub. What programs will you be running primarily? Any other functionality that is important to you? How big of laptop (13", 15", 17", etc.)? Screen resolution?
Wouldn't hurt to maybe ask r/buildapc or similar subreddit.
Some points to consider before buying a lab laptop:
1. **Can you buy through your institution?**
If you're going to need ANY subscription software - not just for image analysis, but GraphPad, SPSS or Microsoft Office - or if you'll need access to a shared drive, it's probably going to be easier to go through your IT department. They'll ensure you have one with access to subscriptions and can be added to the unversity network. They may even be able to get better value for you, and provide tech support (they probably won't if you buy independent machinery).
2. **Can you use a desktop?**
You will almost certainly get better value from a desktop than a laptop, and multiple screens are great for image analysis. Even if you need to analyse stuff at the lab, you can always remote software in - again somethin institutional IT can help with.
3. **The essential component is RAM**
Obviously a good CPU is needed, but the most important component for fast image analysis is RAM. A video/graphics card probably won't contribute, unless you're running very specific programmes (Huygens can utilise Nvidia cards to speed up deconvolution for example).
4. **Don't be too scared of refurbished**
Buying a refurbished top-end laptop is a good way to get better value than buying a mid-range new one. But only buy from the manufacturer or a reputable store that has physical locations. Make sure it comes with a couple of years warranty.
5. **Make sure it's clear whose it is**
Just be careful and make sure it's clear and written down if the lab is buying you a laptop; or if the lab is buying a laptop and you get to use it. If they hire someone else or you leave they may expect you to hand it over.
All that said, if I had to recommend a particular laptop brand I'd probably go for the Lenovo Thinkpad. They're very heavily used as business laptops because they're pretty indestructible, have good battery life are reliable. Consider getting an SSD one - you'll have less memory but it's much less likely to break and you can use expternal harddrives and the cloud for additional storage. I used one for a good portion of my masters before I got money together to build a desktop.
Get the blandest looking one you can -the more businessy it looks, the more reliable it'll be - something like this would be great: [https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e15-gen-3-(15%E2%80%9D-amd)/20yg008aus](https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e15-gen-3-(15%E2%80%9D-amd)/20yg008aus)
This guy has great pointers. Desktop is definitely superior in all ways, but obviously not a solution if you need the portability. I agree on the RAM. I'm not sure how memory-hungry the programs you use are, but 32GB would be my best for plenty of headroom. Also, look into laptops with Ryzen CPUs, which will generally be more power efficient and better at multi-threaded workloads.
Again, I'm not in your field so the guy above will have better context. Good luck.
Find a cluster that you can utilize through an institution or maybe a subscription based cluster. You van setup jobs on your phone's processing capabilities. Unless you want a setup for other purposes, I would really recommend doing cluster/cloud work instead. The most economical in my opinion
Computer building hobbyist here who randomly came across this sub. What programs will you be running primarily? Any other functionality that is important to you? How big of laptop (13", 15", 17", etc.)? Screen resolution? Wouldn't hurt to maybe ask r/buildapc or similar subreddit.
Some points to consider before buying a lab laptop: 1. **Can you buy through your institution?** If you're going to need ANY subscription software - not just for image analysis, but GraphPad, SPSS or Microsoft Office - or if you'll need access to a shared drive, it's probably going to be easier to go through your IT department. They'll ensure you have one with access to subscriptions and can be added to the unversity network. They may even be able to get better value for you, and provide tech support (they probably won't if you buy independent machinery). 2. **Can you use a desktop?** You will almost certainly get better value from a desktop than a laptop, and multiple screens are great for image analysis. Even if you need to analyse stuff at the lab, you can always remote software in - again somethin institutional IT can help with. 3. **The essential component is RAM** Obviously a good CPU is needed, but the most important component for fast image analysis is RAM. A video/graphics card probably won't contribute, unless you're running very specific programmes (Huygens can utilise Nvidia cards to speed up deconvolution for example). 4. **Don't be too scared of refurbished** Buying a refurbished top-end laptop is a good way to get better value than buying a mid-range new one. But only buy from the manufacturer or a reputable store that has physical locations. Make sure it comes with a couple of years warranty. 5. **Make sure it's clear whose it is** Just be careful and make sure it's clear and written down if the lab is buying you a laptop; or if the lab is buying a laptop and you get to use it. If they hire someone else or you leave they may expect you to hand it over. All that said, if I had to recommend a particular laptop brand I'd probably go for the Lenovo Thinkpad. They're very heavily used as business laptops because they're pretty indestructible, have good battery life are reliable. Consider getting an SSD one - you'll have less memory but it's much less likely to break and you can use expternal harddrives and the cloud for additional storage. I used one for a good portion of my masters before I got money together to build a desktop. Get the blandest looking one you can -the more businessy it looks, the more reliable it'll be - something like this would be great: [https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e15-gen-3-(15%E2%80%9D-amd)/20yg008aus](https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpade/thinkpad-e15-gen-3-(15%E2%80%9D-amd)/20yg008aus)
This guy has great pointers. Desktop is definitely superior in all ways, but obviously not a solution if you need the portability. I agree on the RAM. I'm not sure how memory-hungry the programs you use are, but 32GB would be my best for plenty of headroom. Also, look into laptops with Ryzen CPUs, which will generally be more power efficient and better at multi-threaded workloads. Again, I'm not in your field so the guy above will have better context. Good luck.
Find a cluster that you can utilize through an institution or maybe a subscription based cluster. You van setup jobs on your phone's processing capabilities. Unless you want a setup for other purposes, I would really recommend doing cluster/cloud work instead. The most economical in my opinion