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Good Afternoon!

So I am requesting some guidance here chaps and chepesses.

My Laptop which I have had for about 5 years is starting to over heat. Whilst playing the beta, it would randomly shut it self down. So I am assuming its time to put this dear friend down to rest.

So with that in mind does anybody have recommendations on a good Laptop to purchase that is less than $900.00. The cheaper the better.

I really only use my laptop to play FM and browse the web and listen to music and sometimes Netflix. I would prefer the laptop to run multiple leagues at once with a large database.

Hoping that others have had to purchase a new laptop/pc recently so any nudge in the right direction would be appreciated.

I am a complete ditz when it comes to PC and specs and all that jargon. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Dan

Where do you want to purchase your computer from?

The minimum requirements for the game are:

PC System Requirements

OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8

Processor: Intel Pentium 4 Intel Core AMD Athlon XP: 1.6GHz+ V/7/8: 2.2GHz+

Memory: 1 GB RAM

Graphics: NVidia GeForce FX 5900 Ultra ATI Radeon 9800 Intel GMA X3100 128MB VRAM

DirectX: Version 9.0c

Network: Broadband Internet connection

Hard Drive: 3 GB available space

as long as you have these, the game will run fine. However, to get the best experience you will want the best CPU, RAM and Graphics card you can afford.

If you are from the US you can check out www.bhphotovideo.com, they have some great stuff there for good prices. I just did a quick search for a good gaming laptop under $900USD and this is what I found: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1004517-REG/lenovo_ideapad_z710_59387520_17_3.html. It is a good computer that should get you through some intense FM for a good 3 to 5 years. It's great for the specs and price, but a little on the heavy side. There are cheaper ones with similar specs, but the cool thing about this computer is that it has full HD resolution, something you'll appreciate while watching videos.

Also you can consider http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1004417-REG/acer_nx_m74aa_006_v3_772g_6468_i5_4200m_8_750gb_windows_8_17_3.html. It is a cheaper computer that is a bit cheaper but still with HD resolution. The processor and graphics are weaker but it won't stretch your wallet as much.

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Thank you.

Im not entirely sure what all of those numbers mean. I used to just buy the most expensive one and they always seemed to work and last a while, but now with some kids on the way I have to adjust my budget.

What about one like this, I don't think there are enough spec info, but Im sure you could deduce more from this than me.

http://www.qvc.com/Samsung-14-Notebook---Core-i3,-4GB-RAM,-500GBHDD-Search-Results.product.E271163.html?sc=E271163-User&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-5-_-E271163&catentryImage=http://images-p.qvc.com/is/image/e/63/e271163.001?$uslarge$

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Thank you.

Im not entirely sure what all of those numbers mean. I used to just buy the most expensive one and they always seemed to work and last a while, but now with some kids on the way I have to adjust my budget.

What about one like this, I don't think there are enough spec info, but Im sure you could deduce more from this than me.

http://www.qvc.com/Samsung-14-Notebook---Core-i3,-4GB-RAM,-500GBHDD-Search-Results.product.E271163.html?sc=E271163-User&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-5-_-E271163&catentryImage=http://images-p.qvc.com/is/image/e/63/e271163.001?$uslarge$

this is a 2.5GHz Intel Core i3-3120M processor, which means it is from last year, but it should run FM fine. It is not the fastest, but it should work. Also, it does not have a dedicated graphics card, which means that videos and 3d matches won't play as well. For a similar price, grab this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1009546-REG/msi_cx61_2oc_206us_i5_4200m_3_0g_6gb_750gb_w8_15_6_gray.html

If you don't understand the numbers I won't bore you with them, but for the extra $50 or so you will be able to squeeze at least a year more out of this computer than the one you linked to. Of course, that's if you can purchase at that price from the website, I'm not too sure about the sales tax involved.

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I'm thinking about getting a surface pro 2 does anyone know how well they run FM 2014

It should run, but not great as the surface uses a power-saving type of CPU that makes it slower. Also, the game is not touch optimized, you'll find it easier to connect a mouse. If you do want one anyway, get the 8gb ram version just to be safe.

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Hi - I'm getting a new laptop now to play Football Manager 2014. My budget is low and I'm sure I will be told that it is too low but I can't afford anymore. Anyway, please let me know what you think about the suitability of this laptop for Football Manager 2014 - http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/LENOVO-G500-59371101_1492695.html

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Hi - I'm getting a new laptop now to play Football Manager 2014. My budget is low and I'm sure I will be told that it is too low but I can't afford anymore. Anyway, please let me know what you think about the suitability of this laptop for Football Manager 2014 - http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/LENOVO-G500-59371101_1492695.html

No, this computer will run the game fine.

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does anyone have the msi laptop? just for a proper user review on fm14???

Hello, I have the MSI laptop, and i am very pleased with it, Currently running, England, Spain, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Ukraine on large DB with all leagues loaded and i have done 6 seasons, just started my 7th.

To be honest i have played it quite alot over the last 4 days, (game time around 53 hours) but that is an indication of how quick the laptop is, taking me around 45 minutes to do a month at the moment.

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Hi,

I'm not a techy so looking for some advice. Looking for a new laptop to play FM with a big database, quickly, with smooth graphics for the 3D engine.

Other than that, mainly for web browsing, and watching tv/dvds in bed.

Don't really want to spend much more than £500.

Any suggestions? thanks

Edit, found this, looks good to me http://www.very.co.uk/hp-pavilion-15-e046sa-intelreg-coretrade-i5-processor-8gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-156-inch-laptop-red/1313449276.prd?aff=google&affsrc=acquisition&cm_mmc=google-_-PLA_Electricals-_-computers+laptops-_-atdvpZo2_29821782914

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Hi,

I'm not a techy so looking for some advice. Looking for a new laptop to play FM with a big database, quickly, with smooth graphics for the 3D engine.

Other than that, mainly for web browsing, and watching tv/dvds in bed.

Don't really want to spend much more than £500.

Any suggestions? thanks

Edit, found this, looks good to me http://www.very.co.uk/hp-pavilion-15-e046sa-intelreg-coretrade-i5-processor-8gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-156-inch-laptop-red/1313449276.prd?aff=google&affsrc=acquisition&cm_mmc=google-_-PLA_Electricals-_-computers+laptops-_-atdvpZo2_29821782914

It should do fine, but don't expect the highest quality graphics when running the 3D match engine. It will run at full speed but maybe at a lower quality. To be honest, everyone wants an awesome computer for a cheap price, but realistically you have to compromise. I don't know how much patience you have with loading or what you mean by "big database" so it's really up to you to buy the best computer you can afford and then experiment.

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Thanks, I understand I have to make a compromise as my budget is limited. I'm just really trying to find the best I can for the money which isn't easy when you're not really an IT person.

I'm currently in season13 on an FM12 save, with 1 main league and 5 (I think) running in the back ground. It was running okay for my needs on an Acer Aspire 5935G but that machine is now dead.

Is the MSI machine that others have recommended significantly better for the money? Or are there any other suggestions?

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Thanks, I understand I have to make a compromise as my budget is limited. I'm just really trying to find the best I can for the money which isn't easy when you're not really an IT person.

I'm currently in season13 on an FM12 save, with 1 main league and 5 (I think) running in the back ground. It was running okay for my needs on an Acer Aspire 5935G but that machine is now dead.

Is the MSI machine that others have recommended significantly better for the money? Or are there any other suggestions?

Money is hard to come by these days so you won't want to stretch too far. The MSI recommended above is really good value, but it is £150 over your budget. If you can make that price, it is highly recommended. However from personal experience the touchpad on that laptop is not great, and MSI is not too good with their tech support and driver updates. To stay within your budget, there was a computer suggested a few posts back: http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/LENOVO-G500-59371101_1492695.html

If you compare this to the one you linked to, you can see that all the components are pretty much the same, except the Lenovo is a bit cheaper and has a dedicated graphics card. Not a really good one, but it's there. However, the computer you chose is HP which is known for being a little more reliable with their service. Plus it looks really snazzy, and it is a bit lighter than the Lenovo. Keep in mind though, I have not used either of those websites so I can't recommend one over the other, and I can't confirm if there are any hidden costs either.

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This might seem to be a really stupid question (and, it probably is) but, if I use the "Commentary Only", hence not using the 3D view at all, should I focus that much on a dedicated gfx card?

Cause I really want a Ultrabook, but I would much rather throw some more money after more memory, a better processor and a SSD than a gfx card.

FM2014 is the only game i would play, the rest is just Office and so on

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This might seem to be a really stupid question (and, it probably is) but, if I use the "Commentary Only", hence not using the 3D view at all, should I focus that much on a dedicated gfx card?

Cause I really want a Ultrabook, but I would much rather throw some more money after more memory, a better processor and a SSD than a gfx card.

FM2014 is the only game i would play, the rest is just Office and so on

Here is some information on the 4th generation intel Haswell core graphical capabilities in the latest macbook air http://www.anandtech.com/show/7085/the-2013-macbook-air-review-13inch/4. As you can see, it's not actually that bad. The problem might be sharing resources between graphic processing and other processes but since you want an ultrabook you're obviously going for portability and should not expect desktop level performances no matter which cpu is inside your new laptop.

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Here is some information on the 4th generation intel Haswell core graphical capabilities in the latest macbook air http://www.anandtech.com/show/7085/the-2013-macbook-air-review-13inch/4. As you can see, it's not actually that bad. The problem might be sharing resources between graphic processing and other processes but since you want an ultrabook you're obviously going for portability and should not expect desktop level performances no matter which cpu is inside your new laptop.

I actually thought that if i did not want a profound Gaming Laptop, that the next best thing would be a Ultrabook... I have never thought of FM as being a game that needed more than Memory and a fairly quick cpu

I usually play with 5-8 countries ( not all playble), large DB and somewhere in the range of 25.000-40.000 players... On my Desktop PC (which is not the newest, but with 12GB memory) i get 4,5-5 stars which is great... I am simply looking for something in that range

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I actually thought that if i did not want a profound Gaming Laptop, that the next best thing would be a Ultrabook... I have never thought of FM as being a game that needed more than Memory and a fairly quick cpu

I usually play with 5-8 countries ( not all playable), large DB and somewhere in the range of 25.000-40.000 players... On my Desktop PC (which is not the newest, but with 12GB memory) i get 4,5-5 stars which is great... I am simply looking for something in that range

Well i might have found a middle-way now

Found this:

Intel Core i7-4750HQ 4x2,0GHz (Turbo 3.20GHz) Haswell

Kingston 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM

Intel 180GB SSD Solid State Disk

Intel HD5200 GT3 Haswell grafikkort

14” FullHD-LED IPS panel 1920x1080 AntiGlare

Li-Ion high-end battery (53.28WH)

1.9 Kg

340(W)x253(D)x20,8(H)mm

3 x USB 3.0

1 x HDMI

just under £920..

How would something like that work for FM2014?

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Afternoon All,

I've finally reached the stage in life where I have an office, and now can look for a desktop PC rather than a laptop to play FM on. My laptop won't cope with the high graphics, and I feel i'm cheating myself watching the games in low quality (at least that's how I'm about to justify the spend).

On that basis can anyone help with some recommendations for a desktop PC (don't need the monitor etc, I'll use this as the TV in the office also so will get a TV / monitor that's compatible).

Mainly I'll use the PC for playing FM, but I want it to last a good few years. I'll also have it as a media centre / hub for music films etc.

Cost wise ideally 500 and under, don't want to go crazy but I want good spec (Quad core ideally, with a smart graphics card and an SSD if poss).

Cheers all.

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Do you need an operating system as well, and are you capable to build one yourself?

I'd love to be able to build one, but sadly it'll have to be off the peg. I have a spare copy of Windows 7, so I can put that on, but if one shows up with an OS on, I'll take that. Cheers

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Brand Lenovo

Item Weight 3.6 Kg

Product Dimensions 49 x 34.9 x 6.6 cm

Batteries: 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)

Item model number 59389206

Screen Size 15.6 inches

Processor Brand Intel

Processor Type Pentium

Processor Speed 2.4 GHz

RAM Size 8 GB

Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM

Hard Drive Size 1 TB

Graphics Card Description Integrated

Operating System Windows 8

Lithium Battery Energy Content 48 watt_hours

Lithium Battery Weight 170 grams

Up to 3rd generation Intel Core i5 processor

Windows 8

15.6” HD display (1366x768) display with IPS wide-view technology

Up to 1TB hard drive and up to 16DDR3 memory

Up to 4 hours battery life

Up to NVIDIA GeForce GT720m discrete graphics with 2GB DDR3

I am confused by the 'up to 3rd generation i5 processor'- what does that mean? Basically, I have a limited budget and this looks ok to me but I know nothing!

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Hi guys,

About 4 months ago my flat got broken in to and my absolutely beautiful laptop was stolen. (I only had it since Christmas, and didn't have insurance on it - absolutely heart broken)

Anyway, after a few months of saving and having to do without playing FM, I have finally gotten to a position where I can buy a new laptop.

I've found this: http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ACER-E1-571-NX.M09EK.037_1478283.html

Which isn't quite as good as my previous laptop, good processor/ram though.

Think I'm making the right choice buying it? That really is about the top end of my budget.

Thanks in advance.

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Nope, didn't have insurance at all. You'd probably laugh if you knew that I work in insurance as well, and get a 50% discount through one of my companies.

My reasoning at the time seemed foolproof. It's a gated/secure apartment block in the city centre, and we live on the top floor. We've lived there for 2 years now, and there has never been so much as a car break in in the car park, or on the road outside.

However, somebody flukily managed to get through both secure doors when others were going through and pass 107 apartments (out of 109 in the building) and kick my door off, stealing both my girlfriends and my laptop.

Lesson fully learned, and although there's no other contents in my apartment worth insuring (either not expensive enough, or too big to steal) I will however be getting gadget insurance to cover the laptop when I purchase it.

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This might seem to be a really stupid question (and, it probably is) but, if I use the "Commentary Only", hence not using the 3D view at all, should I focus that much on a dedicated gfx card?

Hi, could someone please answer this?

Thanks

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Thought I should say, I bought the MSI laptop suggested higher up and it's brilliant. I'm running 27 leagues, large database on 4* speed but almost all processing is instant. FA Cup weekends and things like that get maybe 10 seconds waiting, other than that it really couldn't play any quicker.

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The second paragraph in the specs you posted looks like customization options? Better parts you can add to improve the default configuration (against a higher price, I would assume). Hard to say for sure without seeing the webpage. A 3rd generation i5 processor would be faster than the Pentium listed higher up in the specs.

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Hi guys,

About 4 months ago my flat got broken in to and my absolutely beautiful laptop was stolen. (I only had it since Christmas, and didn't have insurance on it - absolutely heart broken)

Anyway, after a few months of saving and having to do without playing FM, I have finally gotten to a position where I can buy a new laptop.

I've found this: http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/ACER-E1-571-NX.M09EK.037_1478283.html

Which isn't quite as good as my previous laptop, good processor/ram though.

Think I'm making the right choice buying it? That really is about the top end of my budget.

Thanks in advance.

It will do what you need it for. Computers sometimes get really cheap just before Christmas though, so if you can wait maybe be patient and hold out for some good deals coming up.

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Well i might have found a middle-way now

Found this:

Intel Core i7-4750HQ 4x2,0GHz (Turbo 3.20GHz) Haswell

Kingston 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM

Intel 180GB SSD Solid State Disk

Intel HD5200 GT3 Haswell grafikkort

14” FullHD-LED IPS panel 1920x1080 AntiGlare

Li-Ion high-end battery (53.28WH)

1.9 Kg

340(W)x253(D)x20,8(H)mm

3 x USB 3.0

1 x HDMI

just under £920..

How would something like that work for FM2014?

Yes that will run fine.

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Cheers, I might have a go at building one, if you have any advice on components it would be much appreciated, still looking to spend the same (or less if I can)...Cheers

I can give you an idea, but in all honesty your best place to go for this is the overclockers forum (not sure I am allowed to link to other websites/forums, so won't do it), the same website I gave you the link to - just go to their forum and go to general hardware. Post your requirements and you will get lots of help.

I would personally go for something like this:

7850 HD GPU

i5 CPU

A decent PSU (seasonic or simlar at about 450w)

Probably a Gigabyte Z77 motherboard

4GB Ram (minimum)

I think that little lot would probably come to about £450 ish. Just need to add a DVD writer and case to it then (Case is obviously personal choice). For an operating system either use one you have or I think microsoft still do a free 3 month trial on Windows 8.

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I can give you an idea, but in all honesty your best place to go for this is the overclockers forum (not sure I am allowed to link to other websites/forums, so won't do it), the same website I gave you the link to - just go to their forum and go to general hardware. Post your requirements and you will get lots of help.

I would personally go for something like this:

7850 HD GPU

i5 CPU

A decent PSU (seasonic or simlar at about 450w)

Probably a Gigabyte Z77 motherboard

4GB Ram (minimum)

I think that little lot would probably come to about £450 ish. Just need to add a DVD writer and case to it then (Case is obviously personal choice). For an operating system either use one you have or I think microsoft still do a free 3 month trial on Windows 8.

Cheers, I'm looking at 2 options (an Intel & AMD) then I can play with budget a little.

For the Intel, I'm looking at

Intel Core i5 4670k - £174.50

Asus Z87-A Motherboard - £109.99

ASUS Nvidia GeForce GT 640 - £67.99

Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Vengeance 8GB - £62.99

For AMD I've gone with the AMD FX8320 Black Edition - £115.99 processer, but I'm struggling to find a motherboard that supports HDMI. Any advice here is hugely appreciated.

So that leaves me £100 or so for a case and the other bits, got some gift vouchers for Amazon if I want any extras..

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Hello, I'm about to buy a new laptop and the last one I bought (my current) was about as useful as an orange would be for playing FM. I'm pretty skint so I can't afford much and I've picked this one out, just wanted to make sure it would play FM well.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_E1-571_Core_i5_Windows_8_Laptop_NX.M09EK.012/version.asp#maindesc

Processor - Intel Core i5 3230M - 2.5 GHz

RAM - 4 GB

Hard Drive - 500 GB

On-board graphics adapter model - Intel HD Graphics 4000

Turbo frequency (max) - 3.2 GHz

Thanks

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Hello, I'm about to buy a new laptop and the last one I bought (my current) was about as useful as an orange would be for playing FM. I'm pretty skint so I can't afford much and I've picked this one out, just wanted to make sure it would play FM well.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Acer_E1-571_Core_i5_Windows_8_Laptop_NX.M09EK.012/version.asp#maindesc

Processor - Intel Core i5 3230M - 2.5 GHz

RAM - 4 GB

Hard Drive - 500 GB

On-board graphics adapter model - Intel HD Graphics 4000

Turbo frequency (max) - 3.2 GHz

Thanks

It should play fine, good choice for the price.

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Im looking to run the following

England

Spain

Italy

Germany

France

Top division and second division for all leagues with a large database

Can anybody recommend a laptop capable of doing that while running fairly quickly

I have a £500-£600 budget

Any help would be appreciated

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Im looking to run the following

England

Spain

Italy

Germany

France

Top division and second division for all leagues with a large database

Can anybody recommend a laptop capable of doing that while running fairly quickly

I have a £500-£600 budget

Any help would be appreciated

The computer above should do fine. Alternatively, check out this list: http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/products/area/solgaming gaming laptops under £500

or http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/LENOVO-Z500-59367136_1357423.html at the expensive end of your budget

you'll be looking for an i5 processor with 4GB or above RAM and preferably a dedicated graphics card.

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