New Laptop/PC Advice -Please Read the Opening Post

[Smurf]

18 hours ago, Weasek said:

How good is this laptop for fm20?I was going to wait to get a dell g3 for £800 but doesnt look much difference for £200,or am i wrong.or is it worth spending extra  to get the nitro 5 or the dell .I am a lap top novice so any advice is helpful 

It's as good as you're going to get for that price. 

I have no iea what Dell G3 is as it's a series of laptops from Dell that come in a variety of different specs. 

16 hours ago, EJames1993 said:

What would people say the best laptop is out of these 3? or can i get better specs for cheaper? cheers in advance 

Left and right are identical.

The middle one has a 17 inch screen.

Whatever suits you. 

[Weasek]

Thank you smurf.i tried to order last night but wouldn't let me for some reason 

[shaunwwfc]

Really like the Honor MagicBook 14

For PC experts, do you think it will run FM? I run large database, about 5 or 6 nations. Do not utilise any 3D. Play all 2D highlights. 

I might bite the bullet and press buy today so I can take advantage of a free smartwatch, so quick responses would be really appreciated. 

Here is the spec

AMD Ryzen 5,

8 GB RAM,

256 GB SSD,

Windows 10 Home) Mystic Silver

 

 

[Iron-jay]

Hey everyone. 

Wanted the opinion of the forum as I'm not too clear on specs and stuff.

I havnt played FM for years and due to the current world problems I've got alot of time on my hands so was going to jump back in to the new one.

I was going to buy a cheap second hand laptop off eBay just for the purpose of playing FM. When this passes and I get back to work I probably won't have time to play anymore so don't want to shell out hundreds of pounds on something I probably won't be using long term.

 

Any suggestions on specs etc. 

 

Thanks in advance

[Weasek]

Last question I promise.I couldn't order the dell so now got it down to 2.

1/ideapad l340 15 ",intel i5-9300 h,processor 2.40 up to 4.1,16 gb ram ddr4 2400 hz,256 gb ssd with a 4 gb gtx 1650 graphics card. £659.99 with a 4 week wait

2/medion erazer 15 6 ",intel i5 8300 h, processor 2.30 up to 4 ,8 gb of ram,1 tb hd+128 gb ssd, 4 gb gtx 1050 graphics card.£580 with a 3-5 day delivery 

Thank you for any help .is the idea pad worth a long wait plus extra £80.

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, shaunwwfc said:

Really like the Honor MagicBook 14

For PC experts, do you think it will run FM? I run large database, about 5 or 6 nations. Do not utilise any 3D. Play all 2D highlights. 

I might bite the bullet and press buy today so I can take advantage of a free smartwatch, so quick responses would be really appreciated. 

Here is the spec

AMD Ryzen 5,

8 GB RAM,

256 GB SSD,

Windows 10 Home) Mystic Silver

 

 

Not enough info.

44 minutes ago, Weasek said:

Last question I promise.I couldn't order the dell so now got it down to 2.

1/ideapad l340 15 ",intel i5-9300 h,processor 2.40 up to 4.1,16 gb ram ddr4 2400 hz,256 gb ssd with a 4 gb gtx 1650 graphics card. £659.99 with a 4 week wait

2/medion erazer 15 6 ",intel i5 8300 h, processor 2.30 up to 4 ,8 gb of ram,1 tb hd+128 gb ssd, 4 gb gtx 1050 graphics card.£580 with a 3-5 day delivery 

Thank you for any help .is the idea pad worth a long wait plus extra £80.

1

[Weasek]

Just now, Smurf said:

1.cheers smurf. I did think it looked better 

 

 

[Gangor]

3 minutes ago, Smurf said:

1

To elaborate, the processors are basically exactly the same but 1 has 16GB of RAM which will be very helpful and has a more modern GPU. To put in my 2c, an extra stick of RAM (about £30) would result in about equivalent performance for 2 in FM as it's not graphically demanding enough to notice the difference between the GPUs. 1 is a Lenovo though which is a more recognised brand. I'd probably still go with 1 personally, but 2 is also worth considering. 

[Weasek]

22 minutes ago, Gangor said:

To elaborate, the processors are basically exactly the same but 1 has 16GB of RAM which will be very helpful and has a more modern GPU. To put in my 2c, an extra stick of RAM (about £30) would result in about equivalent performance for 2 in FM as it's not graphically demanding enough to notice the difference between the GPUs. 1 is a Lenovo though which is a more recognised brand. I'd probably still go with 1 personally, but 2 is also worth considering. 

Brilliant thank you for help .

[shaunwwfc]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

Not enough info.

1

https://gadgets.ndtv.com/honor-magicbook-14-price-in-india-91668

[Weasek]

Thank you for your help smurf &gangor ,I have just ordered Lenovo for £659.got to wait 4 weeks but least it will be good for fm.at the minute I am playing fmt on a iPad mini 4 so it will seem like a beast compared!

Edited April 11, 2020 by Weasek

[Gangor]

6 minutes ago, shaunwwfc said:

https://gadgets.ndtv.com/honor-magicbook-14-price-in-india-91668

Yes it will run FM, but I think that's going to be a low power processor so you should be realistic about how fast it will be with very many leagues loaded. If you don't mind only loading 3 or 4 nations and not too many leagues it would be fine. Also, while integrated graphics on AMD chips are far superior to Intel's insipid offering, don't expect to run 3d matches at full detail. 

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, Gangor said:

To elaborate, the processors are basically exactly the same but 1 has 16GB of RAM which will be very helpful and has a more modern GPU. To put in my 2c, an extra stick of RAM (about £30) would result in about equivalent performance for 2 in FM as it's not graphically demanding enough to notice the difference between the GPUs. 1 is a Lenovo though which is a more recognised brand. I'd probably still go with 1 personally, but 2 is also worth considering. 

I wouldn't conisder 2. It's no.1 all day.

[Weasek]

2 minutes ago, Smurf said:

I wouldn't conisder 2. It's no.1 all day.

All ordered thanks for advice

[Bott06]

Hi Guys, I’m looking for a new laptop that will play FM20 reasonably well. Have the top 5 European league running, with a med Database. I’m not too bothered about the graphics but want to be getting through a good portion of the season in a couple of hours.

 

Would this be any good?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-5-a514-52-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-silver-10198869-pdt.html

 

or would this be better;

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9396461

Edited April 12, 2020 by Bott06

[Bott06]

Or is there any that you can recommend for around the £500 mark. The only game I would be playing is FM.

[Gangor]

40 minutes ago, Bott06 said:

Hi Guys, I’m looking for a new laptop that will play FM20 reasonably well. Have the top 5 European league running, with a med Database. I’m not too bothered about the graphics but want to be getting through a good portion of the season in a couple of hours.

 

Would this be any good?

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-5-a514-52-14-laptop-intel-core-i5-256-gb-ssd-silver-10198869-pdt.html

 

or would this be better;

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9396461

Either would be fine. The first one will be slightly faster so from from what you say I'd choose that one. Bear in mind neither will be able to play matches in 3D well. 

[Bott06]

1 hour ago, Gangor said:

Either would be fine. The first one will be slightly faster so from from what you say I'd choose that one. Bear in mind neither will be able to play matches in 3D well. 

Okay brilliant thank you very much...

just one last thing very quickly too

Would there be a better option to get good performance and a better 3D match graphics without going overboard on price sticking to around 500-600 max? 

Thank you in advance👍🏻

[Gangor]

On 12/04/2020 at 13:11, Bott06 said:

Okay brilliant thank you very much...

just one last thing very quickly too

Would there be a better option to get good performance and a better 3D match graphics without going overboard on price sticking to around 500-600 max? 

Thank you in advance👍🏻

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/l-series/IdeaPad-L340-15IRH-Gaming/p/81LKCTO1WWENGB0 would seem pretty decent. The processor is an H model meaning it uses more power so will be faster (albeit at the cost of lower battery life and possibly louder fans). The laptop also has a dedicated graphics card. Definitely customise - they don't seem to be charging extra to upgrade to 16gb of RAM and you can also change from a mechanical hard drive to an SSD for no extra cost or even a £20 saving if you're happy to go down to a 128GB SSD.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Gangor
clarity - thanks Smurf

[Smurf]

1 hour ago, Gangor said:

https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/l-series/IdeaPad-L340-15IRH-Gaming/p/81LKCTO1WWENGB0 would seem pretty decent. The processor is an H model meaning it uses more power so will be faster (albeit at the cost of lower battery life and possibly louder fans) 

H means high performance graphics built into the processor - may consume a little more power - but really wouldn't affect the fans or anything like that. Considering it has a dedicated graphics card that would mean the onboard graphics on the CPU wouldn't be used for FM.

TDP is 45W but can be configured down to 35W - but the OEM will be designed for cooling at 45W and system will get to the max turbo boost for as long as the cooling system can maintain it.

It actually doesn't have as much an effect as you might think.

[KnockItWide86]

Anyone know where I can buy a 24" monitor to be delivered this week between about 50-150? 

[mingy8]

Been looking for a laptop around £500. Acer Aspire 5 looks decent. Any other anyone recommends? Want it to play quick with 5/6 of the top league loaded. 

Apreciate any help?

[Smurf]

14 hours ago, KnockItWide86 said:

Anyone know where I can buy a 24" monitor to be delivered this week between about 50-150? 

Depends where you're located.

11 hours ago, mingy8 said:

Been looking for a laptop around £500. Acer Aspire 5 looks decent. Any other anyone recommends? Want it to play quick with 5/6 of the top league loaded. 

Apreciate any help?

Would that be ok for you https://www.box.co.uk/30025003-Medion-Akoya-P6685_2431522.html

[mingy8]

48 minutes ago, Smurf said:

Depends where you're located.

Would that be ok for you https://www.box.co.uk/30025003-Medion-Akoya-P6685_2431522.html

Looks good. Thank you. I'm your opinion, will this last for a few year to come on FM? I know requirements change but is it geared in a way that's likely to handle newer versions to come? Illiterate at computers so apologies if I sound daft. 

[Elliott J Miller]

Still looking for a laptop as keep reading reviews and something puts me off as laptop gets hot etc, i keep seeing people recommend this laptop the Helios 300 range? found this one that comes out in June 15.6" Acer Predator Helios 300 NH.Q53EK.017, FHD, IPS, 144Hz, i7 9750H, 8GB DDR4, 1TB NVMe, 6GB GTX 1660 Ti, Win10 Home, Could i find something that is massively better and cheaper than the Helios 300 range? I need something that will fly through the days, 3D and will want to load as many players as possible? also wanting it to play other games like red dead redemption 2 on high/ultra settings. Budget no more than £1300, Keep looking at first page to see where cpu are ranked etc however want value for money and not to overpay for old software etc.

[Smurf]

18 minutes ago, mingy8 said:

Looks good. Thank you. I'm your opinion, will this last for a few year to come on FM? I know requirements change but is it geared in a way that's likely to handle newer versions to come? Illiterate at computers so apologies if I sound daft. 

Should be ok - but as you alude - it's imposible to tell.

3 minutes ago, Elliott J Miller said:

Still looking for a laptop as keep reading reviews and something puts me off as laptop gets hot etc, i keep seeing people recommend this laptop the Helios 300 range? found this one that comes out in June 15.6" Acer Predator Helios 300 NH.Q53EK.017, FHD, IPS, 144Hz, i7 9750H, 8GB DDR4, 1TB NVMe, 6GB GTX 1660 Ti, Win10 Home, Could i find something that is massively better and cheaper than the Helios 300 range? I need something that will fly through the days, 3D and will want to load as many players as possible? also wanting it to play other games like red dead redemption 2 on high/ultra settings. Budget no more than £1300, Keep looking at first page to see where cpu are ranked etc however want value for money and not to overpay for old software etc.

More modern processor (latest) - more RAM - better graphics card - larger screen

Clicking the link you can configure yourself - things like antivirus, browser, etc.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 10750H (2.6GHz, 5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1^st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Price: £1,308.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-17/n0RMEbYmK7/

[Elliott J Miller]

13 minutes ago, Smurf said:

Should be ok - but as you alude - it's imposible to tell.

More modern processor (latest) - more RAM - better graphics card - larger screen

Clicking the link you can configure yourself - things like antivirus, browser, etc.

Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 144Hz 72% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 10750H (2.6GHz, 5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 2060 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1^st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND

Price: £1,308.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/optimusXI-pro-17/n0RMEbYmK7/

Thank you so much! exactly what ive been looking for especially with bigger screen! cheers Smurf 

[mingy8]

33 minutes ago, Smurf said:

Should be ok - but as you alude - it's imposible to tell.

Thanks mate. Out of interest, any with a14" screen with similar specs? 

[KyleFM2020]

Hi guys,

Looking to purchase a laptop out of Argos, for a budget of £400, would like some recommendations as I wouldn't know where to start. 

I don't tend to run too many 3D games during my time playing the game. I would run 4 nations and 2 leagues per nation. With a database of large for players. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks. 

Kyle. 

[Smurf]

58 minutes ago, mingy8 said:

Thanks mate. Out of interest, any with a14" screen with similar specs? 

Probably not - as 14 inch screens tend to be slimmer laptops and with that you're going into processors designed for portability which makes them lower in TDP which brings you into the U processor (simply because they need to be thinner processors for thinner laptops). 

What you get in portability you lose you processor power. 

 

8 minutes ago, KyleFM2020 said:

Hi guys,

Looking to purchase a laptop out of Argos, for a budget of £400, would like some recommendations as I wouldn't know where to start. 

I don't tend to run too many 3D games during my time playing the game. I would run 4 nations and 2 leagues per nation. With a database of large for players. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks. 

Kyle. 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1340501

Probably best you can do - Check  your local stores as this online one appears to be sold out.

[KyleFM2020]

1 hour ago, Smurf said:

Probably not - as 14 inch screens tend to be slimmer laptops and with that you're going into processors designed for portability which makes them lower in TDP which brings you into the U processor (simply because they need to be thinner processors for thinner laptops). 

What you get in portability you lose you processor power. 

 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1340501

Probably best you can do - Check  your local stores as this online one appears to be sold out.

Thanks. Yeah it also sold out in my local stores also. 

[David378]

Hi would these specs be good enough for football manager 2020? Thanks in advance. 

Spec's
Intel Core i5 3320M 2.60Ghz (Up To 3.30Ghz Turbo)
8GB DDR3
120GB SSD
Intel HD 4000 Graphics
WIFI
Webcam
Connectivity
VGA
Mini-HDMI
2 x USB 3.0 
1 x USB / eSata 
RJ45-Ethernet
3.5mm Headphones Jack
Software
Windows 10 Pro x64
Driver's and updates Preinstalled
Open Office (Microsoft Office Alternative)
Foxit PDF Reader
Google Chrome
General 
Suitable for Basic Gaming Search on Google for Intel HD 4000 for Compatible Games
Condition - This item is used but has been cleaned out removing dust and dirt from previous owners. although may have marks or scratches on the casing. 
Accessories - Will come with a UK Power Lead and Charging Brick

[psucolonel]

I am not just looking for a laptop...but I want an apple.

 

The nice thing about Apple...is that I can custom build my machine.  I want to custom build it in a way that will run the highest detail graphics smoothly...and also be capable of running every league in FM.  I realize it won't be a cheap machine...but I don't want to overspend if I don't have to by simply getting the best of everything.  EG. 64 GB RAM, 2 TB etc.  That will cost me about $4,300 without tax and Apple Care.

I get the feeling I can probably accomplish my goal for a little less perhaps. I was wondering if someone here could lead me in the right direction?

[KnockItWide86]

8 hours ago, Smurf said:

Depends where you're located.

Would that be ok for you https://www.box.co.uk/30025003-Medion-Akoya-P6685_2431522.html

I'm from Stockport, UK

[psucolonel]

Can anyone please tell me what specs I would need (on a Mac) to run all of the available leagues in FM?

[Smurf]

2 hours ago, psucolonel said:

I am not just looking for a laptop...but I want an apple.

 

The nice thing about Apple...is that I can custom build my machine.  I want to custom build it in a way that will run the highest detail graphics smoothly...and also be capable of running every league in FM.  I realize it won't be a cheap machine...but I don't want to overspend if I don't have to by simply getting the best of everything.  EG. 64 GB RAM, 2 TB etc.  That will cost me about $4,300 without tax and Apple Care.

I get the feeling I can probably accomplish my goal for a little less perhaps. I was wondering if someone here could lead me in the right direction?

Is it a laptop or desktop.

And there's far better customisation in PCs and a lot cheaper.

19 minutes ago, psucolonel said:

Can anyone please tell me what specs I would need (on a Mac) to run all of the available leagues in FM?

Impossible to tell - perhaps @EdL can answer that one - it's quite an open ended question.

Technically most computers can run all available legaues - it just depends how fast it goes and if you're happy with that speed of progression in the game.

[psucolonel]

I’m looking for something which can run them all fairly comfortably

 

Laptop MacBook pro

[EdL]

I wouldn't get more than 16GB of RAM tbh, hard disk space dependent on what you need, FM itself only has an install footprint of less than 6GB so FM isn't particularly something to consider with HDD size.

[psucolonel]

21 minutes ago, EdL said:

I wouldn't get more than 16GB of RAM tbh, hard disk space dependent on what you need, FM itself only has an install footprint of less than 6GB so FM isn't particularly something to consider with HDD size.

What will allow it to run smoothly with all leagues enabled?

[EdL]

There is no real answer tothat, any new macbook pro will be capable of it, it will just be a question of how quick, if you want it as quick as you can with macbook pro buy the fastest processor you can get, but that isn't going to be as fast as some desktop processors.

[r_wxm]

Evening,

Looking at spending £600-£700 on a laptop and looked at these two. Seem very similar just wondering if one is better than the other for £50 difference.

https://www.box.co.uk/8PL55EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-cx0019na_2891397.html

https://www.box.co.uk/30026175-Medion-Erazer-P6605_2496888.html

Thanks

 

 

[mingy8]

18 hours ago, Smurf said:

18 hours ago, Smurf said:

Probably not - as 14 inch screens tend to be slimmer laptops and with that you're going into processors designed for portability which makes them lower in TDP which brings you into the U processor (simply because they need to be thinner processors for thinner laptops). 

What you get in portability you lose you processor power

Thanks mate, appreciate your help. What about up to £600? Any big jumps in quality? 

 

[Smurf]

11 hours ago, psucolonel said:

I’m looking for something which can run them all fairly comfortably

 

Laptop MacBook pro

 

11 hours ago, EdL said:

I wouldn't get more than 16GB of RAM tbh, hard disk space dependent on what you need, FM itself only has an install footprint of less than 6GB so FM isn't particularly something to consider with HDD size.

 

10 hours ago, EdL said:

There is no real answer tothat, any new macbook pro will be capable of it, it will just be a question of how quick, if you want it as quick as you can with macbook pro buy the fastest processor you can get, but that isn't going to be as fast as some desktop processors.

This is best MacBook Pro I can put together on the US site

Mac Specs
2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz
(bit of investigation and it's a i9 9980HK which is an excellent precessor, ranked 16 here https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Processors-Benchmark-List.2436.0.html)

16GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory
You could add more if you wanted you have the budget.

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory
Best graphics card I can put in this model - however, it's ranked 77 here:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

1TB SSD storage
16-inch Retina display with True Tone
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID
Backlit Keyboard - US English

$3,099.00
***EDIT* It's $3,499.00 with 32gb RAM

Other laptop I put together to show you what you can get!
Processors : Intel Core i9 9900K 8-Core 3.6GHz (5.0GHz TurboBoost)
CPU : Thermal Compound
Graphics Cards : NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 8GB GDDR6 [VR Ready]
GPU : GPU Overclocking
GPU : Thermal Compound
Memory : 16GB Kingston HyperX Impact 2400MHz (2X8GB)
Operating System : MS Windows 10 Professional
Operating System Drive : 1TB Samsung 860 EVO M.2

TOTAL

$3,190USD

Bare in mind - the processor in the PC and the graphics card are a lot better than the Mac (which only has 16gb in my example)

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by Smurf

[Smurf]

Sorry made a bags of that - think I copied the wrong spec - but you get the gist!

[psucolonel]

Thank you so much!!

[Oz_UK]

Hi looking at buying a 2020 MacBook Air with the i5 quad core processor (1.1ghz with 3.5ghz boost). Hoping to run 80% of leagues available and process through a virtual week in around 15/20mins. Will this laptop be up to the task? Tend to play on 2d classic mode on matches aswell. Thanks in advance !

[Steviemcd86]

Hi I’m looking to get a laptop for football manager I’ve been told one at £300 will run slow can anyone help with this 

[Mitchcp87]

Hi everyone,

 

looking at getting a laptop from argos. They’ve got a few on 12 months interest free credit. 
 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7631427

 

i know this would run it. What I'm wondering is how many years would it be able to run it well. Haven’t had a laptop for fm since 2017 and with this lockdown the mobile version isn’t cutting the mustard anymore haha. 
 

any help would be greatly appreciated 

 

mitch

[Prince Buaben]

Hi

I'm after a new laptop for fm20. The budget being £750 max. Could someone please reccomend the best laptop in this price range. 

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[mingy8]

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 AMD Ryzen 5 3500U, 513 SSD or Medion Akoya P6685 i5 8250U, 128GB SSD & 1TB HHD. Which is better and why? Quite like the idea of a smaller laptop and storage not huge issue