Kevhamster and Smurf are only enthusiasts, and we are NOT employed by SI, SEGA or FM, we are only forum members looking to help out other forum members. We are not qualified IT professionals.
Welcome to the New Laptop Thread
We are all very excited for Football Manager 2021. And as such some things have changed this year for FM21.
This thread will also help if you play older versions of FM and still want a new computer. At 100 pages, it was felt technology has evolved and as such so does the advice that goes with it.
======================IMPORTANT======================
WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
ANY OTHER INFO?
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WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?
Let's face it, nobody wants to waste hard earned cash.
The most expensive computer is not always the best for Football Manager!
It also helps if you’ve had a look and identified a computer which you like the look of. If you have, post a link to an online listing and we can let you know whether or not it would be appropriate to your needs.
NOTES:
Beware of high prices:
Some computers designed for portability are more expensive.
Beware of going to the most expensive first, different computers are built for different needs (like portability).
Expectations:
Generally speaking, the lower your budget the more likely it is that you will need to lower your expectations on how many leagues/divisions and database size you will have. And the lower the detail level for 3D matches.
We don't know:
We cannot test every computer/laptop, we only speak about the specs and if it's suitable for Football Manager and if it's within your budget. There is no way to know for certain how many Leagues/Divisions/Database size or how fast the game will progress. One user may be happy with the game progressing a week in 20 minutes, for others that may be too slow, so It's all subjective.
======================ANY OTHER INFO?======================
Do you want to watch Netflix?
Do you play other games?
Do you want to edit vidoes?
Listen to music, spotify?
Do you edit photos?
etc.?
List all the things you wish to do with your new computer/laptop.
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CHOOSING A COMPUTER
3 main components are
1. CPU/APU
2. GPU
3. RAM
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CPU/APU
Central Processing Unit (CPU) better known as the Processor
(it maybe referred to as the APU on some systems).
The most important consideration when looking at a new computer for FM.
This is effectively the brain of your PC. The better this is the smoother FM will run. It may also allow you to load more leagues/divisions and a larger database size.
How do I know if the processor is good?
FM21 requires minimum of 1.8ghz
(Previous versions require 2.2ghz)
EDIT (18/10/2022) - Neil Brock has recently confirmed to me via DM that these clock speeds are not a requirement. Therefore, this will be made a far lower priority when recommending PC's/CPU's going forward.
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A decent site to compare
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html
CPU designs get better every year, it is very possible that the game will run with processors clocked at lower speeds, however it is still best to look at CPU’s which meet and even better exceed the minimum stated speed requirement to minimise potential issues.
It's not all necessarily about the fastest clock speed. There are other factors in the processor that can be considered.
If in doubt, let us know and we can try to advise you the best we can.
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GRAPHICS CARD
This is what allows the computer to display graphics.
There are two options when it comes to types of graphics card.
Integrated or Dedicated?
Integrated
is where the graphics processing capability is built into the CPU and is the less capable option. FM will still happily run with integrated graphics, however, if playing using the 3D match engine, you may need to lower the settings for it to run at a smooth frame rate.
Note:
Some AMD processors (and others) have really good integrated graphics and may be able to run the 3D match engine at higher settings.
Dedicated
Where a computer has a dedicated graphics card entirely separate from the CPU. This will generally be needed for playing 3D matches at the highest settings, or if playing other games.
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RAM
RAM allows multiple tasks (programs) to run at once. The more RAM you have the more smoothly the computer operates when you have multiple programs open, like playing FM, watching Netflix, editing music/videos, etc.
Football Manager will also utilise the RAM and having more RAM allows some parts of FM to transit faster.
Guide:
8GB RAM is plenty for most people
16GB RAM is better but not necessarily essential
32gb RAM would only really be needed for heavy duty movie editing/animation etc.
NOTE:
Optane RAM or Optane Memory - some computers are listed on sites as having 4GB RAM and 32GB Optane RAM/Memory. Optane memory is temp storage that allows older hard drives to operate a little bit faster. More below.
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Hard Drive
There are mainly 3 types
HDD - Mechanical drive - cheaper (OPTANE RAM/MEMORY - sometimes you will see this referred in computer specs. Optane RAM/Memory allows this older style of drive to behave a bit more like an SSD drive.
SHD - a combination of HDD and SSD drives- in-between price
SSD - Flash-based device - faster and quieter - a bit more expensive
Note:
An SSD has little benefits for FM apart from faster loading and saving times but it will give a better computer performance. If the computer only has 128GB/256gb hard drive space then you may need extra storage. Best to get larger storage, or get a computer with both SSD and HDD and make sure the operating system is installed on the SSD and your other programmes are installed on your HDD.
Let us know if you need any help in comparing what you have found - or if we can find something that is better - and perhaps cheaper!
EDIT (18/10/2022) - I've seen an increase of people contacting me via DM regarding advice. There is no need to DM me. I monitor the thread and get notifications when a new post is made via the bell icon at the top of the forum. I'd request that people refrain from using DM to get advice as that's exactly what the thread is for and sending me a DM is completely unnecessary. If you've posted and I've missed it, please post again and @ me in the post, and I will respond ASAP. There are occasions where due to real life I may not check the forum for a couple of days. In these cases, I will respond as soon as I've checked the board and have something I can recommend.
EDIT 2 (28/06/2023): SI have just announced that FM24 will be the final one to run on their current engine and from FM25 will be using Unity, which will have the benefit of allowing much more realistic graphics, but with the tradeoff that the system requirements will increase. At the moment, information on what this means in reality with regards to the system specs isn't available. As such, it will be very hard to gauge what will be needed for FM25 onwards.
LOL