Bioinformatics is the biological study of nature with the help of mathematical techniques and data. In this field of study, biological data is collected and analyzed using mathematical functions and tools.
During your course work, you may need to plot complex graphs that require high computing power. So, you need a laptop that can handle such a high-end task without any delays and stutters. Thus, such a laptop must have high-end specs.
Therefore, considering the demands of this job, we looked for the best laptops that can do this job easily. For smooth processing, the notebook must be equipped with flagship processors and ultrafast storage devices.
Under this scenario, the device should be capable of operating for a long time. Hence, long-lasting battery. In addition, the system should have seamless connectivity options. This means having all the modern ports on the laptop.
We have shortlisted the Top 7 best laptops, with advantages and disadvantages, that will suit your needs. These are given as follows:
Table of Contents
Top 7 Best Laptops for Bioinformatics
- Dell XPS 15.
- Apple MacBook Pro 2020.
- HP EliteBook 850 G7.
- Acer Aspire 7.
- Lenovo ThinkPad E15.
- ASUS VivoBook 15.
- Toshiba DynaBook Tecra A50-J.
| Clear Winner | Dell XPS 15 |
| Best Performance | Dell XPS 15 |
| Best Display | Dell XPS 15 |
| Best Battery life. | Apple MacBook Pro |
| Best Processor | Toshiba DynaBook Tecra A50-J |
| Best Budget | Acer Aspire 7 |
1. Dell XPS 15 – Best Laptop for Bioinformatics
Design and Display:
The Dell XPS 15 has a clean and attractive design. It is a small notepad that is handy to carry around. It also includes an edge-to-edge, bezel-less display. Also, the highly polished metallic body of the laptop gives it a high-end appearance.
Dell XPS 15 has a 15.6 inches, 4K display screen protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Also, the screen is anti-glare, so that it can work at all angles. Moreover, the display is supported by DisplayHDR and Dolby Vision which helps in producing sharp and vibrant colors.
Performance:
On the performance side, the device is equipped with a highly efficient 10th generation processor. This notebook has Intel Core i7-10750H integrated into the motherboard. In short, it has a base clock speed of 2.6 GHz which can go up to a max of 5.0 GHz with Turbo Boost.
The laptop also has a built-in Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti 4 GB GDDR6 graphics card. So, you will not face any problems in graphics rendering or processing.
Storage:
The Dell XPS includes 16 GB DDR4 RAM, which will aid you in multitasking efficiently. So, if you plan to run multiple heavy software, it will not be a problem for you.
Also, it has a 512 GB SSD for installing your software and storing the data. The SSD is capable of high-speed data transfers, which decreases the booting and app opening time. Hence, increasing productivity.
Connectivity:
Dell XPS 15 has all modern ports for seamless connection across different devices. It comes with a 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x SD-Card slot, 2x USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 1x USB-C 3.1 port.
The USB-C ports can be used either as a power delivery or DisplayPorts. Although, it does not have dedicated ports for HDMI or USB-A connections. But the Type-C to USB-A or HDMI adapter comes in the box which overcomes the problem.
Battery Life:
The Dell XPS 15 has a very impressive battery. Several tests have shown that after one full charge, the laptop lasts for almost 7 hours. Hence, you can spend a day with this laptop easily on a single charge.
It also has a very good charging time. The battery charges fully in just 3 hours when it is off. The battery is designed using lithium-ion technology which gives us long battery life.
Pros:
- Excellent performance.
- Long-lasting battery.
- High-speed storage devices.
- Glamorous display.
Cons:
- Expensive.
2. Apple MacBook Pro 2020
Apple MacBook Pro 2020 is also a very good option for Bioinformatics and for those who are Apple enthusiasts. Apple MacBook Air is also an option but it has lighter specs. So, below are a detailed review of the MacBook Pro.
Design and Display:
MacBook Pro has a very simple and clean design. It is also a very lightweight notebook, although not as light as the Apple MacBook Air. Its silver-colored and polished frame gives it a very premium look. It also has a touch bar along with a perfect keyboard and mouse pad.
It has 13.3 inches, retina display which has a peak brightness of 500 nits. Also, the colors produced on this are very vibrant and of high quality.
Performance:
The MacBook Pro comes with a 5 nanometer-based M1 chip, which is also the first chip produced by Apple for their Macs. It gives us superb performance in all terms. Apple claimed that it is the best-performing chip ever installed on a laptop.
The M1 chip has an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16-core Neural engine for machine learning algorithms. So, this laptop is capable of handling highly intensive games and applications. Also, it has a cooling system that prevents it from overheating and sustains performance.
Storage:
There are lots of storage options available but the base variant starts with 256 GB SSD and 8 GB unified RAM. As the laptop is equipped with high-speed Solid State Drive, so you don’t need to worry about app opening time.
Although the RAM used in it is of superior quality. But the 8 GB variant may not be enough for smooth multitasking.
Connectivity:
The Apple MacBook Pro has only three ports. One is a 3.5mm headphone jack and the other two are USB Type-C ports. However, the USB-C ports can be used as either data or power transfers. You can also connect an external display of up to 6k resolution with it.
The laptop also has WiFi 6 support. So, you can have a network speed of up to 1.2 Gbps.
Battery Life:
Apple has marketed this laptop with up to 20 hours of battery life. But under testing, it gives a battery life of almost 10 hours on regular use, which is still a good result. In short, a single full charge will be enough for one day’s use.
The 61-watt power adapter and USB-C cable for charging come in the box.
Pros:
- Performance beast.
- High speed SSD.
- Exceptional Battery life.
- Cooling system.
Cons:
- Pricey.
- Less number of ports.
- Large Bezels.
3. HP EliteBook 850 G7
Design and Display:
HP EliteBook Aero G7 is also an incredible device with a stylish and clean look. The weight distribution is uniform and it feels very lightweight. Its keyboard is also very comfortable for typing. The mousepad is very smooth.
It has an 85% screen-to-body ratio. The laptop comes with 15.6 inches, FHD+ (1980 x 1080 pixels) IPS display which is also anti-glare. The bezels are also thin which improves the viewing experience.
Performance:
HP 850 G7 is equipped with a high-end 10th generation core i5 processor. More precisely, it has an integrated Intel Core i5-10310U processor. It has a base clock speed of 1.6 GHz which can be overclocked up to 4.2 GHz.
It also has an integrated Intel UHD Graphic card which allows lag-free image and video processing. So, whether you are planning to run heavy software or play high-end games, you will not face any problem with this notebook.
Storage:
It comes with an 8 GB DDR4 RAM and 256 GB SSD. The 8 GB RAM is enough for day-to-day use. But in the case of bioinformatics, you may need to open several apps at the same time. So, 8 GB is not sufficient in this scenario.
But the good news is that you can upgrade this later on, as there is an extra slot available. Also, the SSD used in this laptop is of premium quality. Hence, you will enjoy the fast app opening and booting time.
Connectivity:
The laptop has plenty of ports available for regular use. It has 2x Thunderbolt 3 ports, 2x USB 3.1, 1x HDMI, 1x headphone jack, and a charging port. It also has a slot for a nano sim card.
The HP 850 also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 to offer you high-speed wireless data and network transfer.
Battery Life:
The laptop is packed with an almost 4500 mAh, lithium-ion battery. On testing, it gives us almost 10 hours of battery backup on a single full charge. Therefore, it can provide you with a one-day battery backup easily. The 65-watt power adapter also comes in the box.
Pros:
- Good performance.
- Long battery backup.
- Adequate connection ports.
Cons:
- Struggles in multitasking.
4. Acer Aspire 7
Design and Display:
Acer Aspire 7 has a very sleek and slim design. Its body is made up of polycarbonate and has a matte finish. It also has a large mousepad and backlight keyboard along with Numpad.
Acer Aspire 7 has 15.6 inches, FHD + IPS display. The bezels look very prominent and it has a screen to body ratio of 81%. The panel used in it has low quality. So, the colors produced on this panel don’t feel vivid or appealing.
Performance:
Acer Aspire 7 is powered by a high-end AMD processor. It comes with AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor. The base clock speed of this processor is 1.8 GHz and can go up to 4.3 GHz.
This laptop has also a dedicated Nvidia RTX 1650 graphic card with 4 GB of dedicated GDDR6 VRAM. So, on the performance side, this laptop can easily handle high-end data processing.
Storage:
Acer Aspire 7 has different storage options. The variant discussed here has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM along with 512 GB of fast SSD. The Acer laptops generally support storage expansion and have extra slots available.
Hence, this laptop also has a slot for attaching an extra SATA hard drive.
Connectivity:
There are extensive connection options available in Acer laptops. This particular model has 1x USB Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack and 1x HDMI ports.
The laptop also has support for Wifi 6 which increases the network speed up to 3x times.
Battery Life:
It has a 4400 mAh, lithium-ion battery which is packed inside the case of the laptop. The testing has shown on normal usage, the device can give the battery backup of almost 8 hours which is lesser than most of the new laptops in the market.
The 65-watt power adapter also comes in the box for recharging the laptop.
Pros:
- Affordable.
- Vast connectivity options.
- Supports storage expansion.
- Very good Performance.
Cons:
- Washed out colors.
- Little bit heavier.
- Average battery life.
5. Lenovo ThinkPad E15
Design and Display:
The ThinkPad E15 has a very simple and sleek design and has a boxy look. It has a very comfortable full keyboard and a smooth mouse pad. It also features a fingerprint sensor for secure log-in.
The E15 has a 15.6 inches, FHD+ IPS screen which provides a good image at every angle.
Performance:
On the performance side, it offers excellent performance thanks to the 10th generation Intel core i7 processor. The processor has a base speed of 1.8 GHz and can go up to 4.9 GHz during overclocking.
It is also equipped with an integrated Intel 620 UHD graphics card which is ok to handle regular image processing.
Storage:
This device comes with 16 GB DDR4 RAM and a 512 GB fast SSD. The RAM is soldered in this laptop. So, you can not upgrade RAM. However, 16 GB RAM is enough for extreme multitasking.
Also, by using high-quality SSD, system boot-up and app opening time have become very fast.
Connectivity:
Lenovo ThinkPad 15 has many connectivity options. It has three USB A ports, one USB C, one HDMI, one 3.5mm headphone jack, and one RJ45 connector. It also has an SD card slot available.
The laptop also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 for high-speed wireless connections.
Battery Life:
The laptop has a battery capacity of almost 4000 mAh. The 4-cell lithium-ion battery is non-removable and packed in the metallic body of the laptop. On average, this battery gives the battery backup of almost 6-7 hours, which is okay.
Pros:
- Excellent performance.
- Affordable.
- Adequate RAM.
- Good display.
Cons:
- Mediocre GPU.
- Average battery life.
- Unattractive design.
6. ASUS Vivobook 15
Design and Display:
ASUS Vivobook 15 is a very thin and lightweight laptop. The aesthetics of this notebook are very cool. The keys of the keyboard are also very comfortable and perfectly placed. Moreover, it also features a smooth mousepad along with a fingerprint scanner.
VivoBook 15 has 15.6 inches, FHD+, IPS display. In addition, the thin bezels make it a very attractive laptop. It has a screen body ratio of 85%. But its peak brightness can go up to only 220 nits which is very low as compared to other laptops at this price category.
Performance:
Asus Vivobook is powered by a high-performance AMD processor. It is packed with AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. The processor has a base clock speed of 1.8 GHz and can go up to a max of 4.3 GHz during overclocking.
This laptop is also equipped with an AMD Radeon graphics card for smooth image rendering. The GPU version is AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 which is a mid-range graphic chip. It can easily manage image processing without any type of stutters.
Storage:
This particular notebook comes with 8 GB DDR4 RAM and a 1 TB SSD. The 8 GB RAM is not enough for smooth bioinformatics processing. But you can upgrade this later on by investing some bucks.
Moreover, the 1 TB SSD is more than enough for installing heavy software or storing large files. The windows boot up and app opening time will also be reduced due to Solid State Drive.
Connectivity:
It has almost all modern ports for connecting your devices. It has 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI and 1x headphone jack.
For a wireless connection, this notebook has support for modern technologies. It has Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5 for a fast and reliable connection between wireless devices.
Battery Life:
As it is a mid-range laptop, so it does not have an extraordinary battery. Its battery lasts for 5-6 hours after one full charge. So, if you are planning to spend a whole day with it, then you may need to charge it twice.
Pros:
- High Performance AMD processors.
- Extensive Connectivity.
- Large storage.
- Cheaper.
Cons:
- Low brightness.
- Less battery life than other competitors.
- Low battery.
7. Toshiba Dynabook Tecra A50-J
Design and Display:
Toshiba A50-J has a simple design and is a bulky machine. It is a heavy device and seems like a workstation. It has a full backlight keyboard along with a medium-sized mousepad.
This laptop has 15.6 inches, HD (720 pixels), IPS panel. The bezels on the screen are also very prominent. Moreover, the picture quality is not so good due to the 1366×720 pixels screen.
Performance:
This machine is equipped with a powerful chipset. It contains an 11th generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor which can go up to a max of 4.7 GHz without any problem. Hence, it is an extreme performance device.
The device also features an Intel Iris Xe graphics card which helps in producing good image results. On the performance side, this device is ultimately a beast.
Storage:
It has many storage options available. You can pick the one according to your need. But, in my opinion, for managing heavy tasks of the Bioinformatics, the laptop must have 16 GB DDR4 RAM and at least 512 GB SSD.
In such a configuration, you can easily do multitasking, install heavy software and store large data in no time.
Connectivity:
Toshiba laptops generally offer greater connectivity options. Similarly, in this notebook, there are 3x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA Port, 1x RJ45 connector, and a headphone jack.
This particular laptop also has DVD-Reader and SD-CARD slot available. It also features Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5 for fast and reliable wireless connections.
Battery Life:
The Toshiba Tecra A50-J has a very impressive battery time. It is one of the laptops that gives more than 10 hours of battery life on a single full charge. This exceptional battery time is due to the low power 720p panel and highly efficient 11th generation processor.
Pros:
- Budget Friendly.
- Long battery life.
- Superb performance.
- Sufficient storage.
Cons:
- Low quality display.
- Bulky.
FAQs
How much RAM do you need for bioinformatics?
In Bioinformatics, there is complex and large data processing involved. Also, you may need to open several apps at the same time. So, in this scenario, your computer must have at least 16 GB of RAM for non-stop multitasking.
Which laptop is best for high end programming?
The laptops that are best for high-end programming should have high-end processors and storage devices. So that you can run any app or software without any lag or stutters. Some of these are as follows:
- Dell XPS 15.
- Apple MacBook Pro 2020.
- Hp EliteBook 850 G7.
- Acer Aspire 7.
Best Laptops for Scientists:
Scientists need computers that are extremely fast and have high computational power. In this regard, some of the top-notch laptops are listed below:
- Apple Macbook pro.
- Asus ZenBook 15.
- Acer Predator Helios 300.
- Acer Nitro 5.
- Lenovo IdeaPad L340.
Conclusion
In this article, we have reviewed the top 7 best laptops for bioinformatics in detail. We have discussed the pros and cons of each laptop. Hope this whole research will be very helpful to you in selecting the best laptop which ultimately fits your needs.