FM24 - PC/Laptop advice thread *** PLEASE READ OPENING POST BEFORE POSTING ***

[raktim0699]

Hello, I am not confident in finding myself the best PC that suits my need, and any help would be reassuring. I am currently using Aspire E15 E5-576G-5762, and I am unsure if that can handle long-term saves. I planned to load 20 nations as playable, and all others view only with National Teams, International, and my league's game simulated in full detail. From the advanced DB, I want to add players from the first division and national reputation. A mid-range processor can handle that, and I do not know what is considered a mid-range processor. Does the processor on my current PC would be considered mid-range? What do you guys recommend?

[SlayerX]

8 hours ago, EdL said:

I'm not really sure why Steam is spyware, its just a store?

Sorry you don't like it, but the reality is virtually every PC game comes via some storefront and has done for roughly 15 years, it is the only viable way for developers to release games.

https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/steam.html

"This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection."

Why should you have to connect to the internet to launch a game? Do you really “own” something that you downloaded through a piece of software that could easily shut down?

If I buy an oven, I don't expect to have to plug it into the net in order to get it to the work. If I buy a house, I don't expect to get permission from a third party to be able to live in it.

All this DRM business is counterproductive. It sure as hell isn't stopping piracy.

I'm not surprised that steam is so popular, though, as people are sheep and they'll accept anything.

Imagine a guy in outer Mongolia. No net access. Just a PC and Football Manager 2021. Oops! He can't play FM 2021 as he's not in the herd.

If this is progress, take me back to simpler times when ownership truly had meaning.

Edited June 6, 2021 by SlayerX

[Vlowman]

Hi experts!

Would like your advice on whether to go for an 8GB M1 MacBook Air or a 16GB one.

In the past - buying Intel laptops - I’ve always erred on the side of caution and got 16GB, but with talk of this ‘unified RAM’ being better or more efficient in some way, I’m thinking it’d be nice to save some cash.

I think the most intensive thing I would be doing would be playing Football Manager while running a browser on my monitor playing Netflix. I might dabble with video editing iPhone video in iMovie if I ever get round to it, but I’m hardly a ‘content creator’, so exporting times don’t matter to me at all.

Is 8GB plenty for an optimal FM experience? Thanks in advance.

[XaW]

4 hours ago, SlayerX said:

https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/steam.html

"This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection."

Why should you have to connect to the internet to launch a game? Do you really “own” something that you downloaded through a piece of software that could easily shut down?

If I buy an oven, I don't expect to have to plug it into the net in order to get it to the work. If I buy a house, I don't expect to get permission from a third party to be able to live in it.

All this DRM business is counterproductive. It sure as hell isn't stopping piracy.

I'm not surprised that steam is so popular, though, as people are sheep and they'll accept anything.

Imagine a guy in outer Mongolia. No net access. Just a PC and Football Manager 2021. Oops! He can't play FM 2021 as he's not in the herd.

If this is progress, take me back to simpler times when ownership truly had meaning.

I think your comparison is a bit off. It's like saying that oven isn't yours because the power company could shut down the oven won't work without gas or electricity. That same oven is also useless for that guy in Outer Mongolia if doesn't have a power company supplying gas/electricity. Anyway, comparing a physical product to software don't make sense to me.

For what it's worth thought, I understand your reluctance to DRM or 3rd party software, and I agree with the principle of it.

[kevhamster]

5 hours ago, SlayerX said:

https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/steam.html

"This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection."

Why should you have to connect to the internet to launch a game? Do you really “own” something that you downloaded through a piece of software that could easily shut down?

If I buy an oven, I don't expect to have to plug it into the net in order to get it to the work. If I buy a house, I don't expect to get permission from a third party to be able to live in it.

All this DRM business is counterproductive. It sure as hell isn't stopping piracy.

I'm not surprised that steam is so popular, though, as people are sheep and they'll accept anything.

Imagine a guy in outer Mongolia. No net access. Just a PC and Football Manager 2021. Oops! He can't play FM 2021 as he's not in the herd.

If this is progress, take me back to simpler times when ownership truly had meaning.

Truth is, you don't own the games you buy digitally.  You are buying a non-transferrable licence giving you the rights to use the software, and yes that does mean if the service ever gets shut down you'd lose access to it.  And that sadly is the same whether you buy it through Steam, Epic, Origin, GOG, Xbox, Playstation etc.

But, the digital storefronts are the norm these days.  Not many PC games can be bought via a boxed copy, and even those that do still tend to be redeemed through one of the digital storefronts.  I believe from the publisher/developer perspective, it makes it a whole lot easier to send out patches and distribute DLC, plus it keeps games available that if sold physically would long since have stopped having copies produced.

And in terms of collecting your credit card number and home address, it only collects these if you make a purchase.    It needs the card details to pay for the transaction, and your address as any card purchase made online requires the billing address to verify the transaction - this is not specific to Steam.  You can always buy Steam keys from other websites and redeem them via Steam, but then you decide whether you want the website you've made the purchase from to have your details, or Steam.

And finally, Steam is popular because it has an absolutely enormous range of games available, and an in-built platform for user-generated content such as mods.  It's hugely convenient.

So, you may not like it, but basically if you want to do any PC gaming then you basically have to accept that these storefronts are the way you have to do it.

 

 

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, raktim0699 said:

Hello, I am not confident in finding myself the best PC that suits my need, and any help would be reassuring. I am currently using Aspire E15 E5-576G-5762, and I am unsure if that can handle long-term saves. I planned to load 20 nations as playable, and all others view only with National Teams, International, and my league's game simulated in full detail. From the advanced DB, I want to add players from the first division and national reputation. A mid-range processor can handle that, and I do not know what is considered a mid-range processor. Does the processor on my current PC would be considered mid-range? What do you guys recommend?

Hard to say how it would handle long-term saves.  That CPU would really be classed as entry level by current standards.  It has a base clock speed below the minimum suggested by SI, but a boost speed well above - that means that it will run the game, but may slow down significantly under load so may start to chug a bit with a large database in the longer term.

In terms of what to recommend when it comes to a new PC, it's hard to recommend anything without knowing what sort of budget you have.

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, Vlowman said:

Hi experts!

Would like your advice on whether to go for an 8GB M1 MacBook Air or a 16GB one.

In the past - buying Intel laptops - I’ve always erred on the side of caution and got 16GB, but with talk of this ‘unified RAM’ being better or more efficient in some way, I’m thinking it’d be nice to save some cash.

I think the most intensive thing I would be doing would be playing Football Manager while running a browser on my monitor playing Netflix. I might dabble with video editing iPhone video in iMovie if I ever get round to it, but I’m hardly a ‘content creator’, so exporting times don’t matter to me at all.

Is 8GB plenty for an optimal FM experience? Thanks in advance.

8GB is plenty for FM.

If you are serious about video editing in the future, you'd probably want 16GB.

[Arron_]

Hi,

Been using an older laptop for a while but it's not in the best health anymore. 

Got a budget of about £1000 for full PC, Screen, Keyboard & Mouse.

I don't care too much for any other games really just Football Manager. I only play with 2D, I'd like to run all leagues. But have them all on View only apart from 3-4 league available to play. So a database of over 200k preferred. 

So any ideas on what might be best to suit my needs.

 

I have seen this, slightly over budget but not much 

https://www.costco.co.uk/Electronics-Security/Gaming-PCs-Consoles/Gaming-Desktops/AWD-IT-Hero-6-Intel-Core-i5-16GB-RAM-240GB-SSD-2TB-HDD-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3060-Gaming-Desktop-PC-with-24-Full-HD-Widescreen-Monitor-RGB-Gaming-Keyboard-Mouse-Plus-Headset-Mouse-Pad/p/359754

[kevhamster]

5 minutes ago, Arron_ said:

Hi,

Been using an older laptop for a while but it's not in the best health anymore. 

Got a budget of about £1000 for full PC, Screen, Keyboard & Mouse.

I don't care too much for any other games really just Football Manager. I only play with 2D, I'd like to run all leagues. But have them all on View only apart from 3-4 league available to play. So a database of over 200k preferred. 

So any ideas on what might be best to suit my needs.

 

I have seen this, slightly over budget but not much 

https://www.costco.co.uk/Electronics-Security/Gaming-PCs-Consoles/Gaming-Desktops/AWD-IT-Hero-6-Intel-Core-i5-16GB-RAM-240GB-SSD-2TB-HDD-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX-3060-Gaming-Desktop-PC-with-24-Full-HD-Widescreen-Monitor-RGB-Gaming-Keyboard-Mouse-Plus-Headset-Mouse-Pad/p/359754

You're massively overpaying for a graphics card you don't need if you play FM in 2D and no other games. 

This gives you the same CPU, with a more modest graphics card. 

https://www.box.co.uk/Medion-Akoya-P67064-MD35097-Gaming-Deskt_3609343.html

[Arron_]

15 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

You're massively overpaying for a graphics card you don't need if you play FM in 2D and no other games. 

This gives you the same CPU, with a more modest graphics card. 

https://www.box.co.uk/Medion-Akoya-P67064-MD35097-Gaming-Deskt_3609343.html

Well I've got no intention of playing by other games for now. Maybe that might change when I have a PC, my laptop would annoy me when trying to play other games on it.

Thanks for the suggestion

[Smurf]

18 hours ago, SlayerX said:

I know what it is. I was opposed to it when it was first introduced, and I still am. It's an invasion of privacy it must be vulnerable from a legal stance.

Buying a game, but you can't play it without activating it via, what is essentially, spyware. 

I'm sure George Orwell included FM2021 in "1984".

It's not spyware. It's used by millions of gamers around the world. 

If you don't want to install it that's your prerogative. You won't be able to play FM.

So getting a new laptop for FM is not worth your while.

Best of luck.

[Smurf]

8 hours ago, SlayerX said:

https://spyware.neocities.org/articles/steam.html

"This program is spyware because it collects huge amounts of user information, including but not limited to your Home Address, Telephone Number, Credit Card Number, and Internet Search History. Steam also profiles your hardware, communications through Steam's social networking features, and contains a mandatory self-updater. Steam will not work without an internet connection."

Why should you have to connect to the internet to launch a game? Do you really “own” something that you downloaded through a piece of software that could easily shut down?

If I buy an oven, I don't expect to have to plug it into the net in order to get it to the work. If I buy a house, I don't expect to get permission from a third party to be able to live in it.

All this DRM business is counterproductive. It sure as hell isn't stopping piracy.

I'm not surprised that steam is so popular, though, as people are sheep and they'll accept anything.

Imagine a guy in outer Mongolia. No net access. Just a PC and Football Manager 2021. Oops! He can't play FM 2021 as he's not in the herd.

If this is progress, take me back to simpler times when ownership truly had meaning.

Google Chrome stores my address and card details.

Rakuten and Netflix and Disney plus and Amazon and Any other service I use like Sky or even a website I buy my dogs collars from.

As others point out, you don't own any software, right down to the operating system of the computer, you have a License to use the software, an End User License Agreement (EULA) is standard in all software, including fonts, which are also software. 

DRM is important and keeping your details safe is important, that's where Steam, Epic, MS store, Mac Is App Store, all these things come into play.

It's hardly spyware, you agree to it on sign up, with the EULA you tick when you install anything. It's only spyware if it's hidden, like a spy, on your computer.

Do you use Facebook,  Instagram, whatsapp, or telegram or any other app on your phone? All have EULA you agree to, and some like Facebook sell your data all the time.

 

[raktim0699]

4 hours ago, kevhamster said:

what sort of budget you have

700-800 U.S.D would be good and also have to meet the requirements I put above to play FM. Thank u

Edited June 6, 2021 by raktim0699

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, Arron_ said:

Well I've got no intention of playing by other games for now. Maybe that might change when I have a PC, my laptop would annoy me when trying to play other games on it.

Thanks for the suggestion

If you think you may play other games once you have a PC capable of it, then stick with your original one that you posted, as that is a good price for a PC with an RTX 30 series graphics card.. It's only a waste if you're going to play FM and nothing else. 

[raktim0699]

Sorry for bothering you guys too much. My budget is $700-800. My only concern is playing FM and not worrying about how many leagues I load, the detail level, players count, etc. I do not want to do anything else on that PC if it means sacrificing how I want to play FM. My sole purpose in searching for a new PC is to play FM and not scouring the web for issues with databases. Even though I can randomly choose a PC by myself based on my budget and weighing all the pros and cons, getting the advice of an expert from here would be very reassuring.

[SlayerX]

Yikes - so many replies I don't want to take the thread off-topic so I won't reply to everyone who has replied to me. Thank you, though.

Out of sheer interest, how many leagues puld I play with this machine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-ProBook-640-G5-7KP75ET/dp/B07TV14RTQ

The machine is going for £1,500 but I got it brand new and sealed for £500. Thank the lord for eBay.

 

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, SlayerX said:

Yikes - so many replies I don't want to take the thread off-topic so I won't reply to everyone who has replied to me. Thank you, though.

Out of sheer interest, how many leagues puld I play with this machine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-ProBook-640-G5-7KP75ET/dp/B07TV14RTQ

The machine is going for £1,500 but I got it brand new and sealed for £500. Thank the lord for eBay.

 

Anyone who pays the list price for that is nuts.... even £500 is on the high side in my opinion.

It's hard to say how many leagues you should load, as what would count as an acceptable processing speed is entirely subjective.  I probably wouldn't load too many though, especially if you're thinking of it being a longer term save.  I can imagine it getting a bit chuggy once the game's progressed a good few years.

[kevhamster]

9 hours ago, raktim0699 said:

Sorry for bothering you guys too much. My budget is $700-800. My only concern is playing FM and not worrying about how many leagues I load, the detail level, players count, etc. I do not want to do anything else on that PC if it means sacrificing how I want to play FM. My sole purpose in searching for a new PC is to play FM and not scouring the web for issues with databases. Even though I can randomly choose a PC by myself based on my budget and weighing all the pros and cons, getting the advice of an expert from here would be very reassuring.

This'd do a cracking job for you.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-vivobook-15-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-16gb-memory-512gb-solid-state-drive-slate-gray/6451625.p?skuId=6451625

[SlayerX]

6 hours ago, kevhamster said:

Anyone who pays the list price for that is nuts.... even £500 is on the high side in my opinion.

It's hard to say how many leagues you should load, as what would count as an acceptable processing speed is entirely subjective.  I probably wouldn't load too many though, especially if you're thinking of it being a longer term save.  I can imagine it getting a bit chuggy once the game's progressed a good few years.

Yeah, the rrp was even higher on release than what it is now. Which is entering Apple scale of ripping off people.

I've spent more than grand in the recent past in an XPS. In comparison, this machine is a dream to handle. I think £500 is a bargain

Why is the price unreasonable?: 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, i5(8th gen). Ok. There's no dedicated graphics card, but lets be honest, the graphics in FM aren't exactly mind blowing.

Thank you for the advice.

If I were to upgrade, as I do have my current laptop listed on eBay (the bidding is on £900), what particular specs am I looking for? And RAM?

Edited June 7, 2021 by SlayerX

[raktim0699]

5 hours ago, kevhamster said:

This'd do a cracking job for you.

Does it meet the standards regarding its specs and can withstand long-term saves (20 nations as playable, and all others view only with National Teams, International, and my league's game simulated in full detail? From the advanced DB, I want to add players from the first division and national reputation.). A mid-range processor is recommended for it so, does the one currently suggested have a mid-range processor for FM standards? I might add or remove some league and alter the detail level of competitions, including the database. I should have the capacity to be flexible with my saves in terms of how much realism I want to add? Therefore, I will use the PC exclusively for FM, not do anything else (Netflix, Video editing or Download, or any other game). I am just trying to make sure I get the best deal.

[kevhamster]

46 minutes ago, raktim0699 said:

Does it meet the standards regarding its specs and can withstand long-term saves (20 nations as playable, and all others view only with National Teams, International, and my league's game simulated in full detail? From the advanced DB, I want to add players from the first division and national reputation.). A mid-range processor is recommended for it so, does the one currently suggested have a mid-range processor for FM standards? I might add or remove some league and alter the detail level of competitions, including the database. I should have the capacity to be flexible with my saves in terms of how much realism I want to add? Therefore, I will use the PC exclusively for FM, not do anything else (Netflix, Video editing or Download, or any other game). I am just trying to make sure I get the best deal.

Yes.

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

The CPU scores 123rd on the list, which for a CPU at that price is incredibly respectable (there are over 1600 listed).

https://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Ryzen-5-5500U-Processor-Benchmarks-and-Specs.510988.0.html

That site gives it a similar score to some 9th Gen i7 desktop CPU's, which is impressive.

It'll do the job for you.

[raktim0699]

Thanks for the help. Really appreciate that

 

[kevhamster]

5 hours ago, SlayerX said:

Yeah, the rrp was even higher on release than what it is now. Which is entering Apple scale of ripping off people.

I've spent more than grand in the recent past in an XPS. In comparison, this machine is a dream to handle. I think £500 is a bargain

Why is the price unreasonable?: 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, i5(8th gen). Ok. There's no dedicated graphics card, but lets be honest, the graphics in FM aren't exactly mind blowing.

Thank you for the advice.

If I were to upgrade, as I do have my current laptop listed on eBay (the bidding is on £900), what particular specs am I looking for? And RAM?

I didn't say £500 was unreasonable, I just think it's a bit pricey for the spec, although as you say 16GB RAM and the larger SSD is probably what's driven the price up a bit.

In terms of what to go for if you upgrade, it largely depends on what your budget is and what else you intend to do with it aside from playing FM.

[SlayerX]

32 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I didn't say £500 was unreasonable, I just think it's a bit pricey for the spec, although as you say 16GB RAM and the larger SSD is probably what's driven the price up a bit.

In terms of what to go for if you upgrade, it largely depends on what your budget is and what else you intend to do with it aside from playing FM.

I'm a writer, so, word-processing.

Not a big gamer, which explains why I never go after a machine with a dedicated graphics card. 

Budget? Cheap and cheerful.

[kevhamster]

46 minutes ago, SlayerX said:

I'm a writer, so, word-processing.

Not a big gamer, which explains why I never go after a machine with a dedicated graphics card. 

Budget? Cheap and cheerful.

Not sure how cheap you're talking, but for the same price as the other one, there's this:

https://www.box.co.uk/M513IA-BQ482T-ASUS-VivoBook-15-AMD-Ryzen-5-8GB-RAM-512_3554014.html

Better CPU and better integrated graphics, so will offer a better experience for FM.

8GB RAM, but that's plenty for FM and word-processing.

Here's how the two CPU's compare on the benchmarking at https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html?

[SlayerX]

37 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Not sure how cheap you're talking, but for the same price as the other one, there's this:

https://www.box.co.uk/M513IA-BQ482T-ASUS-VivoBook-15-AMD-Ryzen-5-8GB-RAM-512_3554014.html

Better CPU and better integrated graphics, so will offer a better experience for FM.

8GB RAM, but that's plenty for FM and word-processing.

Here's how the two CPU's compare on the benchmarking at https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html?

Cool.

I'll take a look. Thanks.

 

[SlayerX]

On 07/06/2021 at 21:12, kevhamster said:

Not sure how cheap you're talking, but for the same price as the other one, there's this:

https://www.box.co.uk/M513IA-BQ482T-ASUS-VivoBook-15-AMD-Ryzen-5-8GB-RAM-512_3554014.html

Better CPU and better integrated graphics, so will offer a better experience for FM.

8GB RAM, but that's plenty for FM and word-processing.

Here's how the two CPU's compare on the benchmarking at https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html?

Another one.

Is the i7 that much better than the i5?

Is it significant?

[kevhamster]

13 minutes ago, SlayerX said:

Another one.

Is the i7 that much better than the i5?

Is it significant?

There is no easy answer to that, there are many different i5's and i7's.

If you were to compare like for like in terms of generation, an 8th gen i5, like the one in your laptop, would in theory be less powerful than an 8th gen i7.  Again, how much depends on the specific processors in question, as there will be more than one 8th gen i5 and more than one 8th gen i7.

But, if you were to take an 11th gen i5 and compare it to an 8th gen i7, then there's every chance the i5 would get better scores on the benchmarking sites due to the newer chip architecture.

So, in short, there's not a neat and easy answer to your question.

[SlayerX]

2 hours ago, kevhamster said:

There is no easy answer to that, there are many different i5's and i7's.

If you were to compare like for like in terms of generation, an 8th gen i5, like the one in your laptop, would in theory be less powerful than an 8th gen i7.  Again, how much depends on the specific processors in question, as there will be more than one 8th gen i5 and more than one 8th gen i7.

But, if you were to take an 11th gen i5 and compare it to an 8th gen i7, then there's every chance the i5 would get better scores on the benchmarking sites due to the newer chip architecture.

So, in short, there's not a neat and easy answer to your question.

Thank you. That's very informative. 

If I get on the Football Manager train, when will FM 2022 be released? It uses to be November/December. Has it changed?

Gotta be honest, though, the only think that would stop me is the Steam issue. But I don't really want to get into that again.

[kevhamster]

9 hours ago, SlayerX said:

Thank you. That's very informative. 

If I get on the Football Manager train, when will FM 2022 be released? It uses to be November/December. Has it changed?

Gotta be honest, though, the only think that would stop me is the Steam issue. But I don't really want to get into that again.

FM21 was released on 10/11/2020, which is slightly later than normal, which was put down to issues caused by the whole COVID situation.  October to November is generally a safe bet for the release window.  What we should say is that technically, FM22 hasn't even been formally announced as yet, although it's a fairly safe assumption that it's coming.

[SlayerX]

7 hours ago, kevhamster said:

FM21 was released on 10/11/2020, which is slightly later than normal, which was put down to issues caused by the whole COVID situation.  October to November is generally a safe bet for the release window.  What we should say is that technically, FM22 hasn't even been formally announced as yet, although it's a fairly safe assumption that it's coming.

Cool. Thanks again.

 

[SlayerX]

On 09/06/2021 at 11:21, kevhamster said:

FM21 was released on 10/11/2020, which is slightly later than normal, which was put down to issues caused by the whole COVID situation.  October to November is generally a safe bet for the release window.  What we should say is that technically, FM22 hasn't even been formally announced as yet, although it's a fairly safe assumption that it's coming.

How do you think this one would cope?

Laptop

[TobysOaks]

Hi there, I’m looking for a new laptop/PC as my second hand one which I’ve had for a couple of years has finally given up. 
 

budget is around £500, ideally not much more than that but can stretch for the right product. I am open to either a laptop or a pc desktop. I wouldn’t use it for much else, some Netflix and sports streaming but it will mainly be for FM. I also only play matches in 2D classic. 
 

thanks in advance!

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, SlayerX said:

How do you think this one would cope?

Laptop

Absolutely fine.

Decent CPU, and the graphics card is more than capable enough for the 3D matches at full settings.

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, TobysOaks said:

Hi there, I’m looking for a new laptop/PC as my second hand one which I’ve had for a couple of years has finally given up. 
 

budget is around £500, ideally not much more than that but can stretch for the right product. I am open to either a laptop or a pc desktop. I wouldn’t use it for much else, some Netflix and sports streaming but it will mainly be for FM. I also only play matches in 2D classic. 
 

thanks in advance!

As you only play in 2D and therefore aren't needing anything flashy in terms of graphics capability, this looks like a good shout to me: https://www.box.co.uk/Lenovo-V50t-Intel-Core-i5-10400-256GB-SS_3551904.html

[TobysOaks]

3 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

As you only play in 2D and therefore aren't needing anything flashy in terms of graphics capability, this looks like a good shout to me: https://www.box.co.uk/Lenovo-V50t-Intel-Core-i5-10400-256GB-SS_3551904.html

I’ll take a look, thanks for this. 
 

could you recommend a laptop around the same price?

[kevhamster]

3 hours ago, TobysOaks said:

I’ll take a look, thanks for this. 
 

could you recommend a laptop around the same price?

https://www.box.co.uk/M513IA-BQ482T-ASUS-VivoBook-15-AMD-Ryzen-5-8GB-RAM-512_3554014.html

[SlayerX]

5 hours ago, kevhamster said:

Absolutely fine.

Decent CPU, and the graphics card is more than capable enough for the 3D matches at full settings.

Very cool. Thanks again.

SI should hire you to be a part of their PR team.

 

[TobysOaks]

3 hours ago, kevhamster said:

https://www.box.co.uk/M513IA-BQ482T-ASUS-VivoBook-15-AMD-Ryzen-5-8GB-RAM-512_3554014.html

Lovely, thanks for these suggestions, much appreciated @kevhamster

[kenmareavfc]

What kind of setup do I need to run the 3d engine on max settings? The game's recommended setting is high, but the framerate is terrible so I have to settle for medium. I have a 750TI paired with an Intel Core i7-4790S @ 3.20Ghz and 32GB RAM currently.

Any reasonable upgrade I could make for high/very high settings?

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, kenmareavfc said:

What kind of setup do I need to run the 3d engine on max settings? The game's recommended setting is high, but the framerate is terrible so I have to settle for medium. I have a 750TI paired with an Intel Core i7-4790S @ 3.20Ghz and 32GB RAM currently.

Any reasonable upgrade I could make for high/very high settings?

Any modern graphics card will do the job.  Although it's quite old now, I'd have thought even the 750ti would do the job - have you made sure FM is using that and not the integrated GPU on your processor?

[kenmareavfc]

2 hours ago, kevhamster said:

Any modern graphics card will do the job.  Although it's quite old now, I'd have thought even the 750ti would do the job - have you made sure FM is using that and not the integrated GPU on your processor?

How can  I check this?

 

edit: nvm, it does seem to be running through the gpu. odd, because i can run much more demanding games with far better framerate.

Edited June 12, 2021 by kenmareavfc

[captainconzo]

Hi guys looking to get back into playing fm after a long time away from it. Will play english league down to lower divs and probs have a large database if possible. Will only play at 2d most and budget is around the £700 mark. Other than fm will probs just be used for browsing the net. Not sure if any of the following ive posted are to much or not enough for my needs. Advice would be much appreciated.

81LK010TUK, Lenovo ideaPad L340 Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

Buy ACER Nitro 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, GTX 1650, 256 GB SSD | Free Delivery | Currys

1L6E9EA#ABU, HP Pavilion Gaming Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

82B50042UK | Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop | ao.com

FX505GT-BQ008T, ASUS TUF Gaming Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

30029417, Medion Erazer E10 Intel Core i5 8GB RAM | Box.co.uk

[Colorado]

Hi all, 

I'm currently using a laptop for work and leisure but as I need increased monitor space, I have it permanently sitting on my desk with a monitor and keyboard attached. It probably makes sense for me to get a desktop, I've got a budget of around £700. I struggle to differentiate between what different processors and storage can mean and not very aware of what would be good value, so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm not a gamer other than playing FM and other sports sims, so I'm looking for something that will comfortably run large FM databases with several nations, with all leagues running and also for general online use, Word, Excel etc.  

I would prefer Dell as that is what I've always used although it's not a must. I'm not adverse to an all-in-one set-up if it meets my requirements, although I've not owned one before. 

I've seen this all Inspiron 27 7000 All-in-one which is in my budget, but no idea whether it be comfortable running FM. 

Edited June 14, 2021 by Colorado

[kevhamster]

On 12/06/2021 at 23:13, captainconzo said:

Hi guys looking to get back into playing fm after a long time away from it. Will play english league down to lower divs and probs have a large database if possible. Will only play at 2d most and budget is around the £700 mark. Other than fm will probs just be used for browsing the net. Not sure if any of the following ive posted are to much or not enough for my needs. Advice would be much appreciated.

81LK010TUK, Lenovo ideaPad L340 Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

Buy ACER Nitro 5 15.6" Gaming Laptop - Intel® Core™ i5, GTX 1650, 256 GB SSD | Free Delivery | Currys

1L6E9EA#ABU, HP Pavilion Gaming Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

82B50042UK | Lenovo Legion 5 Gaming Laptop | ao.com

FX505GT-BQ008T, ASUS TUF Gaming Intel Core i5 8GB | Box.co.uk

30029417, Medion Erazer E10 Intel Core i5 8GB RAM | Box.co.uk

Out of those, I'd go for the Lenovo laptop from ao.com.

Best CPU of the bunch. 

[kevhamster]

23 hours ago, Colorado said:

Hi all, 

I'm currently using a laptop for work and leisure but as I need increased monitor space, I have it permanently sitting on my desk with a monitor and keyboard attached. It probably makes sense for me to get a desktop, I've got a budget of around £700. I struggle to differentiate between what different processors and storage can mean and not very aware of what would be good value, so any help would be much appreciated.

I'm not a gamer other than playing FM and other sports sims, so I'm looking for something that will comfortably run large FM databases with several nations, with all leagues running and also for general online use, Word, Excel etc.  

I would prefer Dell as that is what I've always used although it's not a must. I'm not adverse to an all-in-one set-up if it meets my requirements, although I've not owned one before. 

I've seen this all Inspiron 27 7000 All-in-one which is in my budget, but no idea whether it be comfortable running FM. 

What other sports sims do you play? That will be a fairly decisive factor as FIFA and PES for example will need a more powerful PC than Motorsport Manager. 

That all in one is reasonable, but I'd still be inclined to avoid all in one PCs as a general rule. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by kevhamster

[captainconzo]

3 hours ago, kevhamster said:

Out of those, I'd go for the Lenovo laptop from ao.com.

Best CPU of the bunch. 

https://www.box.co.uk/81YX0001UK-Lenovo-Legion-Y740Si-Intel-Core-i5-16GB-_2943307.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwn6GGBhADEiwAruUcKmMxRc39Lt_tmV08LHyqv09tXrjDXxsRbxKPdu_VA-Z3sSk--2WXCxoCWwsQAvD_BwE

 

Just doing a bit of research into the legion and come across this. Would this be a laptop worth looking into? Sorry to be a pain!!!

[Colorado]

8 hours ago, kevhamster said:

What other sports sims do you play? That will be a fairly decisive factor as FIFA and PES for example will need a more powerful PC than Motorsport Manager. 

That all in one is reasonable, but I'd still be inclined to avoid all in one PCs as a general rule. 

Oh nothing graphically intensive, Eastside Hockey Manager, Out Of the Park Baseball in terms of games. Would that be suitable for those sort pf things and an extensive FM database?

I wouldn't normally look at all in one's but just seemed practical and guessing the tech has improved since I last owned a tower desktop around 10 years ago!

I would definitely consider tower options if any recommendations.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Colorado

[kevhamster]

5 hours ago, captainconzo said:

https://www.box.co.uk/81YX0001UK-Lenovo-Legion-Y740Si-Intel-Core-i5-16GB-_2943307.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwn6GGBhADEiwAruUcKmMxRc39Lt_tmV08LHyqv09tXrjDXxsRbxKPdu_VA-Z3sSk--2WXCxoCWwsQAvD_BwE

 

Just doing a bit of research into the legion and come across this. Would this be a laptop worth looking into? Sorry to be a pain!!!

I'd go for the other one.

For the same money you're getting a better CPU and a dedicated graphics card.

[kevhamster]

20 minutes ago, Colorado said:

Oh nothing graphically intensive, Eastside Hockey Manager, Out Of the Park Baseball in terms of games. Would that be suitable for those sort pf things and an extensive FM database?

I wouldn't normally look at all in one's but just seemed practical and guessing the tech has improved since I last owned a tower desktop around 10 years ago!

I would definitely consider tower options if any recommendations.

If you can stretch to £750, this is a good shout: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8971894?clickPR=plp:7:30

If you can't afford that, I'll have to have another look as pretty much all the ones worth considering are out of stock.