New Laptop/PC- Help Needed

[TrueSkyBlue87]

Hi guys,

This is my current laptop which gets very hot and lots of noise is produced from the fans whilst playing FM15:

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/VPCEB3J0EWI.CEK-Sony-VAIO-VPCEB3J0EWI_1011070.html

This is what I am thinking of buying:

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/J0B97EAABU-HP-ENVY-15-j140na-Laptop_1680248.html

Why is my laptop so slow at processing for FM (even when nothing else is running), and what are the pros/cons of the HP I am looking at?

[Smurf]

I think I've found the best deal:

(I7 4750HQ) it preforms much better than my Dell (which had i7 4500u).

haven't tried FM on it yet but it should load 80k players with 5 star game speed.

How do you know it performs better if you haven't tried it

What are you basing thsoe figures on???

I'd be interested in seeing how FM plays on it

[Truegunner]

How do you know it performs better if you haven't tried it

What are you basing thsoe figures on???

I'd be interested in seeing how FM plays on it

The i7 4500u currently gives me about 2.5/3 stars on 50k players. This laptop has more than double the processing power (benchmarks 3848 vs 8224) and from what I have read in other places similar processors such as the slightly weaker 4700MQ can hold roughly 100k players with 5 star game speed (I highly doubt that though to be honest). Really it was just an estimate

[Smurf]

Well hate to break it to you - but it's not double the processing power - it's the potential to be.

The laptop you bought has a base frequency of 2.0ghz and the u processor has a 1.8ghz.

I seriously doubt there will be negligible difference in game speed.

The 4700MQ has a base frequency of 2.4ghz, so you'd have a better experience with that.

But again, I'd love to get your honest and full opinion against old and new for yourself.

[Truegunner]

Well hate to break it to you - but it's not double the processing power - it's the potential to be.

The laptop you bought has a base frequency of 2.0ghz and the u processor has a 1.8ghz.

I seriously doubt there will be negligible difference in game speed.

The 4700MQ has a base frequency of 2.4ghz, so you'd have a better experience with that.

But again, I'd love to get your honest and full opinion against old and new for yourself.

I'm sorry to say but it really is not just by the benchmarks but I think the 4 cores vs 2 cores debate answers the first part (1.8ghz dual core vs 2.0 ghz quad core) as well as the fact that the u is a ulv processor which consumes less power and is designed to run at a less powerful frequency and only for ultrabooks essentially, the other is a fully fledged mobile cpu. I do agree however a higher clock doesn't always equate to better performance but I would like to bear in mind the 4700MQ scored 400 lower in the cpu benchmark test (the website) compared to the 4750HQ and most other cpu sites rate them as equivalent. This is why I have used the 4700MQ as merely a yardstick to measure against and of course I have typed a lower estimate (80k 5 star speed as opposed to 100k for the MQ) to compensate any potential performance throttling. Higher clocks don't always necessarily mean better.

[Smurf]

Ah yes - sorry my eyes are not working after a very long day.

I missed the whole dual core vs quad core.

Enjoy your new toy!

Still very interested in hearing how it performs!

Good luck!

[knapp...]

what are the benefits to a quad core when it comes to gaming? so a i7-4712MQ is 2.3ghz, what does that mean in terms of comparing it to a 2.3ghz dual core. i've tried researching it but from what little i could decipher it doesn't have much benefit when it comes to playing games.

[Truegunner]

Ah yes - sorry my eyes are not working after a very long day.

I missed the whole dual core vs quad core.

Enjoy your new toy!

Still very interested in hearing how it performs!

Good luck!

Thanks, can't test out FM on it until Saturday though as I unfortunately have work until Saturday

[Smurf]

Dual core at 2.3ghz means that it basically works on 2 problems at 2.3ghz each (really simplifying here!)

Most dual cores are hyperthreaded meaning that the core can be virtually split in 2 meaning it can work on 4 problems at a time, but core 1 would split it's speed into whatever was necessary and core 2 would do the same.

Quad core essentially meanst there's 4 cores running at 2.3ghz - so it can solve 4 problems at the same time, like playing a video, playing music, playing fm and doing excel spreadsheets.

And with hyperthreading it can split each core virtually to give you 8 cores.

Of course it's not as simple as that.

It comes down to this a Dual Core will perform just as well as a Quad core in day to day. FM is a processing game though. And it will use as many cores available to run the tasks.

The more cores the faster the game runs.

[JRoberts2]

I've just been given an epic grant for Uni and am looking at upgrading my laptop, thinking about a mac Book air but upgrading it to the 8GB of Ram

Just wondering what the graphics card ( Intel HD Graphics 5000) would be like, and does anyone know what the speed of playing would be?

[Smurf]

The intel hd graphics 5000 performs at the same level as a mid-range graphics card like a AMD Raedon 659m.

However, it is built in with the CPU, and if it's a "u" model processor then it will likely never overclock the the GPU portion of the chip due the low voltage (the "u" in u processors stands for Ultra Low Voltage (ULV))

It is my opinion that it will work fine for FM on low-medium graphic detail for graphics in 3D.

And it will be fine for FM.

However, I maintain that MacBooks are overpriced - and if you let us know what your budget is we might be able to recommend a kickass laptop that would be better value for FM and overall.

Unless your hellbent on getting a Mac - don't want to put you off.

In short Macs are good for FM. But don't expect much for the graphics in the u processors.

[JRoberts2]

One of the main reasons I'm getting a Mac is that I find them so much easier to use and it's mainly for a uni/work laptop so FM is just an added bonus. I do get 15% off Macs as well through my Uni so it makes them not so much overpriced. Also I've found there customer service sooo much better and if my laptop was to be gone for a month or 2 (like i've had before through other places) then I would be completely ****ed.

Also as I'm going to be lugging it around I don't want a heavy thing

[Smurf]

Not all laptops are heavy.

Yeh the HD 5000 won't perform well in games, especially a game like FM which uses the CPU a lot, as the GPU is part of the CPU it probably won't overclock the GPU to get a better performance due to the ULV. If 3D is important to you then maybe this is not the correct decision.

I agree about Apple customer support though.

If that's important to you then go for it. I love Macs and think they are great computers.

[Smurf]

I might add that the CPU on the MacBook Air 13 inch is 1.4 ghz or 1.7 ghz - and they can be overclocked to higher amounts.

When using 2 cores the overclock is reduced to 2.4 ghz and it's not 2.7ghz - as FM will use both cores and they will be split due to hyperthreading.

So the performance of FM might suffer due to this.

I have never played FM on a MacBook Air so I can't really say what the performance would be like.

But you'd still be able to play a few leagues and low-medium quality 3D.

Good luck.

[knapp...]

Dual core at 2.3ghz means that it basically works on 2 problems at 2.3ghz each (really simplifying here!)

Most dual cores are hyperthreaded meaning that the core can be virtually split in 2 meaning it can work on 4 problems at a time, but core 1 would split it's speed into whatever was necessary and core 2 would do the same.

Quad core essentially meanst there's 4 cores running at 2.3ghz - so it can solve 4 problems at the same time, like playing a video, playing music, playing fm and doing excel spreadsheets.

And with hyperthreading it can split each core virtually to give you 8 cores.

Of course it's not as simple as that.

It comes down to this a Dual Core will perform just as well as a Quad core in day to day. FM is a processing game though. And it will use as many cores available to run the tasks.

The more cores the faster the game runs.

cheers for this

[Callum525]

Looking for a good solid Laptop, £500 budget. Thanks.

[TrueSkyBlue87]

Just ordered a HP ENVY 15-j142na for £629 on the HP Student Store. This should run FM like a dream in 3D right?

Intel® Core™ i7-4700MQ

15.6” Full-HD LED display

Windows 8.1 64

8 GB DDR3 Memory

1 TB SSHD storage

NVIDIA GeForce GT 840M (2 GB)

[MSCCG]

One of the main reasons I'm getting a Mac is that I find them so much easier to use and it's mainly for a uni/work laptop so FM is just an added bonus. I do get 15% off Macs as well through my Uni so it makes them not so much overpriced. Also I've found there customer service sooo much better and if my laptop was to be gone for a month or 2 (like i've had before through other places) then I would be completely ****ed.

Also as I'm going to be lugging it around I don't want a heavy thing

The MacBook Air is perfect for uni and work use. It's extremely lightweight and more powerful than you would think. It is also ridiculously quiet and long lasting. My brother uses a 2014 MacBook Air 13" i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. We just got through a session of Diablo III with his MacBook Air loading almost as fast as my desktop.

As for the price, it is actually very difficult to find a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air if you want that combination of lightness, battery life and power. Other laptops are either weaker, heavier or more expensive. Apple products are expensive, but value is very different to cost and it is important to take a more nuanced approach than simply specs and price. For example, the quality of the touchpad and the screen are very important for a laptop because they cannot be replaced.

I should add that I disagree with Eugene about staying away from U processors. I don't believe the difference between M and U are as large as it is made out to be. I would really need to see some real data before agreeing with that notion. Like he says, each person should look at the features that they are prioritizing and buy their hardware based on that. We're not salespeople, just trying to help.

Here's a couple of guides for the best value laptops at the moment:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8753/best-500-laptops-holiday-2014

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8771/best-1000-laptops-holiday-2014

[TezzyF1976]

Hi peeps,

Anyone got a laptop with a nvidia gtx 850m graphics card in? Looking at getting it & just wondering how well it runs the 3D match engine. Processor will be i7 4710HQ, 16gb RAM, 17.3" screen.

Also anyone had a laptop from saveonlaptops... How are they for delivery, customer service etc. Always unsure when ordering online from a company I've not used before.

Thanks in advance for any help given.

[Lucas_26_7]

Ok so I have decided maybe I can spare a bit more money, how about the Dell Inspiron X510000AU 15.6" Notebook?

Specs

Display Size (Inches) - 15.6

Resolution (Pixels) - 1366 x 768

Screen Resolution - HD

Processor Type - Intel Celeron

Processor - Intel Dual Core Celeron

Processor Model Number - N2830

Processor Memory Cache - 1M

Processor Clock Speed (GHz) - 2.1

Processor Max. Clock Speed (GHz) - 2.4

RAM (GB) - 4

HDD Storage - 500GB

Total Storage - 500GB

Graphics Processor - Intel HD Graphics

Card Reader - MMC

Battery Cell Count - 4

Operating System - Windows 8.1

Link:https://www.jbhifi.com.au/computers-tablets/laptops/dell/dell-inspiron-x510000au-15-6-notebook/546914/

Thanks for all the help guys

Small Bump.

[Lucas_26_7]

Cheers mate, great find!

EDIT: Just realised, not sure if you misread the budget on the one I posted, but it was $400 not pounds. Thanks for all the help though, will look around on those websites.

[axehan1]

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/59414955-Lenovo-G505s_1691531.html

Here's one that will get you excited Lucas! You won't get much better than this I don't think at that price. Dedicated 2GB graphics card, quad core processor with a benchmark over 3,300 (compared to the 1,000 for the one you asked about and the 2,000 for the one I listed above), 8GB RAM and a 1TB Hard Drive (plenty of space for whatever your heart desires). Enjoy!

I need to change from desktop to laptop what performance will this give me playing FM? ie leagues loaded etc?

Sorry for jumping in!

[grindline]

It should play FM absolutely fine, but it's impossible for me to talk about leagues loaded as my laptop I haven't used a laptop like this one for FM15.

I did wonder if a thread detailing which leagues people run might be useful in helping people gauge the effectiveness of the specs of what they are intending to buy. It would be like a benchmark thread but with the emphasis on leagues used rather than raw processing time.

I might go and post it now.

[steveneales]

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/59414955-Lenovo-G505s_1691531.html

Here's one that will get you excited Lucas! You won't get much better than this I don't think at that price. Dedicated 2GB graphics card, quad core processor with a benchmark over 3,300 (compared to the 1,000 for the one you asked about and the 2,000 for the one I listed above), 8GB RAM and a 1TB Hard Drive (plenty of space for whatever your heart desires). Enjoy!

Am I right in thinking the laptop you have posted is much, much better than this? : http://www.tesco.com/direct/toshiba-satellite-l50d-156-laptop-amd-a8-8gb-ram-1tb-purple/647-0119.prd

[Lucas_26_7]

Cheers Mike, you're a lifesaver! That second one you posted seems perfect!

[jarmour87]

Hi looking to get new laptop as the one I have is running really slow with new FM.Dont know to much of the ins and outs of laptop top,could someone tell if they think is will be any good for playing FM on. http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/224292/dell-latitude-e6400

thanks

[kamackeris]

http://www.littlewoods.com/hp-envy-17-j141na-intelreg-coretrade-i7-processor-12gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-8gb-nand-solid-state-drive-wi-fi-173-inch-laptop-natural-silver/1409529002.prd?skuId=sku15747633&productId=prod1083543838&qty=1&bnplMaxTerm=&warrantySkuId=noWarranty&warrantyName=&restore=true

What do you guys think of the above?

[thomas_e]

Hi guys!

Any experience with Lenovo U330p ?

[kamackeris]

Just want to bump this thread up as... Eugene any thoughts on the above laptop from littlewoods...

[Smurf]

Grand - was away a few days - new tactic on reporting on laptops.

Generally this is fine and no problem at all for FM

Intel® Core™ i7-4710MQ processor with Intel HD Graphics 4600

Excellent processor

12Gb RAM

More than enough

1Tb SATA hard drive / 5400 rpm

Slow hard drive

8Gb NAND SSD

Irrelevant but would speed up boot time (starting up computer) - saving games here would increase load and save times.

17.3 inch LED-backlit display (1920 x 1080)

Excellent display.

SuperMulti DVD burner

If you need it - it's irrelvant

NVIDIA GeForce 840m 2Gb dedicated

2GB is a bit faux-pas as no game really needs this amount, unless you're doing 3d animations/heavy video editing etc.

It's a mid-range graphics card - more than capable of playing on mid-high detail 3D for FM.

1x HDMI; 4x USB 3.0; multi-format card reader

HDMI and high speed usb - very useful

Weight: 2.8 kg

Bit on the heavy side - if you're looking to be on the go this could weigh you down. If it's sitting in a corner then it's perfect.

[Callum525]

I'm looking for a new laptop with a £500 budget which will be used for general use and football manager.

I am looking at this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-G50-70-15-6-inch-Notebook-Black/dp/B00O8SDV8I/

However, I am concerned as it is a U processor, not an M processor.

Any recommendations or advice? Thanks!

[Lone Gooner]

Hi Guys

I am currently looking to replace my 6 year old Desktop pc, and I am thinking about getting a laptop. I just find having to have a desktop very bulky and then you have to have a monitor and mouse etc on the desk. Anyone else made the switch from desktop tower to a desktop replacement laptop?

What does everyone think of the below?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-2PC-411UK-17-3-inch-Notebook-GeForce/dp/B00MRS8Z28/ref=psdc1_t1_B00MN7WICQ_B00MRS8Z28

I assume this will run FM15 ok?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Andrew

[kamackeris]

Eugene was your reply related to my link? If so what do you think of the price ? I was going for the interest free 52 weeks option I think 899

[Smurf]

Twas indeed

[MontyUK]

1Tb SATA hard drive / 5400 rpm

Slow hard drive

8Gb NAND SSD

Irrelevant but would speed up boot time (starting up computer) - saving games here would increase load and save times.

I haven't seen the laptop in question, but I would assume that in reality the machine is using those 2 x drives in conjunction as a 'Hybrid SSD', and not as separate drives. The NAND SSD is definitely relevant, as that configuration should offer good performance in comparison to a standard single HDD.

[jimski]

Hey up.

Apologies if anyone has already posted with this but any reservations/opinions/alternative options for this laptop would be greatly appreciated!!

Purpose of laptop is just FM only... No other gaming...

www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/toshiba-satellite-l50-b-1p1-15-6-laptop-black-10011276-pdt.html#cat-0

OVERVIEW

Type Laptop

Processor Intel® Core™ i5-4210U Processor (1.7 GHz, 2.7 GHz with TurboBoost, 3 MB cache)

RAM 8 GB DDR3 (16 GB maximum installable RAM)

Graphics card AMD Radeon™ R7 M260 (2 GB)

Storage 1 TB HDD, 5400 rpm

Cheers!

[udubrdx]

The MacBook Air is perfect for uni and work use. It's extremely lightweight and more powerful than you would think. It is also ridiculously quiet and long lasting. My brother uses a 2014 MacBook Air 13" i5 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. We just got through a session of Diablo III with his MacBook Air loading almost as fast as my desktop.

As for the price, it is actually very difficult to find a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air if you want that combination of lightness, battery life and power. Other laptops are either weaker, heavier or more expensive. Apple products are expensive, but value is very different to cost and it is important to take a more nuanced approach than simply specs and price. For example, the quality of the touchpad and the screen are very important for a laptop because they cannot be replaced.

I should add that I disagree with Eugene about staying away from U processors. I don't believe the difference between M and U are as large as it is made out to be. I would really need to see some real data before agreeing with that notion. Like he says, each person should look at the features that they are prioritizing and buy their hardware based on that. We're not salespeople, just trying to help.

I have to disagree very strongly with all of this.

Apple were the first to invent sexy laptops with the Macbook Pro, and then thin and lightweight laptops with the Macbook Air, and for this they deserve a lot of applause.

But as always they are getting stiff competition from other brands such as Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Clevo, well pretty much everybody. And today, you can definitely find a much better ultraportable laptop than the Macbook Air for less money, and much higher specs.

Also there is no upgradibility on the Apple books, as soon as you open them you lose the warranty ( just to make sure you go to an apple store if you want extra RAM/ Battery change)

[udubrdx]

Hey up.

Apologies if anyone has already posted with this but any reservations/opinions/alternative options for this laptop would be greatly appreciated!!

Purpose of laptop is just FM only... No other gaming...

www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/toshiba-satellite-l50-b-1p1-15-6-laptop-black-10011276-pdt.html#cat-0

OVERVIEW

Type Laptop

Processor Intel® Core™ i5-4210U Processor (1.7 GHz, 2.7 GHz with TurboBoost, 3 MB cache)

RAM 8 GB DDR3 (16 GB maximum installable RAM)

Graphics card AMD Radeon™ R7 M260 (2 GB)

Storage 1 TB HDD, 5400 rpm

Cheers!

Get the clevo one for about the same price, no integrated graphics but you'll be much better off with it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-Beautiful-i7-Laptop-With-Max-Turbo-3-2-Ghz-8GB-1TB-Hard-Drive-Slim-14-/251706557572?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item3a9ae14484

[udubrdx]

http://www.littlewoods.com/hp-envy-17-j141na-intelreg-coretrade-i7-processor-12gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-8gb-nand-solid-state-drive-wi-fi-173-inch-laptop-natural-silver/1409529002.prd?skuId=sku15747633&productId=prod1083543838&qty=1&bnplMaxTerm=&warrantySkuId=noWarranty&warrantyName=&restore=true

What do you guys think of the above?

Hi Kama, this laptop would run FM no problems, but personnally I'd go with the Lenovo

http://www.littlewoods.com/lenovo-y50-70-intelreg-coretrade-i7-processor-16gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-8gb-ssd-wi-fi-156-inch-laptop-with-4gb-dedicated-graphics-black/1409812074.prd??crossSellType=RR_Pzone6

[Smurf]

I haven't seen the laptop in question, but I would assume that in reality the machine is using those 2 x drives in conjunction as a 'Hybrid SSD', and not as separate drives. The NAND SSD is definitely relevant, as that configuration should offer good performance in comparison to a standard single HDD.

It may be a hybrid drive, but for FM it's irrelevant in terms of speed.

For Windows install you need 16gb of space - so there's no way the Operating System is on the Flash Drive - meaning it's booting from the slower hard drive.

You can install FM and put your saved games on the 8gb SSD flash that's with the drive, that will only speed up loading and saving times for FM.

I can't see it being relevant other than that.

[Smurf]

Hey up.

Apologies if anyone has already posted with this but any reservations/opinions/alternative options for this laptop would be greatly appreciated!!

Purpose of laptop is just FM only... No other gaming...

www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/laptops/laptops/toshiba-satellite-l50-b-1p1-15-6-laptop-black-10011276-pdt.html#cat-0

OVERVIEW

Type Laptop

Processor Intel® Core™ i5-4210U Processor (1.7 GHz, 2.7 GHz with TurboBoost, 3 MB cache)

RAM 8 GB DDR3 (16 GB maximum installable RAM)

Graphics card AMD Radeon™ R7 M260 (2 GB)

Storage 1 TB HDD, 5400 rpm

Cheers!

I'd be more inclined towards this

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/NX.MG7EK.003-Acer-Aspire-E1-771_1592560.html

Granted it doesn't have a stand alone graphics card - but the onboard graphics should give the same quality.

Major difference is the processor, which will give you better experience in the long run.

Get the clevo one for about the same price, no integrated graphics but you'll be much better off with it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Brand-New-Beautiful-i7-Laptop-With-Max-Turbo-3-2-Ghz-8GB-1TB-Hard-Drive-Slim-14-/251706557572?pt=UK_Computing_Laptops_EH&hash=item3a9ae14484

See above.

Hi Kama, this laptop would run FM no problems, but personnally I'd go with the Lenovo

http://www.littlewoods.com/lenovo-y50-70-intelreg-coretrade-i7-processor-16gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-8gb-ssd-wi-fi-156-inch-laptop-with-4gb-dedicated-graphics-black/1409812074.prd??crossSellType=RR_Pzone6

It's grand - but see my comments earlier on about Hybrid drive with 8gb SSD

[udubrdx]

SSD>SSHD>HD

1TB +8GB is not too bad. You can't use the SSD part for anything, only it will speed up quite a lot of things, like booting Windows/ Other OS.

I don't understand what Eugene was saying, but ideally people who will only be playing FM need to look at the CPU, Hard drive ( I would always go for a SSD, even a ow quality one) and then GPU. Anything above Nvidia 850m will be an overkill. Go for a 1920 Resolution on the screen. And don't forget the thinner the laptop is, the more throttling you're gonna get, the louder it will be. Like on the Macbook Air.

[Smurf]

The 8gb ssd drive might make a difference in the overall speed of the laptop - but unless your saving files to the 8gbs ssd then it's pointless.

[jimski]

I'd be more inclined towards this

http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/NX.MG7EK.003-Acer-Aspire-E1-771_1592560.html

Granted it doesn't have a stand alone graphics card - but the onboard graphics should give the same quality.

Major difference is the processor, which will give you better experience in the long run.

See above.

It's grand - but see my comments earlier on about Hybrid drive with 8gb SSD

Cheers for the responses. The Acer looks good but is prob out of my budget. 480 is pushing it a bit to be honest! Is there that much of a difference in the two processors?

Ok just re-read your advice on staying away from U processors like the plague.... Gonna need a bit of a rethink....

[Smurf]

I'd say it would be ok - but you might experience some slowness if you're doing journeyman saves or have a lot of leagues/players loaded.

Other than that - I always recommend a better processor over anything else.

Let me take a look at the 480 tops range.

[Smurf]

Ok this is more in your price range http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/NX.MG7EK.003-Acer-Aspire-E1-771_1558089.html

Granted it has 4gb RAM but it's a better processor.

You can buy an additional 4gb RAM (depending on the configuration - contact the computer company with model no. and they can tell you) and this will bring you up to 8gb RAM.

You may have to buy 2x4gb sticks but RAM is quite cheap.

Changing the RAM is simple, locate the diagrams of the computer on the internet, there's a screw under the laptop to remove the cover, and remove the RAM (rub your hands on radiator to remove any static electricity from your hands and don't wear your favourite wolly jumper!)

This will work fine for you - just need to upgrade the RAM.

Choice is yours of course.

[Smurf]

Might just add - that laptop I pointed to is not a Full HD screen!

It's good enough for FM though.

Again the choice is yours, if you're not bothered about Full HD then it's fine.

[MSCCG]

I have to disagree very strongly with all of this.

Apple were the first to invent sexy laptops with the Macbook Pro, and then thin and lightweight laptops with the Macbook Air, and for this they deserve a lot of applause.

But as always they are getting stiff competition from other brands such as Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Clevo, well pretty much everybody. And today, you can definitely find a much better ultraportable laptop than the Macbook Air for less money, and much higher specs.

Also there is no upgradibility on the Apple books, as soon as you open them you lose the warranty ( just to make sure you go to an apple store if you want extra RAM/ Battery change)

That's the common wisdom among Windows users, but if it were that easy to find a better laptop (lighter, faster, better battery life) then surely you would have given a few examples? Otherwise I would have to assume that you are disagreeing out of principle. I'm not a Mac user, so I am keen to hear about laptops that are comparable to the MacBook Air but are cheaper.

[MontyUK]

It may be a hybrid drive, but for FM it's irrelevant in terms of speed.

For Windows install you need 16gb of space - so there's no way the Operating System is on the Flash Drive - meaning it's booting from the slower hard drive.

You can install FM and put your saved games on the 8gb SSD flash that's with the drive, that will only speed up loading and saving times for FM.

I can't see it being relevant other than that.

No, you've misunderstood how this works Eugene.

The 8Gb SSD will not be utilised as a separate drive ... it will be acting as the cache for the HDD in 'hybrid' mode. Think of it as one drive, but with better performance than a single standard HDD. General system performance will be improved, disk reads / writes etc, including loading / saving FM15 (but just not as quick as a full dedicated SSD).

In a situation where the main use of the laptop is to play FM15, it's likely that the game files / saves will be often be cached on the SSD, so the performance benefit should be noticeable (at least for loading / saving). The OS files will also likely be cached, so boot times should also be improved.

[MontyUK]

That's the common wisdom among Windows users, but if it were that easy to find a better laptop (lighter, faster, better battery life) then surely you would have given a few examples? Otherwise I would have to assume that you are disagreeing out of principle. I'm not a Mac user, so I am keen to hear about laptops that are comparable to the MacBook Air but are cheaper.

To be fair, the OP probably assumed it was common knowledge that there were multitudes of laptops on the market that are faster and cheaper than a Mac Book Air ? if weight / battery life are important, take a look at ultrabooks ... if it's performance, well, you have literally hundreds to choose from.