NEED HELP PICKING PC or MAC FOR FUTURE FM GAMES!!

hey guys first timer here on the site!!

huge fm fan been playing since champ man right through till 2010 fm but it kinda out grew my pc and laptops so got fed up with the small database and slow speed, so much so that i hav missed out on the last 2 games not cool.

so im now thinkin we need a new computer

but really im in need of some help choosing the best pc or mac that will run fm games smoothly on a large database plus all perks the misses might need it for. she got her eye on the imac but im not sure if its worth the money and how well it would run fm??

any advice would be brill cheers.

rule of thumb for me..

mac's for graphic design and the like..

pc's for gaming / general computing..

i wouldnt get a mac for gaming purposes.. not even close...

for a £1000 spec mac .. you can get the same on a £400 pc frankly...

if you give us a budget.. we can suggest some for you... also.. give us a general idea what you plan to use it for.. surely not just fm..

obv not lookin to spend £1000 plus on comp 4 to 500 would be cool

but im thinkin if im gna get a new one i wouldnt mind spending bit of cash for one thats gna run smooth with some gaming (fm) hold plenty music, and do all the general stuff you need from a pc

cheers mate;)

As long as you have the money up front, this is the website to go to. http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/intel-computers/

Created you a quick one on PCSpecialist, although it comes without a monitor, it is just under £500. You can configure it to how you want it here... http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-ivy-bridge-pc/

You can get a monitor with it for an extra £69 and if you can't afford that much, you could just down spec the computer itself to compensate.

nice one mate cheers!!!

gna take my time on this one make sure im gettin the best deal for the dosh defo not going for a mac now anyways

nice one mate cheers!!!

gna take my time on this one make sure im gettin the best deal for the dosh defo not going for a mac now anyways

That's always the best idea, have a look around and find the best deal The best idea would be to play around with that Comptuer I just created for you, write or type up the spec of it and compare it, including price with others.

Definately don't get a Mac

good advice from T M there.. but for almost £450 quid.. thats not a great pc tbh... especially without a monitor

it only has 2gb ram and onboard graphics...

you can find better im certain..

for instance, here you go.. and dinopc arent particularly cheap either

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Mass-Effect-i5-3450-94p1369.htm

ive no idea how this one is so cheap but still

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/30030626/Galaxy-3-AMD-FX-Quad-Core-3-6Ghz-Desktop-Gaming-PC-500gb-8gb-DDR3-ATI-6570-1gb/Product.html?_%24ja=tsid:11518%7Ccat:30030626%7Cprd:30030626

nice one welshace they lookin top notch the first one defo caught my eye.......

been flicking through myself too and some laptops are not to far off that too..... soo much to choose from

what the guys on here running on?

I've just got a MacBook Air, and frankly it is amazing. It makes you realise how much nonsense you put up with when using Windows. It's a dream to use OS X Lion on a Mac in comparison, for me anyway. FM runs really nice on the MBA. With Bootcamp, you could even run both OS X and Windows on the same Mac, if you wanted.

That said, you do pay a premium for the quality of a Mac. I doubt you'd get genuine like-for-like technical specifications AND performance for £400, but a similar spec Windows PC would certainly be significantly cheaper. But you get what you pay for. I've used PC for years, and they're great - but I'm not going back from Apple!

rule of thumb for me..

mac's for graphic design and the like..

pc's for gaming / general computing..

As a graphic designer, that's completely not true.

10 years ago maybe. But not nowadays.

I work on PCs both at work and at home, for graphic design.

Basically - because PCs are cheaper. I don't like Macs because I believe they are overpriced and a ripoff.

I work on PCs both at work and at home, for graphic design.

Basically - because PCs are cheaper. I don't like Macs because I believe they are overpriced and a ripoff.

Of course you can use a PC for Graphic Design, but I think the point Welshace was trying to make is that a Mac is mainly for graphic design and not gaming. Both PC and Mac's can do both, but what Welshace says is true in the right context.

@Welshace, nice find on the PC's I was told that PCSpecialist was one of the best places, but obviously not!

indeed.. never said pc's werent up to scratch for graphic design.. i do some CAD and some graphics work myself and i use a pc...

infact, a pc is probably better imo, with the sheer range of suites and software..

but if you're gonna go for a mac... it would be for a very limited number of reasons... decent design platform being one of them

I use pcspecialist myself tactic! on the whole, they are excellent! but you can usually find similar specs for slightly cheaper if you look..

pcspecialist have great customer interaction and are reliable though

Of course you can use a PC for Graphic Design, but I think the point Welshace was trying to make is that a Mac is mainly for graphic design and not gaming. Both PC and Mac's can do both, but what Welshace says is true in the right context.

@Welshace, nice find on the PC's I was told that PCSpecialist was one of the best places, but obviously not!

A Mac is just as capable for games as a PC.

There's no discernible difference. It's just that there's not as many games for the Mac as there are for the PC.

i run fm on my smallest laptop

its a dell inspiron infact.. which i wouldnt recommend, but i was given it as payment for some online work i did for a company..

its got an

i5 CPU M 430 @ 2.27GHz

4gb ram

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470

i run around 20 leagues, and about 200,000 players easily and stable for at least 10 years so far

A Mac is just as capable for games as a PC.

There's no discernible difference. It's just that there's not as many games for the Mac as there are for the PC.

what a mute point again Eugene... T M just said mac's and pc's can do both...

but each is more suitable for each job

no point buying a mac for gaming... plain and simple.

A Mac is just as capable for games as a PC.

There's no discernible difference. It's just that there's not as many games for the Mac as there are for the PC.

There is a massive difference.

Any non console game worth owning comes out on the PC first and foremost, very few games come on Mac at launch and fewer still ever get Mac support.

Owning a PC ensures you have access to the absolute vast majority of games, patches, mods and other things associated with gaming the quickest.

Having a Mac ensures you have a much more limited game pool to select from and a less reliable time table.

Throw in how overpriced Macs are in comparison to PC's and its even more one sided.

The only reason a person should game on a Mac is if they already own a Mac or otherwise need to own one for other reasons. Anybody who buys a mac exclusively for gaming is cutting their nose off to spite their face.

There is a massive difference.

Any non console game worth owning comes out on the PC first and foremost, very few games come on Mac at launch and fewer still ever get Mac support.

Owning a PC ensures you have access to the absolute vast majority of games, patches, mods and other things associated with gaming the quickest.

Having a Mac ensures you have a much more limited game pool to select from and a less reliable time table.

Throw in how overpriced Macs are in comparison to PC's and its even more one sided.

The only reason a person should game on a Mac is if they already own a Mac or otherwise need to own one for other reasons. Anybody who buys a mac exclusively for gaming is cutting their nose off to spite their face.

This is exactly what we mean Eugene and I think you need to read my post properly before typing arguments against what I say, as I already said Mac's and Pc's can do both.

what a mute point again Eugene... T M just said mac's and pc's can do both...

but each is more suitable for each job

no point buying a mac for gaming... plain and simple.

The term you seek is "moot" - and it doesn't apply here at all anyway.

There is a point in buying a Mac for gaming, there's quite a few for the Mac that are not available on the PC. It's all about what you want to do with your computer.

If someone wants to buy a Mac then let them. If they want to play games they can easily find loads of games that are available for Macs.

You made it sound like that Macs are only for people that are designers - and it's not true.

Football Manager runs great on Macs.

There is a massive difference.

Any non console game worth owning comes out on the PC first and foremost, very few games come on Mac at launch and fewer still ever get Mac support.

Owning a PC ensures you have access to the absolute vast majority of games, patches, mods and other things associated with gaming the quickest.

Having a Mac ensures you have a much more limited game pool to select from and a less reliable time table.

Throw in how overpriced Macs are in comparison to PC's and its even more one sided.

The only reason a person should game on a Mac is if they already own a Mac or otherwise need to own one for other reasons. Anybody who buys a mac exclusively for gaming is cutting their nose off to spite their face.

I said that - that's exactly what I said. The "difference" I was talking about was that PCs have a lot more games.

The "no discernible difference" I referred to is, is that both computers are equally capable and excellent for playing games.

This whole thing that "Macs are only good for designers" and "PCs are only good for gaming" is absolute nonsense.

Both are equally as good for both designing and playing games.

The most important thing is that you know what software/games you want to buy before you make the decision on what to buy. Telling someone that buying a "Mac for designers only" is completely untrue.

The only reason I do not buy Macs is because I think the Hardware is not up-to-date for the massive price you pay, compared to a PC - which in my eyes are more fully customisable than Macs.

It took me AGES to find out what I5 processor was in the Mac I wanted to buy. And it turned out it was the old architecture. The RAM to up to 6gb was insanely overpriced.

I was basically being asked to pay three times the price for a computer with components out of date. Where I was able to buy a computer with an i7 processor, 6gb RAM, nice video card, for about 1/3 the price of a Mac.

It's insane how overly priced they are for what you're actually buying.

@ Eugene, we are only offering advice not to buy a Mac, nobody is saying you can't buy a Mac. If someone likes Mac's more than PC's then they can buy a Mac. It seems that your the only person here that has an argument for Mac's, so I would say your most probably wrong (note the fact I said MOST PROBABLY). You also don't seem to read posts properly, it just seems like you just roughly read through them.

That is not true at all.

I read the posts thoroughly.

I'm not making any assumptions about Mac or PC. People are saying they are only good for people who do design - that is not true, that is the assumption.

I've completely said exactly what you just said. If someone wants to buy a Mac for Football Manager then they can - it's not just for designing.

I'm not making an argument for Macs. Talk about someone not reading posts properly, it's ironic actually.

If you read my posts you'll see my only argument for not buying a Mac is that they are overpriced for what you actually get in terms of hardware.

It has nothing to do with be Macs being better for Design and PCs being better for games - as that is not true.

Macs are great for Games, as I said alreday the only difference is that there are a lot more games for PCs compared to the Mac.

I've said all this already.

If you don't read my posts then don't make comments on what I've posted.

Read them.

Football Manager runs great on Macs.

Hey, is this turning into the usual nonsense in a thread that asks for opinions about Windows-based computers vs. Apple, or what?

To the OP - you can play FM on both platforms - but the Apples have a drawback when it comes to gaming, as many have allready said: Games tend to be available later for the Mac version - if at all. You will have far less third party "help" software to choose from, far fewer that makes and makes available for download user-made additions - a very important part of the whole FM scene for example ... have you seen how many in the FMRTE forums asks for "when is the Mac version coming?" And so on. Only die-hard Apple fans will tell you otherwise - neutrals knows it's the truth. I'd say, if you don't have a specific need to own a Mac, or haven't taken a particular shine to Apple products allready - don't buy one.

Well that's certainly a valid point

Look didn't mean to drag the conversation down. I simply don't accept that Macs should be labeled as "Designers only". It was that way 10 years ago.

Honestly, if the OP wants to buy a Mac to play FM - it runs great on them.

I stick by my original point though - it's the price of them that turns me off. Nothing do with the amount of games available, or the Windows vs Apple debate at all.

Simply I find the prices ridiculous for Apple based products, given that I feel you are not getting the most up-to-date hardware.

I haven't read your latest posts Eugene, I was just reffering to an earlier post, because I just assumed (which I shouldn't) that it would be the same old post again. Anyway just like Thomit said it's the same old usual nonsense FROM BOTH OF US and it's not helping the OP and your entitled to your opinion, so i'm just going to respect your opinion.

I can't argue with you there, Eugene

where did anyone say macs are ONLY good for design ..

we've already explained this Eugene, Macs sure can do a lot more , but gaming isn't one of them... if I was to buy a mac.. I can't think of any reason to buy one over a pc apart from maybe the excellent support for that side of things... for me, and i've used both for many many years, the pc is light years ahead in terms of what it can do and do well.

you really are showing yourself up here, you are in fact... debating the point with yourself, as like i say, no-one is disputing macs can do a lot of things... just not practically...

sure macs can play games.. particularly now they've swapped to what was PC exclusive hardware inside (intel) ... but the point still stands that the tech is still vastly limited (compared to pc configurations) and vastly over priced... and thats not even mentioning that games barely grace the platform (in comparison to the pc market)

Die hard Apple fans are always the same ..

"apple can do everything the pc can! "

sure it can.. but at twice the cost and half the efficiency in most cases.

and frankly, you've derailed this thread with your fanboy-like responses

where did anyone say macs are ONLY good for design ..

we've already explained this Eugene, Macs sure can do a lot more , but gaming isn't one of them... if I was to buy a mac.. I can't think of any reason to buy one over a pc apart from maybe the excellent support for that side of things... for me, and i've used both for many many years, the pc is light years ahead in terms of what it can do and do well.

you really are showing yourself up here, you are in fact... debating the point with yourself, as like i say, no-one is disputing macs can do a lot of things... just not practically...

sure macs can play games.. particularly now they've swapped to what was PC exclusive hardware inside (intel) ... but the point still stands that the tech is still vastly limited (compared to pc configurations) and vastly over priced... and thats not even mentioning that games barely grace the platform (in comparison to the pc market)

Die hard Apple fans are always the same ..

"apple can do everything the pc can! "

sure it can.. but at twice the cost and half the efficiency in most cases.

and frankly, you've derailed this thread with your fanboy-like responses

Like Thomit said, it's the same old usual nonsense, we might not agree with Eugene but our posts aren't helping the OP because we are just repeating ourselves. It's his opinion and he's entitled to it, just as we are.

That's the impression you gave when you said

rule of thumb for me..

mac's for graphic design and the like..

pc's for gaming / general computing..

i wouldnt get a mac for gaming purposes.. not even close...

That's your opinion on Macs - that you wouldn't use them for gaming. And it's an assumption that they are for "design and the like" - it's not true.

But they're perfectly fine for games, even though they are limited.

I'm not saying you're wrong about the games being limited. I'm just saying that Macs are fine for playing games.

And definitely fine for playing Football Manager.

for a £1000 spec mac .. you can get the same on a £400 pc frankly...

if you give us a budget.. we can suggest some for you... also.. give us a general idea what you plan to use it for.. surely not just fm..

I completely agree with you.

The only reason I buy PCs is because they are not expensive compared to Macs.

If the price of Macs come down and PCs go up - then I'd buy a Mac.

You'll certainly find a wide array of games for the Mac. It's ridiculous to say that Macs wouldn't be good for games.

They're fine.

I completely agree with the fact that games and support for Macs are limited. That is a drawback.

Can we get off this now - sorry I ever brought it up.

I think since Welshace put up some computers for the OP to look at, he hasn't looked back since and I doubt he will. I think they were pretty reasonable.

The only reason I buy PCs is because they are not expensive compared to Macs.

If the price of Macs come down and PCs go up - then I'd buy a Mac.

You'll certainly find a wide array of games for the Mac. It's ridiculous to say that Macs wouldn't be good for games.

They're fine.

I completely agree with the fact that games and support for Macs are limited. That is a drawback.

Can we get off this now - sorry I ever brought it up.

I agree with that, although I have used a Mac because my girlfriend owns one and I don't really like the interface myself, although this could be because of the fact I've used computers all my life. That could be another reason not to buy a Mac? You'd have to get used to the Mac

By the way, is there actually any reasoning behind the pricing of a Mac, except the fact that they have a nice finish to them (the look).

Absolutely - Welshace did a great job in getting the prices and the computer specs - as always.

Credit has to go to Welshace - knows his stuff.

But i think we'll continue to disagree that Macs are not for gaming.

It's just my opinion. I hate to see that people think Macs are for "designers and the like". I don't use a Mac. I haven't December 2005. I used to play games on the Mac all the time. Great FPS over network. I found the games great and the computers great for playing games.

Definitely in 2005 the Mac I had was 10x better than the PC I had.

But as I said, as I moved into working on PCs, I found that they were just as powerful as the Mac, and I was able to play more games on a PC. Plus the PC was cheaper, and the games easier to find. I certainly wasn't playing games on my PC before 2006.

its apple... the business model is :

make it shiny and cool and the kids will buy it whatever the price...

but seriously... macs tend to be reliable in terms of casing etc and the OS tends to be more stable than the average windows bases system...

its just that pc owners dont usually look at anything in terms of build quality on the whole though

if they did.. they'd pay and extra 50-100 quid and have all the build quality of macs and still at a fraction of the cost

By the way, is there actually any reasoning behind the pricing of a Mac, except the fact that they have a nice finish to them (the look).

That is actually a very good question. I guess it's because they are very exclusive, in the fact that no other company is allowed to mac an Apple computer except Apple themselves. Where PCs can be built by a multitude of companies, and they all compete for price in the market.

Apple don't have any competition, they monopolise the software and are very strict with their hardware and components.

Macs are built VERY well, the hardware is all in tune with each other. They actually do run great.

The problem I find is that people will go out and buy a PC off the shelf, spend €400 on it. Then it's slow it's crashing, simply because it's cheap and built by a crap maker of computers, with hardware that wasn't designed to work with each other.

They'll go out and buy a Mac and it just works. They then get the impression that Macs are better than PCs. Which is the wrong impression. They don't realise they could have had a much better PC if they had spent another €600 on top of the €400, and still get a better computer than the Mac, at half the price.

I find that they make the PC choice far too complicated for the average user. They actually have no idea what they're actually buying or what the components are.

Mac make their money by always delivering a machine that is capable of performing more than the average user needs.

It's pricey, but it works.

If people didn't have different opinions then the world would be a boring place We need debate!

Was it the pricing that made you change in 2005?

I think the assumption that Mac's are for "designers and the like" comes from the fact that University's and even College's use them for that reason. As we agree though, both Mac and PC can do exactly the same thing.

That is actually a very good question. I guess it's because they are very exclusive, in the fact that no other company is allowed to mac an Apple computer except Apple themselves. Where PCs can be built by a multitude of companies, and they all compete for price in the market.

Apple don't have any competition, they monopolise the software and are very strict with their hardware and components.

Macs are built VERY well, the hardware is all in tune with each other. They actually do run great.

The problem I find is that people will go out and buy a PC off the shelf, spend €400 on it. Then it's slow it's crashing, simply because it's cheap and built by a crap maker of computers, with hardware that wasn't designed to work with each other.

They'll go out and buy a Mac and it just works.

I find that they make the PC choice far too complicated for the average user. They actually have no idea what they're actually buying or what the components are.

Mac make their money by always delivering a machine that is capable of performing more than the average user needs.

It's pricey, but it works.

That makes sense. I've always preffered to spend that little bit extra on a computer for a well known name, just because of the reason's you've just outlined about PC's. Although I did make the mistake on the current Laptop I bought which is an Acer. It was cheaper than other brands for what I got, but it always overheats.

I won't be making the same mistake again! I guess if I had more money than sense, I probably would buy a Mac.

At the time - Macs were the best for designing, that's why people used them. But it's simply not true anymore.

It was probably after the hard drive in the Mac completely crashed for the umpteenth time. I had a lot of data on it that I needed recovered. I got a price to have the hard drive recovered and it was extorionate. I fixed it myself in the end.

I was upgrading the software I had for designing, moving from Quark to InDesign. I needed a new computer and with the new software on top of a new computer, the price was getting hefty.

I looked into PCs and started comparing the price and the hardware. And I haven't looked back.

I find it cheaper to buy, fix, and run a PC. Simple really.

Over the last 6 or 7 years PCs have come a long way in terms of price and hardware.

in broad terms i guess the pc market is for those who like to pick and choose what they have under the hood .. and the machine will excel from that...

macs .. you will pay a premium but will be guaranteed a machine that will be reliable and run fine for years compared to 80% of the pc's out there

That's because 80% of the people buying PCs don't know what they are buying. Or how to buy a better PC.

Macs are more problem free. Compared to the off the shelf pcs - which come with a lot of bloatware. I suppose the manufacturers make a deal with the likes of Norton and other 3rd party programs to have them preinstalled, so they can offset some of the price on the PC that way.

Which brings me to the point. I actually just format the PC the first day I get it. And install the OS fresh from a disc.

That's because 80% of the people buying PCs don't know what they are buying. Or how to buy a better PC.

Macs are more problem free. Compared to the off the shelf pcs - which come with a lot of bloatware. I suppose the manufacturers make a deal with the likes of Norton and other 3rd party programs to have them preinstalled, so they can offset some of the price on the PC that way.

Which brings me to the point. I actually just format the PC the first day I get it. And install the OS fresh from a disc.

I've noticed that they put a lot of rubbish into the factory settings aswell, although I just normally delete everything manually that I wont use. What is your opinion on Alienware Eugene?

Alienware are overpriced. They were cool when they came out because they were actually very good computers. But nowadays, you can get better spec computer than Alienware for cheaper.

But I am a Dell fan, my last 3 computers are Dells. I've got my 5 year old Dell Laptop hooked up permanently to the TV. And I have another Dell for playing Football Manager and doing actual work on.

I paid €800 for my computer, i7 2xxx (can't remember model number exactly, but it was the most up to date one at the time), 6gb RAM, 1GB mid-range graphics card.

I think I priced a similar Alienware computer at the time - it was nearly twice the price.

But they do look cool. Give them that. They are probably a better build than what I got. But I wasn't going for a powerhouse gaming computer.

I tend to buy something that will last 6-10 years. The 5 year old laptop is doing a great job still. It runs FM12 perfectly fine. And all my design software no problem.

Just a comment on the Mac as well - with Bootcamp and various other solutions, it's possible to run Windows, and Windows applications and games on a Mac without any problem. If anything, they tend to run slightly better on a Mac in such a scenario.

I use CrossOver to run FM Genie Scout on my MBA. Not that I cheat at FM.

I'd agree with the general sentiment though - if you're used to Windows, and happy with it - go for a Windows PC. I was sick of Windows and all the little foibles that come with it, which was why I wanted to buy something different. I'm very glad I did; also, I wasn't the one paying for the Mac...

Actually - just checked the Alienware out, been a while. They don't look too bad. Pretty decent system. But twice the price I paid, and I don't think I'd notice any better performance. The software and games I play already run smooth as silk on my €800 system.

Seems a bit much though €1600 for an Alienware.

My computer has the same specs as the Alienware - except they have put the Ivy Bridge processor in them now - which I don't have. But still. €800 in the difference.

indeed .

the mere mention of Alienware makes my skin crawl...

incredibly overpriced and over hyped.. I saw an Alienware system for £2500 that just for curiosity sake found out I could build exactly the same for £1000, same exact components and all...

ridiculous

as it happens.. the laptop im currently using to type this is a dell.. .. always stayed clear before , choosing to go for cheaper models .. but i got this one as payment for some online work i did for a client .. and im impressed tbh... stable and decent build quality for the price of the things...

That's why it pays to shop around. I never rush into buying a computer.

Given that I buy in roughly 6-10 year cycles. I usually have a bit of catching up to do in terms of what hardware is available, best computers and prices.

I spent at least 2 months finding my current Dell laptop. I was torn between a Samsung.

I think what threw me off Samsung was I couldn't find out the model of the graphics card. I emailed the online store and they told me to check with the manufacturer. Didn't appreciate that response at all.

I've been tempted build my own computer, but that would be a desktop. I wouldn't be confident in putting a Laptop together from scratch. But maybe some day.

Actually, now you say that - I'm sure the last four or five PCs I've bought for my lab have been Dells. And yes, they've been spot on.

incidently.. the only i had with windows was the UI of windows itself..

so i use rainmeter.. and all is well