New Laptop/PC Advice -Please Read the Opening Post

[ScottishPep]

Back again!

I followed a suggestion to email PC Specialist and see if they could recommend a build similar to the Tornado. They say they can't match it and I'd be looking at around £900. Quite odd considering I've found reviews from at least a year ago menaing it isn't brand new and says 'PC Specialist' in the name. Anyway,back to the drawing board.

I think my search is getting quite desperate now. I had an issue where the battery was depleted and would not charge and wouldn't turn on, so I removed the battery (from a laptop) and plug it in directly to the mains with a power lead. Now, it has started randomly losing power and completely shutting down with no warning which obviously is a big concern and extremely frustrating. There's somesort of loose connection in the screen so it has to be at certain angle or it doesn't show anything and also the casing joints are creaking and coming apart. I need a new one!

 

[ScottishPep]

Quote

System Summary

Case

CIT DARK SOUL BLACK CASE

Processor (CPU)

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Motherboard

ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!

Memory (RAM)

8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 8GB)

Graphics Card

2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP

1^st Storage Drive

512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive

16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE

Power Supply

CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY

Power Cable

1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)

Processor Cooling

STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER

Thermal Paste

STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

LED Lighting

50cm Red LED Strip

Sound Card

ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Wireless/Wired Networking

WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

USB/Thunderbolt Options

MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

Operating System

Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence

Operating System Language

Not entirely certain what the chappy from PCS was talking about? I've had the quickest of plays to work on a set up and my first draft is the above. It's under budget and I'm now considering upgrading RAM to 16gb and going for a slightly better graphics card than the 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP.

Do the other components look ok? The motherboard? Storage? I'm also considering slightly upgrading both the sound card and the cooling? Any point?

Silly question, would the above set up let me hear the sound or do I need a better sound card or additional speakers or something?

 

Some modifications that I could make....

 

I probably have maybe £100 extra in my budget:

Graphics:

Geforce GTX 1650  +£34

Geforce GTX 1660 +£122

 

RAM:

16GB +£47

 

Storage:

1tb SSD +£41

 

Cooling:

Frostflow cool 100V2 +£19

 

Soundcard:

Creative Sound Blast Audigy FXOEM +£29

 

--

Also, I can save £55 by switching from a Blu-Ray to normal drive.

Edited May 4, 2020 by ScottishPep

[Gangor]

2 hours ago, ScottishPep said:

Not entirely certain what the chappy from PCS was talking about? I've had the quickest of plays to work on a set up and my first draft is the above. It's under budget and I'm now considering upgrading RAM to 16gb and going for a slightly better graphics card than the 2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 - DVI, HDMI, DP.

Do the other components look ok? The motherboard? Storage? I'm also considering slightly upgrading both the sound card and the cooling? Any point?

Silly question, would the above set up let me hear the sound or do I need a better sound card or additional speakers or something?

 

Some modifications that I could make....

 

I probably have maybe £100 extra in my budget:

Graphics:

Geforce GTX 1650  +£34

Geforce GTX 1660 +£122

 

RAM:

16GB +£47

 

Storage:

1tb SSD +£41

 

Cooling:

Frostflow cool 100V2 +£19

 

Soundcard:

Creative Sound Blast Audigy FXOEM +£29

 

--

Also, I can save £55 by switching from a Blu-Ray to normal drive.

Can you save by ditching the optical drive and the wifi card? They are both redundant for most people, unless you can't get a cable from your router to your PC. Even then you could get a powerline adaptor set which is not too expensive and more reliable in my experience. Also unless you're going to be installing several AAA games at a time you can probably get away with a 240/256GB SSD. If you're only playing FM the GTX 1050 will play the match engine (from FM20 at least) just fine, though if you're planning on playing other games that require 3D you might consider the 1650 Super if they offer that. The 1650 is significantly worse for only slightly less cost. If you can afford it more RAM is a great idea, but it is also an easy upgrade later.

Edit: Oh yeah, if they offer an option for a higher wattage power supply it would be worth considering, in case you want to get a more powerful graphics card in the future. Also it wouldn't need to run the fan so fast so might be quieter. 

Edit2: How does this compare to PCS? NB Windows not included in the price: https://www.box.co.uk/create-your-own-custom-pc?s=2886668,2675330,2736475,2568864-2,2834944,2417424,2869516

Edited May 4, 2020 by Gangor

[ScottishPep]

25 minutes ago, Gangor said:

Can you save by ditching the optical drive and the wifi card? They are both redundant for most people, unless you can't get a cable from your router to your PC. Even then you could get a powerline adaptor set which is not too expensive and more reliable in my experience. Also unless you're going to be installing several AAA games at a time you can probably get away with a 240/256GB SSD. If you're only playing FM the GTX 1050 will play the match engine (from FM20 at least) just fine, though if you're planning on playing other games that require 3D you might consider the 1650 Super if they offer that. The 1650 is significantly worse for only slightly less cost. If you can afford it more RAM is a great idea, but it is also an easy upgrade later.

Edit: Oh yeah, if they offer an option for a higher wattage power supply it would be worth considering, in case you want to get a more powerful graphics card in the future. Also it wouldn't need to run the fan so fast so might be quieter. 

There is a 1650 'super' option. It is £56 more than the Nvidia 1050.

According to this: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1650S-Super-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050/4058vs3650

(I think they're the correct gpu's)

The super is 111% better? All down the list it looks head and shoulders above the 1050, surely it's a no-brainer even though there won't be many other 3D games. Gives pace of mind if I see a 3D game tomorrow that I must play?

 

 

 

[Gangor]

11 minutes ago, ScottishPep said:

There is a 1650 'super' option. It is £56 more than the Nvidia 1050.

According to this: https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1650S-Super-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050/4058vs3650

(I think they're the correct gpu's)

The super is 111% better? All down the list it looks head and shoulders above the 1050, surely it's a no-brainer even though there won't be many other 3D games. Gives pace of mind if I see a 3D game tomorrow that I must play?

 

 

 

That's what you'd be buying it for. FM's 3D match engine really isn't that demanding. 

[ScottishPep]

22 minutes ago, Gangor said:

That's what you'd be buying it for. FM's 3D match engine really isn't that demanding. 

I think I'd rather pay the £56, which is basically what I'm saving by getting rid of the DVD drive, and just keep a bit of graphics power in the bank - just in case.

Also losing the bigger SSD in favour of the smaller 240 SSD. I think I do need the wireless card and PCS advice says upgrade to AX200, which is the price of losing the LED strip that was on.

Better case in the build also. Plus, and I think this will be very much worth it, 16GB RAM in a 2x8 pair at 3200Mhz instead of standard 2400mhz.

Same AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU.

 

All in - £821 I'm extremely happy with that!

 

@Gangor and @Smurf I can't thank you enough for your help. I'm about to submit the build, any problems that you can see?

[Gangor]

20 minutes ago, ScottishPep said:

Also losing the bigger SSD in favour of the smaller 240 SSD. I think I do need the wireless card and PCS advice says upgrade to AX200, which is the price of losing the LED strip that was on.

Well the good thing about it is those cards generally include Bluetooth as well, in case you want to use wireless headphones or something.

Quote

Better case in the build also. Plus, and I think this will be very much worth it, 16GB RAM in a 2x8 pair at 3200Mhz instead of standard 2400mhz.

Good call - higher frequency RAM helps with Ryzen CPUs.

Quote

I'm about to submit the build, any problems that you can see?

350w power supplies are at the bottom end of what most PCs would have. If you were to decide in the future to install a more powerful graphics card it may not be able to run it. If the cost isn't prohibitive (I would expect maybe £10-15) maybe get one with 450 or 500 watts? Make sure whichever one you choose is 80 plus rated. 

Edited May 4, 2020 by Gangor

[ScottishPep]

450W is an extra £9 and 550W is an extra £15 so I'l add that on too, thank you.

 

Edit: 80+ bronze efficiency? Corsair CV Series

Edited May 4, 2020 by ScottishPep

[Gangor]

8 minutes ago, ScottishPep said:

Edit: 80+ bronze efficiency? Corsair CV Series

Perfect. Apologies I noticed just before I'd hit the '5' rather than the '8'

[HopOnBaby]

What's up, party people? So, after eight years, my PC is giving out - keep getting memory crashes. Just manually tweaked the virtual memory and it's behaving a bit better, but I wouldn't mind something with more power.

After looking at some guides, this seems to tick most of the boxes for FM, but could it do the job for some more graphic-intensive god games? Top budget about £800.

Edited May 4, 2020 by HopOnBaby

[Gangor]

19 minutes ago, HopOnBaby said:

What's up, party people? So, after eight years, my PC is giving out - keep getting memory crashes. Just manually tweaked the virtual memory and it's behaving a bit better, but I wouldn't mind something with more power.

After looking at some guides, this seems to tick most of the boxes for FM, but could it do the job for some more graphic-intensive god games? Top budget about £800.

Within that budget entry level gaming laptops will be available which would perform much better both for FM and more demanding games. 

[Smurf]

9 hours ago, HopOnBaby said:

What's up, party people? So, after eight years, my PC is giving out - keep getting memory crashes. Just manually tweaked the virtual memory and it's behaving a bit better, but I wouldn't mind something with more power.

After looking at some guides, this seems to tick most of the boxes for FM, but could it do the job for some more graphic-intensive god games? Top budget about £800.

Find it difficult to narrow down on Amazon - but this would be marginally better, plus has a decent graphics card.

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q59EK.01H-Acer-Nitro-5_2873716.html

 

[HopOnBaby]

6 hours ago, Smurf said:

Find it difficult to narrow down on Amazon - but this would be marginally better, plus has a decent graphics card.

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q59EK.01H-Acer-Nitro-5_2873716.html

 

Sounds good, thanks! I think my head was slightly turned by the prospect of 20GB of RAM!

[Gangor]

53 minutes ago, HopOnBaby said:

Sounds good, thanks! I think my head was slightly turned by the prospect of 20GB of RAM!

While more RAM is helpful in some situations, it's far more important to have a balanced specification so no one part is so poor that it slows down the others. On a £5-600 budget you should be targeting 8GB of RAM and an i5 or Ryzen 5 'U' type processor (or maybe one of the Ice Lake processors which end with "G1", G3" etc). If you can spend £7-800 you should be able to find an entry level gaming laptop which will still have an i5 or Ryzen 5, but it will be an 'H' type meaning it uses more power to produce higher clock speeds and consequently better performance. A gaming laptop will also have a discrete GPU meaning the 3D match engine will run better and you'll be able to play other 3D games.

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, HopOnBaby said:

Sounds good, thanks! I think my head was slightly turned by the prospect of 20GB of RAM!

The one I picked for you will  be good.

As Gangor says - RAM is important but 8gb is sufficient - and adding 8gb would be easy enough to make 16gb which can be done at any stage.

8gb is enough for most - anything over 16gb would likely be overkill.

[Edmondo44]

Hi guys

 

I’ve recently purchased a decent laptop (HP Pavilion 15 Gaming), everything is brilliant apart from the battery. I appreciate it’s got a dedicated GPU but even disabled and with all energy efficient settings on it barely lasts 2 hours.

I’m looking for the following with at least a 6 hour battery for FM20 - I just wondered if you might be able to assist? Budget is £700~

• Core i5-8th

• 8GB RAM

• 256GB SSD

• Full HD Screen

 

Cheers,

Matt

[Gangor]

3 minutes ago, Edmondo44 said:

Hi guys

 

I’ve recently purchased a decent laptop (HP Pavilion 15 Gaming), everything is brilliant apart from the battery. I appreciate it’s got a dedicated GPU but even disabled and with all energy efficient settings on it barely lasts 2 hours.

I’m looking for the following with at least a 6 hour battery for FM20 - I just wondered if you might be able to assist? Budget is £700~

• Core i5-8th

• 8GB RAM

• 256GB SSD

• Full HD Screen

 

Cheers,

Matt

Hi Matt, before you go buying a new system, try some of the following:

- Change the power management options in your control panel to reduce power consumption

- Reduce the refresh rate of your screen, if possible.

- Turn down the brightness.

- If you're really keen look at if it's possible to undervolt your CPU and/or GPU. 

The bottom line though is that gaming laptops aren't designed for long battery life. If you decide to get a new one pop into the appropriate thread for some advice.

 

[disaccharide]

Hi, I've been saving up for quite sometimes now, so the budget isn't really a problem. I'm looking for something like gaming ultrabook that I can play FM on while at home and portable enough that I can bring it with me to work in some cafes or co-working spaces. My home space is pretty limited, so no chance of building a PC at this moment and in a foreseeable future. I think this new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 comes close.

This is the model available in my area. https://notebookspec.com/notebook/10057-Asus-ROG-Zephyrus-G14-GA401II-HE046T.html

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS (2.90 GHz up to 4.20 GHz, 8 MB L3 Cache)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (4GB GDDR6)
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz
Storage: 512 GB SSD PCIe M.2
Weight: 1.60 kg

Normally I run like top division of 25 nations with extra players from Europe and South America. That's close to 100k. I play on HP ENVY 13 2016. It has Intel Core i7-6500U (2.50 GHz, 4 MB L3 Cache, up to 3.10 GHz), with SSD and 8 GB RAM. I still had time back then with FM17 and 18. But with FM20, I don't have time to wait for the loading screen after hitting continue anymore. lol. Also, I don't care about 3D engine. 2D Classic ftw.

Would this new Asus be more than enough to accompany me until around FM25 or maybe FM26 max? Or are there any better choices for lightweight gaming laptop?

Apart from FM, I only play Banished from time to time. It can run fine on my HP Envy. Apart from these two games, I do light-duty tasks like normal email work stuff, casual Internet browsing, Netflix and YouTube, you name it. So my main concern here is only FM.

Thanks

Edited May 5, 2020 by disaccharide
Put the correct link in the text.

[Gangor]

27 minutes ago, disaccharide said:

Hi, I've been saving up for quite sometimes now, so the budget isn't really a problem. I'm looking for something like gaming ultrabook that I can play FM on while at home and portable enough that I can bring it with me to work in some cafes or co-working spaces. My home space is pretty limited, so no chance of building a PC at this moment and in a foreseeable future. I think this new Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 comes close.

This is the model available in my area. https://notebookspec.com/notebook/10057-Asus-ROG-Zephyrus-G14-GA401II-HE046T.html

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800HS (2.90 GHz up to 4.20 GHz, 8 MB L3 Cache)
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti (4GB GDDR6)
RAM: 16 GB DDR4 3200 MHz
Storage: 512 GB SSD PCIe M.2
Weight: 1.60 kg

Normally I run like top division of 25 nations with extra players from Europe and South America. That's close to 100k. I play on HP ENVY 13 2016. It has Intel Core i7-6500U (2.50 GHz, 4 MB L3 Cache, up to 3.10 GHz), with SSD and 8 GB RAM. I still had time back then with FM17 and 18. But with FM20, I don't have time to wait for the loading screen after hitting continue anymore. lol. Also, I don't care about 3D engine. 2D Classic ftw.

Would this new Asus be more than enough to accompany me until around FM25 or maybe FM26 max? Or are there any better choices for lightweight gaming laptop?

Apart from FM, I only play Banished from time to time. It can run fine on my HP Envy. Apart from these two games, I do light-duty tasks like normal email work stuff, casual Internet browsing, Netflix and YouTube, you name it. So my main concern here is only FM.

Thanks

If that price (39990 Baht) and Google's exchange rate is correct that's amazing value. Especially for FM - very well balanced. 

[JordanMilly]

@Edmondo44 - You'd posted a new thread, rather than using the existing extensive new laptop/PC thread, so I've merged your thread with this one now.

[Snorks]

Here's two that I am looking at, one is a refurb but half the price:

SPECIFICATIONS HP Pavilion
Processor: 2.3GHZ AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Quad Core Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Graphics with 4GB GDDR5

 

OR:

Manufacturer: HP

Model: EliteBook 8560p

Type: Laptop

Processor: Intel Core i7(2nd Gen) 2620M 2.70GHz (Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz)

Memory Size: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage: 240GB SSD

Graphics Processor: RADEON R7 M265/M365X/M465

I am probably leaning more toward the first on at the moment, mainly for the extra RAM and I think a better Graphics capability.

 

Again, I am looking to get better processing speed when playing FM. Currently, my machine seems painfully slow (AMD  A10 w/Radeon graphics) and when playing in 3D it overheats and shuts down regularly. (I have had it a good few years now though)

 

Thoughts?

Edited May 6, 2020 by Snorks

[Smurf]

13 hours ago, Edmondo44 said:

Hi guys

I’ve recently purchased a decent laptop (HP Pavilion 15 Gaming), everything is brilliant apart from the battery. I appreciate it’s got a dedicated GPU but even disabled and with all energy efficient settings on it barely lasts 2 hours.

I’m looking for the following with at least a 6 hour battery for FM20 - I just wondered if you might be able to assist? Budget is £700~

• Core i5-8th

• 8GB RAM

• 256GB SSD

• Full HD Screen

 

Cheers,

Matt

What's your typical game setup?

Battery consumption is high playing FM it is very demanding. 

[JordanMilly]

3 hours ago, Snorks said:

Here's two that I am looking at, one is a refurb but half the price:

SPECIFICATIONS HP Pavilion
Processor: 2.3GHZ AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Quad Core Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Graphics with 4GB GDDR5

 

OR:

Manufacturer: HP

Model: EliteBook 8560p

Type: Laptop

Processor: Intel Core i7(2nd Gen) 2620M 2.70GHz (Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz)

Memory Size: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage: 240GB SSD

Graphics Processor: RADEON R7 M265/M365X/M465

I am probably leaning more toward the first on at the moment, mainly for the extra RAM and I think a better Graphics capability.

 

Again, I am looking to get better processing speed when playing FM. Currently, my machine seems painfully slow (AMD  A10 w/Radeon graphics) and when playing in 3D it overheats and shuts down regularly. (I have had it a good few years now though)

 

Thoughts?

The first one has a better processor, more RAM and better graphics card - it's just better than the 2nd one in every way.

[Gangor]

4 hours ago, Snorks said:

Here's two that I am looking at, one is a refurb but half the price:

SPECIFICATIONS HP Pavilion
Processor: 2.3GHZ AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Quad Core Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics
Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400
Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Graphics with 4GB GDDR5

 

OR:

Manufacturer: HP

Model: EliteBook 8560p

Type: Laptop

Processor: Intel Core i7(2nd Gen) 2620M 2.70GHz (Turbo Boost to 3.3GHz)

Memory Size: 8GB DDR3 SDRAM

Storage: 240GB SSD

Graphics Processor: RADEON R7 M265/M365X/M465

I am probably leaning more toward the first on at the moment, mainly for the extra RAM and I think a better Graphics capability.

 

Again, I am looking to get better processing speed when playing FM. Currently, my machine seems painfully slow (AMD  A10 w/Radeon graphics) and when playing in 3D it overheats and shuts down regularly. (I have had it a good few years now though)

 

Thoughts?

The refurbished one is around 10 years old. It would be a potato.

[Simon_PNE]

Hello,

I am looking at getting a new 2in1 laptop (mainly for my commute and so my wife can use it instead of us getting a seperate tablet).

I'd like to run the UK and European leagues but not too bothered about 3d graphics. 

I'm not tech savvy in the slightest.

Would the following run FM 20 and FM for the next few years (ideally the yoga c740 would be my 1st choice as it's cheapest)!

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-spectre-x360-13-3-2-in-1-intel-core-i7-512-gb-ssd-black-10203355-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-xps-13-13-4-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i7-512-gb-ssd-silver-10200790-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-13-7391-13-3-intel-core-i7-2-in-1-512-gb-ssd-black-10199733-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/microsoft-12-3-intel-core-i7-surface-pro-7-256-gb-ssd-platinum-10199634-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-yoga-c740-14-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-grey-10199082-pdt.html

 

Thank you!!

[Gangor]

3 minutes ago, Simon_PNE said:

Hello,

I am looking at getting a new 2in1 laptop (mainly for my commute and so my wife can use it instead of us getting a seperate tablet).

I'd like to run the UK and European leagues but not too bothered about 3d graphics. 

I'm not tech savvy in the slightest.

Would the following run FM 20 and FM for the next few years (ideally the yoga c740 would be my 1st choice as it's cheapest)!

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-spectre-x360-13-3-2-in-1-intel-core-i7-512-gb-ssd-black-10203355-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-xps-13-13-4-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i7-512-gb-ssd-silver-10200790-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/dell-inspiron-13-7391-13-3-intel-core-i7-2-in-1-512-gb-ssd-black-10199733-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/microsoft-12-3-intel-core-i7-surface-pro-7-256-gb-ssd-platinum-10199634-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-yoga-c740-14-2-in-1-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-grey-10199082-pdt.html

 

Thank you!!

Well that's quite a wide range. One thing you should consider is whether it is a good idea to get one device for two tasks. Firstly you will pay a premium for the flexibility. Secondly, it won't be as good either as a laptop (though modern 2 in 1s are getting better in this regard) or as a tablet. If your wife just wants to watch movies in bed and maybe read the odd e-book, you might be both better off if she gets something like a Kindle tablet and you an ultrabook. 

In terms of the spec required, what do you mean by "European leagues"? There are a lot to choose from...

[Simon_PNE]

12 minutes ago, Gangor said:

Well that's quite a wide range. One thing you should consider is whether it is a good idea to get one device for two tasks. Firstly you will pay a premium for the flexibility. Secondly, it won't be as good either as a laptop (though modern 2 in 1s are getting better in this regard) or as a tablet. If your wife just wants to watch movies in bed and maybe read the odd e-book, you might be both better off if she gets something like a Kindle tablet and you an ultrabook. 

In terms of the spec required, what do you mean by "European leagues"? There are a lot to choose from...

Thanks for the reply Gangor. 

I should have been more specific - 1st division in Spain, Germany, Italy and France. 
You raise a good point. Are there any ultrabooks that you think are suitable for FM20 and the next few years of FM. 

Would you think an i7 is a must, or an i5 would still be ok for the next few years? 

Are the graphics cards better on ultrabooks than 2in1s?

Thanks
 

[Gangor]

4 minutes ago, Simon_PNE said:

Thanks for the reply Gangor. 

I should have been more specific - 1st division in Spain, Germany, Italy and France. 
You raise a good point. Are there any ultrabooks that you think are suitable for FM20 and the next few years of FM. 

Would you think an i7 is a must, or an i5 would still be ok for the next few years? 

Are the graphics cards better on ultrabooks than 2in1s?

Thanks
 

No, the typical compromises are on the hinge which on a 2 in 1 has to rotate right around so it's not as rigid and the cooling as they usually have a smaller form factor than ultrabooks. Inferior cooling would affect the performance of the processor compared to a better cooled system using the same parts. 

For just the top 5 leagues you'd be fine with a i5 ultrabook I'd say. If you can afford it an i7 would be nice but not needed imo. Look for an i5 (or Ryzen 5), 8GB of RAM and an SSD of some sort (that should be standard these days in any case). If there's a choice go for a 1080p monitor as 4K does very little for FM and drains your battery faster. Budget should be between £500 and £800 depending on how premium in terms of build quality you're wanting to go. 

[Smurf]

1 minute ago, Simon_PNE said:

Thanks for the reply Gangor. 

I should have been more specific - 1st division in Spain, Germany, Italy and France. 
You raise a good point. Are there any ultrabooks that you think are suitable for FM20 and the next few years of FM. 

Would you think an i7 is a must, or an i5 would still be ok for the next few years? 

Are the graphics cards better on ultrabooks than 2in1s?

Thanks
 

Ultrabooks tend to have lower powered processors - that's the way they make them as they are designed for travel and as such the processor isn't as powerful as you'd find in a standard laptop, or a laptop designed to be a desktop replacement.

I do agree, a decent Tablet is cheap enough - plus a high end laptop for yourself would be best option.

This would be a very good laptop for FM and boasts a good graphcis card - https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q5HEK.004-Acer-Nitro-7_2557790.html

This is also the same level processor - but a small step back in graphics - https://www.box.co.uk/81LL000UUK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-17_2893983.html 

 

If graphics is not that important to you - then this is good also - but it's a small step down in processor - https://www.box.co.uk/30027142-Medion-Erazer-P15601_2756373.html 
However, it gives you more yield towards a tablet.

 

There is another runner in the mix - https://www.box.co.uk/ASUS-FA706II-AU025T_2860287.html this is quite good and touted as being better the the i7-9750H - however, the processor in this model has only 1 sample in the test scores so it's not a fair comparison.

 

In terms of i7 vs i5 - a high end i5 processor is better than a low-end i7 processor, in generalities, so you can't really compare unless you have the processor numbers.

However, generally speaking in your price range you're looking at the i5-9300H or the i7-9750H.

 

 

The further north of £1,000 you go you don't really get a better processor - you might get a better graphics card - but you won't get much better than the processor and processor is king for FM - graphics card is not so important. 
As said, the processor doesn't get better - but the difference price varies for various reasons, like build quality, portablity, battery life, gaming, non-gaming, weight etc. 
That's why the price shifts.

So to keep it under £1000 I'd recommend the specs I posted in the links above.

 

 

[StevensLFC]

Hi Guys,

Currently looking for a new laptop to play FM20, I've currently got the MacBook Pro 2017 13 Inch, although when I run FM20 my Mac gets so hot and can be a bit slow at times.

So I'm looking for a new laptop that should be able to run it a bit smoother, budget is around £1000. I was looking at the below:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/14-asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ih-bm057t-moonlight-white-60hz-fhd-ryzen-5-gtx-1650-8gb-ddr4-512gb-ssd

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/14-asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ii-he003t-eclipse-gray-120hz-fhd-ryzen-7-gtx-1650ti-16gb-ddr4-512gb-ss

Thank you very much in advance! 

[Smurf]

2 minutes ago, StevensLFC said:

Hi Guys,

Currently looking for a new laptop to play FM20, I've currently got the MacBook Pro 2017 13 Inch, although when I run FM20 my Mac gets so hot and can be a bit slow at times.

So I'm looking for a new laptop that should be able to run it a bit smoother, budget is around £1000. I was looking at the below:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/14-asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ih-bm057t-moonlight-white-60hz-fhd-ryzen-5-gtx-1650-8gb-ddr4-512gb-ssd

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/14-asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ii-he003t-eclipse-gray-120hz-fhd-ryzen-7-gtx-1650ti-16gb-ddr4-512gb-ss

Thank you very much in advance! 

Only difference there is amount of RAM - if can you afford the 16gb RAM then go for it. 

Rule of thumb with a laptop - buy the best processor and best graphics card you can afford - you can't upgrade these typically in a laptop.
But you can upgrade RAM and Hard drive easy enough - so no need to push the budget on these - 8gb RAM and any hard drive will do.

 

[StevensLFC]

6 minutes ago, Smurf said:

Only difference there is amount of RAM - if can you afford the 16gb RAM then go for it. 

Rule of thumb with a laptop - buy the best processor and best graphics card you can afford - you can't upgrade these typically in a laptop.
But you can upgrade RAM and Hard drive easy enough - so no need to push the budget on these - 8gb RAM and any hard drive will do.

 

Nice one thanks Smurf. Do you think the extra £200 for 16GB RAM & 120hz display is worth it for FM?

[Smurf]

9 minutes ago, StevensLFC said:

Nice one thanks Smurf. Do you think the extra £200 for 16GB RAM & 120hz display is worth it for FM?

I don't think it's worth £200 extra.

You can buy 16gb cheap enough https://eu.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ii

FM doesn't need a high refresh rate either. 

But who's to say in the future... 

[Gangor]

1 hour ago, StevensLFC said:

Nice one thanks Smurf. Do you think the extra £200 for 16GB RAM & 120hz display is worth it for FM?

High refresh rate is actually bad for FM because it uses more power resulting in shorter battery life. Then again, if you are getting a gaming laptop that might not be a concern for you.

[Smurf]

28 minutes ago, Gangor said:

High refresh rate is actually bad for FM because it uses more power resulting in shorter battery life. Then again, if you are getting a gaming laptop that might not be a concern for you.

Well it's not bad for FM - let's be clear - it's bad for the laptop battery when it's not plugged in.

120hz display is not worth it for FM - but I don't know what the plans are for 5 years down the road - it might be worth it now to future proof... but I seriously doubt it will required in 5 years. 

And if you Google it there are ways to automatically switch between 60hz and higher refresh rates when plugged in and not plugged in. But it might be a bit advanced.

[disaccharide]

vor 20 Stunden schrieb Gangor:

If that price (39990 Baht) and Google's exchange rate is correct that's amazing value. Especially for FM - very well balanced. 

Yes, that's the price. Thanks so much But there's only the white model available now. Guess I'll have to wait for the black model.

[HCFC_Clark]

Can I have people's views on this please:

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/l-series/IdeaPad-L340-15IRH-Gaming/p/81LK001YUK

 

Price would be £566

[Weasek]

4 hours ago, HCFC_Clark said:

Can I have people's views on this please:

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/l-series/IdeaPad-L340-15IRH-Gaming/p/81LK001YUK

 

Price would be £566

Good price I paid £659 for mine with 16 gb ram,256 ssd&4 gb 1650 graphics card.i play fm 20 almost exclusively and it runs that well.here is a picture of my leagues that I am running in current game.i do believe you could maybe run more as its processing the days fine.i did get a mouse as click pad was driving me nuts.

[seanstirling]

I'm looking for a laptop or a desktop that would be able to handle the 125k player limit for a good 40-50 seasons without massively slowing down.

I've sort of spoiled FM for myself by trying it on my old one and it couldnt handle it after 4-5 seasons in but I miss how alive the game feels without having that many players and leagues loaded and I think you can really tell the difference when you go back to a smaller database.

My budget would be around £1000-£1500 but I could push out an extra couple of hundred more for something that will be worth it or last a bit longer.

[Weasek]

4 hours ago, HCFC_Clark said:

Can I have people's views on this please:

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/l-series/IdeaPad-L340-15IRH-Gaming/p/81LK001YUK

 

Price would be £566

Sorry ment to say the battery could be better but I dont mind to much as play on my table next to power point.plus it's not as well built as more expensive laptops with a plastic casings etc.but I am very  happy as mine as didn't want to spend more 

[Snorks]

OK, so now I am in a more specific kind of area, I have it narrowed down to three at the moment. Bear in mind, I am kind of limited to one retailer as I get a discount there through work. By far the biggest user of resource will be Football Manager. I also like the bigger screen size on these three - I would struggle with FM on smaller. I don't use up much on anything else. So, for running FM would you go with:

1: 

Brand/Model: 15.6" Lenovo Ideapad L340 (81LK000YAU)

Processor: 2.4GHz Intel® Core i5-9300H Quad Core Processor (turbo boosts up to 4.1GHz)

Memory: 16GB RAM

Storage: 256GB SSD

Display: 15.6" FHD IPS screen display

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 with 4GB Graphics Memory   2: HP Pavilion Processor: 2.3GHZ AMD Ryzen 7 3750H Quad Core Mobile Processor with Radeon RX Vega 10 Graphics Memory: 16GB DDR4-2400 Storage: 256GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1650 Graphics with 4GB GDDR5 Display: 15.6" FHD 144Hz IPS Anti-glare micro-edge WLED-backlit, 300 nits, 72% NTSC (1920 x 1080)   or  3: Brand/Model: HP 14" Pavilion (15-cs3099tx) Processor: Intel® Core i7-1065G7 (1.3 GHz base frequency, up to 3.9 GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, 8 MB cache, 4 cores) RAM: 8 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB) Storage: 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD + 1 TB 5400 rpm SATA Display: 15.6" diagonal FHD IPS BrightView micro-edge WLED-backlit (1920 x 1080) Graphics: Intel® Iris® graphics     My initial 'gut' feeling (with a large dose of ignorance) is between #1 or #2, which by and large is a processor race. What are your thoughts?

Edited May 7, 2020 by Snorks

[FrazT]

I dont think that there is much between the first 2, so either would do- I would probably go with the Intel processor but that is just a personal preference and I doubt that there is much to choose between them technically.

P.S How does the 14 inch Pavillion come to have a 15.6 inch display?

[profii]

I think these laptops are similar but if there is something I've missed please point it out...

 

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops-notebooks-and-2-in-1-laptops/new-inspiron-14-5000/spd/inspiron-14-5490-laptop/cn54904#techspecs_section

https://www.very.co.uk/hp-laptop-15s-fq1010na-intel-core-i7-1065g7-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-156-inch-full-hd-laptop-with-optional-microsoft-365-personal-1-yearnbsp--silver/1600450268.prd

 

I am not as au fait with processors as I used to be, using the link in the OP, the HP seems to be the winner, but the stats seem to indicate the dell is better (...? I could be reading wrong)

 

I am actually leaning towards the dell due to dedicated GFX for a bit of dabbling with games and the smaller overall device

 

with both being around £750 is there anything else on the market similarly spec'd and priced? I can't find too many.

[Gangor]

6 minutes ago, profii said:

I think these laptops are similar but if there is something I've missed please point it out...

 

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops-notebooks-and-2-in-1-laptops/new-inspiron-14-5000/spd/inspiron-14-5490-laptop/cn54904#techspecs_section

https://www.very.co.uk/hp-laptop-15s-fq1010na-intel-core-i7-1065g7-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-156-inch-full-hd-laptop-with-optional-microsoft-365-personal-1-yearnbsp--silver/1600450268.prd

 

I am not as au fait with processors as I used to be, using the link in the OP, the HP seems to be the winner, but the stats seem to indicate the dell is better (...? I could be reading wrong)

 

I am actually leaning towards the dell due to dedicated GFX for a bit of dabbling with games and the smaller overall device

 

with both being around £750 is there anything else on the market similarly spec'd and priced? I can't find too many.

It's no wonder you're confused. These are both from the same generation, but the first CPU is a 14nm part and the second is 10nm. The 14nm ones tend to clock higher (better for FM) but the 10nm ones have enhanced integrated graphics. In fact, the graphics for the two systems are probably about equivalent. I would still go for the first though due to the higher clocking CPU. 

[Snorks]

6 hours ago, FrazT said:

 

P.S How does the 14 inch Pavillion come to have a 15.6 inch display?

everything is bigger than it seems here in NZ @FrazT  

Thanks for your input - the Lenovo is a $200 cheaper than the HP as well. But the Intel processor appears lower in the rating list earlier in the thread but I am not sure quite what feasible difference I would notice playing FM.

 

if the difference in processor means I can get through a five season save a few weeks faster it might be worth a couple of hundy extra.

If anyone else has any thoughts I would appreciate a quorum decision? 

[profii]

17 minutes ago, Gangor said:

It's no wonder you're confused. These are both from the same generation, but the first CPU is a 14nm part and the second is 10nm. The 14nm ones tend to clock higher (better for FM) but the 10nm ones have enhanced integrated graphics. In fact, the graphics for the two systems are probably about equivalent. I would still go for the first though due to the higher clocking CPU. 

excellent. Thanks for your advice. I wanted the smaller device anyway so I'm pleased it is perhaps slightly more powerful :D

[FrazT]

1 hour ago, Snorks said:

everything is bigger than it seems here in NZ @FrazT  

Thanks for your input - the Lenovo is a $200 cheaper than the HP as well. But the Intel processor appears lower in the rating list earlier in the thread but I am not sure quite what feasible difference I would notice playing FM.

 

if the difference in processor means I can get through a five season save a few weeks faster it might be worth a couple of hundy extra.

If anyone else has any thoughts I would appreciate a quorum decision? 

If you are loading 225,000 players then the better processor rating might make a bit of a difference.  If you are sensible with the leagues and database loaded, I doubt that you would notice any difference at all- anyway, are you going to know

[Snorks]

Thanks FRz - not sure i'll ever load a database that big lol but if th pc can run it why not i guess

to be honest, i was leaning to the Ryzen but didn't really know - never really understood the processor ratings etc, 

currently i have an AMD A10-7300 Radeon R. 1.90GHz

 

but it is so old half the keys don;t work and it overheats regularly running 3d. had it a good few years now.

Edited May 7, 2020 by Snorks

[StevensLFC]

On 06/05/2020 at 12:53, Smurf said:

I don't think it's worth £200 extra.

You can buy 16gb cheap enough https://eu.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401ii

FM doesn't need a high refresh rate either. 

But who's to say in the future... 

Hi again @Smurf

Was just about to pre order the cheaper one and noticed the extra £200 also gets you the Ryzen 7 4800HS, which seems to be higher up on notebook check. Is it worth going up in tier for processor and extra RAM or will it not make too much of a difference vs Ryzen 5 4600HS? Hoping that makes sense!

Cheers :-)

[JamieTC13]

I have an i5 8600k at 4.8ghz with 16gig of 3000mhz ram and an rtx 2070 will there be any point upgrading my cpu to an i7 9700k as more games are now taking advantage of more cores  or is my i5 8600k at 4.8ghz fine for now 

Thank you