Buying a Desktop for FM 2011, Advice Please....

Ok i've played on a old laptop for years and never played in 3D.

So i'm buying a PC soon. and i'm stuck between these 2 options from Argos.

OPTION 1

Intel Core i3 540M.

4GB DDR3 RAM.

500GB SATA hard drive.

Dedicated nVIDIA GeForce 310 graphics card with 512MB memory.

Wireless/WiFi enabled.

Microsoft Windows 7 Premium.

€ 599

OPTION 2

Intel Core i3 540M.

Processor speed 3.6GHz.

3GB DDR3 RAM.

500GB SATA hard drive.

Dedicated Intel with HD graphics card.

1 HDMI port.

Microsoft Windows 7 Premium.

€ 599 (With 20'' Monitor, although i have a old monitor already)

Which would be the fastest?

Which Graphics card is the best? Why?

What AMD Athlon processor would match or better the intel i3?

Which is better for FM, Intel, AMD? Why?

Thanks in advance

The only processor who is comparable would be like a T9800 dual core 2.5 ghz Or maybe a AMD Athlon x3 2 ghz.

And i would go for number one... Intel HD integrated sucks.. Dedicated memory on graphic cards is much better than a non dedicated + Intel HD is a low end.

The first option would perform better, but not by a whole lot. The graphics card is better. Intel graphics cards aren't good for gaming. The extra 1GB of ram will help as well.

The dedicated nVIDIA graphics card stands out for me.

BUT - I wouldn't purchase from Argos.

Why not try an online option?

Dabs.com is my recommendation.

1:) The first one is s slightly better because it has a very slow grx card while the second one has an extremely slow gfx card.

2.) Depends on the amount of money you are willing to pay. Nvidia gtx 460 is nice in its price range. In all the other price ranges ATI dominates.

3.) Something like an athlon II x3 should be comparable.

4.) If you have a lot of money then Intels I7 processors win, in all the other price ranges AMD has a better price performance ratio.

Both should run the game well. Option 1 would be better for the 3D match engine.

Take into consideration the manufacturuer. One machine may be much more reliable and longer lasting than the other.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/146264-The-Official-System-Specs-Thread

This thread has already been set up.

The answer is pretty much straightforward: Buy the fastest processor and as much memory as you can, within your budget. Obviously, a beefy Core i7 would be the better choice processor, (yes, FM do use all 4 cores - not all the time, but certainly when the processing needs calls for it) - and 4Gb of RAM should set you up well. The graphic card is not important; a decent midrange card can handle what FM has of 3D graphics without problems. When I switched from my old desktop (which was really old), to a laptop, I could finally play all leauges and with a huge database, and play it fast. Granted, the laptop in question is the king of laptops, with a desktop Core i7 processor and desktop motherboard/chipset inside it, and with 6Gb of RAM and a SSD... the processing is ultra fast, and loading a game, even with all leagues and a huge database, is finished in a couple of seconds because of the SSD.

thomit

when you say all leagues how many do you mean?

how many do you think my option 1 could play?

I mean absolutely all leagues that the game has - all countries, all leagues, playable. That is the way I like to play.

I don't know how many leagues you could do with a Core i3 and 4Gb RAM - it also depends on what speed you would consider be ok - the more leagues you play, and the bigger the database, the slower the game will move forward. But I would imagine you would have to constraint yourself quite a bit with a Core i3 - a Core i5 would be better, because of the Turboboost it has.

go for a CPU core i5 or even i7 if you can pay it...

and a SSD (solid state drive/disk) would make a huge difference too (but toooo expensive)

edit: in all cases, take a separate graphics card, even if it's the cheapest one, it is a must, otherwise the CPU has to do all that work too...

The SSD makes a difference only in the actual loading and saving of the game, it doesn't add much to the speed once you have the game running - a little, but not much. It makes much more sense to put the bulk of the budget in processor and RAM, as SSD's are still rather expensive. But, once you have a decent processor, and the rest of the hardware is decent too, a SSD is the best upgrade you can buy for your computer. I could never go back to ordinary spin disks now, after I've had a SSD for a year or so.

Option 1. Purely because its not an Intel graphics card and lord knows how crap they are... but I dont really shout for Nvidia either. I always plump for AMD/ATI

Nothing in option 2 is better than option 1. So 1 for me.

And it will run approx 30-40 leagues with 100k players.

Thats a bit optimistic. I run about 10 leagues and around 40k players on a computer with twice the horsepower. I guess its a question of patience.

Thats a bit optimistic. I run about 10 leagues and around 40k players on a computer with twice the horsepower. I guess its a question of patience.

Twice.

I run 10/40k on third of the specs. And i'm quite impatient.

McNelis

Choose the first one, has more RAM and a better graphics card.

Before you go for either though, shop around and see if you can find a computer that squeezes more power into the same price bracket. Maybe even try and find someone or somewhere that will build you a computer from parts you buy yourself. It can cost less to build your own or have someone else build it for you than it costs to buy a pre-built computer from a shop. To be honest though, building your own computer isn't that hard once you've read up about it and watched some videos. I build a computer with no prior experience a few years ago, and it worked perfectly well.

Don't ignore the PC monitor. Get the biggest and clearest your budget will allow. A large flat screen monitor displays the 3D action with greater clarity and is easier on the eyes after poring over stats and attribute screens for hours on end.

OR OPTION 3

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Processor AMD Athlon™ II X3 processor 440

Chipset nVIDIA MCP61P

Memory 4 GB DDR3

Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce® 6150 SE

€490

OPTION 4

Acer Veriton M421G - Athlon II X4 620

1 x AMD Athlon II X4 620 ( Quad-Core )

RAM 3 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM

1 x 1 TB - standard - Serial ATA-300

ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics card

€565

I would simply switch to Mac without any hesitation.

I would simply switch to Mac without any hesitation.

A Mac in 500 bucks.

Overall would i personally myself take option 3.

Because of the processor and 4 gb DDR3 ram, but i dont know much about the graphic card.. Not really needed for Football Manager though

Because of the processor and 4 gb DDR3 ram, but i dont know much about the graphic card.. Not really needed for Football Manager though

That NVidia 6150 is worse than intel. Can't even run 3D on low. :D

OR OPTION 3

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Processor AMD Athlon™ II X3 processor 440

Chipset nVIDIA MCP61P

Memory 4 GB DDR3

Graphics NVIDIA® GeForce® 6150 SE

€490

OPTION 4

Acer Veriton M421G - Athlon II X4 620

1 x AMD Athlon II X4 620 ( Quad-Core )

RAM 3 GB (installed) / 8 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM

1 x 1 TB - standard - Serial ATA-300

ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics card

€565

Neither are any better than the first one in your opening post.

What you should do is find some small local shop that builds custom built PCs. For 600EUR you should be able to build a computer with an athlon II X4 processor, cheap AM3 motherboard, a generic case with a PSU, 4gb of ram, 1tb drive, dvdrw, win 7 64bit and a decent gfx card like an ATI 5670.

I would simply switch to Mac without any hesitation.

MAC is the only way to go........I had constant issues with FM on PC's.........2+years with the iMAC and zero issues with FM (or anything else for that matter).

MAC is the only way to go........I had constant issues with FM on PC's.........2+years with the iMAC and zero issues with FM (or anything else for that matter).

The only way to go for the Computer illiterate and or fad conscious.

MAC is the only way to go........I had constant issues with FM on PC's.........2+years with the iMAC and zero issues with FM (or anything else for that matter).

Been playing FM since 07. On Windows. No problem ever.

McNelis, I've sent you a PM about this thread.

The only way to go for the Computer illiterate and or fad conscious.

I'm being harassed by someone named Dougy......HELP MODERATOR!!! I'll admit to computer illiteracy, but not sure what fad I'm part of....just wanted a computer that could run FM without issues.