5 Best Laptops for Power BI in 2024
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From this article, you will know what are the best laptops for Power BI you can buy and use in 2024, according to us.
Combining Excel with Power BI is probably one of the most powerful things we can do to analyze, visualize, and model our data. Many companies and people do this every day to help them get much more meaningful interpretations from the data they have.
If we do that too, then having a capable laptop that can help us use Power BI optimally is essential to support our work process. We surely don’t want what we work on to have suboptimal results just because our laptop cannot run the program we want smoothly. Because of this reason, we might need to buy a laptop that has excellent specifications and models to run Power BI.
However, it can be difficult to pick the right laptop for Power BI from the many laptop choices we have in the market. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for Power BI to help you with your laptop purchase decision. These laptops have the right specifications to help you do your Power BI work without much problem.
Want to know what are those laptops and why we recommend them for Power BI? You can take a look at the table below for a quick viewing of those laptops or you can read more about them in the following parts of this article.
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| Image | View on Amazon | Product |
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon | |
 
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HP EliteBook 840 | |
 
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Dell XPS 15 | |
 
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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 | |
 
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LG Gram 17 |
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Table of Contents:
What are the Best Laptops for Power BI?
Now, let us see what are those laptops to run Power BI that we recommend. Using one of these laptops should ensure you have the laptop performance you need to get optimum results from your work on Power BI.1. Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon
Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon is the first laptop we think can be excellent to use for work that uses Power BI. As ever with a Thinkpad, this laptop has a high-quality work performance to run your data analysis, visualization, and modeling process.
The processor on this laptop is a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. It is a great processor that can run up to 5.2 GHz speed. It should be fast enough for Power BI, Excel, and other work applications you want to run.
The RAM capacity on this laptop is large with 32GB. As Power BI often consumes large memory, this 32GB RAM capacity can help to make your work more stable and smoother. When you need to work with external monitors, there are Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and HDMI ports ready to help you connect.
The keyboard of a ThinkPad laptop is one of the best around so you should feel comfortable typing on it when you need to input something to Power BI. Overall, this Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a great laptop and can be an ideal choice for your Power BI laptop.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 14 cores and speed in the range of 1.9-5.2 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life: up to 13 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Power BI
- Solid build
- Sleek and lightweight
- USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports
- Friendly-to-the-eye display
- Stretchable hinge (up to 180 degrees)
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
2. HP EliteBook 840
HP EliteBook 840 is the next laptop you should be able to use for a good Power BI work experience too. It is a splendid laptop from HP that should be able to give you the performance level you need to run Power BI without much problem.
To run its operations, this laptop uses a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. It should run Power BI fast as it has a maximum speed of up to 4.8 GHz. The RAM capacity is 32GB (you can upgrade it to 64GB later if you want) so you shouldn’t have to worry too much about lacking available memory space for your Power BI work.
This laptop has USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports so you shouldn’t worry when you need to connect to external devices to enhance your work productivity. When you need to work online, there is Wi-Fi 6E technology ready to help you get optimum connection speed from your Wi-Fi network.
When you need to use its battery, this laptop should be able to last a full day so you can stay productive anywhere and anytime you want. All in all, this HP EliteBook 840 can be a nice laptop choice if you want to work on Power BI smoothly.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 14 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.8-4.8 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life: up to 13 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Power BI
- Sleek and lightweight
- USB-A, Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, and HDMI ports
- Good friendly-to-the-eye display
- Excellent webcam
Cons
- No SD card reader slots
3. Dell XPS 15
Dell XPS 15 is a Dell laptop that you might want to consider to run Power BI for you. Thanks to its specification quality, this laptop should perform well to help you work optimally in Power BI.
This laptop has a premium build and professional-looking design. Using it in any professional setting shouldn’t worry you because of that. To help you transfer data fast and use external displays during your Power BI work process, there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports on this laptop ready for you to use.
In terms of the performance itself, this laptop should be more than capable of running Power BI smoothly. That is because it has a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with up to 4.7 GHz in speed and 32GB RAM. They should help you to get your intended results from the Power BI program you run with this laptop.
There is a good battery life in this laptop as well so you should be able to work more flexibly with it. Overall, this Dell XPS 15 seems to be a good laptop choice to run PowerBI for you.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15.6 inches, 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 14 cores and speed in the range of 2.3-4.7 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life: up to 9 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Power BI
- Premium build
- Professional-looking design
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Great speakers
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No USB-A and HDMI ports
- Average webcam quality
4. Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is another laptop we recommend on this list. If you want a stylish laptop that can manage your work in Power BI capably, this laptop can be just what you need to buy and use.
This laptop is sleek and lightweight so it should be easy for you to bring it around. As for the RAM capacity and processor, it has 32GB RAM and a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. With these specifications in place, you should do your work in Power BI smoothly.
This laptop’s battery is also excellent as it can last a full day and more on a single charge to make you not too dependent on a power outlet. As for the storage, it has 1TB SSD storage space. It should be enough to help you store all the files you need for your work internally.
Looking for a fast and professional-looking laptop to help you run Power BI? This Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 can be a good choice for you.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 15 inches, 2256 x 1504 pixels
- Processor: 12th Gen Intel Core i7 with 10 cores and speed in the range of 1.7-4.7 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life: up to 18 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Power BI
- Sleek and lightweight
- Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and USB-A ports
- Good battery life
- Good display and sound quality
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- No HDMI ports and SD card reader slots
- Average webcam quality
5. LG Gram 17
LG Gram 17 is the next laptop we had in mind when it comes to being one of the best laptops for Power BI. It is an excellent laptop from LG that has many plus points in terms of its performance.
The RAM of this laptop is 32GB, which we think is the optimum RAM capacity if you are serious about running Power BI on your laptop. The processor is a 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with speeds up to 5 GHz. Working on Power BI on this laptop should be a smooth experience with these two specifications that support it.
There are also ports for USB-C and HDMI when you need to connect to external monitors for better viewing of your data and its visualization/modeling in Excel or Power BI. The USB-C ports themselves are Thunderbolt 4 so you can expect fast data transfer and display.
Furthermore, this laptop is also lightweight and has a good battery life (up to 12.5 hours of normal usage capacity) so you can work on the go easily. All in all, this LG Gram 17 is an excellent laptop you can use for your Power BI work in our opinion.
Key Features
- Screen Size, Resolution: 17 inches, 2560 x 1600 pixels
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i7 with 12 cores and speed in the range of 2.2-5 GHz
- RAM Capacity: 32GB
- Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
- Battery Life (Estimation): up to 12.5 hours of usage capacity
Pros
- Excellent performance in running Power BI
- Quite sleek and lightweight
- A full range of ports with two Thunderbolt 4 ports
- Friendly-to-the-eye display
- A full-HD webcam
- Comfortable keyboard to type on
Cons
- Can get hot under an intense workload
- May feel a little bit flimsy
What are the Things We Need to Consider When We Want to Buy a Laptop for Power BI?
For us, here are the things we think you should consider when you want to buy a laptop to work in Power BI.- Operating System (OS). Power BI can only run on Windows OS. Thus, so you can work in it much more easily, we recommend you buy a Windows laptop instead of a MacBook or a Chromebook
- RAM capacity. Power BI is an application that often eats up large memory when you run it. Therefore, the RAM capacity on your laptop should be large so it doesn’t slow down your work. You should get a minimum of 16GB RAM capacity although 32GB is much more ideal for us
- Processor. A program like Power BI needs a high-quality processor on your laptop so you can run it smoothly. We recommend a late-generation i5 or Ryzen 5 processor for this
- Storage. If you store your Power BI work internally, then your laptop needs adequate storage space. For this specification, we recommend at least 512GB SSD storage space on the laptop you buy for this
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the Minimum System Requirements of Power BI?
Here are the minimum system requirements to run Power BI on your laptop.- Windows 8.1 or Windows Server 2012 R2 or later
- .NET 4.6.2 or later
- Internet Explorer 11 or later
- 2GB RAM or more
- 1440 x 690 or 1600 x 900 (16:9) or more
- 1 GHz 64-bit processor or more
- WebView2 installed
Can a MacBook Run Power BI?
At this moment, Power BI can only run on a Windows Operating System (OS). Thus, a MacBook cannot run Power BI (unless you use a Windows Virtual Machine).Can a Chromebook Run Power BI?
Similar to a MacBook, a Chromebook cannot run Power BI because it only runs on the Windows OS currently.Wrap Up
If we often need to work on data, Power BI might be one of the applications we need to run regularly. If that is the case, we should buy a laptop that can run Power BI properly if we haven’t got one so our work can be optimally productive.However, it can be difficult to pick the right laptop to run Power BI from many laptop choices out there. This is why Compute Expert has come up with its list of the best laptops for Power BI to help you.
To summarize, here are the five laptops we think you should use.
We hope our list can help you buy the right laptop to optimize the results of your work on Power BI!
Additional Note
Besides Power BI, you can also use Power Query and Power Pivot to help analyze data better in Excel.Excel articles/tutorials you might want to read:
