Do I need a discrete GPU?

[Superpan]

Hello,
I will be buying a laptop mainly for academic use as a master student in Applied Mathematics. I will be using programs such as, Python, Rstudio, SQLite, Matlab, Wolfram Mathematica, Octave and other similar ones. I was looking at either i7 11800h or r7 5800h setups based on my budget. I will not probably have enough time to game but if I had I wouldn't play anything requiring a discrete GPU.
My question is: Can I get by with a laptop without a discrete graphics card? While the laptops with those CPUs who do not have a discrete GPU aren't much cheaper than the ones who do, I would certainly be happy for having more than 1 hour of battery life. Battery life is not one of my main concerns, but if I don't need a discrete GPU i would rather not have it and have the extra few hours of battery life.

 

[geofelt]

Can any of your apps benefit from a discrete gpu?
Some apps might be able to use the CUDA cores of a Nvidia gpu.
Otherwise, there really is no need for a discrete gpu chip.
A laptop balanced profile will switch from a discrete gpu to the more energy efficient integrated graphics when you are running on battery.

From a processor performance point of view, both processors are comparable.
I would look for reviews on your candidates in notebookcheck.

Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations

Notebookcheck provides in depth reviews, technical articles like benchmark comparisons, and news on laptops / notebooks, smartphones, tablets and tech innovations.

www.notebookcheck.net

There are other things like monitor and keyboard quality that may be important to you.

 

[Secret-Squirrel]

....................................but if I don't need a discrete GPU i would rather not have it and have the extra few hours of battery life.

In your case, the i7's iGPU will be doing virtually all the work and the dGPU will just sit there most of the time doing nothing and consuming little to no power.

 

[Superpan]

Can any of your apps benefit from a discrete gpu?
Some apps might be able to use the CUDA cores of a Nvidia gpu.
Otherwise, there really is no need for a discrete gpu chip.
A laptop balanced profile will switch from a discrete gpu to the more energy efficient integrated graphics when you are running on battery.

From a processor performance point of view, both processors are comparable.
I would look for reviews on your candidates in notebookcheck.

Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations

Notebookcheck provides in depth reviews, technical articles like benchmark comparisons, and news on laptops / notebooks, smartphones, tablets and tech innovations.

www.notebookcheck.net

There are other things like monitor and keyboard quality that may be important to you.

Problem is I don't know whether these programs are GPU reliant, or if they benefit from that.
Also, I know from reviews that gaming laptops have about 2 hours of battery lifespan when idling or simply surfing. Are you saying that it's a matter of settings and that these people could do significantly more hourse of battery life?

 

[egda23]

None of the programs you listed in your first post are GPU reliant.
You need a strong CPU, as much RAM as you can afford, and a PC with a long battery life.
Take a SSD of at least 500 GB.
And by the way, which OS, Linux or Windows ? That could be important for choosing a PC that works well under Linux ( if this is the OS)

 

[geofelt]

Normal windows balanced power management will change when on battery.
CPU performance will be lowered and the integrated graphics will be used.
Max performance is probably not the option what you want.
Today's units can go perhaps 10 hours for normal web browsing and such.

When gaming plugged in,the problem comes from hot components which the puny laptop coolers struggle with.

Your best performer will be a current gen processor without an overly strong graphics chip.