Horizons = New laptop required, please help with spec

stoney

S
Hi all,

I‘ve been playing ED since premium beta on a stock HP pavilion 15" laptop (AMD A8 with on board graphics) and although the game runs, as you can imagine it's on low settings and the quality is sketchy to say the least!

For a long time now I have been watching you tube vids and live streams dreaming about getting a gaming laptop so I can really appreciate this beautiful game in all it's glory. Well, with xmas coming and horizons on the......well....horizon, I've finally convinced myself it's time to part with some cash and do the right and honorable thing. I should mention at this point that I don't have a desktop and whilst I am aware of their superiority, a laptop works best for me as I can still remain accessible to the family whilst getting my fix of ED.

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to computer components so i would be very grateful for any assistance in helping me find a decent spec laptop, I don't really want to spend anymore than 750 pounds. I've found this spec for just under 700 which seems like good value, but will it provide me with a decent gaming experience?

Processor Intel Core i7-4710MQ 3.50 GHz Quad Core
Cache: 6MB
Memory 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz RAM
Supports up to 16GB
2 x DIMM sockets (2 used)
Hard Drive 1TB SATA HDD
Solid State Drive 120GB SSD
Optical Drive DVD/RW
Software Windows 10 Home
Display 15.6" FHD IPS Panel 1920 x 1080 resolution
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX-950M Graphics 2GB
Audio High Definition Audio, 7.1 channel
Input Devices Full UK Keyboard with Numeric Keypad
Networking Wired: 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet Port / Wireless: Intel® N135 802.11 Card
Support: 802.11 a/g/n
Extras: Bluetooth Support
Power Supply
Battery: 6 Cell Lithium-ion (48.84WH) Maximum life: up to 6h
Interfaces
1 × RJ-45
1 × USB 2.0
3 × USB 3.0
1 × USB/e-SATA
1 × HDMI
1 × VGA
1 × Mic Jack
1 × Headphone Jack
1 × Integrated 2.0MP Web Cam with built-in microphone
Expansion
1 x Multi-Card Reader

Thanks in advance for any help!


Edit:

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

Just found a similar machine that has a 17 inch screen, Intel Core i7 4720hq quad core processor (3.6GHz) and NVIDIA GeForce gtx-960m graphics card, the only downside being 8GB ram instead of 16gb and it costs 830 pounds.....sounds tempting though as a bigger screen would be great!

Does anyone know if these better CPU and GPU specs are worth the extra money and will a drop in ram from 16GB to 8GB be an issue?

Edit: 05.11.15

OK so with horizons beta announced yesterday I've only gone and done it! Just ordered a 17" optimus vii laptop (see full spec below) from PC Specialists....so excited, can't wait for this baby to come through the door, should arrive just in time!

Thanks to you all for your advice and input which was much appreciated even though it meant I've well and truly blown the original 750 budget by spending 940 pounds! That said, I do think that I have got myself quite a good deal for that spec.

Display - Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU) - Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor 6700HQ (2.6GHz, 3.5GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM) - 12GB Kingston SODIMM DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 8GB, 1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card - NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
Hard Disk - 750GB WD BLACK 2.5" WD7500BPKX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm)
SSD Drive - 256GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (564MB/R, 400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive - Ultra Slim 8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card - Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-3160 M.2 (433Mbps, 802.11AC) + BLUETOOTH
4 x USB 3.0 PORTS
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (62.16WH)
BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System - Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
 
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Captain Undercroft

Captain Undercroft
Yes, that will run the game nicely. Powerful processor and a current generation video card. Both are well capable of delivering the gaming performance you want for the price.
 

lysan

lysan
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX-950M Graphics 2GB

You will be just fine :)

This game can run on this...

cub_energy2_lesson04_activity2_fig2.jpg
 

Ceekay

Ceekay
Probably a bit of overkill as a desktop i3 and a discrete GT450 will run the game at 1080p medium settings with good FPS, it's not easy to find how desktop and laptop CPU/GPU stack up but the i7 CPU is about 7% faster than my old AMD Phenom 955 and it runs around 40% playing ED, my current GTX 960 appears to be 25% faster than the GeForce GTX-950M but I think you should have plenty of CPU/GPU headroom.
 

cherbert

cherbert
Ceekay said:
Probably a bit of overkill as a desktop i3 and a discrete GT450 will run the game at 1080p medium settings with good FPS, it's not easy to find how desktop and laptop CPU/GPU stack up but the i7 CPU is about 7% faster than my old AMD Phenom 955 and it runs around 40% playing ED, my current GTX 960 appears to be 25% faster than the GeForce GTX-950M but I think you should have plenty of CPU/GPU headroom.
Click to expand...

And what if next year he wants to invest in VR? I don't think its overkill to get as highest spec as he can. Laptops can never be compared to a proper desktop machine when it comes to overall performance. If you are gonna choose a laptop to play demanding games like Elite Dangerous then you need to get the best spec you possibly can.
 
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babelfisch

babelfisch
You don't realy need the i7 for gaming, a i5 should be sufficient and you could get a better GPU instead.

Who is the manufacturer of the laptop you posted?

PS Forget about it, looks like everything with a 970m will be more like 1100 pounds.
 
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LawHunter

LawHunter
Nice laptop there for the price. Would go for it unless you see another in the mean time with a better graphics card for a good price.

I think this should last you a few years if playing the lastest games as they come.
 

stoney

S
It‘s Zoostorm (model GT4), not a leading laptop brand I'll grant you but it seemed to be good value for money and given the CPU is i7 and the CPU nvidea I was thinking the components seem to be good quality.
 

Chummy62

C
If you can afford it, get the i7 processor. It is like haveing a V8 motor for your car. It can cruise at highway speed and still has enough power available when it is needed. I want my graphics set to maximum, video frames per second running over 60. Go with what you found and you won't be disappointed. I second Jigster's advise about upping the SSD to 240 GB. My system has a 240 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD. I keep the important programs (Elite Dangerous) running on the SSD and keep all of my data on the HDD.
 

stoney

S
Thanks for everyone's input so far.

Just found a similar machine that has a 17 inch screen, Intel Core i7 4720hq quad core processor (3.6GHz) and NVIDIA GeForce gtx-960m graphics card, the only downside being 8GB ram instead of 16gb and it costs 830 pounds.....sounds tempting though as a bigger screen would be great!

Does anyone know if these better CPU and GPU specs are worth the extra money and will a drop in ram from 16GB to 8GB be an issue?
 

Axelsson

A
I have been looking at gaming laptops for some weeks now. Experiencing some scope creep... Is really a GTX 960M sufficent for ED in 1920×1080? 960M was my initial idea, but right now I'm looking at 980M options.
 

stoney

S
Axelsson said:
I have been looking at gaming laptops for some weeks now. Experiencing some scope creep... Is really a GTX 960M sufficent for ED in 1920×1080? 960M was my initial idea, but right now I'm looking at 980M options.
Click to expand...

Also I'm wondering whether horizons will require a better spec than the main game, really hope they confirm minimum and recommended specs for horizons soon. Tbh I don't necessarily want platinum standard but just want a comfortable 60 fps performance on high settings. Given the min and recommended specs for ED (see below from the ED web site) I would hope that a gtx960m would do the job well.

Min spec:
OS: Windows 7, Windows 8
CPU: Quad Core CPU (4x 2GHz)
RAM: 4GB RAM
VIDEO: Nvidia GTX 260 / ATI 4870HD
HDD: 7GB Available Space

Recommended spec:
OS: Windows 7, Windows 8
CPU: Intel Core i7 - 3770K or better / AMD FX 4350 or better
RAM: 8GB RAM
VIDEO: Nvidia GTX 770 / ATI Radeon R9 280X
HDD: 7GB Available Space
 
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Chainguns

C
Well if you want 980M then be aware that the desktop 980 is coming to laptop form in a few weeks, upping performance by 30% and allowing VR. 980M machines might then be sold on by those that *need* the latest tech, reducing price.

Either way suggest you look into Clevo if you haven't already - the P870 will have a desktop skylake and 980 (not M) and it's a brand that was always very pro-consumer (good cooling for longevity and easy access to the internals).
 

Zephyriel

Zephyriel
OP > This sounds like a serious gaming laptop, you'll have no problem running the game with max settings I think... 700 sounds very cheap for such a machine, though I haven't been keeping up to date with laptops...
 
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