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

[joshpmilton]

Just a heads up, but Box look like they've updated all their prices with Black Friday deals for those in the market. Might be the difference to upgrading to the next model up.

[Smurf]

20 minutes ago, Tyggis said:

Thank you for bringing this up - I was not aware of this thread before. 

I'm quite surprised by some of the results in this thread, in particular how similarly ranked the Ryzen 4800H and 4600H are, considering the general dominance of the 4800H in common benchmarks, see below:

 

4800H:

01:16

09:18

07:29

4600H:

 

01:17

09:08

08:07

Is this simply because of FM not being able to take sufficient advantage of the extra corse and threads of the 4800H? The 4600H has more cache and the clocking frequency is about the same. After all I've read on this over the past few weeks, it is still unclear to me at what extent FM is able to make use of multiple cores.

Well the 4800H is better - but you can see that the speeds are the same - and the single thread rating (highlighted) is also very similar.

It's probably this single core rating that's the big thing for FM. 

I asked about how cores operate in FM and this is the answer.

Quote

 

I spoke to someone and this is the jist of what he and I came to:

For how the game uses threads - it will create as many threads for playing matches and shortlisting as you have cores (including hyperthreads).

But the performance you see varies on the setup for example with matches - Quick Matches for instance (so for loaded but non-managed in leagues) it's are so fast anyway it gets to the point where it doesn't make that much more difference having more cores.

If you use detail level to set more stuff to full match you'll start seeing betters gains for more cores, but of course will still be slower than by just not having the league loaded, or having it at a low detail level.

Similar sort of thing with shortlisting the more / leagues players you have loaded the more benefits you can potentially see with more cores, however this is probably more than offset by the general slowdown from having more stuff loading as there's still a large portion of the game which is single threaded. 

In regards to best processors, as a general guide we tend to suggest using the following comparison site as a good gauge of the performance capabilities - https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html

Basic rule of thumb is the higher it is on the list, the better it is. You can edit it to show processors for desktops and also those that are considered 'archived' via the restriction options. 

Hope some of this is of use. 

 

 

[Smurf]

29 minutes ago, joshpmilton said:

Just a heads up, but Box look like they've updated all their prices with Black Friday deals for those in the market. Might be the difference to upgrading to the next model up.

I'd say lots of sites are doing the same - I don't think they set the price themselves, they probably are linked to a database and the price is drawn from there, as they are only resellers, like lots of others. 

Anyway, I don't really know how they work it - but that would be my understanding. 

 

I'd say you'll start seeing a drop in prices soon as the new Intel and AMDs are dropping soon.

[TheBigBoss]

Need someone who's good with laptop specs to let me know if this laptop will be good for FM, apologies in advance if this in the wrong thread. Found a laptop at home cleaning which no one has claimed so I'm thinking it might be good for FM

These are the specs 

• 14-inch HD LED backlit display, 1366 x 768 resolution
• Intel Pentium quad-core N3710 processor @ 1.6GHz
• Integrated Intel HD graphics
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 1TB 5400 RPM hard drive
• 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, SD card slot
• VGA, HDMI
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2-cell Lithium-Ion battery, 32Wh
• Full-sized chiclet keyboard with 10 million-keystroke lifetime
• SonicMaster audio
• Runs Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
• Dark Blue plastic case
• 2.29 x 23.62 x 33.78 cm, weighs 1.81 kg

 

Is it worth playing FM21 on ?

[kevhamster]

57 minutes ago, TheBigBoss said:

Need someone who's good with laptop specs to let me know if this laptop will be good for FM, apologies in advance if this in the wrong thread. Found a laptop at home cleaning which no one has claimed so I'm thinking it might be good for FM

These are the specs 

• 14-inch HD LED backlit display, 1366 x 768 resolution
• Intel Pentium quad-core N3710 processor @ 1.6GHz
• Integrated Intel HD graphics
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 1TB 5400 RPM hard drive
• 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, SD card slot
• VGA, HDMI
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2-cell Lithium-Ion battery, 32Wh
• Full-sized chiclet keyboard with 10 million-keystroke lifetime
• SonicMaster audio
• Runs Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
• Dark Blue plastic case
• 2.29 x 23.62 x 33.78 cm, weighs 1.81 kg

 

Is it worth playing FM21 on ?

In short, it's going to be a poor performance on that.

That's an entry level CPU from 4 years ago.  It is below the minimum clock speed suggested by SI and if it runs the game, it is going to be extremely slow processing between matches.

If you already have the laptop in your possession, by all means try the demo when it's out.  But, realistically you're going to need something significantly better to have get a satisfactory performance.

[kevhamster]

2 hours ago, WeePaul said:

 

I had a look at their comparison & something I noticed is that they're desktop CPUs. Are there any potential issues with having one of them in a laptop, heating problems or anything like that? 

I can't speak from first hand experience.

However, the likes of PC Specialist are professionals and I doubt they would put these CPUs into their products if there was likely to be issues.

[Junaid1999]

Hi all,

Looking to purchase this laptop (link below) in a couple of days purely just for playing Football Manager. 
 

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 

I was just wondering if it’s worth spending an extra £50 to purchase one of these laptops instead (links below)? Will I get better performance (CPU, processing speed and RAM) and better graphics (3D) from either of these? Furthermore, will either of these laptops last me longer so I won’t need to upgrade in a couple of years?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/msi-bravo-15-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-rx-5500m-256-gb-ssd-10206090-pdt.html

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html 

 

Many thanks. 

 

[kevhamster]

28 minutes ago, Junaid1999 said:

Hi all,

Looking to purchase this laptop (link below) in a couple of days purely just for playing Football Manager. 
 

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 

I was just wondering if it’s worth spending an extra £50 to purchase one of these laptops instead (links below)? Will I get better performance (CPU, processing speed and RAM) and better graphics (3D) from either of these? Furthermore, will either of these laptops last me longer so I won’t need to upgrade in a couple of years?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/msi-bravo-15-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-rx-5500m-256-gb-ssd-10206090-pdt.html

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html 

 

Many thanks. 

 

I'd be inclined to choose this one: https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html

The Ryzen in that is a bit stronger overall than the Intel in the first one, and this one has the better graphics card of the two with that CPU.

[Junaid1999]

12 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I'd be inclined to choose this one: https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html

The Ryzen in that is a bit stronger overall than the Intel in the first one, and this one has the better graphics card of the two with that CPU.

That’s great, thanks Kev! Do you think it is worth spending the extra £50 on that laptop then instead of purchasing the first one or does it not really matter? 

[WeePaul]

55 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I can't speak from first hand experience.

However, the likes of PC Specialist are professionals and I doubt they would put these CPUs into their products if there was likely to be issues.

A bit of reading through the PCS forum had some answers for me. It's not really a laptop, it's a "desktop replacement computer" so it's capable of handling desktop CPUs. My only concern is that I've read quite a few comments about the noise of the fans. That's something I'm going to have to weigh up against the incredible performance potential. I'm very much a couch FM player & my girlfriend might kick me out if my laptop means she can't hear the TV.

[kevhamster]

10 minutes ago, Junaid1999 said:

That’s great, thanks Kev! Do you think it is worth spending the extra £50 on that laptop then instead of purchasing the first one or does it not really matter? 

Personally, I would pay the extra for the Ryzen if I was buying for myself.

[Junaid1999]

11 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Personally, I would pay the extra for the Ryzen if I was buying for myself.

Brilliant. Thank you for your help once again! 

[Filipower]

Hello guys amazing work in this thread from everyone!

I'm looking to buy a laptop this week taking advantage of black friday deals, and although I have just ver very basic pc knowledge (I'll be looking to post a couple of options later this week to hear input from you guys), I have just a general question in advance: in relation to GPU, any suggestions going in? In termos of Nvidia/AMD? Because my old laptop had a GeForce GTX1050 and the truth is I had massive problems with FM in the last couple of years with the infamous DXGI error which is apparently unsolvable for a lot of us, and I don't want to go spend hundreds of Euros on a new laptop if it's going to give me the same problems for this year and the next few years.

 

Thank you very much in advance, hopefully I'll be able to share a few options this week to gather your input guys! Cheers

[kevhamster]

40 minutes ago, Filipower said:

Hello guys amazing work in this thread from everyone!

I'm looking to buy a laptop this week taking advantage of black friday deals, and although I have just ver very basic pc knowledge (I'll be looking to post a couple of options later this week to hear input from you guys), I have just a general question in advance: in relation to GPU, any suggestions going in? In termos of Nvidia/AMD? Because my old laptop had a GeForce GTX1050 and the truth is I had massive problems with FM in the last couple of years with the infamous DXGI error which is apparently unsolvable for a lot of us, and I don't want to go spend hundreds of Euros on a new laptop if it's going to give me the same problems for this year and the next few years.

 

Thank you very much in advance, hopefully I'll be able to share a few options this week to gather your input guys! Cheers

Based on what is currently available in laptops, I would generally recommend Nvidia.  Most gaming laptops seem to have Nvidia over AMD cards in any case - I've not seen many with AMD cards.

The GTX 1050 should in theory be fine - have you seen this as it suggests a couple of ways the error should be fixable: https://respawnfirst.com/football-manager-2020-crash-fix/#:~:text=This is an error that,experiencing while playing the game.&text=If the GPU overclock is,Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings.

I've certainly not experienced this same error with the GTX 1660 Super in my desktop PC.

[AVFCfan01]

On 19/11/2020 at 12:48, AVFCfan01 said:

What do we think of the Asus zephyrus s17?

just coming back to this, I think it might be a bit overload for just using for FM. Not sure about better options out there

[kevhamster]

6 hours ago, AVFCfan01 said:

just coming back to this, I think it might be a bit overload for just using for FM. Not sure about better options out there

If you can post a link to it so we can see the specs, we can let you know.

Best to also post your budget and what else you'd be using the computer for.

[Junaid1999]

Hi all,

After much thought, I’ve decided to go ahead and purchase this laptop (link below), as it is a little cheaper and within my budget for FM.

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 

Thank you all for your help, especially @kevhamster. I would have no clue what laptop to purchase if it wasn’t for your help. Looking forward to playing FM soon! 

Many thanks,

Junaid

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, Junaid1999 said:

Hi all,

After much thought, I’ve decided to go ahead and purchase this laptop (link below), as it is a little cheaper and within my budget for FM.

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 

Thank you all for your help, especially @kevhamster. I would have no clue what laptop to purchase if it wasn’t for your help. Looking forward to playing FM soon! 

Many thanks,

Junaid

Enjoy!

[Wivanee]

Good morning,

I would be using the laptop for FM, some other games and Netflix etc. Ideally I would not want to pay as much as £1000 but if the Lenovo one is too good to turn down then it's fine.

All of these have the 4800H processors. 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8095330

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/asus-tuf-blue-a15-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-gtx-1660-ti-512-gb-ssd-10205355-pdt.html

https://www.box.co.uk/82B10061UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_3064873.html

 

Cheers in advance

[kevhamster]

5 minutes ago, Wivanee said:

Good morning,

I would be using the laptop for FM, some other games and Netflix etc. Ideally I would not want to pay as much as £1000 but if the Lenovo one is too good to turn down then it's fine.

All of these have the 4800H processors. 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8095330

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc-gaming/gaming-laptops/asus-tuf-blue-a15-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-gtx-1660-ti-512-gb-ssd-10205355-pdt.html

https://www.box.co.uk/82B10061UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_3064873.html

 

Cheers in advance

They're all largely the same, aside from the Lenovo one having 16GB RAM, with the other 2 having 8GB.  The other main difference is the HP at Argos has a lower screen refresh rate as far as I can tell.

Which other games would you be playing, as that would be a real deciding factor in which one to go for - 8GB is fine for FM, but some other games would ideally need more to get the best experience.

[Wivanee]

18 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

They're all largely the same, aside from the Lenovo one having 16GB RAM, with the other 2 having 8GB.  The other main difference is the HP at Argos has a lower screen refresh rate as far as I can tell.

Which other games would you be playing, as that would be a real deciding factor in which one to go for - 8GB is fine for FM, but some other games would ideally need more to get the best experience.

Thanks for the reply. 

Mainly FPS games, but not at a serious level at all

[kevhamster]

2 minutes ago, Wivanee said:

Thanks for the reply. 

Mainly FPS games, but not at a serious level at all

If you're talking modern FPS games such as recent COD games, Battlefield etc, I'd definitely go for the one with 16GB RAM.  Plus, you get the higher refresh rate screen, which is what you want with games like that.

[Filipower]

How is this guys? Good specs/price? Suggestions of alternatives?

https://www.amazon.es/Lenovo-Legion-RTX2060-6GB-Operativo-82B1008ASP/dp/B08M38HM8D/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅZÕÑ&dchild=1&qid=1606219905&refinements=p_36%3A-120000&rnid=1323854031&s=computers&sr=1-2&th=1

 

Thank you very much in advance for any feedback!

[kevhamster]

18 minutes ago, Filipower said:

How is this guys? Good specs/price? Suggestions of alternatives?

https://www.amazon.es/Lenovo-Legion-RTX2060-6GB-Operativo-82B1008ASP/dp/B08M38HM8D/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅZÕÑ&dchild=1&qid=1606219905&refinements=p_36%3A-120000&rnid=1323854031&s=computers&sr=1-2&th=1

 

Thank you very much in advance for any feedback!

Excellent spec, and good price for the spec.

[Marki]

38 minutes ago, Filipower said:

How is this guys? Good specs/price? Suggestions of alternatives?

https://www.amazon.es/Lenovo-Legion-RTX2060-6GB-Operativo-82B1008ASP/dp/B08M38HM8D/ref=sr_1_2?__mk_es_ES=ÅMÅZÕÑ&dchild=1&qid=1606219905&refinements=p_36%3A-120000&rnid=1323854031&s=computers&sr=1-2&th=1

 

Thank you very much in advance for any feedback!

My Spanish is virtually non existent but I think that this comes without an operating system. Probably worth checking if you aren’t comfortable with that. 

[Filipower]

5 minutes ago, Marki said:

My Spanish is virtually non existent but I think that this comes without an operating system. Probably worth checking if you aren’t comfortable with that. 

You're right it does come without OS but that won't be a problem.

It comes right below my wanted prince range which is great, I know it is overkill for FM (correct me if I'm wrong), but if I buy it I will also be taking advantage of it for other games, but in any case I appreciate your feedback guys, if no one sees any real cons I think I'll pounce on this one, as from what I've ssen (and I've looked at dozens haha), it seems like a good deal!

Edited November 24, 2020 by Filipower

[kevhamster]

9 minutes ago, Marki said:

My Spanish is virtually non existent but I think that this comes without an operating system. Probably worth checking if you aren’t comfortable with that. 

Well spotted - I was purely going off the technical specs and because I also know very little Spanish, and Chrome translate never seems to work for me even when I ask it to, I missed that completely.

[kevhamster]

6 minutes ago, Filipower said:

You're right it does come without OS but that won't be a problem.

It comes right below my wanted prince range which is great, I know it is overkill for FM (correct me if I'm wrong), but if I buy it I will also be taking advantage of it for other games, but in any case I appreciate your feedback guys, if no one sees any real cons I think I'll pounce on this one, as from what I've ssen (and I've looked at dozens haha), it seems like a good deal!

Yeah, technically from a graphics card perspective it is overkill for FM.  But, it has an excellent CPU which you can never go overboard on when it comes to FM and as long as it's looked after should be good for a number of years.

[Filipower]

Fantastic guys, thank you very much! Thanks for trying to decypher Spanish as well, don't worry I made sure the feedback I was after wasn't dependant on you guys being natives xD

 

Cheers again!

[AVFCfan01]

5 hours ago, kevhamster said:

If you can post a link to it so we can see the specs, we can let you know.

Best to also post your budget and what else you'd be using the computer for.

ASUS - ROG Zephyrus S17 17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 - 1TB SSD - Black

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-s17-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-2060-1tb-ssd-black/6409451.p?skuId=6409451

Budget: up to 2k, and will likely only be using it for FM and possibly Civ/Catan

[AbRaiN]

Hello guys, i am thinking of buying a new laptop and i find a good offer for a Dell Vostro with those specs :

Cpu : Intel core i5 10210U @1.6Ghz

Ram : 8GB DDR4

Gpu : Intel UHD Graphics 

SSD 256 GB. 

 

I am usually ruining FM with 10-12 leagues with half of them on view only. I also use many graphics (full cut out facepack, kits, logos) and i am using ingame skin. 

Will it gonna be ok for FM21?? I wanna enjoy the game cause in previous managers i was using old pc\laptop and the processing was really slow. 

I wanna know about your oppinion. 

Thanks in advance 

Edited November 24, 2020 by AbRaiN

[robbarber91]

Hi guys, back for some more laptop advice!

Thanks to one of the posts above, I have managed to find what looks like a great Lenovo laptop and what I would consider a very good price

https://www.ebuyer.com/1129539-lenovo-legion-5-ryzen-7-16gb-512gb-ssd-rtx-2060-15-6-win10-82b10062uk

Firstly am I missing anything obvious when looking at this laptop? Anything in the spec which doesn't look up to scratch?

Secondly, does anyone have any experience using ebuyer.com? It's not a website or company I have heard of before, but looking at them on Trustpilot they look fairly reputable. 

For reference, here are the other laptops I had been toying with before coming across the one above.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B10061UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_3064873.html

https://www.box.co.uk/1L6F7EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec1009na_2958259.html

Of course if you have any other laptops in the same sort of price range (up to £1000) that you could recommend over the ones I have posted then please feel free to share.

Once again thanks for the great service you provide here!

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, AVFCfan01 said:

ASUS - ROG Zephyrus S17 17.3" Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 - 1TB SSD - Black

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-s17-17-3-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-2060-1tb-ssd-black/6409451.p?skuId=6409451

Budget: up to 2k, and will likely only be using it for FM and possibly Civ/Catan

Nice spec.  Should do an excellent job.

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, AbRaiN said:

Hello guys, i am thinking of buying a new laptop and i find a good offer for a Dell Vostro with those specs :

Cpu : Intel core i5 10210U @1.6Ghz

Ram : 8GB DDR4

Gpu : Intel UHD Graphics 

SSD 256 GB. 

 

I am usually ruining FM with 10-12 leagues with half of them on view only. I also use many graphics (full cut out facepack, kits, logos) and i am using ingame skin. 

Will it gonna be ok for FM21?? I wanna enjoy the game cause in previous managers i was using old pc\laptop and the processing was really slow. 

I wanna know about your oppinion. 

Thanks in advance 

I'd avoid that.

Base clock speed below the minimum suggested by SI, and the TDP having a low of 10w tells me that's going to get throttled like mad once the CPU load increases.  What's your budget, and what else will you be using the laptop for?

[kevhamster]

1 hour ago, robbarber91 said:

Hi guys, back for some more laptop advice!

Thanks to one of the posts above, I have managed to find what looks like a great Lenovo laptop and what I would consider a very good price

https://www.ebuyer.com/1129539-lenovo-legion-5-ryzen-7-16gb-512gb-ssd-rtx-2060-15-6-win10-82b10062uk

Firstly am I missing anything obvious when looking at this laptop? Anything in the spec which doesn't look up to scratch?

Secondly, does anyone have any experience using ebuyer.com? It's not a website or company I have heard of before, but looking at them on Trustpilot they look fairly reputable. 

For reference, here are the other laptops I had been toying with before coming across the one above.

https://www.box.co.uk/82B10061UK-Lenovo-Legion-5_3064873.html

https://www.box.co.uk/1L6F7EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec1009na_2958259.html

Of course if you have any other laptops in the same sort of price range (up to £1000) that you could recommend over the ones I have posted then please feel free to share.

Once again thanks for the great service you provide here!

Go for the Lenovo on Ebuyer - that's a cracking deal.  Specs wise, they're all the same as far as I can see aside from the graphics card, and the one at Ebuyer is the best one.

I've never bought a computer from Ebuyer, but have bought various things from them over the years and have never had a single issue with them.  They're about as reliable as it gets.

[AbRaiN]

10 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

I'd avoid that.

Base clock speed below the minimum suggested by SI, and the TDP having a low of 10w tells me that's going to get throttled like mad once the CPU load increases.  What's your budget, and what else will you be using the laptop for?

My budget is about 500€ and thats the offer for this laptop. (currently it costs 1000€ without offers)

Was searching for a Dell gaming G5 series but they are out of stock for now. 

But it is i5 and 1.6 is the base speed which means it can go further more. Would it really be a bad buy?? 

What u mean with TDP? 

I want it to play FM as the main reason

Edited November 24, 2020 by AbRaiN

[robbarber91]

19 minutes ago, kevhamster said:

Go for the Lenovo on Ebuyer - that's a cracking deal.  Specs wise, they're all the same as far as I can see aside from the graphics card, and the one at Ebuyer is the best one.

I've never bought a computer from Ebuyer, but have bought various things from them over the years and have never had a single issue with them.  They're about as reliable as it gets.

Thanks for your help, I've bitten the bullet and gone for it. Now to count down the hours til it gets delivered tomorrow!

[Stevo1]

Hi guys. I'm looking at purchasing a laptop for the sole purpose of running football manager 21. Will only be doing 2 to 3 leagues my budget is £3-400.

Not expecting much within that budget just looking for something that will run the game. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[stratamartin]

Evening chaps, 

Looking to get a new laptop for FM21, Sims (the missus, honest) and general non intensive Microsoft work. My budget is around £650 and wondering if someone smarter than me could scan over a couple options I've found and firstly say which is the best (best value too, I'm happy to spend a bit more if worth it but at the same time go lower if not) and secondly, if none of these, what would you recommend. Ideally like the most up to date laptop too so it's "future proof". Any help greatly appreciated! 

 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G - £699

Acer Aspire 5 A515-44 - £640

Asus Vivobook 14 - £650

Lenovo Thinkbook 14 - £650

HP Pavilion 15 - £650

Adding this Acer Nitro 5 - £649

 

Edited November 24, 2020 by stratamartin

[dimpster]

Hi Kev & Smurf!

Which would you choose between these two:

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html#DetailTop
 

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

Thanks 🙏 

Paul

[BlairB]

Hello,

Looking at getting a new laptop so I can get the new FM21. Would prefer it to be a 2 in 1 one so it’s a bit more practical for myself. Was looking at the Dell Inspiron 14 5406 2-in-1 Laptop. 
Spec below:

Processor

11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)

Operating Systems

Windows 10 Home 64bit English

Graphics Card

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory

Display

14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) WVA LED-Backlit Touch Display

Hard Drive

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Memoryⁱ

8GB, 1x8GB, DDR4, 3200MHz

Primary Battery

3-Cell Battery, 40WHr (Integrated)

Wireless

Intel® Wi-Fi 6 2x2 (Gig+) and Bluetooth
 

I’m assuming this will be ok, can someone confirm? Also not sure how the 2 in 1 works with FM when looking like a tablet, has anyone got anything similar and let me know how it plays?

 

Thanks 

 

[JamieTC13]

1 hour ago, BlairB said:

Hello,

Looking at getting a new laptop so I can get the new FM21. Would prefer it to be a 2 in 1 one so it’s a bit more practical for myself. Was looking at the Dell Inspiron 14 5406 2-in-1 Laptop. 
Spec below:

Processor

11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)

Operating Systems

Windows 10 Home 64bit English

Graphics Card

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory

Display

14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) WVA LED-Backlit Touch Display

Hard Drive

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Memoryⁱ

8GB, 1x8GB, DDR4, 3200MHz

Primary Battery

3-Cell Battery, 40WHr (Integrated)

Wireless

Intel® Wi-Fi 6 2x2 (Gig+) and Bluetooth
 

I’m assuming this will be ok, can someone confirm? Also not sure how the 2 in 1 works with FM when looking like a tablet, has anyone got anything similar and let me know how it plays?

 

Thanks 

 

Yes that would be good but not brilliant its got 4 cores and 8 threads so the fact that its got hyper threading makes it worth wile and its the new intel 10nm line and its got a nice little ipc gain to it as well and maybe later down the line you can add another 8gb ram stick but 8gb should be enough to see you through this years version of FM and on the plus side it as an Nvme that makes the overall system more responsive but not an absolute must for Football manager but its still nice to have, so overall the system will be quite good, but I can't really confirm the 2 in1 thing so I cant really comment on what that will be like mate

Edited November 24, 2020 by jckc221013jamie

[kokafalasi]

Hi all,

Firstly, fantastic thread. Many thanks to everyone for the time they dedicate to help others. I really don’t know too much about computers and would appreciate some guidance as well!

My late ‘13 MB Pro is on its last legs and unfortunately unable to play the game anymore. Thinking of buying a new machine - still a Mac.

While I’d love to get a new 16” MB Pro its price will probably be over budget for me - looking to spend less than 2k€. So looking at the 13” machines now but unsure about what’s the best choice. The main (ok, the sole!) purpose of the machine is obviously FM. I tend to play long saves (20 seasons+) and around 5 leagues on large DB (30k players or so).

I’ve read the benchmarking of the Pro and comments about Air most likely doing the job just as well. I’m a bit skeptical about the lack of cooling with the Air - my current machine has been overheating when playing the last ~5 iterations of the game. Possibly a stupid question but would not having fans be a problem for the longevity of the machine with the designated FM long save usage?

Another question is, the default RAM is 8 GB. How much of a difference would it make to upgrade to 16? My old computer was on 16 already so to me 8 feels like insufficient but is that really the case?

Thanks in advance!

[AbRaiN]

So guys i am actually betwen 2 laptops. That which i mentioned before which has the following specs :

Dell laptop

 

Cpu : Intel core i5 10210U @1.6Ghz

Ram : 8GB DDR4

Gpu : Intel UHD Graphics 

SSD 256 GB. 

 

And in another one with the following :

HP Laptop

CPU : AMD RYZEN 7 3700U @2.3Ghz

GPU : AMD RADEON VEGA 10

RAM : 16GB

SSD 512GB

 

I am usually runing FM with 10-12 leagues with half of them on view only. I also use many graphics (full cut out facepack, kits, logos) and i am using ingame skin. 

 

The budget is ~600€

 

Whats ur suggestion?? 

[jackmac94]

Hi guys,

 

Posted before and have realised i’m going to have loosen the wallet a fraction so i’m hoping either one of these 2 will hopefully do the job on a budget.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14-IML 20RV00AUUK 35.6 cm (14") Notebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - Intel Core i5 (10th Gen) i5-10210U Quad-core (4 Core) 1.60 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Mineral Gray - Windows 10 Home - Intel UHD Graphics - In-plane Switching (IPS) Tec

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ADA05 81W100QVUK 39.6 cm (15.6") Notebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-core (4 Core) 2.10 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Business Black - Windows 10 Home in S mode - AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics - Twisted nematic (TN) -

Its going to kind of come down to one of these or the Dell inspiron 14 3000

 

Let me know what you think and i hope you bring me good news 😆

[Smurf]

 

17 hours ago, Stevo1 said:

Hi guys. I'm looking at purchasing a laptop for the sole purpose of running football manager 21. Will only be doing 2 to 3 leagues my budget is £3-400.

Not expecting much within that budget just looking for something that will run the game. Any recommendations would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks.

3-400 for 2-3 leagues - sounds like FM touch would be better for you.

For 400 quid it's a waste of money for a laptop that will be under spec.

 

16 hours ago, stratamartin said:

Evening chaps, 

Looking to get a new laptop for FM21, Sims (the missus, honest) and general non intensive Microsoft work. My budget is around £650 and wondering if someone smarter than me could scan over a couple options I've found and firstly say which is the best (best value too, I'm happy to spend a bit more if worth it but at the same time go lower if not) and secondly, if none of these, what would you recommend. Ideally like the most up to date laptop too so it's "future proof". Any help greatly appreciated! 

 

Acer Aspire 5 A515-55G - £699

Acer Aspire 5 A515-44 - £640

Asus Vivobook 14 - £650

Lenovo Thinkbook 14 - £650

HP Pavilion 15 - £650

Adding this Acer Nitro 5 - £649

 

From your list

Either this one

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-ec1001na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B0877L4KMD/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=hp%2Bpavilion%2Bgtx%2B1650&qid=1590691279&sr=8-1&tag=laptopz18-21&th=1&psc=1

Or this

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?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=irlrtxtpp&istBid=tztx&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0073 (Shopping Ads) Gaming Laptop - Brand Intel Sept19~073 (PLA) Gaming Laptops - Intel Products ad group~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=c&ds_kids=92700054722146828&tgtid=0073 (Shopping Ads) Gaming Laptop - Brand Intel Sept19&&gclid=CjwKCAiAtej9BRAvEiwA0UAWXoc8NdanGh-pmPAoG_qRgcQ5ecsuAwqN49iQ_0H25npFQPA9wY7TARoC3CYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

15 hours ago, dimpster said:

Hi Kev & Smurf!

Which would you choose between these two:

https://www.box.co.uk/82B50042UK-Lenovo-Legion-5-15_2938438.html#DetailTop
 

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

Thanks 🙏 

Paul

The first one.

 

13 hours ago, BlairB said:

Hello,

Looking at getting a new laptop so I can get the new FM21. Would prefer it to be a 2 in 1 one so it’s a bit more practical for myself. Was looking at the Dell Inspiron 14 5406 2-in-1 Laptop. 
Spec below:

Processor

11th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-1135G7 Processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.2 GHz)

Operating Systems

Windows 10 Home 64bit English

Graphics Card

Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics with shared graphics memory

Display

14.0-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) WVA LED-Backlit Touch Display

Hard Drive

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive

Memoryⁱ

8GB, 1x8GB, DDR4, 3200MHz

Primary Battery

3-Cell Battery, 40WHr (Integrated)

Wireless

Intel® Wi-Fi 6 2x2 (Gig+) and Bluetooth
 

I’m assuming this will be ok, can someone confirm? Also not sure how the 2 in 1 works with FM when looking like a tablet, has anyone got anything similar and let me know how it plays?

 

Thanks 

 

It's ok - not sure how the new Intel hold up - but the specs of the processor look good. 

Don't see any issue. Seems to be in good company around other top processors.

According to NotebookCheck the processors around this are:

 

• + Intel Core i7-7920HQ
•    4x 3.1 GHz - 4.1 GHz
• » Intel Core i5-1135G7
     4x 2.4 GHz - 4.2 GHz
• - Intel Core i5-1038NG7
     4x 2 GHz - 3.8 GHz
• - Intel Core i5-9300HF
     4x 2.4 GHz - 4.1 GHz
• - Intel Core i5-9300H
     4x 2.4 GHz - 4.1 GHz
• - Intel Core i5-8400H
     4x 2.5 GHz - 4.2 GHz

10 hours ago, kokafalasi said:

Hi all,

Firstly, fantastic thread. Many thanks to everyone for the time they dedicate to help others. I really don’t know too much about computers and would appreciate some guidance as well!

My late ‘13 MB Pro is on its last legs and unfortunately unable to play the game anymore. Thinking of buying a new machine - still a Mac.

While I’d love to get a new 16” MB Pro its price will probably be over budget for me - looking to spend less than 2k€. So looking at the 13” machines now but unsure about what’s the best choice. The main (ok, the sole!) purpose of the machine is obviously FM. I tend to play long saves (20 seasons+) and around 5 leagues on large DB (30k players or so).

I’ve read the benchmarking of the Pro and comments about Air most likely doing the job just as well. I’m a bit skeptical about the lack of cooling with the Air - my current machine has been overheating when playing the last ~5 iterations of the game. Possibly a stupid question but would not having fans be a problem for the longevity of the machine with the designated FM long save usage?

Another question is, the default RAM is 8 GB. How much of a difference would it make to upgrade to 16? My old computer was on 16 already so to me 8 feels like insufficient but is that really the case?

Thanks in advance!

Go for the 13 inch MacBook Pro.

It's a lot of money - you could get a PC Laptop for under 2k with much better specs.

Go back to Page 4 or 5 - I listed a Mac there for about 4k and put together a much better PC Laptop on PC Specialist for about 1.7k.

 

8 hours ago, AbRaiN said:

So guys i am actually betwen 2 laptops. That which i mentioned before which has the following specs :

Dell laptop

 

Cpu : Intel core i5 10210U @1.6Ghz

Ram : 8GB DDR4

Gpu : Intel UHD Graphics 

SSD 256 GB. 

 

And in another one with the following :

HP Laptop

CPU : AMD RYZEN 7 3700U @2.3Ghz

GPU : AMD RADEON VEGA 10

RAM : 16GB

SSD 512GB

 

I am usually runing FM with 10-12 leagues with half of them on view only. I also use many graphics (full cut out facepack, kits, logos) and i am using ingame skin. 

 

The budget is ~600€

 

Whats ur suggestion?? 

For 600 euro you won't do much better.

I'd go with the Ryzen.

4 hours ago, jackmac94 said:

Hi guys,

 

Posted before and have realised i’m going to have loosen the wallet a fraction so i’m hoping either one of these 2 will hopefully do the job on a budget.

Lenovo ThinkBook 14-IML 20RV00AUUK 35.6 cm (14") Notebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - Intel Core i5 (10th Gen) i5-10210U Quad-core (4 Core) 1.60 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Mineral Gray - Windows 10 Home - Intel UHD Graphics - In-plane Switching (IPS) Tec

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15ADA05 81W100QVUK 39.6 cm (15.6") Notebook - Full HD - 1920 x 1080 - AMD Ryzen 5 3500U Quad-core (4 Core) 2.10 GHz - 8 GB RAM - 256 GB SSD - Business Black - Windows 10 Home in S mode - AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics - Twisted nematic (TN) -

Its going to kind of come down to one of these or the Dell inspiron 14 3000

 

Let me know what you think and i hope you bring me good news 😆

What's the budget now?

 

[kevhamster]

18 hours ago, AbRaiN said:

My budget is about 500€ and thats the offer for this laptop. (currently it costs 1000€ without offers)

Was searching for a Dell gaming G5 series but they are out of stock for now. 

But it is i5 and 1.6 is the base speed which means it can go further more. Would it really be a bad buy?? 

What u mean with TDP? 

I want it to play FM as the main reason

TDP relates to the allowed amount of heat - effectively the lower this is, the higher likelihood of the CPU getting throttled under load - and FM is very CPU heavy so will likely see this CPU getting throttled.

That laptop being a grand is frankly ridiculous, and is still overpriced with the supposed discounts.

My advice would be to not buy.

[villa30]

Hi

I am thinking of buying the attached laptop. Do you think this will be able to cope with FM21 OK?

Thanks in advance.

https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-15-x512da-ej533t-laptop-amd-r5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-transparent-silver/p4855728

Edited November 25, 2020 by villa30

[kevhamster]

25 minutes ago, villa30 said:

Hi

I am thinking of buying the attached laptop. Do you think this will be able to cope with FM21 OK?

Thanks in advance.

https://www.johnlewis.com/asus-vivobook-15-x512da-ej533t-laptop-amd-r5-processor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-15-6-inch-full-hd-transparent-silver/p4855728

It will run, but it's not going to be ideal, as the CPU is pretty average.

If you can afford a little bit extra, I'd suggest this instead, as the Ryzen 5 4500U is a significant improvement over the 3500U: https://www.box.co.uk/M413IA-EB573T-ASUS-Vivobook-14-M413IA-EB573T_2955297.html

[kokafalasi]

Thanks @Smurf

I actually prefer going for a Mac for my own reasons (bad windows experiences in the past, my and my girlfriend’s devices are all Apple etc).

I appreciate that I could get similar specs at a lower price in a PC but I’m happy to take that hit. So I’m just contemplating which Mac to go for in the <2k range, which means I have to exclude the 16” Pro.

The standard MB Pro 13” comes with an 8 GB RAM so if I may just pose the question again: is the upgrade to 16 highly recommended? Also do you think the lack of cooling (fans) would affect the Air’s longevity for the intended usage?

I don’t intend to play any other games, am playing FM in 3D and usually have 5-6 leagues on large DB so around 30k players.

Thanks again for your time, even reading through this thread has been immensely helpful!

Edited November 25, 2020 by kokafalasi