New Laptop/PC- Help Needed

[rooneymagic88 1]

This is a great thread which I have learnt a lot from.  One thing I am curious about, is what do people do with their old laptops once they have bought a new one???

Edited November 13, 2017 by rooneymagic88

[trago18 0]

Hi

After a new laptop and have found this most useful, I only really play FM and this seems decent though at the very top of my budget, could I do better for the money?

Don't load tons of leagues, usually 2 to 3, just want something that will last a good few years!

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM968T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM968T_2145526.html

 

Thanks in advance

 

[Smurf 688]

@rooneymagic88 Take out the hard drive and destroy it. Buy cheap hard drive and donate the laptop to a local school.

@trago18 Looks good. 

[rooneymagic88 1]

@Smurf great idea, thanks

[rooneymagic88 1]

My laptop, which was ok for FM16 and FM17, is really struggling with FM18. Not surprising as it was cheap and you get what you pay for. It is a HP ProBook 455 G2, AMD A10-7300 Radeon R6, 1.9ghz, 8GB RAM (sorry cant find any more details than that from reading dxdiag). Reading this thread has been very useful, so thanks everyone, especially @Smurf

 

[doherty2014 10]

Could you look at those laptops, If any are good for FM let me know,Ta.

[Staf9 51]

how important is an SSD when buying a new laptop. is it really worth the extra money or are you OK going with the HDD

[Smurf 688]

I can see HDD being replaced by SSD eventually there won't be any HDD.

SSD is faster.

Advantages for FM - perhaps a quicker save/load of the game - but nothing dramatic. But who knows how FM will progress in 5 years time. 

Maybe, just maybe it will take advantage of storage and other things for quicker day to day - somehow.

 

How important is it? If you can get a HDD that's 7200RPM then go for it - the faster one is a 10000rpm.

Slowest being 5,400 RPM - don't get one with this speed. It's awfully slow.

 

With an SSD you'll get faster boot up times - overall quicker performance.

 

 

[SebastianRO 630]

3 hours ago, Staf9 said:

how important is an SSD when buying a new laptop. is it really worth the extra money or are you OK going with the HDD

The difference is so big ... you can't even imagine (and Im not talking about Football Manager). If you want to know what the difference is regarding FM (HDD or SSD), I can tell you it's night and day. If you use graphics (faces, logos, stadiums megapacks) the SSD is more important than a CPU upgrade. It loads everything blazing fast (this game is all abofut the data). Don't think about it, just buy it. It's the best investment you can possibly make.

[TracksuitManager 0]

Hi Smurf,

 

Glad I stumbled on this thread as I was about to pull the trigger on the below laptop but now I realise that it may well be underpowered for FM18. It's my first FM since 13 so a bit out the loop.

Would prefer to buy from John Lewis and can push the budget to around £650-700

https://m.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-320-laptop-intel-core-i3-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-14-/p3288129

[Smurf 688]

43 minutes ago, TracksuitManager said:

Hi Smurf,

 

Glad I stumbled on this thread as I was about to pull the trigger on the below laptop but now I realise that it may well be underpowered for FM18. It's my first FM since 13 so a bit out the loop.

Would prefer to buy from John Lewis and can push the budget to around £650-700

https://m.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-320-laptop-intel-core-i3-8gb-ram-128gb-ssd-14-/p3288129

It's an i3 processor - doesn't give details on the processor. 

I'd be pretty much against all i3's for FM.

But your budget is 650 - 700 then why is the computer you choose 450? 

This is what I see on John Lewis - https://m.johnlewis.com/hp-omen-15-ce004na-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-ram-1tb-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-15-6-inch-shadow-black/p3265124

But their pricing is all over the place in regards to quality of processors.

Do you really have to buy from John Lewis?

This is great

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM969T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM969T_2145527.html

 

For cheaper and not as good

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM968T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM968T_2145526.html

 

[DeathReborn 6]

28 minutes ago, Smurf said:

It's an i3 processor - doesn't give details on the processor. 

I'd be pretty much against all i3's for FM.

But your budget is 650 - 700 then why is the computer you choose 450? 

This is what I see on John Lewis - https://m.johnlewis.com/hp-omen-15-ce004na-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-ram-1tb-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-15-6-inch-shadow-black/p3265124

But their pricing is all over the place in regards to quality of processors.

Do you really have to buy from John Lewis?

This is great

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM969T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM969T_2145527.html

 

For cheaper and not as good

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM968T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM968T_2145526.html

 

The John Lewis Laptop TracksuitManager posted has a Core i3 7100U (2 Core 4 thread, 2.4GHz, 15W) CPU inside and is best avoided for FM18.

[5liverpool5 0]

http://www.harveynorman.ie/computing/laptops/hp-laptop-15.6-celeron-4gb-500gb.html just bought this laptop is it okay to play the game

[Smurf 688]

7 hours ago, 5liverpool5 said:

http://www.harveynorman.ie/computing/laptops/hp-laptop-15.6-celeron-4gb-500gb.html just bought this laptop is it okay to play the game

It depends how many leagues/divisions/database size.

I wouldn't say it's great. 

But you could try the Demo and see how it goes.

[TracksuitManager 0]

Thanks a lot Smurf and really appreciate the advice. I just prefer John Lewis for their no nonsense 2 year guarantee policy.

 

[Smurf 688]

44 minutes ago, TracksuitManager said:

Thanks a lot Smurf and really appreciate the advice. I just prefer John Lewis for their no nonsense 2 year guarantee policy.

 

When you order from Save on Laptops you can get a warranty addon

Add a 3 Year Collect & Return Warranty For only - £92.39

[toffeeeee 0]

Hi Smurf,

I'm looking at buying a new laptop what do you think of this Omen?

https://www.littlewoods.com/hp-omen-17-an007na-intelreg-coretrade-i5nbsp8gb-ramnbsp1tb-hdd-amp-128gb-ssdnbsp173-inch-pc-gaming-laptop-black-with-geforce-gtx-1050-graphics/1600192098.prd

Thanks

Toffee

[matheusbbs 10]

43 minutes ago, Smurf said:

When you order from Save on Laptops you can get a warranty addon

Add a 3 Year Collect & Return Warranty For only - £92.39

Hey, Smurf. Thank you soo much for helping us. I living in Brazil and we don't have many options of laptops here for a good price.

So, what you think about this Samsung Odyssey (https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/samsung-notebook-odyssey-156)? Here, we have these configs: I7 7700 IQ, GTX 1050 4 GB and a hard drive 1 TB and 8 GB memory ram. I also read that for Football Manager there's no need for SSD, just if you want save/loading games fast.

Thank you!

 

Edited November 15, 2017 by matheusbbs
I forget to put the memory ram

[Smurf 688]

@matheusbbsYes it looks good 

[Owenbin 0]

Hi Smurf.

Is this laptop good enough FM2018 with 3d Match engine.

Swift 3 SF314-53G

NX.GSSSG.003

• Windows 10 Home
• Intel® Core™ i7-8550U processor Quad-core 1.80 GHz
• 35.6 cm (14") Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
• NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 with 2 GB Dedicated Memory
• 8 GB, LPDDR3
• 512 GB SSD

https://www.courts.com.sg/acer-sf314-53g-89d1-white-glass-14-in-intel-core-i7-8550u-8gb-512gb-ssd-win-10-ip128976

Thank you. Smurf.

[BitMatt 10]

Is there anything for 4-6 leagues on a small database for £300 max? This is for FM17.

[Shaunyboy180 0]

Hi there,

 

looking for some help as its boggling my mind trying to work out a laptop that will cope with FM18. 

 

Please could you look at PCworlds choices and advise the cheapest option.

This one?

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-5000-15-laptop-black-10151884-pdt.html

thank you

Edited November 15, 2017 by Shaunyboy180

[Smurf 688]

4 hours ago, Owenbin said:

Hi Smurf.

Is this laptop good enough FM2018 with 3d Match engine.

Swift 3 SF314-53G

NX.GSSSG.003

• Windows 10 Home
• Intel® Core™ i7-8550U processor Quad-core 1.80 GHz
• 35.6 cm (14") Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9
• NVIDIA® GeForce® MX150 with 2 GB Dedicated Memory
• 8 GB, LPDDR3
• 512 GB SSD

https://www.courts.com.sg/acer-sf314-53g-89d1-white-glass-14-in-intel-core-i7-8550u-8gb-512gb-ssd-win-10-ip128976

Thank you. Smurf.

No - it's a terrible processor for FM

3 hours ago, BitMatt said:

Is there anything for 4-6 leagues on a small database for £300 max? This is for FM17.

Maybe 2nd hand - but I wouldn't hold my breath

 

2 hours ago, Shaunyboy180 said:

Hi there,

 

looking for some help as its boggling my mind trying to work out a laptop that will cope with FM18. 

 

Please could you look at PCworlds choices and advise the cheapest option.

This one?

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-5000-15-laptop-black-10151884-pdt.html

thank you

That one you posted wouldn't be good enough.

You'd have to raise your budget.https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-republic-of-gaming-fx553-15-6-gaming-laptop-black-10157238-pdt.html

 

[5liverpool5 0]

13 hours ago, Smurf said:

It depends how many leagues/divisions/database size.

I wouldn't say it's great. 

But you could try the Demo and see how it goes.

thank you for the feedback really appreciate it.

 

would you recommend maybe 2 or 3 leagues loaded up at most dont want to go threw the hassle of sending the laptop back an going searching for another

[Smurf 688]

8 hours ago, 5liverpool5 said:

thank you for the feedback really appreciate it.

 

would you recommend maybe 2 or 3 leagues loaded up at most dont want to go threw the hassle of sending the laptop back an going searching for another

I get asked that question a lot. It's impossible to answer. As I may be happy to sit by for 1 minute to progress in the game - and others would say 1 minute is too slow. I may be happy to sit by and let the game progress every 10 seconds - and again - that may be too slow for someone else. 

It's all relative to you. 

Every computer out there can load 2 or 3 leauges and be completely fine - however, if you went 30 - 50 - 60 - 100 years into the game then it may not be. 

 

[rooneymagic88 1]

I’m thinking this ticks all the boxes to play FM18 well with 3D and a decent amount of leagues???

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-fx553vd-core-i5-7300hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-4gb-dvd-rw-fx553vd-fy173t/version.asp

Edited November 16, 2017 by rooneymagic88

[Smurf 688]

1 hour ago, rooneymagic88 said:

I’m thinking this ticks all the boxes to play FM18 well with 3D and a decent amount of leagues???

 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-fx553vd-core-i5-7300hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-4gb-dvd-rw-fx553vd-fy173t/version.asp

Back of the net!

[5liverpool5 0]

10 hours ago, Smurf said:

I get asked that question a lot. It's impossible to answer. As I may be happy to sit by for 1 minute to progress in the game - and others would say 1 minute is too slow. I may be happy to sit by and let the game progress every 10 seconds - and again - that may be too slow for someone else. 

It's all relative to you. 

Every computer out there can load 2 or 3 leauges and be completely fine - however, if you went 30 - 50 - 60 - 100 years into the game then it may not be. 

 

i dont mind waiting my old laptop pretty slow for previous games will buy the game and try a few league see how it runs.

 

thank you for your help really appreciated 

[jschia 0]

Looking for a touch-screen laptop recommendation. Is the MS Surface any good for playing FM with the touchscreen functionality? Any other recommendations? 

[Smurf 688]

As far a I know FM is not designed to be touch responsive - so you probably still need some sort of pointing device - I could be completely wrong. 

MS Surface - depends on the model you purchase - some have the right hardware. 

Typically though, for that money, you'd get a much much better laptop.

[weelegs 0]

Hi

Planning on buying FM18 and I need a new laptop... the budget isn't great (£300) so I can't go all out.

I'd be playing 3 leagues and a small database and 3D match graphics don't matter.

Seen this on Tesco so just wondering if you think it would do the job?

https://www.tesco.com/direct/acer-aspire-a315-21-3-156-amd-a4-8gb-ram-1tb-hdd-laptop-black/173-2658.prd?skuId=173-2658

[Fusss 1]

Hi Smurf

I have been reading this thread for about a week or so before taking the plunge and posting for your opinion.

I have come across the attached laptop 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/grade-a2-asus-fx553vd-core-i7-700hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-77408696-1-fx553vd-dm628/version.asp

It seems to tick all of the boxes quite considerably - i7 HQ, 4GB graphics, SSD drive.

The price seems ridiculously reasonable for the spec, am I missing something really obvious? 

I do not count myself as being massively tech savvy so would love to have your opinion on this one. 

Is the graphics card a good model or will that become quickly outdated?

Ideally wanted to find something with a 17" screen but this seems very tempting.

Hoping with my next purchase I will future proof myself for a good few years and releases.  Do you think this would suffice? (Appreciate you can't predict the future regards FM specs haha) 

Thanks

Edited November 17, 2017 by Fusss

[Fusss 1]

I think I have answered my own question! Refurbished, doh! 

[jschia 0]

6 hours ago, Smurf said:

As far a I know FM is not designed to be touch responsive - so you probably still need some sort of pointing device - I could be completely wrong. 

MS Surface - depends on the model you purchase - some have the right hardware. 

Typically though, for that money, you'd get a much much better laptop.

I only plan on playing the FM Touch version of the game. Does that matter? 

[Lone Gooner 2]

Hi Smurf,

Just wanted your opinion on the below laptop:

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=ECC_BUNDLE_6606706&opt=&sel=NTB

Do you think this would be worth the price HP are charging? 

Thanks

[Kamy 12]

Link below is a really good deal for a laptop which will easily run FM18, only thing it lacks is SSD.  Use code 10OFFLAPTOP to get price down to £584:

http://ao.com/product/gl553vddm985t-asus-laptop-black-50516-251.aspx?WT.srch=1&WT.z_MT=digidip_net&WT.z_RTM=PHG&WT.z_CN=100l1256&WT.z_AG=True+Content&WT.z_AT=&WT.z_KW=digidip_net

[cervo06 10]

Hi,

is it possible to get a solid laptop under 800 euros (circa £700)? Most of the laptops I found under this price had U processor, except for this one:

Acer Aspire V15 Black Aluminium Gaming

Intel Core i5 6300HQ Skylake,

15.6" LED 1920x1080 ColorBlast,

8GB DDR4 SDRAM,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950mm 4GB,

SSD 256GB

It says the processor is 2.3 GHz with core boost to 3.2 GHz, would it be enough?

Thanks

[Smurf 688]

3 hours ago, Fusss said:

Hi Smurf

I have been reading this thread for about a week or so before taking the plunge and posting for your opinion.

I have come across the attached laptop 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/grade-a2-asus-fx553vd-core-i7-700hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-77408696-1-fx553vd-dm628/version.asp

It seems to tick all of the boxes quite considerably - i7 HQ, 4GB graphics, SSD drive.

The price seems ridiculously reasonable for the spec, am I missing something really obvious? 

I do not count myself as being massively tech savvy so would love to have your opinion on this one. 

Is the graphics card a good model or will that become quickly outdated?

Ideally wanted to find something with a 17" screen but this seems very tempting.

Hoping with my next purchase I will future proof myself for a good few years and releases.  Do you think this would suffice? (Appreciate you can't predict the future regards FM specs haha) 

Thanks

Looks good

1 hour ago, jschia said:

I only plan on playing the FM Touch version of the game. Does that matter? 

I don't know.

1 hour ago, Lone Gooner said:

Hi Smurf,

Just wanted your opinion on the below laptop:

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Product.aspx?id=ECC_BUNDLE_6606706&opt=&sel=NTB

Do you think this would be worth the price HP are charging? 

Thanks

Absolutely not!

https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/30022561-Medion-Erazer-X7851_2140745.html

Better!

 

47 minutes ago, Kamy said:

Link below is a really good deal for a laptop which will easily run FM18, only thing it lacks is SSD.  Use code 10OFFLAPTOP to get price down to £584:

http://ao.com/product/gl553vddm985t-asus-laptop-black-50516-251.aspx?WT.srch=1&WT.z_MT=digidip_net&WT.z_RTM=PHG&WT.z_CN=100l1256&WT.z_AG=True+Content&WT.z_AT=&WT.z_KW=digidip_net

Looks good

19 minutes ago, cervo06 said:

Hi,

is it possible to get a solid laptop under 800 euros (circa £700)? Most of the laptops I found under this price had U processor, except for this one:

Acer Aspire V15 Black Aluminium Gaming

Intel Core i5 6300HQ Skylake,

15.6" LED 1920x1080 ColorBlast,

8GB DDR4 SDRAM,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950mm 4GB,

SSD 256GB

It says the processor is 2.3 GHz with core boost to 3.2 GHz, would it be enough?

Thanks

Looks good

 

[robbie_s 10]

Thanks for the advice smurf. I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks. I took your advice and purchased the Asus gaming  zx553VD-DM969.

 

I’m probably being slow but the laptop feels slow and unresponsive. It takes an age to load to the windows log in about 30 seconds) and then a further 30 seconds to load up the desktop. It feels hesitant when trying to search for stuff/programs etc.

 

just wondering whether anyone has experienced this type of performance before?

[Smurf 688]

Well it's your first post - can you link to the post that I suggested? Or to the laptop you purchased?

 

[Locko27 10]

I have had my current laptop for 4-5 years now and it's slowing down, I need a new laptop souly for Football Manager and it absolutely HAS to be lightweight and have good battery as I'm regularly on long train journeys and sometimes on a plane so it'll be in my hand luggage. I'm not looking to spend too much as it will literally just be for FM, maybe sometimes play movies off an external hard drive (so I'm not clogging the laptop up with unneeded files). I've found the following on PC world, I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on them?

(Disclaimer: I rarely end up in a long FM save, so these 30+ year saves I keep seeing most likely wont be a thing. 10 years tops - probably even 5 haha)

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-14-bp062sa-14-laptop-jet-black-10165442-pdt.html

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-320s-14ikb-14-laptop-mineral-grey-10164228-pdt.html

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-14-bk064sa-14-laptop-silk-gold-10164304-pdt.html

[robbie_s 10]

Of course Smurf. My apologies https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM969T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM969T_2145527.html

Quote

 

 

[samwilzrhcp 16]

2 hours ago, robbie_s said:

Thanks for the advice smurf. I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks. I took your advice and purchased the Asus gaming  zx553VD-DM969.

 

I’m probably being slow but the laptop feels slow and unresponsive. It takes an age to load to the windows log in about 30 seconds) and then a further 30 seconds to load up the desktop. It feels hesitant when trying to search for stuff/programs etc.

 

just wondering whether anyone has experienced this type of performance before?

I bought one of these from Save on laptops, had to send it back as it arrived with a faulty battery.  I also noticed it was sluggish when starting up.   Managed to get a refund 2 weeks later and have eventually gone over budget with the HP Omen with the SSD.  

When looking at google to see if anyone else had the same fault, it seemed Asus laptops were renowned.  

[Xeneize12 1]

On 11/5/2017 at 03:44, Smurf said:

You're wasting your money with a Mac especially at £1000 - you'll get a fantastic pc laptop or desktop for that money

Not played on one so cannot answer your questions. 

However, initial research says that the processor is not up to football manager.

 

Can you post the specs of the surface You're looking to buy?

 

For the price You're mad!!! You can get a much better laptop for much much cheaper.

 

I appreciate your financial advisor concerns... I'm looking to see if the CPU and the screen (more importantly the aspect ratio) will play nice with FM2018. I'm looking at the 15" inch 1TB model, the fully loaded version, I do photo editing and travel quite a bit, I can't justify a gaming laptop because I need battery more than I need a 1080 per se, but the Surface Book 2 is perfect for me for many reasons.

 

From what I been reading the i7-8650U is superior to any other HQ in the market from a pure processing/battery life standpoint..... 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Xeneize12

[robbie_s 10]

7 hours ago, samwilzrhcp said:

I bought one of these from Save on laptops, had to send it back as it arrived with a faulty battery.  I also noticed it was sluggish when starting up.   Managed to get a refund 2 weeks later and have eventually gone over budget with the HP Omen with the SSD.  

When looking at google to see if anyone else had the same fault, it seemed Asus laptops were renowned.  

Thanks for the feedback- I'm wondering whether it is because of the lack of ssd but then the operating system can't be so big that this would affect it? Also notice it takes an age to download software, had to leave it overnight downloading Avast?! 

You reckon they would refund if I wiped it and sent it back within 14 days?

[rooneymagic88 1]

45 minutes ago, robbie_s said:

Thanks for the feedback- I'm wondering whether it is because of the lack of ssd but then the operating system can't be so big that this would affect it? Also notice it takes an age to download software, had to leave it overnight downloading Avast?! 

You reckon they would refund if I wiped it and sent it back within 14 days?

Hmmmm this is worrying I have just ordered an Asus https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-fx553vd-core-i5-7300hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-4gb-dvd-rw-fx553vd-fy173t/version.asp

do you reckon I should cancel???

[Smurf 688]

10 hours ago, Locko27 said:

I have had my current laptop for 4-5 years now and it's slowing down, I need a new laptop souly for Football Manager and it absolutely HAS to be lightweight and have good battery as I'm regularly on long train journeys and sometimes on a plane so it'll be in my hand luggage. I'm not looking to spend too much as it will literally just be for FM, maybe sometimes play movies off an external hard drive (so I'm not clogging the laptop up with unneeded files). I've found the following on PC world, I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on them?

(Disclaimer: I rarely end up in a long FM save, so these 30+ year saves I keep seeing most likely wont be a thing. 10 years tops - probably even 5 haha)

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-14-bp062sa-14-laptop-jet-black-10165442-pdt.html

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-320s-14ikb-14-laptop-mineral-grey-10164228-pdt.html

https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-14-bk064sa-14-laptop-silk-gold-10164304-pdt.html

I wouldn't recommend a "U" Processor. However, you're needs are very different. 

I don't think you'll find anything better - and the processor is identical in all of them

They're all basically the same. 

 

10 hours ago, robbie_s said:

Of course Smurf. My apologies https://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ZX553VD-DM969T-ASUS-Gaming-ZX553VD-DM969T_2145527.html

 

Honestly, it's a good laptop - you shouldn't be experiencing these things.

Probably need to remove bloatware...

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2477704,00.asp

8 hours ago, samwilzrhcp said:

I bought one of these from Save on laptops, had to send it back as it arrived with a faulty battery.  I also noticed it was sluggish when starting up.   Managed to get a refund 2 weeks later and have eventually gone over budget with the HP Omen with the SSD.  

When looking at google to see if anyone else had the same fault, it seemed Asus laptops were renowned.  

I bought a Dell laptop from their site back (edit*** DELL WEBSITE***)  in 2012 - and it arrived with a faulty power lead. They wouldn't replace it after many arguments. I bought another power lead and that didn't work either. Then I bought yet another power lead and that works.  It cost me €240 in total. That being said, I still use this laptop right now as I type. 

I never heard anything but good things about Asus. They were actually ranked 4th in Gaming laptops - so I am genuinely surprised.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/07/15/best-and-worst-gaming-laptop-brands-2017/?sr_source=Twitter

 

5 hours ago, Xeneize12 said:

I appreciate your financial advisor concerns... I'm looking to see if the CPU and the screen (more importantly the aspect ratio) will play nice with FM2018. I'm looking at the 15" inch 1TB model, the fully loaded version, I do photo editing and travel quite a bit, I can't justify a gaming laptop because I need battery more than I need a 1080 per se, but the Surface Book 2 is perfect for me for many reasons.

 

From what I been reading the i7-8650U is superior to any other HQ in the market from a pure processing/battery life standpoint..... 

If you're doing photo editing - then get 16gb RAM. 

Absolutely - the i7-8650U is a fantastic Processor - but it's just not good enough for FM. FM requires a powerful processor. 

The base speed is 1.9ghz and that is below the minimum spec for FM. 

It's up to you.

1 hour ago, robbie_s said:

Thanks for the feedback- I'm wondering whether it is because of the lack of ssd but then the operating system can't be so big that this would affect it? Also notice it takes an age to download software, had to leave it overnight downloading Avast?! 

You reckon they would refund if I wiped it and sent it back within 14 days?

SSD has impact on boot and load times, and perhaps saving for FM - it's inconclusive, some people report great speeds some don't. 

 

Downloading is vastly different to the speed of your laptop - it requires broadband and depends on your internet connection. 

And free AntiVirus software can sometimes cause issues with FM and also the normal operating running. 

If you have a firewall and install another you find issues, simiarly if you have antivirus already and install another they will clash. 

Windows comes with preinstalled firewalls, malware detection and antivirus that runs in the background. 

 

But your download speeds are unrelated to how well the laptop performs. And there could be other things at play that causing it to go slow. 

 

However, I do recommend gettings some software like CCleaner to run and helps to remove bloatware (look this up) - I do this regularly on all my computers, including Malware Bytes.

There's plenty of tutorials out there. 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Smurf

[Smurf 688]

18 minutes ago, rooneymagic88 said:

Hmmmm this is worrying I have just ordered an Asus https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-fx553vd-core-i5-7300hq-8gb-1tb-128gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1050-4gb-dvd-rw-fx553vd-fy173t/version.asp

do you reckon I should cancel???

Why don't you try it out first? I never heard of an issue with Asus and generally well regarded laptops. 

 

Edited November 18, 2017 by Smurf

[Locko27 10]

35 minutes ago, Smurf said:

I wouldn't recommend a "U" Processor. However, you're needs are very different. 

I don't think you'll find anything better - and the processor is identical in all of them

They're all basically the same.

Hi Smurf, yeah I saw the processor was the same in all three laptops, they’re all pretty similar. Do you think either of them would be fine for what I need? It’s souly for FM on train/plane journeys. Thanks. 

[Smurf 688]

8 minutes ago, Locko27 said:

Hi Smurf, yeah I saw the processor was the same in all three laptops, they’re all pretty similar. Do you think either of them would be fine for what I need? It’s souly for FM on train/plane journeys. Thanks. 

Unless you want something like this

 

You can check PC Specilaist forum for a refined answer on weight, portablity, battery life etc. I wouldn't know. 

Chassis & Display
Defiance Series: 14" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 7700HQ (2.8GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1050 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 2050MB/s R | 700MB/s W)
Thermal Paste
EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Battery
Defiance Series 3 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (45WH)

Price £998.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/defianceiii-14/JHpgCtPt3x/