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

[1275Joey]

Hi Kev the idea pad came to today that you’ve suggested a lot the one for 599 it seems to run fm pretty decently as good as you can for the money.. although the 3D match engine is awful on it? With the dedicated GEForce 1050 ? Is there something in settings ive missed not a big deal I can cope with 3D but would there be a reason it’s not running well? Like settings in fm or on my laptop cheers 

[Azrael]

18 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

What else aside from FM will you be doing with it? 

Just FM and nothing more

[kevhamster]

13 minutes ago, 1275Joey said:

Hi Kev the idea pad came to today that you’ve suggested a lot the one for 599 it seems to run fm pretty decently as good as you can for the money.. although the 3D match engine is awful on it? With the dedicated GEForce 1050 ? Is there something in settings ive missed not a big deal I can cope with 3D but would there be a reason it’s not running well? Like settings in fm or on my laptop cheers 

Hmmm... really odd.  Unless the GPU is faulty, the 1050 should have no issue with FM at all.

First of all, ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date:  https://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk

Then try the steps here

Failing that, I'd post in the technical help forums in case there's something I'm missing.

[kevhamster]

9 minutes ago, Azrael said:

Just FM and nothing more

Ok, I noticed you gave your budget in Euros.  What country are you in?  Most of the sites I use are UK and/or Ireland, but if I know where you are hopefully I should be able to find something suitable.  Especially with the budget you've posted!

[Azrael]

7 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Ok, I noticed you gave your budget in Euros.  What country are you in?  Most of the sites I use are UK and/or Ireland, but if I know where you are hopefully I should be able to find something suitable.  Especially with the budget you've posted!

I'm in Latvia at the moment.

[kevhamster]

5 minutes ago, Azrael said:

I'm in Latvia at the moment.

https://www.euronics.lv/t-en/118294/computers-and-tablets/notebook-asus-tuf-gaming-a15-(eng)/fa506ii-al035t

That should do the job - excellent processor, and the graphics card will be excellent for FM.

What I will say, is I can't guarantee this is the best deal on this spec in Latvia.  I'm not overly familiar with the Latvian sites (and this one isn't laid out in a massively user friendly way).  May be worth having a look around at other sites you're familiar with and see if you can get the same thing for a better price.  Not to say it's a bad price though, seems roughly similar to what you'd pay in the UK for it.

[Azrael]

Just now, kevhamster said:

https://www.euronics.lv/t-en/118294/computers-and-tablets/notebook-asus-tuf-gaming-a15-(eng)/fa506ii-al035t

That should do the job - excellent processor, and the graphics card will be excellent for FM.

What I will say, is I can't guarantee this is the best deal on this spec in Latvia.  I'm not overly familiar with the Latvian sites (and this one isn't laid out in a massively user friendly way).  May be worth having a look around at other sites you're familiar with and see if you can get the same thing for a better price.  Not to say it's a bad price though, seems roughly similar to what you'd pay in the UK for it.

Thank for your help, pal. I'll take a look.

[1275Joey]

23 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Hmmm... really odd.  Unless the GPU is faulty, the 1050 should have no issue with FM at all.

First of all, ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date:  https://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk

Then try the steps here

Failing that, I'd post in the technical help forums in case there's something I'm missing.

I’ll try in mate cheers. As I said the game runs pretty smoothly otherwise to be fair like processing times with a few leagues are all good etc. 

[Smurf]

2 hours ago, 1275Joey said:

Hi Kev the idea pad came to today that you’ve suggested a lot the one for 599 it seems to run fm pretty decently as good as you can for the money.. although the 3D match engine is awful on it? With the dedicated GEForce 1050 ? Is there something in settings ive missed not a big deal I can cope with 3D but would there be a reason it’s not running well? Like settings in fm or on my laptop cheers 

update drivers.

Go to nvidea and get their driver scanner.

go to manufacture site of your laptop and input your serial no. to get driver updates.

one thing nobody does and is vital 

[Hobnobs]

DELL Inspiron 15 3000 15.6" Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5, 256 GB SSD, Black https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-3000-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10214380-pdt.html

I’m looking into buying this for fm21 would literally be the only thing it’s used for, laptops just FM how well would the game play but also how many years could it last on fm ? Requirements change I know so don’t want to buy this then next year have to look at upgrading again. Or with a £500 budget wait for Black Friday ? Or is there something better out there already that I’ve missed ?

Edited November 14, 2020 by Hobnobs

[kevhamster]

56 minutes ago, Hobnobs said:

DELL Inspiron 15 3000 15.6" Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5, 256 GB SSD, Black https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-3000-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10214380-pdt.html

I’m looking into buying this for fm21 would literally be the only thing it’s used for, laptops just FM how well would the game play but also how many years could it last on fm ? Requirements change I know so don’t want to buy this then next year have to look at upgrading again. Or with a £500 budget wait for Black Friday ? Or is there something better out there already that I’ve missed ?

This honestly is the best thing you'll get for under £500.

The Ryzen 5 3500U is actually quite a good processor. I've been running FM21 on a laptop with the previous generation of the same processor (2500u).  Processing has been quite quick, but I did have to turn the graphics settings down a little from FM20 (medium preset with some further tweaks). 

This processor is a bit stronger than the 2500U and the integrated GPU is clocked a little higher so you may be able to set things a bit higher than I did. 

I can't comment on how well it will perform for future games. FM21 has surprised me a little as it processes quicker than previous games but the 3D graphics seem a little more demanding this year. 

[1275Joey]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

update drivers.

Go to nvidea and get their driver scanner.

go to manufacture site of your laptop and input your serial no. to get driver updates.

one thing nobody does and is vital 

How do I do that ?
 

I went on my NVDIA control panel- manage 3D settings- preferred graphics processer- changed it from auto to high performance NVIDIA processer seemed to help a bit would that do anything or not ?

[kevhamster]

5 minutes ago, 1275Joey said:

How do I do that ?
 

I went on my NVDIA control panel- manage 3D settings- preferred graphics processer- changed it from auto to high performance NVIDIA processer seemed to help a bit would that do anything or not ?

That'll not be anything to do with the drivers. 

I can't recall which laptop you bought, but if you bought a Acer for example, you can get updated drivers for your laptop by going to the Acer site. 

For an easy way of updating graphics card drivers, and I assume this works for laptops from a mainstream manufacturer as it would for a custom build, download the Geforce Experience software from here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/geforce-experience/?ncid=afm-chs-44270&ranMID=44270&ranEAID=kXQk6*ivFEQ&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-IhE8.FYGIN9bIcaAFyI6lQ

That can scan your system for the driver version and download/install updates as required. 

[1275Joey]

10 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

That'll not be anything to do with the drivers. 

I can't recall which laptop you bought, but if you bought a Acer for example, you can get updated drivers for your laptop by going to the Acer site. 

For an easy way of updating graphics card drivers, and I assume this works for laptops from a mainstream manufacturer as it would for a custom build, download the Geforce Experience software from here: https://www.nvidia.com/en-gb/geforce/geforce-experience/?ncid=afm-chs-44270&ranMID=44270&ranEAID=kXQk6*ivFEQ&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-IhE8.FYGIN9bIcaAFyI6lQ

That can scan your system for the driver version and download/install updates as required. 

Okay ideal mate , will try it tomorrow, I do prefer the 2D match engine tho so will probably play on that regardless, does the graphics card affect anything other than the 3D match engine ? 

[Chris_V]

I'm looking to get a laptop mainly for work and FM. Work consists of zoom calls, word/basic excel & general interest usage so nothing intensive.

 

I've narrowed down to 2 options, based on reading this thread.

 

With FM, I'd typically run it in 2d.

 

Is the 2nd option worth the £150 difference or is there much difference in the two at all?

Ideally would like something which has the quicker processer and the 512GB of storage on option 2 stands out for me. Happy to pay more if it's going to be something which runs day to day and FM quicker & ideally last longer. Although appreciate no one can predict the future!

 

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

 

2) https://www.box.co.uk/1L6F6EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec1007na_2958258.html

[bryn23]

On 12/11/2020 at 22:27, zakbrown96 said:

Was it a air or pro you ordered? And would it be ok if you keep this thread updated with how it is? 

I ordered an Air with 16 gb Ram, i was a little late ordering it, so there is a bit over 2 weeks until delivery.

I don't plan on running FM21 on it, thats why i went the Air over the Pro,  as i'm using my current Pro

I would  like to replace my current MacBook pro with active cooling when the new model is released, i'm guessing in March, just waiting to see how the compatibility goes with other programs.

The M1 chip is showing some serious speed, it'll be interesting to see what they have in store for the larger Macook pro

[kevhamster]

8 hours ago, 1275Joey said:

Okay ideal mate , will try it tomorrow, I do prefer the 2D match engine tho so will probably play on that regardless, does the graphics card affect anything other than the 3D match engine ? 

For FM, it shouldn't really. 

[kevhamster]

8 hours ago, Chris_V said:

I'm looking to get a laptop mainly for work and FM. Work consists of zoom calls, word/basic excel & general interest usage so nothing intensive.

 

I've narrowed down to 2 options, based on reading this thread.

 

With FM, I'd typically run it in 2d.

 

Is the 2nd option worth the £150 difference or is there much difference in the two at all?

Ideally would like something which has the quicker processer and the 512GB of storage on option 2 stands out for me. Happy to pay more if it's going to be something which runs day to day and FM quicker & ideally last longer. Although appreciate no one can predict the future!

 

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

 

2) https://www.box.co.uk/1L6F6EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec1007na_2958258.html

Option 2 is the one I'd go for. The CPU is faster. Plus, as you said twice the storage. 

[Smurf]

14 hours ago, 1275Joey said:

Hi Kev the idea pad came to today that you’ve suggested a lot the one for 599 it seems to run fm pretty decently as good as you can for the money.. although the 3D match engine is awful on it? With the dedicated GEForce 1050 ? Is there something in settings ive missed not a big deal I can cope with 3D but would there be a reason it’s not running well? Like settings in fm or on my laptop cheers 

As per yesterday, I was on my phone, so could only offer suggestions. 

Install the Nvidia scanner https://www.nvidia.com/Download/Scan.aspx?lang=en-us 

You will most likely need to update your Java - which is fine, there's a link to do this included in the website.

 

Once you have this done and updated your drivers go to https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/ie/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/ideapad-s-series-netbooks/ideapad-s400-notebook/downloads/automatic-driver-update

They also have a scanner.

[westmarsh7]

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR
 

it’s the time to look at a new laptop....

all I’m looking for is a strong gaming laptop for fm21 that has good speed and graphics for the game for the next few years. 
will only be using it for fm21 and then office that is it.

Thoughts on this I have seen. I don’t know much about laptops I’m sorry 

[Hobnobs]

14 minutes ago, westmarsh7 said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR
 

it’s the time to look at a new laptop....

all I’m looking for is a strong gaming laptop for fm21 that has good speed and graphics for the game for the next few years. 
will only be using it for fm21 and then office that is it.

Thoughts on this I have seen. I don’t know much about laptops I’m sorry 

I was about to post about this laptop too and the other one Currys have https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205931-pdt.html just wanting to know which would be better for money obviously waiting for the sales before I decide I’ve got 3 laptops now in mind these two and a DELL one from currys 

[Smurf]

39 minutes ago, westmarsh7 said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR
 

it’s the time to look at a new laptop....

all I’m looking for is a strong gaming laptop for fm21 that has good speed and graphics for the game for the next few years. 
will only be using it for fm21 and then office that is it.

Thoughts on this I have seen. I don’t know much about laptops I’m sorry 

 

23 minutes ago, Hobnobs said:

I was about to post about this laptop too and the other one Currys have https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205931-pdt.html just wanting to know which would be better for money obviously waiting for the sales before I decide I’ve got 3 laptops now in mind these two and a DELL one from currys 

Both roughly the same and cant' find anything better.

 

[westmarsh7]

1 minute ago, Smurf said:

 

Both roughly the same and cant' find anything better.

 

What’s the speed like on the game and the match engine/graphics??? 
 

which one did you purchase?

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, westmarsh7 said:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-54-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-256-gb-ssd-10205925-pdt.html?intcmpid=display~RR
 

it’s the time to look at a new laptop....

all I’m looking for is a strong gaming laptop for fm21 that has good speed and graphics for the game for the next few years. 
will only be using it for fm21 and then office that is it.

Thoughts on this I have seen. I don’t know much about laptops I’m sorry 

Very good. Excellent CPU, decent graphics capability. 

Edit: missed that Smurf had already replied! 

Edited November 15, 2020 by kevhamster

[kevhamster]

41 minutes ago, westmarsh7 said:

What’s the speed like on the game and the match engine/graphics??? 
 

which one did you purchase?

Both are great. I'd say the one with the Intel is going to be the better option, as the CPU is a bit stronger than the Ryzen option in this case. 

[Smurf]

58 minutes ago, westmarsh7 said:

What’s the speed like on the game and the match engine/graphics??? 
 

which one did you purchase?

I didn't purchase any of them.

[Maca1995]

Hello, after a few seasons away due to my old laptop packing up, I’m looking for another laptop which sole purpose will be to play football manger on, I’m looking to spend about £400 ive looked and curry’s and found (https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-14-laptop-amd-athlon-128-gb-ssd-black-10209100-pdt.html) I was just wondering if this will run fm fine or does anyone have any other recommendations?

Edited November 15, 2020 by Maca1995

[kevhamster]

43 minutes ago, Maca1995 said:

Hello, after a few seasons away due to my old laptop packing up, I’m looking for another laptop which sole purpose will be to play football manger on, I’m looking to spend about £300 I’ve looked and curry’s and found (https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-14-laptop-amd-athlon-128-gb-ssd-black-10209100-pdt.html) I was just wondering if this will run fm fine or does anyone have any other recommendations?

I'll be honest, you're not going to find very much in that price range. I'll need to take a look later (I'm just off out) but you'll want to avoid that one. It's on Windows 10 S so you can only download programs via the Windows store. You can upgrade to the standard Windows 10 but I think there's a cost to do it. 

[Smurf]

10 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I'll be honest, you're not going to find very much in that price range. I'll need to take a look later (I'm just off out) but you'll want to avoid that one. It's on Windows 10 S so you can only download programs via the Windows store. You can upgrade to the standard Windows 10 but I think there's a cost to do it. 

Nah no cost to it. You cant go back to Windows S though. Its a one way switch. And with that limited storage full fat windows will take up a lot of the drive.

 

[Maca1995]

30 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I'll be honest, you're not going to find very much in that price range. I'll need to take a look later (I'm just off out) but you'll want to avoid that one. It's on Windows 10 S so you can only download programs via the Windows store. You can upgrade to the standard Windows 10 but I think there's a cost to do it. 

£400-£500 budget more suitable? I don’t want to over spend on a laptop as it’s sole purpose will be playing fm each year something that will just run smooths and comfortable 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Maca1995

[kevhamster]

21 minutes ago, Maca1995 said:

£400-£500 budget more suitable? I don’t want to over spend on a laptop as it’s sole purpose will be playing fm each year something that will just run smooths and comfortable 

Definitely. For that budget, you can get this: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-15-3000-15-6-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10214380-pdt.html

That's a huge leap on what's available at the £300 price point and you'll have a much better experience with it. 

Edit: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-a314-22-14-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10209211-pdt.html

Same spec as the one above but a bit cheaper. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by kevhamster

[kevhamster]

28 minutes ago, Smurf said:

Nah no cost to it. You cant go back to Windows S though. Its a one way switch. And with that limited storage full fat windows will take up a lot of the drive.

 

Thanks, I kept seeing contradictory stuff as to whether it cost money or not, as as I've never needed to do it myself I wasn't sure.

[Fánabrauð]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07M741WKD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B07M741WKD&linkCode=as2&tag=footballma085-21&linkId=dc4f387d3263d50b25f67f04b159a8b8

 

Is this a good one? Seen it here: https://footballmanagertips.com/the-best-laptop-for-football-manager-2021/

 

My budget is £500 max and looking to play around 10-15 leagues, but 60-70k players on a medium database (this is the setup I always go for, but for my current 5 year old laptop it's way too much)

 

Besides FM I just want to do normal stuff (study, work, watch Netflix and maybe play Paradox games)

 

 

[kevhamster]

21 minutes ago, Fánabrauð said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07M741WKD/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B07M741WKD&linkCode=as2&tag=footballma085-21&linkId=dc4f387d3263d50b25f67f04b159a8b8

 

Is this a good one? Seen it here: https://footballmanagertips.com/the-best-laptop-for-football-manager-2021/

 

My budget is £500 max and looking to play around 10-15 leagues, but 60-70k players on a medium database (this is the setup I always go for, but for my current 5 year old laptop it's way too much)

 

Besides FM I just want to do normal stuff (study, work, watch Netflix and maybe play Paradox games)

 

 

For that sort of budget, I'd go with this: https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-a314-22-14-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-256-gb-ssd-black-10209211-pdt.html

[DCBeast]

On 14/11/2020 at 14:02, Smurf said:

 

That Currys one is very good - go for that!

Only other one perhaps https://www.box.co.uk/ASUS-ROG-Zephyrus-G14-GA401IV-HA120T-(LE_2894744.html 

Works out about the same price - but I'd go with the currys one in case of any issues/returns etc. would be easier.

Great went for the Currys one, thanks for the help guys!

 

 

[davecoops]

Hi,

Please can you help as I am useless with this type of thing.

 

I bought an imac 2016 and playin fm is not the best on it as you well know.

It's time for an upgrade but all these options are sending me dizzy....

 

Think I have found one but would like to know your thoughts. Is this up for the task and will it remain to be for the forseeable future?

Also if you can think there a better option out there for in and around the same price please do recommend.

 

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

[kevhamster]

13 minutes ago, davecoops said:

Hi,

Please can you help as I am useless with this type of thing.

 

I bought an imac 2016 and playin fm is not the best on it as you well know.

It's time for an upgrade but all these options are sending me dizzy....

 

Think I have found one but would like to know your thoughts. Is this up for the task and will it remain to be for the forseeable future?

Also if you can think there a better option out there for in and around the same price please do recommend.

 

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

Yep, absolutely solid. Nice spec.  Good price too. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by kevhamster

[davecoops]

18 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Yep, absolutely solid. Nice spec.  Good price too. 

Thank you. Going to commit to this now. Might just wait couple more weeks to make it an even better price!

[Chris_V]

11 hours ago, kevhamster said:

Option 2 is the one I'd go for. The CPU is faster. Plus, as you said twice the storage. 

Thanks for the help!

 

As my luck would have it, the 2nd option is now out of stock and now £800.

 

Is there anything else close you'd recommend in the £650-800 range?

[kevhamster]

5 minutes ago, Chris_V said:

Thanks for the help!

 

As my luck would have it, the 2nd option is now out of stock and now £800.

 

Is there anything else close you'd recommend in the £650-800 range?

This is basically the same aside from storage:

https://www.box.co.uk/FX505GT-BQ008T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505GT-BQ008T_2940903.html

Edited November 15, 2020 by kevhamster

[kevhamster]

3 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

This is basically the same aside from storage:

https://www.box.co.uk/FX505GT-BQ008T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505GT-BQ008T_2940903.html

Or with the extra storage 

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q87EK.002-Acer-Aspire-7-Gaming-A715-75G_2934480.html

[r_amanze]

Hey all,

This thread is really good for laptop advice, and I think I’m in need of some please.

I’ve had my laptop since 2014, and it’s always run FM fairly well. My preference is to play matches in 3D (at low setting). Whilst playing the beta, I’ve noticed a lot of lag when watching matches. Not keen on moving to 2D.

Here are my laptop specs: https://uk.dynabook.com/discontinued-products/satellite-l50-a-1e7/?categoryNameProductPage=laptops

Should the laptop be able to run 3D matches smoothly?

My laptop is mainly used for work (nothing more sophisticated than basic Microsoft Office), Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and streaming for films or live sport. Oh and of course playing FM

Due to budget constraints, and only wanting something that’ll run FM well in 3D for matches. My presence is a laptop in the £300.00 bracket. I know some have already posted suggestions in this price range. Just hoping there is a Black Friday deal that you folks might know about thanks.

[kevhamster]

7 hours ago, r_amanze said:

Hey all,

This thread is really good for laptop advice, and I think I’m in need of some please.

I’ve had my laptop since 2014, and it’s always run FM fairly well. My preference is to play matches in 3D (at low setting). Whilst playing the beta, I’ve noticed a lot of lag when watching matches. Not keen on moving to 2D.

Here are my laptop specs: https://uk.dynabook.com/discontinued-products/satellite-l50-a-1e7/?categoryNameProductPage=laptops

Should the laptop be able to run 3D matches smoothly?

My laptop is mainly used for work (nothing more sophisticated than basic Microsoft Office), Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and streaming for films or live sport. Oh and of course playing FM

Due to budget constraints, and only wanting something that’ll run FM well in 3D for matches. My presence is a laptop in the £300.00 bracket. I know some have already posted suggestions in this price range. Just hoping there is a Black Friday deal that you folks might know about thanks.

Yeah.... That's gonna struggle with 3D.  It seems the 3D graphics are a bit more demanding than previous years.... Of course, this could be down to optimisation and may be improved by the time of the retail release, but I can't give any guarantees. 

In terms of laptops around £300, there's very little to recommend in the new bracket. 

This refurb would be OK, but still not great.  I'd recommend using the option to upgrade to 8GB RAM if you can. 

https://www.laptopstation.co.uk/product/laptops/gw0502sa-2/

[Benny_Bans]

I wondered whether anyone could offer any advice about running FM21 on any of the new MacBook Pro models?

I currently have a 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro - which is unable to run the FM20 3D match engine smoothly unless all of the graphics settings are turned down to the minimum (still laggy even with this). I'm in the market for a new MacBook and I like the look of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro (with the new Apple M1 Chip) - but I really want to be able to run the FM21 3D match engine smoothly with max graphic settings. Happy to max out the specs of the laptop, in which case they would be:

8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores

8-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

16GB unified memory

512GB SSD storage

I wondered whether anyone knows whether this build would be suitable? If not, does anyone know whether the 16-inch MacBook Pro would be a better option? You can spec these out really highly but the costs run into many thousands of pounds...

Any responses are greatly appreciated. And I'll be sure to post the results on here once I've tested it out IRL.

[BossPenguin]

I've had a dream for a long time to be able to play FM while running as many leagues as possible and running the graphics at their highest. 

I'm now in a position where I can get myself a decent laptop and was wondering what the best options in the approx £900-£1100 range?

FM is the main priority, but I also often like to have Netflix or a downloaded movie playing in the background, and the ability to browse the Web.

I also wouldn't mind the ability to be able to play other more graphically intense games (not necessarily at their highest specs) , they are not a priority but it would be nice to be able to take advantage of Steam sales once in a while to pick up the occasional game I would usually consider just getting on a console to avoid performance issues. 

I'd like it to be relatively future proof in terms of being able to get decent performance from the next half a decade of FM or so, but I know we can't predict the specifications of future games. 

Sidenote while scrolling through the thread I am predisposed to going through Box as they have the option to use PayPal credit. 

Thanks in advance, and thank you for providing and maintaining this thread every year. It's a great resource for the community and it is greatly appreciated by the less tech savvy like myself. 

Edited November 16, 2020 by BossPenguin

[Jartlawson]

Hi all.

 

can anyone recommend a decent two in one tablet / laptop that I could purchase to run FM 21 on? Would one of these work so I could run it and then play as more of a tablet game? 

[kevhamster]

37 minutes ago, Benny_Bans said:

I wondered whether anyone could offer any advice about running FM21 on any of the new MacBook Pro models?

I currently have a 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro - which is unable to run the FM20 3D match engine smoothly unless all of the graphics settings are turned down to the minimum (still laggy even with this). I'm in the market for a new MacBook and I like the look of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro (with the new Apple M1 Chip) - but I really want to be able to run the FM21 3D match engine smoothly with max graphic settings. Happy to max out the specs of the laptop, in which case they would be:

8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores

8-core GPU

16-core Neural Engine

16GB unified memory

512GB SSD storage

I wondered whether anyone knows whether this build would be suitable? If not, does anyone know whether the 16-inch MacBook Pro would be a better option? You can spec these out really highly but the costs run into many thousands of pounds...

Any responses are greatly appreciated. And I'll be sure to post the results on here once I've tested it out IRL.

Until someone has tested it out, it's hard to say.

I've seen reports that the GPU integrated into the M1 chips outperform a GeForce GTX 1050, which if true is impressive but I've not seen anything to actually substantiate this happening in a real-world setting.

Another thing to take into account is that currently this will also be working via emulation due to the new chip architecture, so that is likely to cause a hit in performance as well.

[kevhamster]

34 minutes ago, BossPenguin said:

I've had a dream for a long time to be able to play FM while running as many leagues as possible and running the graphics at their highest. 

I'm now in a position where I can get myself a decent laptop and was wondering what the best options in the approx £900-£1100 range?

FM is the main priority, but I also often like to have Netflix or a downloaded movie playing in the background, and the ability to browse the Web.

I also wouldn't mind the ability to be able to play other more graphically intense games (not necessarily at their highest specs) , they are not a priority but it would be nice to be able to take advantage of Steam sales once in a while to pick up the occasional game I would usually consider just getting on a console to avoid performance issues. 

I'd like it to be relatively future proof in terms of being able to get decent performance from the next half a decade of FM or so, but I know we can't predict the specifications of future games. 

Sidenote while scrolling through the thread I am predisposed to going through Box as they have the option to use PayPal credit. 

Thanks in advance, and thank you for providing and maintaining this thread every year. It's a great resource for the community and it is greatly appreciated by the less tech savvy like myself. 

Link to configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/optimusXI-15/BmMYMH4vSe/

Excellent CPU, strong graphics card.  You may want to adjust the storage options to bring the price down a little bit, but this'll do the job for you very nicely.

Edited November 16, 2020 by kevhamster

[Benny_Bans]

33 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Until someone has tested it out, it's hard to say.

I've seen reports that the GPU integrated into the M1 chips outperform a GeForce GTX 1050, which if true is impressive but I've not seen anything to actually substantiate this happening in a real-world setting.

Another thing to take into account is that currently this will also be working via emulation due to the new chip architecture, so that is likely to cause a hit in performance as well.

Many thanks for your response. I will definitely be getting either the new 13-inch or a 16-inch, so I will be sure to post the results for anyone interested.

Sorry to be a pain, but are you aware of what the performance (FM21 or an older game) is like on the 16-inch MacBook Pro? When fully maxed out the specs are:

8-core i9 processor

AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory

64GB of 2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory

Do you think this would be overkill? Thanks again.

[kevhamster]

17 minutes ago, Benny_Bans said:

Many thanks for your response. I will definitely be getting either the new 13-inch or a 16-inch, so I will be sure to post the results for anyone interested.

Sorry to be a pain, but are you aware of what the performance (FM21 or an older game) is like on the 16-inch MacBook Pro? When fully maxed out the specs are:

8-core i9 processor

AMD Radeon Pro 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory

64GB of 2666MHz DDR4 onboard memory

Do you think this would be overkill? Thanks again.

In terms of RAM, I'd call 64GB overkill for almost anything.  For most setups, 32GB is plenty.  Purely for FM purposes, 8GB is fine and 16GB is more than enough.

I have 16GB in my desktop and can have been able to run anything I've thrown at it, including Microsoft Flight Simulator and Watch Dogs Legion which are two of the most demanding games currently available.

As to whether the rest is overkill, it largely depends on what you're doing with it.

The i9 is likely to be a strong processor and that never hurts.

The 5600M would be overkill purely for FM - reading around that's equivalent to a Geforce RTX 2060, which is over what you'd need for FM, but a good shout if you're playing other games.

The only other thing I would say, and I say the same to anyone looking at Macs, is you're paying a huge amount of money in "Apple Tax" ie, you'd get an equivalent specced Windows machine for a lot less money.