Gangor

The issue won't be the graphics, it will be the processor being taxed by processing the game. The 1260p normally ruins at 28w but can boost to 64w which it sounds like it is regularly doing. Simulating fewer leagues and players would help to reduce this issue. Edit: Re a gaming laptop, no it won't help as the processors in them use even more power. Gaming laptops tend to have better cooling solutions however so the overheating would be less of an issue.

That depends on what processing speed you're happy with, but I usually run 8-10 leagues.

It's pretty easy, just make sure you download it on to a USB drive from another computer first

I don't agree with that. I play with the full graphical settings without issue and a couple of hundred thousand players. Granted the processing time is longer than I'd like, but then what do you expect from 4 Zen 2 cores. Given the form factor, it's very impressive. Considering that the graphics engine is what's changing I'd be surprised if the the Steam Deck can't play matches in FM25 at least on medium settings and I'd expect the game to progress at a similar rate as now.

To add to what @kevhamster has said, if you especially want to go for a laptop that relies on an iGPU look out for higher end AMD processors with 680m or 780m graphics. By some distance they are the most capable iGPUs currently. Honestly though I'd recommend trading down on the processor in order to get a dedicated GPU as a preference to this

Yes, that's pretty good value

According to MSI's webpage the RAM is in slots, so technically you could unscrew the back, take out the old DiMMs and replace them with a 32gb kit in the future, should you so wish. I found one that costs around £80 (90 euros), though note the price of RAM is quite volatile and it's very low right now.

No, that's not excessive. With Chrome's tendency to bloat in memory it would even be worth getting 32gb of RAM if you have the option - it's comparatively inexpensive right now. The current generation is 13th (7000 for Ryzen) and each generation you go back takes 15-20% off the maximum performance. Good deals can often be had on last year's products (ie 12th gen or 6000 series), but going further back can actually be worse value. In terms of graphics cards, we don't know what FM25 will require/be able to take advantage of so it's really hard to say. My instinct says that you'd get 90% of the experience with any modern discrete GPU (ie 3050 up), though I'd say the sweet spot is probably the 4060/7600s at the moment. I've seen a few i7/Ryzen 7 last gen laptops equipped with 4060's going for around £900 which I think is pretty good value. Beware though that many of the cheaper gaming laptops are going to have RGB lights galore and may not be appropriate if you're going to do work stuff in a professional environment.

Yes it should be fine. I wouldn't recommend less than 16gb (except maybe for the extremely budget conscious) and it would likely be possibly to upgrade it later if needed

The HP is a year older and also a tier lower for both processor and graphics. It would be fine for FM but significantly worse than the MSI. Looking at the listings, the MSI looks like a good deal, but the HP looks to be 50-100 euros more than I'd want to pay for that specification.

That's kind but I don't have paypal. If you are feeling generous might I recommend the Red Cross

Any of them would be fine but the one in the middle is the best. We still don't know what the requirements are for FM 25 and so it's best to err on the side of better graphics performance which is what that gives you.

Yes, both graphics and processor are a tier higher in terms of performance for both my suggestions. In terms of value though Kev's suggestion is also excellent.

Hey, just thought I might revisit this now there are some offers around. This is great value for a current gen gaming laptop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-FA617NS-7-7735HS-RX7600S-Graphics/dp/B0BN661S2F This also seems decent if you particularly want to shop at Argos: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3414882

Definitely, I think the bigger issue will be if everything can still be read in 800p

That's weird, the info you posted previously suggested a completely different configuration. I would expect FM to work fine on a 10th gen i3 (albeit maybe not brilliantly) but it might be a different story on an AMD pre-Ryzen chip which is what the A10 is.

Given how close we are I would wait. Look out for Intel 12th gen or AMD 6000 series processors (ie last years models) as I think they are likely to be the best deals. I've already seen an R7 6800/3070ti for around £1000 so I don't think it's unrealistic to hope for a 3060/4060 equipped one more in your price range, when discounted.

Agree with this. Better to put the money aside for your next laptop and upgrade a bit sooner. The one Kev recommends is fine for now and will almost certainly run FM25 just fine. Edit: might be worth looking at an extra 8gb of RAM though. It's cheap right now and will improve your experience, especially if you like to open a bunch of Chrome tabs while playing, like I do

I would be surprised if this isn't able to run FM25 pretty well. Unless you're flush I don't see a compelling reason to upgrade if it's just FM you want to play.

I've seen Acer Nitro 5 laptops with a Ryzen 7 and RTX3070ti for around that price at a few retailers. Best value I've seen around that price point

Despite the description of Xe graphics as being a "card", it is integrated graphics. The second one has a discrete GPU which will be much better able to deal with 3d scenes (like in FM) and may also help with your photo editing.

Just had a look - the next step up has both the Ryzen and the 3050ti. I'm not sure it's worth it though. The processor is perfectly fine, the GPU will be more than sufficient for FM24. 8Gb of RAM is sufficient for FM24 but if you're multitasking then it might be a bottleneck. This is an ok price but for a year old laptop a £20 discount is disappointing. I'd suggest waiting for Black Friday when it will probably be cheaper.

On the second hand market I would hope to pay £400 for a laptop with a 10th gen i5, a RTX 2060 and a 1080p 144Hz screen. Looking at Ebay, that is realistic yet hard to find as a lot of sellers seem to be excessively optimistic.. You might have better luck with Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. "refurbished" laptops are generally just second hand laptops that have been given a wipe, tested and put up for sale with a short warranty. The main benefit over buying directly from the previous owner really is the warranty, but you really are paying a premium for it. That might affect your ability to afford a reasonably spec'd laptop within your budget.

The problem is that 11th gen Intel processors were not very efficient and when put under sustained load (for instance running a game like Football Manager) they tend to run hot. If your laptop is a thin and light (which these processors were intended for) then quite possibly the cooling solution isn't up to that situation. Undervolting might alleviate the problem a bit, but honestly unless you know what you're doing that is fraught with difficulty and risk so it's probably not worth it. Edit: how silly of me, I didn't think of the most obvious solution - changing the fan speed. Depending on your laptop there may be a utility within Windows to do this but likely it would need to be done within the bios. There's not much risk to this, but bear in mind making the fans go slower will cause the processor to thermal throttle earlier, reducing performance.

No new laptop at that price point that I am aware of has sufficiently powerful graphics. You might want to look at the second hand market? You might find a gaming laptop with an i5 and a 2060 for that sort of money?