New Laptop/PC Advice -Please Read the Opening Post

[libbyshuss]

Hey guys, looking for a new laptop. Not too bothered with 3d graphics, FM will be only game I play on it and I tend to commentary only these days anyway

Found this: https://www.ebuyer.com/947188-asus-m509da-ryzen-7-8gb-512gb-ssd-15-6-win10-home-laptop-m509da-bq321t

Am I missing anything? My budget is around the £600 mark

[BGKnoccoutt]

Hi fellas, 

Looking at getting back into FM and will need a new laptop/PC. Budget around £600-£800. FM is the main reason I want it but I would like to be able to play something like Civilization if possible. Looking at laptops mainly as I am a student so might need it for uni work although I do have an older laptop that I currently use for that so depends on whether I get rid of that or not.

Want to be able to play the game as best I can, as many leagues as possible etc

Any thoughts on these?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-series-3-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205977-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-ec1001na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B0877L4KMD/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LYAH6R4CWE68&dchild=1&keywords=hp+pavilion+gaming+laptop&qid=1596540590&sprefix=hp+pavilion+gaming+la%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-3

Thanks

Edited August 4, 2020 by BGKnoccoutt

[Gangor]

26 minutes ago, BGKnoccoutt said:

Hi fellas, 

Looking at getting back into FM and will need a new laptop/PC. Budget around £600-£800. FM is the main reason I want it but I would like to be able to play something like Civilization if possible. Looking at laptops mainly as I am a student so might need it for uni work although I do have an older laptop that I currently use for that so depends on whether I get rid of that or not.

Want to be able to play the game as best I can, as many leagues as possible etc

Any thoughts on these?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-series-3-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205977-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-ec1001na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B0877L4KMD/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LYAH6R4CWE68&dchild=1&keywords=hp+pavilion+gaming+laptop&qid=1596540590&sprefix=hp+pavilion+gaming+la%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-3

Thanks

I'm not familiar with each model of laptop, but based on the specs the last one will perform the best for CPU heavy games like FM and Civ. Either of the Intel ones would be okay too with £50 a fair tradeoff for a slightly older processor. 

[OlivierL]

Good evening,

I'm looking to buy a new notebook, i buy this in a local small store that gave me a good service in the past.

I'm looking to 16GB ram and a good processor and SSD storage.

What would u guys recommend please ? 

 

 

Or should i look for a better VGA ? i think the 4th one has the best VGA ?
 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by OlivierL

[jeaku14]

Hi guys, I'm looking to stream FM 20 with approx 10 leagues loaded and also edit/render videos. I have posted before but circumstances changed - now ideally looking for a built PC to order. 

I was recommended this one by the store - https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/56/36620,36765,36781,48994,49330,53652,56121,56131,58729,59133,59329.

It comes in at a little cheaper than I was expecting tbh - anything here that needs upgrading?

 

[Smurf]

9 hours ago, OlivierL said:

That's definitely the better of them.

5 hours ago, jeaku14 said:

Hi guys, I'm looking to stream FM 20 with approx 10 leagues loaded and also edit/render videos. I have posted before but circumstances changed - now ideally looking for a built PC to order. 

I was recommended this one by the store - https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/56/36620,36765,36781,48994,49330,53652,56121,56131,58729,59133,59329.

It comes in at a little cheaper than I was expecting tbh - anything here that needs upgrading?

What's your budget?

[Soakes]

Hi, I’m pretty new to fm and I’m currently using an old laptop which struggles with just two three leagues. I have budget of £500-£650 and I’m looking for something that will run it with only 3-4 leagues but with a fair few players loaded. Tried to look my self but not to sure what I’m looking for also will only be using it for fm and the internet. Thanks for any help 

[Gangor]

11 hours ago, jeaku14 said:

Hi guys, I'm looking to stream FM 20 with approx 10 leagues loaded and also edit/render videos. I have posted before but circumstances changed - now ideally looking for a built PC to order. 

I was recommended this one by the store - https://www.pccasegear.com/bundle/56/36620,36765,36781,48994,49330,53652,56121,56131,58729,59133,59329.

It comes in at a little cheaper than I was expecting tbh - anything here that needs upgrading?

 

B550 motherboard - this will allow upgrades to the processor and storage in the future. Also if you're recording your streams you'll want more storage I would say. A 650w power supply wouldn't cost too much more and would give more room for later upgrades. 

If your budget stretches video editing would be improved by upgrading to the 3900x (or even 3950x, although this is seriously diminishing returns) and 32GB of RAM. Depending on the software you use a better video card might also help but I wouldn't class that as a priority due to rapidly increasing cost. 

[silentwars]

I'm looking for a Laptop that I can use to play FM on. I have no idea about Laptop's so any recommendations would be appreciated.  

Edited August 5, 2020 by silentwars

[silentwars]

On 12/07/2020 at 00:52, matt_forest said:

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/-82c70010uk/version.asp#!#maindesc

I found the same laptop for £100 less but you'd have to install windows yourself. Personally I wouldn't touch this laptop for gaming but I've had workmate asking me to find a machine for FM below or around £300, which brought me to this

[EDIT] Looking in to this one a little more I found a mistake in the one I linked to from LaptopsDirect. They have it listed as having a Ryzen 3 3500u but I don't think that exists. Its more likely they mean its a Ryzen 3 3250u whichmeans I'd be even less likely to buy this laptop for FM

What would be your top recommendations for laptops for FM? 

[silentwars]

On 08/07/2020 at 13:35, Smurf said:

 

 

We'd need the links to these.

And also your budget - if your budget is below £550 then it's going to be a crapshoot.

You're better off not buying anything, hold onto the money - and save up more to get you over the £550 price - and then you can get a semi-decent laptop for FM.

What are your top laptop recommendations for FM, Smurf?

[Smurf]

35 minutes ago, silentwars said:

What are your top laptop recommendations for FM, Smurf?

What can you afford?

[Smurf]

36 minutes ago, silentwars said:

What are your top laptop recommendations for FM, Smurf?

Ideally I'm looking for a processor in the top 100 here https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html

And a decent mid range ranges card.
Anything in here up to the red https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

 

8gb ram is plenty - but 16gb would be preferred (personally).

 

 

[Gangor]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

Ideally I'm looking for a processor in the top 100 here https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html

@silentwars This table is helpful. It's not the full story though, because it doesn't take into account some important points in its rankings:

• Cost. Those top end Intel processors are generally only in premium, very expensive laptops. The price to performance is generally terrible. 
• Required cooling. The TDP rating is theoretically the amount of heat generated during normal operation, but in reality it often bears little resemblance to the actual amount of heat the processor puts out.
• Efficiency. This may be less of a problem if you're just gaming at home, but which processor you choose will have a large impact on the battery lift of your laptop. The U series processors are all quite efficient, but AMD gaming processors have been shown to be quite a bit better than Intel in this regard.
• Sustained performance. This is actually related to cooling, because modern Intel H Series (gaming) processors put out quite a lot of heat when they're working hard which means that if not properly cooled they will slow down to prevent the chip from overheating. Laptops, being by nature constrained in the area of ventilation are quite vulnerable to this. 

So essentially the implementation is as important as the processor you choose which is why it's always a good idea to read or watch reviews of any laptop you're thinking of buying. This is especially the case with Intel at the moment as there have been some terrible implementations which kneecap the performance of the processor (I'm looking at you Apple), but also with AMD which is often put in budget systems where the cooling might not have been well thought out (eg the ASUS A15). Overall though I'm more comfortable recommending an AMD based laptop (at least in the current generation) because they generate less heat under load as a result of their superior lithography. 

I would generally advise the following as a guide (as of right now, anyway) by budget:

Under £500 - play FM on Stadia via a cheap chomebook or similar. Trying to run FM on an underpowered laptop is just going to cause disappointment. If you can't be online when you play it would be worth looking at used i5 or i7 based laptops but temper your expectations.

£5-600 - Ryzen 5 4500u based laptop. These processors are amazing, beating out even last gen gaming processors. Also they have integrated graphics that can play the FM match engine with some settings turned down. All with only a 15w TDP meaning you should get decent battery life.

£6-800 - Ryzen 5 4600h based laptop. This is the price range of the budget laptop so be careful about your choice, but most will perform well. The 4600h provides excellent performance and possibly the best bang for buck for laptops right now.

£800-1000 Ryzen 7 4800h, or maybe the Ryzen 5 4600hs (depending on requirement). In this range is the cheaper of the 8 core Ryzens but I wouldn't necessarily go straight for those. You can find premium gaming laptops with the 4600hs which provides still very good performance with improved efficiency, allowing for thinner and lighter devices and longer battery life. 

£1000-£1500 In this range is more premium Ryzen 7 laptops and you also will start to see some competition from Intel. Intel I7 laptops in this price range may well be faster, but make sure to check the review for the individual model because this is very much affected by the cooling ability of the device. 

£1500+ I9 or Ryzen 9. Intel has a slight performance edge in this category but generates more heat. I'd therefore say if you want portability (seems like an edgecase with a gaming system like this but whatever) go for the Ryzen and if you just want the fastest thing available go for a well cooled Intel laptop. 

In all cases get the lowest spec GPU offered unless you want to also play more demanding games. The most basic of dedicated graphics processors will be more than fine for FM. Even for the 4500u paying for a dedicated GPU is a waste since you'd then be able to afford a proper gaming laptop.

[silentwars]

Thanks for the advice @Gangor & @Smurf.

Another quick one - I could use my desktop to run FM on, but I need to buy a new graphics card. Do you have recommendations? what should I be looking out for? Thanks for you help 

[Smurf]

10 hours ago, Gangor said:

@silentwars This table is helpful. It's not the full story though, because it doesn't take into account some important points in its rankings:

• Cost. Those top end Intel processors are generally only in premium, very expensive laptops. The price to performance is generally terrible. 
• Required cooling. The TDP rating is theoretically the amount of heat generated during normal operation, but in reality it often bears little resemblance to the actual amount of heat the processor puts out.
• Efficiency. This may be less of a problem if you're just gaming at home, but which processor you choose will have a large impact on the battery lift of your laptop. The U series processors are all quite efficient, but AMD gaming processors have been shown to be quite a bit better than Intel in this regard.
• Sustained performance. This is actually related to cooling, because modern Intel H Series (gaming) processors put out quite a lot of heat when they're working hard which means that if not properly cooled they will slow down to prevent the chip from overheating. Laptops, being by nature constrained in the area of ventilation are quite vulnerable to this. 

So essentially the implementation is as important as the processor you choose which is why it's always a good idea to read or watch reviews of any laptop you're thinking of buying. This is especially the case with Intel at the moment as there have been some terrible implementations which kneecap the performance of the processor (I'm looking at you Apple), but also with AMD which is often put in budget systems where the cooling might not have been well thought out (eg the ASUS A15). Overall though I'm more comfortable recommending an AMD based laptop (at least in the current generation) because they generate less heat under load as a result of their superior lithography. 

I would generally advise the following as a guide (as of right now, anyway) by budget:

Under £500 - play FM on Stadia via a cheap chomebook or similar. Trying to run FM on an underpowered laptop is just going to cause disappointment. If you can't be online when you play it would be worth looking at used i5 or i7 based laptops but temper your expectations.

£5-600 - Ryzen 5 4500u based laptop. These processors are amazing, beating out even last gen gaming processors. Also they have integrated graphics that can play the FM match engine with some settings turned down. All with only a 15w TDP meaning you should get decent battery life.

£6-800 - Ryzen 5 4600h based laptop. This is the price range of the budget laptop so be careful about your choice, but most will perform well. The 4600h provides excellent performance and possibly the best bang for buck for laptops right now.

£800-1000 Ryzen 7 4800h, or maybe the Ryzen 5 4600hs (depending on requirement). In this range is the cheaper of the 8 core Ryzens but I wouldn't necessarily go straight for those. You can find premium gaming laptops with the 4600hs which provides still very good performance with improved efficiency, allowing for thinner and lighter devices and longer battery life. 

£1000-£1500 In this range is more premium Ryzen 7 laptops and you also will start to see some competition from Intel. Intel I7 laptops in this price range may well be faster, but make sure to check the review for the individual model because this is very much affected by the cooling ability of the device. 

£1500+ I9 or Ryzen 9. Intel has a slight performance edge in this category but generates more heat. I'd therefore say if you want portability (seems like an edgecase with a gaming system like this but whatever) go for the Ryzen and if you just want the fastest thing available go for a well cooled Intel laptop. 

In all cases get the lowest spec GPU offered unless you want to also play more demanding games. The most basic of dedicated graphics processors will be more than fine for FM. Even for the 4500u paying for a dedicated GPU is a waste since you'd then be able to afford a proper gaming laptop.

Jesus christ so much misinformation in this post.

Ryzen Ryzen Ryzen... get off that record. It is not always the best choice.

U processors throtlle under heavy load. I almost never recommend a U processor for FM.

STOP ELABORATING ON MY POSTS. I DO NOT ENDORSE @Gangor POINT OF VIEW.

 

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, silentwars said:

Thanks for the advice @Gangor & @Smurf.

Another quick one - I could use my desktop to run FM on, but I need to buy a new graphics card. Do you have recommendations? what should I be looking out for? Thanks for you help 

Under 500 - save a bit more

Under 600

https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q8LEK.001-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934861.html

On the surface they both compare similiarly

but it's actually ranked 100 points above.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html?

The reason is use that website is because it was recommended to me by a member of the FM Staff. 

 

Other websites that compare processors rely on samples provided by users - where sometimes you won't have the number of samples you need to make a fair comparison of one processor over another. 

And under what stresses are they submitting their findings - they are user findings and not accurate - in my book.

 

[silentwars]

-

Edited August 6, 2020 by silentwars
Didn't see reply.

[Smurf]

Just now, silentwars said:

@Smurf What about a graphics card for a PC -  Is there anything specific I need to look for, or will any modern one do the job?

The higher up the list the better 

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

I wouldn't go below the top 150 on the list. The 1050 GTX from Nvidia would be the lowest in my book. 

Specs for the game say

Intel GMA X4500, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT or AMD/ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 – 256MB VRAM

 

And a quick search for those on the site are not even listed. So you can probably go with a lower graphics card - as long as it meets min requirements. 

If the laptop doesn't have a dedicated graphics card - the internal GPU built into the CPU is most of the time adequate on low quality settings for 3D matches.

 

[libbyshuss]

39 minutes ago, Smurf said:

 

U processors throtlle under heavy load. I almost never recommend a U processor for FM.

 

 

I've found what looks a really good offer on a laptop using a 4700u processor. No good for FM?

[Smurf]

1 minute ago, libbyshuss said:

I've found what looks a really good offer on a laptop using a 4700u processor. No good for FM?

Technically it's an ultra low processor - so it will throttle under heavy load from FM.

It ranks quite high on the notebookcheck website (70 I think) which is pretty good.

It has a base frequency of 2ghz and turbo boost of 4.1ghz

This means under heavy loads it will throttle closer to the 2ghz mark to keep cool.
But it depends on the cooling of the laptop (fans etc.)

The type of processor this is is designed for lower power consumption for thin and light laptops - geared towards portability.

As it's geared towards lower power conusmption, it won't hit the heights of the 4.1ghz for FM - as the game is very demanding on the processor.

 

But if you give me a link to the laptop - and your budget I can take a look.

What is your main hope with the laptop? Portability? Desktop replacement? Other?

 

[silentwars]

@Smurf Would this do the job for a PC:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071G6482R?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=tomshardware-gb-1350367243480981000-21

[libbyshuss]

Oops

Edited August 6, 2020 by libbyshuss

[Smurf]

1 minute ago, silentwars said:

@Smurf Would this do the job for a PC:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071G6482R?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=tomshardware-gb-1350367243480981000-21

I wouldn't be mad on the 1030 - it's not a great graphics card. 

What's the budget - and are you sure that's the right one based on the motherboard?

[libbyshuss]

7 minutes ago, Smurf said:

 

What is your main hope with the laptop? Portability? Desktop replacement? Other?

 

It's the middle one on here. I can get an extra 10% off the price

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/IdeaPad-5-15ARE05/p/88IPS501393

 

Budget is only 600 and it's just a jack of all trades laptop really. Portability not really an issue, mainly use for normal office type tasks and playing FM

Cheers for your help, buying a new laptop is a minefield

[Smurf]

3 minutes ago, libbyshuss said:

It's the middle one on here. I can get an extra 10% off the price

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/s-series/IdeaPad-5-15ARE05/p/88IPS501393

 

Budget is only 600 and it's just a jack of all trades laptop really. Portability not really an issue, mainly use for normal office type tasks and playing FM

Cheers for your help, buying a new laptop is a minefield

If you do go for that one-  it's in Windows S mode - you'll need to exit that mode to play FM and it's not reversible (not a bad thing).

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4456067/windows-10-switch-out-of-s-mode

It also has no integrated graphics card - so it's a built in one on the GPU. 

 

My recommendation would be https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html

Ok

the 4700U is ranked higher. But as I said it would be geared towards keeping it at the 2ghz (2000) speed especially in FM - it's a much different game than any other and processor heavy.

The 9300 H is geared towards slightly heavier tasks.

Plus the one I have picked has a dedicated graphics card - which will be better for watching matches in 3D on mid-high level settings.

[roganp]

Hi all,

looking for a laptop on a budget of about £500( could possible stretch to around £600) that could smoothly run the 3D match engine, Aswell as 10 leagues or so. I’ll only be using it for FM and web browsing. Any help would be appreciated. 

[Smurf]

7 minutes ago, roganp said:

Hi all,

looking for a laptop on a budget of about £500( could possible stretch to around £600) that could smoothly run the 3D match engine, Aswell as 10 leagues or so. I’ll only be using it for FM and web browsing. Any help would be appreciated. 

See post above yours.

My recommendation would be https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html

Edited August 6, 2020 by Smurf

[silentwars]

Not sure about the motherboard. I'll have to ask the guy who I got it from first. 

[libbyshuss]

9 minutes ago, Smurf said:

 

Plus the one I have picked has a dedicated graphics card - which will be better for watching matches in 3D on mid-high level settings.

I'm old school so tend to use commentary only, with the odd replay goal in 3d. As I won't be playing any other games on it really I figured an integrated graphics card would be ok?

I could get the lenovo at 569 as well. Is there that much to choose between them?

Again, appreciate your patience here, it's an invaluable service you offer!

[roganp]

10 minutes ago, Smurf said:

See post above yours.

My recommendation would be https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html

Thanks for the suggestion, much appreciated.

[Gangor]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

Ryzen Ryzen Ryzen... get off that record. It is not always the best choice.

That's true - price is important. But given a similarly priced device and other things being equal Ryzen is best in most price brackets at the moment

 

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

U processors throtlle under heavy load. I almost never recommend a U processor for FM.

Not true. Poorly cooled processors throttle under load. U processors are often not cooled as well, but if they have a good cooling solution there's no reason for a U processor to throttle. I would only recommend them though to people with limited budgets because they tend to be cheaper. Your own list notes the R5 4500U is a strong performer.

 

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

STOP ELABORATING ON MY POSTS. I DO NOT ENDORSE @Gangor POINT OF VIEW.

 

You don't have to endorse it, but someone has to correct misleading information.

[silentwars]

50 minutes ago, Smurf said:

I wouldn't be mad on the 1030 - it's not a great graphics card. 

What's the budget - and are you sure that's the right one based on the motherboard?

How do I know what's the right one for the motherboard? 

[Smurf]

2 hours ago, Gangor said:

You don't have to endorse it, but someone has to correct misleading information.

What are you talking about??? You are the one with the misleading information each and every post. 

Post your own thoughts and don't "@" me on anything. Have your own views and stop elaborating on my posts that have absolutely nothing to do with you and you're not even invovled with.

If you have a misleading point of view - then post it without tagging me.

Thanks.

[Smurf]

2 hours ago, silentwars said:

How do I know what's the right one for the motherboard? 

You would need to get the make of the motherboard and find compatible components,

[seanstirling]

My work is giving me £1100 to spend on a new laptop. If I want to play long saves with about 15-20 leagues loaded then what would be the best one for me to buy ?

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, seanstirling said:

My work is giving me £1100 to spend on a new laptop. If I want to play long saves with about 15-20 leagues loaded then what would be the best one for me to buy ?

On paper this is a beast for FM.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50043UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_2943317.html

 

You can put together a 17 inch version here of a similar build

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 4800H (2.9GHz, 4.2GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1^st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
 

Price: £1,177.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-17/W6xsZuuNfe/

 

You can configure browser/security etc. in the link above.

[JordanMilly]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

On paper this is a beast for FM.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50043UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_2943317.html

 

You can put together a 17 inch version here of a similar build

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 4800H (2.9GHz, 4.2GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 Ti - 4.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1^st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)

Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
 

Price: £1,177.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-17/W6xsZuuNfe/

 

You can configure browser/security etc. in the link above.

Another alternative (that'd likely have similar performance, but uses an Intel processor with higher max single core speeds, rather than more cores with a slightly lower speed):

 

Quote

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1^st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 180W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Optimus Series Integrated 46WH Lithium Ion Battery
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema
Wireless/Wired Networking
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 x USB 3.1 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Keyboard Language
OPTIMUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 1MP HD WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
TongFang GK7CR0R (6GB RTX-2060, i7-9750H, 144Hz)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days

Price: £1,139.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusX-v2-17/zkzpatwkbk/

 

[lbowman6]

Looking for a new laptop - as my 8 year old trusty Samsung has finally got to the stage of being far too slow to run FM.

Ideally looking for something under £400.

I’ve had a quick look at this one seems very popular.

 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-3i-14-laptop-intel-core-i3-128-gb-ssd-blue-10208470-pdt.html

Has anyone else got this or can recommend something good for a similar price?

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, JordanMillward_1 said:

Another alternative (that'd likely have similar performance, but uses an Intel processor with higher max single core speeds, rather than more cores with a slightly lower speed):

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 9750H (2.6GHz, 4.5GHz Turbo)
 

Yes - I had considered that too - actually the 10750H version
 

I thought I posted the link???

Anyway https://www.box.co.uk/81Y6005UUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-15_2943292.html
@seanstirling

[Johnsey]

My current laptop is on the way out and I'll need a new one pretty soon.

Budget is £600-£750 (at a push). I like to have a few leagues loaded for journeyman careers. It doesn't need to be top end for graphics but I do like to play other games on my laptop.

Basically just want the fastest (for FM) and best laptop for my budget if there are any  decent ones at this price.

Happy for a few alternatives over  my budget but can't be by too much.

@Smurf I've been looking through some of your suggestions, what would be your recommendation for my budget?

Any help is greatly appreciated :D 

 

[Smurf]

25 minutes ago, Johnsey said:

My current laptop is on the way out and I'll need a new one pretty soon.

Budget is £600-£750 (at a push). I like to have a few leagues loaded for journeyman careers. It doesn't need to be top end for graphics but I do like to play other games on my laptop.

Basically just want the fastest (for FM) and best laptop for my budget if there are any  decent ones at this price.

Happy for a few alternatives over  my budget but can't be by too much.

@Smurf I've been looking through some of your suggestions, what would be your recommendation for my budget?

Any help is greatly appreciated

 

Any of these really - ascending price

1. https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html
2. https://www.box.co.uk/FX505GT-BQ008T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505GT-BQ008T_2940903.html
3. https://www.box.co.uk/81LK010TUK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2834990.html
4. https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q87EK.002-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934480.html

1st one hasn't got as good a graphics card - but more than enough for FM.

1-3 have 256gb hard drive space - a bit low.

If it was me I'd be going for 4 - all the benefits of 1-3 plus a larger hard drive.

 

I checked a few other sites and don't see anything better.

[Johnsey]

3 hours ago, Smurf said:

Any of these really - ascending price

1. https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html
2. https://www.box.co.uk/FX505GT-BQ008T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505GT-BQ008T_2940903.html
3. https://www.box.co.uk/81LK010TUK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2834990.html
4. https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q87EK.002-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934480.html

1st one hasn't got as good a graphics card - but more than enough for FM.

1-3 have 256gb hard drive space - a bit low.

If it was me I'd be going for 4 - all the benefits of 1-3 plus a larger hard drive.

 

I checked a few other sites and don't see anything better.

Thanks, pal. 

700 looks good to me, hopefully it'll blast through FM for me

I saw you mention Ryzen over Intel at the lower budget range, does that matter too much? 

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Johnsey

[Smurf]

2 hours ago, Johnsey said:

Thanks, pal. 

700 looks good to me, hopefully it'll blast through FM for me

I saw you mention Ryzen over Intel at the lower budget range, does that matter too much? 

Not really what I was saying, I don't think.

Ryzen and Intel are just makers of processors. It's not as if one is better than the other.

Processors come in different models, and have different uses, like U processors are better for portability and prolong battery life, but they throttle the processor to save on power and other things. So I wouldn't recommend it for FM.

But the H processors in that budget range are really nice and good for FM. 

 

In this instance the Ryzens didn't come up trump price wise and looking at similar vein of processor in the Ryzen range they are a bit more expensive.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html
https://www.box.co.uk/82B5000CUK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2943315.html
https://www.box.co.uk/FA706II-AU025T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-A17-FA706II-AU025T_2860287.html
https://www.box.co.uk/82B50043UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_2943317.html

 

All the laptops I am showing you have a dedicated graphics card.

I just did a quick look and if I went with Ryzen or even Intel - for integrated graphics - you don't get as good a processor - in your price range.

 

I'd go with the original one I pointed to earlier. https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q87EK.002-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934480.html

 

[seanstirling]

19 hours ago, Smurf said:

Yes - I had considered that too - actually the 10750H version
 

I thought I posted the link???

Anyway https://www.box.co.uk/81Y6005UUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-15_2943292.html
@seanstirling

Thanks for getting back to me @Smurf I was actually looking at that one you linked me so I'll probably go for that one.

Can I bother you one last time and ask your thoughts on this MSI one

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/msi-gf65-thin-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-rtx-2060-256-gb-ssd-10205333-pdt.html

and how it would compare to the Lenovo one. I can see right off the that that its 8gb ram however I managed to find this same one from a local retailer for £830 so I could possibly upgrade to 16gb ram manually.

[Smurf]

1 minute ago, seanstirling said:

Thanks for getting back to me @Smurf I was actually looking at that one you linked me so I'll probably go for that one.

Can I bother you one last time and ask your thoughts on this MSI one

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/msi-gf65-thin-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-rtx-2060-256-gb-ssd-10205333-pdt.html

and how it would compare to the Lenovo one. I can see right off the that that its 8gb ram however I managed to find this same one from a local retailer for £830 so I could possibly upgrade to 16gb ram manually.

Below are both specs - I've emboldened where one has better specs than the other.

MSI (yours) 

• Intel® Core™ i7-9750H Processor
• RAM: 8 GB / Storage: 256 GB SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB
• 200 FPS when playing Fortnite at 1080p
• Full HD screen / 120 Hz

(Mine)
Intel Core i7-10750H Hexa Core Processor

• 15.6" Full HD IPS 144Hz 100% sRGB Screen
• 16GB DDR4 RAM
• 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD
• Dedicated GeForce GTX 1660Ti 6GB Graphics

 

Yours - has a better graphics card - but you don't need an amazing graphics card for FM - if you're going to play other games - go for that one.

Mine - a newer gen processor - 

The table below illustrators the points - it's at 54 because it's approximate (I believe to do with not having enough samples and it's an approx position).

But you can see it does have slightly faster boost in the turbo.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/i7-9750H-vs-i7-10750H_11352_11708.247596.0.html

Quote

 

Performance

The performance of the Core i7-10750H should be only slightly higher than the old Core i7-9750H. Thanks to the 6 cores and high Turbo speeds, even demanding applications should run fine on the CPU. However, long term performance is always depending on the laptop cooling system and system configuration.

 

@JordanMillward_1

put together a good rig for you on PC Specialist too - take a look at that in the posts above. 
It's a tiny bit more expensive, but a 17 inch screen.

[Johnsey]

2 hours ago, Smurf said:

Not really what I was saying, I don't think.

Ryzen and Intel are just makers of processors. It's not as if one is better than the other.

Processors come in different models, and have different uses, like U processors are better for portability and prolong battery life, but they throttle the processor to save on power and other things. So I wouldn't recommend it for FM.

But the H processors in that budget range are really nice and good for FM. 

 

In this instance the Ryzens didn't come up trump price wise and looking at similar vein of processor in the Ryzen range they are a bit more expensive.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html
https://www.box.co.uk/82B5000CUK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2943315.html
https://www.box.co.uk/FA706II-AU025T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-A17-FA706II-AU025T_2860287.html
https://www.box.co.uk/82B50043UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_2943317.html

 

All the laptops I am showing you have a dedicated graphics card.

I just did a quick look and if I went with Ryzen or even Intel - for integrated graphics - you don't get as good a processor - in your price range.

 

I'd go with the original one I pointed to earlier. https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q87EK.002-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934480.html

 

Oh sorry, I misunderstood! 

Yea I'm more than happy with your suggestion, thank you very much. 

[Grpkta]

@Smurf

will any of these work for a 5/6 league medium database game. 3D highlights only on medium settings. 
 

if the ryzen will be fine running at these settings let me know

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-15-3585-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-silver/p3899214

if not will either of the 2 below

https://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-5-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-grey-charcoal/p5099285

https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-14-x413fa-ek529t-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p5085491

and for comparison how much better would this be

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-14-3493-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-512gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-platinum-silver/p4892423

if not what would you reccomend max price of around 500 550 max!

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Grpkta

[Gangor]

1 hour ago, Grpkta said:

@Smurf

will any of these work for a 5/6 league medium database game. 3D highlights only on medium settings. 
 

if the ryzen will be fine running at these settings let me know

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-15-3585-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-silver/p3899214

if not will either of the 2 below

https://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-5-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-grey-charcoal/p5099285

https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-14-x413fa-ek529t-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p5085491

and for comparison how much better would this be

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-14-3493-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-512gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-platinum-silver/p4892423

if not what would you reccomend max price of around 500 550 max!

 

Either of the i5's with '10' at the beginning of the model number are going to be about as good as you're going to get at the moment in that price range. I'd recommend a Ryzen 4500U laptop but they seem to be out of stock or overpriced everywhere currently. It can handle 4-5 leagues, but don't expect wonders in terms of speed. I think the 3D match engine might struggle, although it will probably work if you turn most of the options off. 

[Smurf]

6 hours ago, Grpkta said:

@Smurf

will any of these work for a 5/6 league medium database game. 3D highlights only on medium settings. 

if the ryzen will be fine running at these settings let me know

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-15-3585-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-silver/p3899214

if not will either of the 2 below
https://www.johnlewis.com/lenovo-ideapad-5-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-grey-charcoal/p5099285

https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-14-x413fa-ek529t-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p5085491

and for comparison how much better would this be

https://www.johnlewis.com/dell-inspiron-14-3493-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-512gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-platinum-silver/p4892423

if not what would you reccomend max price of around 500 550 max!

 

Does it have to be John Lewis?

If I had to pick it would be https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-14-x413fa-ek529t-laptop-intel-core-i5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-14-inch-full-hd-black/p5085491

 

My suggestion for best bang for your buck is below - it's a little over your budget but I would recommend this over any other in your price range.

https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html