Jump to content

Advice on home laptop?


Graeme S

Recommended Posts

20 hours ago, Graeme S said:

Looking for a new home laptop. Will use Microsoft office, watch some videos (Netflix etc.) ,surf net, football manager and general use. Any suggestions?

i5 or better with a graphics card to help with the load. 8gb of ram although 16gb would be better if you are running lots of programs. Make sure it's ssd

Really depends on your budget. You can Google laptops for football manager there are a couple of suggestions 

I tend to buy second hand thin clients but I don't need to be mobile 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Football manager?  SSD, Quad Core processor, 16GB of RAM, IPS display would be what I looked for.  Isn't a huge amount of difference between performance of an i5 and i7 in laptop chips, is limited by TDP (total draw power) of the laptop power supply, which is a fraction of what a big box PC would draw.  An i7 will run hotter than an i5 and use more battery power, as will a laptop with a graphics card - that counts in an extended football manger session! You should be all right with integrated graphics on the newest (10th gen.) intel processors for FM.  

I'd also avoid the really thin MacBook style, ultrabook models that can't be upgraded later, unless you really like the aesthetic.  Lot of them have soldered RAM chips, new MacBooks have soldered RAM and a T2 security chip, where if you replace original hard drive, the system won't boot.   A couple of years down the line, a lot of laptops can be refreshed with more RAM, better SSD for £50-100 and you'll get a few extra years out it without buying an entire new one.

There's massive difference in performance on identical machines with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and dual core to quad core processors.  Less so in more expensive upgrades of i5 to i7 processors.  RAM's the one thing I wouldn't scrimp on and that's what apple always tend to scrimp on.  Even iPhones have about half as much RAM as a similar Samsung Galaxy.

Edited by RAG
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, RAG said:

Football manager?  SSD, Quad Core processor, 16GB of RAM, IPS display would be what I looked for.  Isn't a huge amount of difference between performance of an i5 and i7 in laptop chips, is limited by TDP (total draw power) of the laptop power supply, which is a fraction of what a big box PC would draw.  An i7 will run hotter than an i5 and use more battery power, as will a laptop with a graphics card - that counts in an extended football manger session! You should be all right with integrated graphics on the newest (10th gen.) intel processors for FM.  

I'd also avoid the really thin MacBook style, ultrabook models that can't be upgraded later, unless you really like the aesthetic.  Lot of them have soldered RAM chips, new MacBooks have soldered RAM and a T2 security chip, where if you replace original hard drive, the system won't boot.   A couple of years down the line, a lot of laptops can be refreshed with more RAM, better SSD for £50-100 and you'll get a few extra years out it without buying an entire new one.

There's massive difference in performance on identical machines with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and dual core to quad core processors.  Less so in more expensive upgrades of i5 to i7 processors.  RAM's the one thing I wouldn't scrimp on and that's what apple always tend to scrimp on.  Even iPhones have about half as much RAM as a similar Samsung Galaxy.

I'm guessing that will go over most folks heads, why not just have a wee look and suggest a decent laptop for the guy. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Scooter said:

I'm guessing that will go over most folks heads, why not just have a wee look and suggest a decent laptop for the guy. :)

I don't have a laptop and would never recommend something I wouldn't do myself!  An iPad with a bluetooth mouse and KB meets all my laptop requirements, battery last longer and is smaller than a laptop if you need to take it out.

Like PSV above, I've got a thin client type desktop, an Intel NUC that does the job on my big screen, bit of football manager, runs Mac OS or windows off two hard drives, ,upgradeable by removing 4 small screws on the base and your in.  And its almost indestructible - unlike every laptop I owned!

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/13/2020 at 1:54 AM, Scooter said:

I'm guessing that will go over most folks heads, why not just have a wee look and suggest a decent laptop for the guy. :)

This. Jeezo.  Read the question - he doesn't need an i7 and 16GB to play FM, watch Netflix and browse the web.

@Graeme S

Do you have a laptop at the moment? What size is it? Do you move it about much? How much are you willing to spend?

Edited by Scooby_Doo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Scooby_Doo said:

This. Jeezo.  Read the question - he doesn't need an i7 and 16GB to play FM, watch Netflix and browse the web.

Yeah, this is turning in to a bit of a "I know computers the best" thread. Lad has asked for a laptop to play Football Manager and he's being advised to buy a desktop you can drop off the top of the top Moffat Stand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...