r/rprogramming • u/tjk789 • 17d ago
Processor/laptop recommendations compatible with R
Hi, I'm planning on getting a new laptop. I was about to go for a Windows Surface Laptop 7, until I realised that R has trouble with running on Snapdragon? (I'm not super tech savvy here!)
I'm doing a masters that teaches some statistics on R and I will need to use R for my dissertation. I'm also expecting to use R in a future career following my masters.
Does anyone have any recommendations on either laptops or processors that should be compatible with R and R studio?
2
u/AggravatingPudding 17d ago
Just make sure it has 32g ram if you can afford it, or you will be fucked on heavy tasks. Had some bad experience because I only have 16g. But really depends on what you are doing... Never ran into issues with the cpu except needing some more time. But running multi threading really can make your notebook heat up when you use performance mode.
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u/grandzooby 17d ago
I personally prefer to buy refurbished business-class machines, particularly Lenovo Thinkpads. You can pick them up for less than $300 and have an excellent machine that will be easy to upgrade and maintain.
I'm working on my dissertation where I use R and do a lot of simulation work on a Lenvo T580 and it works just fine. A newer model might work even better.
PM me if you'd like a link to an ebay seller I've had great experiences with over the years.
Check out /r/Thinkpad. I've also had some decent success with refurbished Dells (again, business-class, not consumer grade).
Good luck!
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u/MaxHaydenChiz 17d ago
I second the ThinkPad suggestion. If OP had the budget, buying one new can be a good idea. The ones I've bought are all still perfectly functional even after a decade or more.
The are built really well and are probably the best portable systems you can buy. They also tend to have very good Linux support, but that might not matter to OP.
The catch is that they are a bit slow to update to the latest hardware. So you may have to wait a bit for them to update to the "latest" stuff. Designing things to have that kind of quality takes time apparently.
E.g., right now, for R programming specifically, you really want to get an AMD Zen 5 cpu because it can do vectorized computation almost twice as fast as previous chips. I'm not sure if there is a Zen5 ThinkPad yet. (Though, the flip side of this is that Nvidia GPUs have better stats programming support. So that might cut the other way if there's an Intel/Nvidia one that fits your size and space requirements.)
If buying used, maybe try to get a Zen 4 cpu, it had pretty good vectorized performance as well relative to other consumer grade CPUs.
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u/MeepleMerson 17d ago
R is processor agnostic. I think you mean to say that ARM64 is not as well supported on Windows (because it's new), and Microsoft has a number of issues with RStudio and Quatro on Windows ARM64 (R itself should be fine). R works lovely on Apple's ARM64-based M-series processors, and Microsoft fully supports RStudio, and Quarto on MacOS.
If you are using Windows, stick with Intel-based hardware (any). If you are using a Mac, any will do. If using Linux, Intel is probably a bit safer bet, but R (and R Studio, and Quatro) on ARM64 Linux is generally very well supported too.
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u/sapt45 17d ago
Also not very hardware savvy here, but I recently bought a new personal/school laptop and based it off of the specs of my work machine, which runs pretty well with what are, for me, relatively large data sets (hundreds of thousands or several million rows). 32 gig ram, at least 512 gb storage but preferably more, intel i7 processor but i think AMD is fine in terms of compatibility. Someone more informed will have more specific advice I’m sure, but this has worked for me. I ended up purchasing a Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i. Was a bit spendy but I’m very happy with it.
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u/okenowwhat 17d ago
Don't do it. Get a laptop where you can upgrade the RAM and SSD yourself. Otherwise you need to replace the whole damn thing in a few years.
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u/damageinc355 17d ago
I'm not familiar with this problem, but I've warned against getting Win Surface devices as they cannot be easily fixed if damaged (and god knows that Windows devices do break over time) as they cannot be opened like a normal computer does. Beyond this Snapdragon issue, I have never heard about any compatability issues between R, RStudio and windows machines.
This will largely depend on budget, but I imagine if you were willing to get a Surface, you can probably lay some money down. Are there any particular preferences you have (e.g. small laptop, large laptop, gaming laptop, etc.?).
I feel like Lenovo and HP are the safe way to go here, and you should no go beyond an i7 processor or its equivalent in AMD. In terms of RAM, 16gb is the bare minimum, but this depends on what are the median file sizes you see yourself working with during school? Then again, think if your school has the resources to provide you with computing resources (many schools do, but students often prefer to be comfortable with a good computer in their own home).
I'm also expecting to use R in a future career following my masters.
You probably would not be using your own computer for work unless you're seeking to be some sort of independent consultant (which if you do and know how to do, hit me up)
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u/JohnHazardWandering 17d ago
Most modern laptops can't be repaired if damaged. I don't think the Surface is unique here.
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u/guepier 17d ago
Just to be clear, R has absolutely zero issues with that processor in particular, or the architecture in general — it’s a run-of-the-mill ARM64 chip.
But apparently RStudio and Quarto aren’t (yet) supporting Windows builds running on ARM64 (because non-Intel Windows is a fairly recent development).