[HN Gopher] Time to upgrade my laptop - need advice please
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       Time to upgrade my laptop - need advice please
        
       Looking for a high-performance PC (non-Mac) for data-heavy
       workloads -- suggestions?  It's time to upgrade. I'm looking for a
       Windows/Linux-compatible machine (no Mac) that can handle:  Large
       spreadsheet workloads (think multi-GB Excel/CSV files)  4K+ video
       editing and exports  Possibly some ML experimentation later on  I
       was considering a high-end gaming PC for the GPU + RAM benefits,
       but not sure if that's the best tradeoff for thermals, noise, and
       form factor. Open to desktop or laptop, though portability is a
       plus.  What builds or machines would you recommend in 2025 for
       blazing speed + stability?
        
       Author : zyruh
       Score  : 6 points
       Date   : 2025-08-03 21:05 UTC (1 hours ago)
        
       | bigyabai wrote:
       | Wait for Q1 2026 and Nvidia will have probably announced their
       | laptop product. Otherwise your best shot is a beefy Ryzen laptop.
        
         | chrsw wrote:
         | A laptop product for ML and not for graphics?
        
           | bigyabai wrote:
           | Unless it uses an entirely bespoke GPU architecture,
           | presumably it will support both.
        
             | zyruh wrote:
             | Thank you!
        
           | wtallis wrote:
           | They're (over)due to start shipping miniPCs aimed at being
           | AI/ML workstations, using a SoC that's a collaboration
           | between Mediatek and NVIDIA, with 128GB of DRAM. They have
           | not yet announced intentions to put those chips in laptops
           | and run Windows on them, but the writing has been on the wall
           | all year. It would be entirely unsurprising to see
           | NVIDIA(+Mediatek) overtake Qualcomm for ARM Windows PC sales
           | next year. But it's too soon to start making purchase plans
           | around that.
        
             | zyruh wrote:
             | Thank you!
        
         | zyruh wrote:
         | I've been looking at Ryzen - thx for the tip!
        
       | benoau wrote:
       | There's really only two choices in terms of laptop: a built in
       | discrete GPU aka a gaming laptop, or one with the ability to add
       | an external GPU through Thunderbolt or OCuLink.
       | 
       | Pretty much any desktop is going to outperform a laptop,
       | especially the GPU.
        
         | zyruh wrote:
         | Super helpful - thank you!
        
       | chrsw wrote:
       | A gaming PC is probably your best bet. PC workstations for ML are
       | extremely expensive.
        
         | zyruh wrote:
         | Thank you!
        
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       (page generated 2025-08-03 23:01 UTC)