Should i buy this laptop(£400)

I know another spec thread but i just need to know if i should buy this. All i'm doing on it is internet, maybe download some movies to the hard drive, but of course, mainly FM10.

From FM 10 i want to be able to run 3D and run it well, load perhaps 3-4 playable countries(maybe some view only) @ 3-5 leagues a piece, and a good if not extravagent database of players. I really have no idea how many players is a small, average, or large amount. It has to run at a good, smooth speed too. Also, i must be able to have a long term save without it buggering up in 6 seasons.

How do you think it'll run on this? Thanks for any impending help!

•Intel Pentium dual core T4300 processor.

•2.20GHz processor speed.

•4GB DDR2 RAM.

•15.6in screen size.

•Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.

•320GB hard drive.

•Multi-format dual layer drive.

•Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics.

•Media card reader - compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD).

•2 USB ports.

•1 Ethernet ports.

•MS-Sound compatible.

•0.3MP webcam.

•802.11 b/g/n wireless enabled.

•Windows 7 Home Premium operating system installed.•Preloaded with McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial version.

•Preloaded by the manufacturer with a suite of applications which include: music, photo, movie, business, tuition and gaming software.

-Microsoft Works 8.5 / 9 / SE 9 with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial version.

•Adobe Reader

oh and it's £400 quid,

I know another spec thread but i just need to know if i should buy this. All i'm doing on it is internet, maybe download some movies to the hard drive, but of course, mainly FM10.

From FM 10 i want to be able to run 3D and run it well, load perhaps 3-4 playable countries(maybe some view only) @ 3-5 leagues a piece, and a good if not extravagent database of players. I really have no idea how many players is a small, average, or large amount. It has to run at a good, smooth speed too. Also, i must be able to have a long term save without it buggering up in 6 seasons.

How do you think it'll run on this? Thanks for any impending help!

•Intel Pentium dual core T4300 processor.

•2.20GHz processor speed.

•4GB DDR2 RAM.

•15.6in screen size.

•Resolution 1366 x 768 pixels.

•320GB hard drive.

•Multi-format dual layer drive.

•Intel GMA 4500M HD graphics.

•Media card reader - compatible with Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD).

•2 USB ports.

•1 Ethernet ports.

•MS-Sound compatible.

•0.3MP webcam.

•802.11 b/g/n wireless enabled.

•Windows 7 Home Premium operating system installed.•Preloaded with McAfee Internet Security Suite Trial version.

•Preloaded by the manufacturer with a suite of applications which include: music, photo, movie, business, tuition and gaming software.

-Microsoft Works 8.5 / 9 / SE 9 with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial version.

•Adobe Reader

Buy a new laptop with i7 cpu.

Intel Pentium dual core T4300 processor? I wouldnt buy it and I agree with Cha Cha Cha

Get the Laptop with I7 Cpu because it is way faster than Crappy intel Pentium T4300!!!!

Intel Pentium dual core T4300 processor? I wouldnt buy it and I agree with Cha Cha Cha

Get the Laptop with I7 Cpu because it is way faster than Crappy intel Pentium T4300!!!!

Ok, so it'd run like crap on that processor? I'll look for I7cpu, any idea where and how much it'll be?

But otherwise does it look alright

GMA 4500 is crap stuff

If your budget is £400 then i'd say that is good enough i think. It won't run like crap i'm sure it'd be good enough, bet theres people out there with worse laptops running it fine!

You won't get one with an i7 processor for £400 IMO but i may be wrong(but i very very very very much doubt it)

Right, I'd ignore the suggestions about an i7, because a laptop with that chip is going to cost at least £800 and probably upwards of £1000. If you can afford that, great, but I'm assuming that that is probably outside your budget.

That laptop you've posted might just handle what you want. Its weaknesses though are the processor and the graphics card. With the graphics card you'd probably have to play with the 3D on low settings. The processor might be alright for the number of leagues you want, but I'm not certain on that.

If you can find a laptop within your price range that has an Intel Core 2 processor, and a graphics card by either NVidia or ATI, that would be ideal.

I have an acer 5536 and that runs 21 divisions no problem

pssh, I7 processors will cost me £700 MINIMUM. Ha ha. Cannot justify paying that much for FM10 and some extras.

dfgrigg, PGB and co, thanks for the help and replies. If anyone knows anywhere i could get(UK) a decent deal please say :thup:

I have an acer 5536 and that runs 21 divisions no problem

Does that have the same-ish specs that the machine i posted have?

3-d to me would be a luxury. I'm so used to playing with the text commentary from the 90's, and i actually quite enjoy the 2-D ME, so...

I have an acer 5536 and that runs 21 divisions no problem

Right, I'd ignore the suggestions about an i7, because a laptop with that chip is going to cost at least £800 and probably upwards of £1000. If you can afford that, great, but I'm assuming that that is probably outside your budget.

That laptop you've posted might just handle what you want. Its weaknesses though are the processor and the graphics card. With the graphics card you'd probably have to play with the 3D on low settings. The processor might be alright for the number of leagues you want, but I'm not certain on that.

If you can find a laptop within your price range that has an Intel Core 2 processor, and a graphics card by either NVidia or ATI, that would be ideal.

Great, i'll check it out. I'd be ok with a slightly less expansive game than what i posted, still, 3 countries and the majority of the leagues(bar non-professional), plus a pretty decent player database would have to the minimum for me. 3-d would be great, but 2-d is sufficient

Do some laptops have th option of buying a seperate graphic card anyone?

That laptop is ok for the price quoted but I would say you can look elsewhere. I7 is good but way over budget if you're basing yoruself on the quoted amount. Hilarious how ppl are quick to suggest something way over budget when its clearly not for them. If you're only going to use the laptop for FM then consider increasing your budget, saying that, why a laptop if its only for a game?

Nothing wrong with the specs quoted however a lot depends on the brand, something which you cleverly left out.

OK. For comparison purposes, I'm currently using this laptop:

Intel Pentium 2060 dual 1.60 Ghz

2GB RAM

Intel GMA 945 (or something like that; I forget exactly!)

This is inferior to the laptop you posted above.

I can run 2 countries with about 4 divisions comfortably. I also use a large-ish player database of about 50000 players. I run the 3D display on low quality without shadows, weather effects and stadiums.

Anything you buy now will be able to run more than I can, including that laptop you posted above.

If 3D isn't a priority you can go with an Intel GMA 4500. You might have to turn off stadiums and use low quality, but it will work. Like I said above, if you can find a Core 2 Duo that would be best for the processor, but if not you can probably get away with a Pentium dual-core. Definitely make sure you get at least 3GB of RAM.

Unfortunately graphics cards can't be upgraded in laptops.

I got my new laptop from www.laptopsdirect.co.uk paid a bit more (well a lot more than your budget) but after a lot of price comparisons I found they where the cheapest for the one I wanted.

I would advise using some of the the price comparison sites like www.kelkoo.co.uk or www.pricerunner.co.uk when you do find a model you want, as you can find some good deals that way.

Nothing wrong with the specs quoted however a lot depends on the brand, something which you cleverly left out.

oh i see, didn't think it was relevant, but the one i originally posted was an acer aspire 5732z

OK. For comparison purposes, I'm currently using this laptop:

Intel Pentium 2060 dual 1.60 Ghz

2GB RAM

Intel GMA 945 (or something like that; I forget exactly!)

This is inferior to the laptop you posted above.

I can run 2 countries with about 4 divisions comfortably. I also use a large-ish player database of about 50000 players. I run the 3D display on low quality without shadows, weather effects and stadiums.

Anything you buy now will be able to run more than I can, including that laptop you posted above.

If 3D isn't a priority you can go with an Intel GMA 4500. You might have to turn off stadiums and use low quality, but it will work. Like I said above, if you can find a Core 2 Duo that would be best for the processor, but if not you can probably get away with a Pentium dual-core. Definitely make sure you get at least 3GB of RAM.

Unfortunately graphics cards can't be upgraded in laptops.

Thanks, that's very helpful. So is the difference with 3-d only really whether you can have extra details-shadows, weather- and stadia, etc?

Am going to look around later on, thanks again

I got my new laptop from www.laptopsdirect.co.uk paid a bit more (well a lot more than your budget) but after a lot of price comparisons I found they where the cheapest for the one I wanted.

I would advise using some of the the price comparison sites like www.kelkoo.co.uk or www.pricerunner.co.uk when you do find a model you want, as you can find some good deals that way.

Ok, think i'm sort of refining what i need. Those sites are pretty helpful so far. I'm completley new to computeristics

dfgrigg seems to know what he is talking about Roman_Chevalier.

Ignore the people who are mentioning i7's, that is ridiculous just for playing FM on (I assume this will be it's main use). The people who say these sort of things just quote what is the best out there right now and try to look smart....

Look around, see what is out there. For instance there are places near me such as 'ccl online' who supply laptops and if you call them they will definitely help you find the right machine for what you need. Don't go to pc world or maplins etc as the people who work in those places don't have a clue really and just want to sell you anything (my brother works there! On the laptop section - he has no idea what so ever).

Shops such as ccl give you better value.

Thanks, that's very helpful. So is the difference with 3-d only really whether you can have extra details-shadows, weather- and stadia, etc?

Am going to look around later on, thanks again

Yep, as far as I'm aware!

Also, to the best of my knowledge Acer are a pretty good brand. Jsolloso might know more about them though!

Another tip, it can be worth checking out ex-display and refurbished laptops. Most of the time all this means is that the box has been opened, and they'll knock money off the original price for it. If there is anything else wrong with it, like small scratches or anything, it will be mentioned in the information.

Acer are good enough, the difference between manufacturers is the quality of the products they use in their pc's/laptops.

For instance the RAM will be of a lower quality in an ACER than in a top of the range machine. So in a top of the range you will get Corsair RAM but in an ACER you will get PNY or something like that. Power supply is the same, cooling etc etc.

Again for what you want, ACER is fine.

I would go for a Dual Core machine Roman and cut back on the RAM - you can always add RAM to a laptop at a later date but changing the processor on a laptop is a no no.

Focus on the processor first so dual core all the way.

Just found this on amazon, £430 down from £500;

Acer Aspire 6530

16-inch Laptop,

AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core QL-62 2.0 GHz,

3 GB RAM,

250 GB HDD,

Vista Home Premium

ATI mobility radeon graphics

ATI Radeon HD 3200 256 Mb

?

Yes leeds i will get in touch with that place, and thanks for advice. Good processor machine usually come with atleast 1GB so i've noticed, might need more than that but i'm sure 2-3GB is more than enough.

dfgrigg, am currently searching for the refurbished stuff, but cannot find anything powerful enough as of yet. Most has been worse than my original post and only £100-200 less

Acer are good enough, the difference between manufacturers is the quality of the products they use in their pc's/laptops.

For instance the RAM will be of a lower quality in an ACER than in a top of the range machine. So in a top of the range you will get Corsair RAM but in an ACER you will get PNY or something like that. Power supply is the same, cooling etc etc.

Again for what you want, ACER is fine.

TBH at this level, RAM is RAM. Sod the quality, quantity is the key.

I struggled to process CM10 on a Pentium, so I'd certainly look towards a Core2 or i3. The GMA4500 I had also struggled with CM's ME, though that is graphically superior to FM's imo. Try looking for an ATI Radeon or Nvidia graphics card, preferably with 512mb or more dedicated memory..

I now play FM, and on a Core2 Quad PC with 4GB RAM and an ATI Radeon HD4850 512mb Graphics card.

i take an intel atom 330 processor is poo?

Just found this on amazon, £430 down from £500;

Acer Aspire 6530

16-inch Laptop,

AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core QL-62 2.0 GHz,

3 GB RAM,

250 GB HDD,

Vista Home Premium

ATI mobility radeon graphics

ATI Radeon HD 3200 256 Mb

?

Yes leeds i will get in touch with that place, and thanks for advice. Good processor machine usually come with atleast 1GB so i've noticed, might need more than that but i'm sure 2-3GB is more than enough.

dfgrigg, am currently searching for the refurbished stuff, but cannot find anything powerful enough as of yet. Most has been worse than my original post and only £100-200 less

Looks better than the other and only 30 quid more.

I know for a fact the graphics card on this one (the 3200) outperforms the one on the machine you first mentioned.

2-3 gb of RAm will be enough for now. Windows 7 doesn't use much and FM only uses about 0.7 gb when running. The thing is though the processor will be able to handle more tasks so that is good.

Looks like it's 64 bit windows too so potential for upgrading RAM is good should you need/want to.

I'd go for that above the other if you can afford it.

TBH at this level, RAM is RAM. Sod the quality, quantity is the key.

I struggled to process CM10 on a Pentium, so I'd certainly look towards a Core2 or i3. The GMA4500 I had also struggled with CM's ME, though that is graphically superior to FM's imo. Try looking for an ATI Radeon or Nvidia graphics card, preferably with 512mb or more dedicated memory..

I now play FM, and on a Core2 Quad PC with 4GB RAM and an ATI Radeon HD4850 512mb Graphics card.

He asked what the difference was between manufacturers. I was just saying they use different quality components...

Oh and RAM is never just RAM. A power supply is never just a power supply etc etc, you sound like you know what youare talking about so surely you know that?

Why do you think some pc's/laptops are superior in the first place? Because of better quality components. If I had a machine with 4gb of Corsair and 4gb of cheap crap then the Corsair, or even Kingston, would provide a smoother, trouble free experience.

But like I said, he was only asking and I was only letting him know

And this refurbished little number, for £340(which includes frigging scandalous VAT)

Asus X50GL RF3037 (RF3037)

Component Specification

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Processor Type Intel Core Duo Processor (CPU)

Processor Cores Single Core (1)

Processor Speed 2GHz CPU

Memory Size 3 GB (Gigabytes)

Hard Drive (HDD) 160 GB (Gigabytes)

HDD Interface SATA Interface

Optical Drive DVD Supermulti

Card Reader Built-in Card Reader

Display Size 15.4 inch Display

Display Resolution 1280 x 800, WXGA

Graphics Chipset nVidia GeForce 7900M

Graphics Memory 256 MB

USB Ports 4 x USB port

HDMi Port HDMi Port

Web Cam Integrated Web Camera 1.3 MegaPixel

Wired Network 10/100 Internal LAN RJ-45 connector

Wireless Wireless LAN 802.11bg upto 54Mbps

My only concern is that it is vista and the proc.speed may be too low, and hard drive space is a bit piddly

He asked what the difference was between manufacturers. I was just saying they use different quality components...

Oh and RAM is never just RAM. A power supply is never just a power supply etc etc, you sound like you know what youare talking about so surely you know that?

Why do you think some pc's/laptops are superior in the first place? Because of better quality components. If I had a machine with 4gb of Corsair and 4gb of cheap crap then the Corsair, or even Kingston, would provide a smoother, trouble free experience.

But like I said, he was only asking and I was only letting him know

Ok, it isn't, but for £400 it will more-than-likely be of sufficient quality, unless you're dealing with a real unscrupulous backyard shop who builds laptops with real cheap sh*t...

Ok, it isn't, but for £400 it will more-than-likely be of sufficient quality, unless you're dealing with a real unscrupulous backyard shop who builds laptops with real cheap sh*t...

Lol, they're called e-machines

I once updated my mates pc he bought from pc world. He wanted a new processor, graphics card and more RAM. It was a right piece of crap what he had originally, a P4 (I had the same processor prior to my quad) 1gb of RAM and using the graphics on his motherboard.

I got a new motherboard for him, new quad core cpu, graphics card, 4gb of RAM, sound card and a new psu for £220 quid. His machine is amazing now, was a right piece of noisy crap before.

Personally I'd do the same here. Buy a shed and do it up, you'd do it all for £250 ish. I don't like laptops.

Edit: Errrr.....to keep on topic, it runs FM just amazingly....

Lol, they're called e-machines

I once updated my mates pc he bought from pc world. He wanted a new processor, graphics card and more RAM. It was a right piece of crap what he had originally, a P4 (I had the same processor prior to my quad) 1gb of RAM and using the graphics on his motherboard.

I got a new motherboard for him, new quad core cpu, graphics card, 4gb of RAM, sound card and a new psu for £220 quid. His machine is amazing now, was a right piece of noisy crap before.

Personally I'd do the same here. Buy a shed and do it up, you'd do it all for £250 ish. I don't like laptops.

Edit: Errrr.....to keep on topic, it runs FM just amazingly....

Time waits for no man, and i'm eager to start a game pc isn't viable at the moment, think i'm going for the refurbished one posted a few posts above, but will be a bit ****ed off it if it isn't up to scratch. It looks more or less the same as the acer i also posted, so...

And this refurbished little number, for £340(which includes frigging scandalous VAT)

Asus X50GL RF3037 (RF3037)

Component Specification

Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Processor Type Intel Core Duo Processor (CPU)

Processor Cores Single Core (1)

Processor Speed 2GHz CPU

Memory Size 3 GB (Gigabytes)

Hard Drive (HDD) 160 GB (Gigabytes)

HDD Interface SATA Interface

Optical Drive DVD Supermulti

Card Reader Built-in Card Reader

Display Size 15.4 inch Display

Display Resolution 1280 x 800, WXGA

Graphics Chipset nVidia GeForce 7900M

Graphics Memory 256 MB

USB Ports 4 x USB port

HDMi Port HDMi Port

Web Cam Integrated Web Camera 1.3 MegaPixel

Wired Network 10/100 Internal LAN RJ-45 connector

Wireless Wireless LAN 802.11bg upto 54Mbps

My only concern is that it is vista and the proc.speed may be too low, and hard drive space is a bit piddly

I play on Vista and it isn't bad...but I also have 6GB of RAM. Vista's not the worst OS in the world, but it IS a huge resource hog; 3GB of RAM on XP is better than 3GB of RAM on Vista, just because XP isn't using as much of that RAM behind the scenes as Vista.

That said, 3GB is still a lot of RAM; you should be fine either way.

Just to point out, you can get i3 laptops from Dell for about that price, and with a proper graphics chip too.

dfgrigg seems to know what he is talking about Roman_Chevalier.

Ignore the people who are mentioning i7's, that is ridiculous just for playing FM on (I assume this will be it's main use). The people who say these sort of things just quote what is the best out there right now and try to look smart....

Look around, see what is out there. For instance there are places near me such as 'ccl online' who supply laptops and if you call them they will definitely help you find the right machine for what you need. Don't go to pc world or maplins etc as the people who work in those places don't have a clue really and just want to sell you anything (my brother works there! On the laptop section - he has no idea what so ever).

Shops such as ccl give you better value.

A laptop with i7 is going to last several years. Buying an "already dead" technology is not exactly a smart decision. However if he uses pc only to play football manager I suggest not to use pc...

A laptop with i7 is going to last several years. Buying an "already dead" technology is not exactly a smart decision. However if he uses pc only to play football manager I suggest not to use pc...

Have you ever heard of something called a budget? :confused:

Just found this on amazon, £430 down from £500;

Acer Aspire 6530

16-inch Laptop,

AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core QL-62 2.0 GHz,

3 GB RAM,

250 GB HDD,

Vista Home Premium

ATI mobility radeon graphics

ATI Radeon HD 3200 256 Mb

?

Yes leeds i will get in touch with that place, and thanks for advice. Good processor machine usually come with atleast 1GB so i've noticed, might need more than that but i'm sure 2-3GB is more than enough.

dfgrigg, am currently searching for the refurbished stuff, but cannot find anything powerful enough as of yet. Most has been worse than my original post and only £100-200 less

Not worth it mate, I got my laptop for £375 and it's got better specs. Google Acer Aspire 5542.

acer aspire 3935 (updated to windows7) runs FM perfect. full 3d running 5 different countries leagues. i use it mainly for FM and internet also. its small, thin and light aswel! honestly it runs it perfect for 3d. no optical drive tho. i didnt need 1.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/AS3935-744G25Mn_LX.PAD0X.157/version.asp

check it out.

btw if you do order form them just go for normal delivery. i ordered it on a sunday afternoon and received it on monday!

By 'full 3D' what do you mean? I would be amazed if that gave you any more than low detail.

Roman, from the little I know, it'll run grand with a few leagues and maybe medium database, but might struggle with much else.

You also got to think about next years game as it'll take even more. Would you maybe not be better waiting a month or 3, and consider something with a better graphics card.

My brother got a 'dell studio 15' recently for about £500 - runs like a dream on fm.

I have an acer apsire 5735Z. It's great for FM and every day use.

Also this should go in otf.

Agree with Wakers, a Core I3 is a fantastic Chip. Going on the Desktop (have not checked the M type) Clarkdale I3 530/540 is an awsome next gen to the Core 2 Duo. I have a personal bias against Dell, however, Wakers can make a compelling different argument against that. Personally, I would also advise against Acer and go for a toshiba. You could check out a Rock custom built machine, but the budget would maybe necessitate a bit more green. Aside from all that, the quality of the System Ram is important. Budget Ram will have (probably) more inherent latency that will affect performance. Anywho, a Dell would be balanced on a lower budget, but maybe not performance wise.

Also just to point out 802.11n is the new WiFi standard

Just returning to my original question/answer. Acer is fine for this, its nothing classy but it will do the job. For future advice as has been mentioned, graphics cant be altered on a laptop, ram and disk drive can but they need to match the s/n on the brand. As for operating system, if you can get W7 then its going to be smoother than Vista. The one take is the memory as its probably shared with the processor meaning you wont be getting the full amount stated but you'll only notice this if you overdo the number of leagues chosen (at least on FM).

For an extra 100, tescos are selling a laptop with an i3 processor and it's running windows 7 64bit. Would be much better.

if you can get W7 then its going to be smoother than Vista

Agree. Vista been seen as the beta for W7

2gig plus X64. 2gig x32

I have an hp hdx-16 bought it for 750 usd new in September, it is running a league with at least the top league from every country set to playable and a 170,000 ish player database. 3-d matches full detail.

Check out this forum http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?f=12 or slickdeals and be patient and you can get really stretch your budget.

As far as 3d my laptop has a 9600GT and runs everything on full details great, I would think pretty much any dedicated graphics card would be able to do that.

Roman, from the little I know, it'll run grand with a few leagues and maybe medium database, but might struggle with much else.

You also got to think about next years game as it'll take even more. Would you maybe not be better waiting a month or 3, and consider something with a better graphics card.

My brother got a 'dell studio 15' recently for about £500 - runs like a dream on fm.

Are you referring to the asus(£340) i posted or the original post and the other acer?

Agree about next years game, but how waiting 3 months get me a better deal and what would i be looking for next years game? This seems the problem with laptops, they are outdated within 2 years

Anyway alot of info on this thread, cheers all for replies. I'm very new to understanding computer tech so will have to wade through it all and get my head round it

I play on Vista and it isn't bad...but I also have 6GB of RAM. Vista's not the worst OS in the world, but it IS a huge resource hog; 3GB of RAM on XP is better than 3GB of RAM on Vista, just because XP isn't using as much of that RAM behind the scenes as Vista.

That said, 3GB is still a lot of RAM; you should be fine either way.

Is it possible to change from vista to win 7 on that laptop? The Asus i posted @ £340 seems fairly reasonable, i can't think why it would not play the game how i want, although as already stated it may not really support FM11(if i even play that, which i won't if it's not significantly better than 10.3)

I have an acer apsire 5735Z. It's great for FM and every day use.

Also this should go in otf.

It seems good but that graphic card has been stated as being 'crappy', or along those lines. Can you verify that sentiment?