[SOLVED] Resources needed to learn and work on data science

yusuf_xd

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Hi there i want to learn data science online either on coursera or edx where i will've to finish a capstone project at the end of the course. But my laptop died on me. I am confused about whether i should buy a laptop or a desktop and of what configuration.. i have a very limited budget of 30000 BDT or 400 USD. i was told by some guys that i should get a quad core cpu to work on Data Science. What will be the best configuration of a desktop or laptop for me to learn data science and building a portfolio on my learning. I will've to be able to work on small data projects to earn to upgrade my system later. I found some shops who sell some project used (officialy) laptops exported from abroad. They are affordable but of very older generations. Can i go with an i5 4th or i7 2nd/3rd generation laptop with 4/8 gb ddr3 ram & 500gb hdd without any dedicated gpu on it?? can i get an i3 8th generation 8100/8300 quad core desktop (including main board, 8gb ddr4 ram, monitor& everything else) within this budget?? Which path should i choose?? Or it would be better if i go for an amd quadcore desktop with amd a8 7670 cpu?? Any reply is highly appreciated
 
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Having a laptop is extremely helpful for being able to work on your projects anywhere you are, but if you are fine with using a desktop, I would choose the desktop.
1. The desktop can be upgraded more easily with an even better CPU, RAM, storage, graphics card, etc. in the future.
2. The i3-8100 has better single-core performance, meaning that it will run most programs (including the ones you make) more quickly.
3. The i3-8100 also has better multi-core performance, which means it will compile code...

jtabb1256

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Hey. With that budget, you should look at getting a used / refurbished laptop or desktop. Older hardware that was more high-end will be more powerful than newer hardware that is very low-end with a $400 budget.

I found a company that recently upgraded all of its desktops from old (~2005) Dell desktops. They gave me one for free.
Try looking around schools or offices that have unused computers sitting around collecting dust. You can sometimes find an old monitor, keyboard, etc. to go with it for free, too.

Do you have access to university computers? I am able to run code on the school computers from my laptop, so my laptop doesn't have to be that powerful.
 

yusuf_xd

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No i don't have access to any other computer. Which one should be better : an i7 3632qm laptop(old) or an i3 8100 desktop(new)?? And i want to know one more thing, do i actually need a quad core cpu for working on data analysis??
 

nobspls

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You do not need a fancy machine to learn, study, or work on data science. The university should be providing all the resources anyways for the cranking through large data sets. If the data sets are truly large, no $400 machine will be adequate for handling that kind of load, you will need cloud compute or computer clusters to deal with the stuff. If it is just simple introductory and basic statistics, any old machine that can run MS excel to Matlab will do.
 

jtabb1256

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Having a laptop is extremely helpful for being able to work on your projects anywhere you are, but if you are fine with using a desktop, I would choose the desktop.
1. The desktop can be upgraded more easily with an even better CPU, RAM, storage, graphics card, etc. in the future.
2. The i3-8100 has better single-core performance, meaning that it will run most programs (including the ones you make) more quickly.
3. The i3-8100 also has better multi-core performance, which means it will compile code faster.
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-3632QM-vs-Intel-Core-i3-8100/m36vs3942

I would say you should have a quad core CPU for most things nowadays, but you have an extreme budget, so I would look at a system that has most things you need, not just the CPU. You need 8 GB of RAM, for example.

I just upgraded my laptop from one that had an i5-3210m.
That i5 had 2 cores and 4 threads and served me well for many years of school and learning programming / software development.

The small data science projects are not going to be too stressful on your system when you are first learning.
When you start doing it for real with huge datasets, then you will need to rent cloud computing, remotely access a small supercomputer, or build a really expensive desktop for yourself. Hopefully by then, your company will be the one paying for that.

In conclusion, for your situation right now, I'd recommend one of the following.
1. Try to find a free, old computer at schools / offices / junkyards.
2. Buy that desktop with the i3-8100 if it's <$400 (seems like an okay deal to me).
3. Buy a refurbished laptop or desktop.
Example of refurbished laptop that would serve you well for <$400: https://www.dellrefurbished.com/laptops/dell-latitude-e6440-176205.html
The first upgrade I would do to that laptop is buy a 500 GB SSD for it, but you could wait a while before doing that.

 
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yusuf_xd

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Thanks a lot. Do i need 2 pay for using cloud computer on Amazon AWS?? I already told that i am learning data science on coursera which is the basic & i will be then heading for an advanced specialization on data analytics & machine learning on edx. I'm provided financial aid for both the programs. And i don't have a visa/MasterCard to pay on amazon web servers. Can i still use a strong computer on Amazon cloud or is there other free way??

One more condition to apply for buying the right machine is that i won't need to work on the go because i hardly go out as i'm having a study break in my graduation due to financial problems and kept myself isolated since then..
i3 desktop i can buy will provide me 8gb ddr4 2400mhz ram, a very low end mobo(is mobo a large factor in my case??), 500 gb hdd, a 17" dell monitor, the very entry level ups & casing without any graphics card or cooling option. The price tag is around 430 USD.
On the other hand i have options 2 buy 15.6" used laptop with an i7 2670qm cpu, 4gb ddr3 ram, 500 gb hdd & 1gb Nvidia graphics card @$270
Or a 14" almost fresh sony vaio laptop with an i7 3632 qm, 4 gb ddr3 ram, 500 gb hdd, Nvidia 1gb @$300
Or some used laptops with 4 gb ddr3 ram, 500 gb hdd with i7 3610qm/3720qm/3820qm/3920qm @$260
Or some used laptops with i5 4th generation cpu having 8 gb ddr3 ram & 500 gb hdd @$320
From these options whoch one u think is the best for me..
 

yusuf_xd

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One thing to remind you that i will have to build a portfolio on data project with this system i am gonna buy. And also i will have to work on small projects online with this PC to earn cash for upgrading my system..
 

jtabb1256

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I would get the desktop with the 8GB RAM, etc.

You say you are receiving financial aid. If that aid is coming from a university, they should let you access their computers remotely.
It's possible (and common) at my university to SSH into a school computer and run our code on that through the terminal.
 

yusuf_xd

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What will be the appropriate mobo for i3 8100 with 8gb ram & no gpu for now but with the upgrade option of a better cpu with 16gb ram & a gpu in the future?? I also need the cheapest and i am in Bangladesh so not all the products are available here... Need your assistance