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Nonreturn

Decent Wurm Online Laptop

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Ok, I imagine a PC would still be much more effective and cheaper to put together but say I have my reasons - Could anyone recommend a laptop (this would be almost solely used to play Wurm Online) that would run at high performance and graphical settings? Basically look nice and play smooth. I like to put in long sessions sometimes so preferably a machine that wouldn't have problems overheating too. Is there anything in the $500 range or am I way off base here? Put a PC rig together but its been 10 years back, so I'm seriously out of date and unknowledgeale about laptops in general.

 

TLDR; affordable laptop to play Wurm Online at good detail/speed? Thanks.

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It would be helpful if you told us the country you lived in so we could estimate prices.

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Most laptops with a dedicated  GPU will probably fall a bit out of that range, starting at around $700. Here is a $600 option, but its not the greatest IMO.

 

Acer DGPU Microcenter link

 

The AMD 3700, 4500, and 4700 represent good choices for a system with onboard graphics that can handle wurm without running hot. They will not play bleeding edge games, but are capable of playing wurm.  Make sure you have an SSD ("NVME" preferable), as it will make a huge difference in the feel of how fast your system is, making it a hell of a lot more responsive.

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I asked a similar question recently and people had some nice suggestions there 

 

 

 

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Let me ask you this

Do you want high performance and graphics or do you want it for cheap?

Running wurm at max/high without turning your laptop into a XF-84H while running wurm will require a bit more then 500 usd quite a bit more reason is simple wurm isnt that graphically intense like other games but because of its age and what has been done with it over the years it doesnt really run efficient either with its resources on some graphics cards the game will never go past 30-35% gpu load while struggling to achieve 60 fps on max yet others it will get to 100% blast the fans and sit on med settings at 25-30 fps and yet others have no issue at max settings and sit at what ever cap they put it at while the gpu never goes past 80
My hp omen x(used to have a older version but thanks to a work deal i was able to upgrade my personal omen to a omen x with a 2080 at nearly no cost) and my older omen both sound like jet engines when wurm runs anymore then 15 fps at max settings or 30 with max and some features turned down(shadows are a big impact in this game) now they dont do this when at home on their cooling pad but you know im guessing you want portability

Now if you can find it on sale/2nd hand a asus tuf a15 would be a good pick but again thats at the double the price of what you listed
Closest i can find to your price of 500 that is kinda worth it would be a msi gf series gf63 https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf63-thin-9scx-005-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155354
The only issue is its a 1650 which to be honest is ###### when compared to laptops that are 200-400 bucks more

I would honestly say save up more money if possible save up to around 700-800 as price to performance becomes leagues better at 500 you just are not going to find any laptop that can run almost any game like wurm or other more modern games at high while providing good performance while looking great


Now the main thing is that the big brands love putting underpowered parts into over priced hunks of plastic so you go to the cheap low end of throwaway sluggish devices then you kinda skip this trench into the land of decent laptops with a price of 2-3 times higher but they cant game at all and then the next big leap is into the land of the 1k and higher up to 2-3k laptops that can game really well
Wurms biggest issue for any pc isnt really the graphics card itself(yes its important but anything resembling a 970 ti can run wurm at max at 40-50 fps) but the cpu's single core performance which often in laptops isnt that great because a sustained high load on a single core means loads of heat so wurm gets silly annoying frame stutters that come from the cpu struggling because of heating

Anyway the 700 mark is where laptops start to become worthwhile the 1200 is when they are good value for money the 2k+ if you got nothing better to buy with your money and you want a lap warmer that doesnt sound like a jet engine when you start up wurm :P
 

Edited by wipeout
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As I tend to drift toward the cheaper route I always end up regretting it. So I may up my price range a bit. I could cut a few corners for settings very performance heavy, but I do want to be immersed and enjoy the beautiful sights Wurm has to offer. Of course nothing breaks immersion for me like stuttering all over the place. So I could settle for mid to high but smooth. This is excellent information by the way, so thanks. Quite clueless when it comes to gaming on a laptop.

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The $600 microcenter laptop I linked is more than serviceable. The downside is primarily in battery life and heat output (not throttling).

 

Notebookcheck is a good reference for the relative performance of graphics and also contained TDP/TGP information, which refers to the amount of power the part pulls under normal high load.  GPU and CPU routinely violate the number under boost or torture (furmark) loads, but its still a good idea of the power and therefore heat the laptop needs to sink. The 1650 is no slouch by any means, as it outperforms my 970M GTX which can play wurm mid-high and still good enough for most new games coming out.

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On the other hand, my friend is trying to sell some of his desktop rigs pretty cheap. 

 

(1)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
*Amd Ryzen 5 3600*
*512gb ssd+ 1tb hdd*
500w Asus Power Supply
*8gb Ram*

 

(2)

AMD FX-6300 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor;

MSI 760GM-P34(FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard;

Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR3-1600 CL9 Memory;

MSI GeForce GTX 960 2 GB Video Card

 

(3)
Motherboard: Gigabyte 770 AM3. Can support a 6 core CPU for future upgrades.

GPU: GTX 670 2gb GDDR5
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition. This is a quad core cpu which is overclocked to 4.2 ghz.
CPU Cooler: Deep Cool Gammax Tower Cooler
Chassis/Case: Radimax Case
RAM: Gskill 1600mhz DDR3 RAM 8gb (2gb x 4 dimms)
Storage: Kingston 60 GB SSD
PSU: AcBel 600 watt 80+ Gold certified efficiency
OS: Windows 10 Pro

 

Any thoughts on these?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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These all were *once* very nice gaming desktops, however they are all starting to show their age. Which is probably why he is selling them, unless he regularly buys and refurbishes old systems. If he was using them for bitcoin mining (why else does he have so many?), I might be worried as it likely means they were running 24/7 and possibly at overclocked settings, which wears parts out much sooner. What precisely is "pretty cheap?"  Is this "friend" someone local who would help/assist if you had computer issues later? I would price  the computers more if this was someone nearby that you could ask for help should they ever not turn on one day. Not "fixing it for free" but maybe "I'll come over and look at it for free and only charge for parts" type deal. That would add *substantially* to their value for me. Be aware that anytime you ship any computer cross country, there are high odds of something jiggling loose or being damaged in transit. If you are savvy at troubleshooting this is hardly a big deal, simply open the case and check cables and reseat everything, but if you are not super hardware savvy, it can be frustrating to unbox a new system, plug it in,  and it just won't turn on. And BestBuy GeekSquad wants $300 to fix it. Which is why I would pay more to a local friend willing to take a look if it has any issues, or even let you try it out for a day before committing.

 

#3 is almost a decade ago for release dates of that motherboard/videocard/cpu combo. Hardware savvy people however LOVED this combo back then. The videocard and gpu may not be supported in a number of newer games. They probably upgraded some of the parts (not sure Win10 is a great idea on this old of a system) but the underlying "infastructure" is aging. Depending on the motherboard, at some point it could become difficult/impossible for BIOS updates for newer component upgrades. AM3 systems first came out in 2009, though I am sure none of the components are quite that old, as this is a "best bang for the buck" setup rather than "latest and greatest of its day" setup. CPU was very popular in its day for its overclocking potential, but its release date was Jan 4, 2011 and its apparently been overclocked for some time which does wear components down over time. Not saying this computer is that old, but that's how old the "infastructure" is.   If you outgrow that 8G ram soon, all the memory slots are filled making it a more difficult upgrade than otherwise. Plus everything else is getting near impossible to upgrade. Maybe worth $100-$250(?) mostly because it presumably runs fine, although I am not that great at pricing older used computers. I'd be very worried if the power supply is the same age as the other parts but it may have been replaced in the past few years(?). Is it a good buy? Depends entirely how cheap. Will it run Wurm ok? Yes, but may be fussy with settings and struggle with new titles.

 

#2 is a little better, maybe $200-$390? -- again back in its day, this was a nice nice gaming computer, but it's also starting to show its age.  It should meet minimum reqs for most current games but at some stage that will not be true. Many of the parts are up to 6-8 years old.  Maybe not literally that old but that is the date they were released.

 

#1 is the newest of the group, a teensy weensy bit outdated but hey this is easily nicer than what I currently run Wurm on! Probably worth $400-$600, mostly because it saves you the unknown hassles of building a brand new gaming rig, which is the best route if you are spending $600ish anyway.   I would rank the value quite a bit higher if the friend is someone local who can drive it to your place, and will help troubleshoot issues later (you'd still need to pay for parts naturally), and on the lower end if it is some 'internet friend' who lives far away and may also be charging a lot to ship (which very often jiggles loose cables and parts in the shipping, and carries risk of damage en route. Again, this is a nicer system than mine.  The nicest thing about a relatively newer system like this is it still has a solid amount of "upgrade life" to it, so that 2-3-4 years from now you could probably replace a bit here and there fairly cheap and keep it "updated, while the other systems may be reaching the end of their upgrade paths, and getting harder to find basic replacement parts if something wears out, and system BIOS may not support new or future parts.

 

 

 

All 3 should do fine for running Wurm,  all three are more sensible than a budget laptop as long as you do not go overboard trying to crank up settings. I tend to value most used/secondhand computers on the low end because you really have no idea how heavily they were used. People selling used computers on the other hand, almost always overvalue their systems because they trust they can fix any problem ^_^  .  I'd sure like to see more than 8G ram eventually, and #3 is starting to get too outdated to play new releases. If you also have to pay shipping costs for these, it might start getting a little pricier. If you start getting close to $450-$600 you start getting into the price range of build-it-yourself brand new budget systems often with free shipping options and far more reliable warranties and returns on parts, but I am assuming you find the prospect of building a system a little intimidating. People say its "oh so easy" but it can be super frustrating if you have to troubleshoot things you barely understand. I have been building many systems over 23 years and frankly although it was very fun and exciting at first, it gets wearisome troubleshooting after a while, and the older the system, the more likely something simply wears out in the next 3-6 months. If you would have NO idea where to start if it would not turn on one day, you should give that some thought. it also is MUCH easier to troubleshoot a computer if you already have a running computer of the same vintage, and can swap parts around to figure out what went wrong. IE, your hardware savvy friend with multiple computers probably thinks troubleshooting computers is really really easy and is no big deal.

 

Depending on what the actual prices are, #1 is probably your best option and should run Wurm perfectly nice, plus last you quite a few more years than the others. And hey it's nicer than what I have!  What is he actually asking for these? Even #3 could be a bargain if it is cheap enough, especially if your friend is local and if  your expectations are not to run brand new cutting edge games at max settings. 

 

My estimates are on the low side because it's like buying an older used car, a LOT depends on how it was treated over the years. And just like a used car, it helps a LOT if someone "good with cars" can help you take it for an actual test drive, pop the hood and kick the tires. The older the system, the faster and faster its value depreciates and the harder it is to replace parts. On the other hand, if your friend is local, is willing to help troubleshoot any problems, and will even let you try it out first for a day, then it is much more worth the risk and that adds substantially to the value.  It is very clear from the specific parts, that your friend is exceptionally good with computers and knows his stuff. But that is less help if he is also 1700 miles away.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Brash_Endeavors
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Really, thanks for taking the time and  the detailed information on these systems. #1 was what I really had my eye on, but he says he let it go for around $400. The 2nd is still an option, he's asking $300 for it. And the 3rd, I think he's letting it go around $250. Honestly, Im still willing to spend around $500, and could go with a desktop afterall. Though I wouldn't know much where to start on piecing it together. But I will try to do some more research myself with this information you guys have taken the time to provide. Much appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I could be wrong but this seems like a decent buy for $400, local seller. 

 

HP OMEN 870-224

8GB DDR4 Ram 2133MHz
-i5 7400 @ 3.00GHz
-NVIDIA GTX 1060
-500 GB HDD

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edit:  Yes, that is a decent deal  especially from a local seller, I like buying local and if the guy is a computer enthusiast and friendly,  it is easier to get things resolved if there are any issues, and he might be friendly and willing to make sure it gets installed and running properly. Or he might be prickly and no help at all 😛 Most DDR4 systems are newer and so a better longterm investment than older DDR3 systems (mine is a DDR3, so those are not THAT bad just a bit older architecture). GTX1060 is fine for gaming. While I am not overly fond of HP desktops in general (sometimes they cut corners on thinks like power supplies)  I guess the Omen is their flagship gaming line and this sounds like a decent setup at a very fair price. 

 

 

Your friends "custombuilt" #1 at $400 actually would have been a really good deal.  Oh well sometimes the timing is not quite right. #2 at $300 is a decent deal too. 

Not sure how you feel about buying off ebay (you have to be careful but can find some bargains) but something like these might be worth watching 

 

 

Ryzen 5 3600/16G/GTX1650 is a good triad but will also cost a little more than the above options.  You can use those "CompareCPU/ConpareGPU" sites to see how much better or worse a certain part is.  If you are kind of excited about the idea of building your own, someone else here can help you find a decent parts list on one of those PCPartsPicker sites as I am not as up to date on all the little compatibility issues. Which is why its sometimes nice to find one "almost" ready to go, or at least a "partspicker" list that everyone agrees is good value and compatible.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Brash_Endeavors
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Thanks again, Im so impatient because my old rig blew out in a surge (it was barely functioning BUT I was able to do daily routines in game) but right now I have no access. Thats why Im looking local and tempted to get that prebuilt 'barebones' i5, because it ships immediately. But I'd like to aim just alittle bit higher than that one, at least that's the impression I get. I play most games on Ps4, so no interest in much beyond Wurm and old stuff like Nethack. Anyway, I do think Im getting a much clearer picture here of what Im looking for.

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Mechanical HDD is going to be a limiting factor when compared to a modern SSD or NVME SSD system.  It's not bad for the $$ if you are not willing/capable to build a system from the ground up.

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On 7/2/2020 at 3:44 AM, Nonreturn said:

I could be wrong but this seems like a decent buy for $400, local seller. 

 

HP OMEN 870-224

8GB DDR4 Ram 2133MHz
-i5 7400 @ 3.00GHz
-NVIDIA GTX 1060
-500 GB HDD

 

That sounds fine for Wurm, you could always buy a cheap SSD for it (one with 120GB or 240GB for example) to improve upon it's weakest spot (that slow HDD). The ram isn't much, but shouldn't be an issue for 1-2 clients. GPU and CPU should both be more than fine for Wurm.

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I am glad to hear (via PM) that you got the Omen! I think you will be happy with that setup and it was a decent price for that. Much better than a $500 laptop with integrated graphics. 

 

For those a little nervous about building their own PC, you can also get a "barebones" like this  that either you add your own essential Ram/HDD/GPU/OS  (which are all relatively easy to install) or pay the guy extra to custom install and test each additional component for you. This particular PC builder has a 100% sterling reputation after more than 22,000 in sales, based on which I would probably trust him for my own family members, so probably about as reliable as you are going to get "off the internet", whether it is Craigslist, Facebook Market, or even one of the NewEgg "partnerships".  If you want a more powerful CPU , or you think the case is ugly, or you want a dozen case fans and a better PSU, he gives you dropdown options galore.  It will be *cheaper* to find your own deals on ram/hdd/gpu, and pop those in yourself, and those are all a lot less tricky once you've got a tested-and-working cpu-mobo-case-psu base, but there is also something relaxing about having someone else do all the installation, troubleshooting and testing for you.  It's also a way to get into the "bare minimum" cheap  at first (reuse an old hard drive, pop in a used $20 GT730, skip the dvd player for now, maybe even use a free linux distro) and then slowly upgrade to your ideal system, maybe a new upgrade every 6 months to fit your budget. Don't forget to add an Operating System choice unless you have one you can install yourself. Warning: it gradually gets increasingly expensive the more you add through the dropdown, as each has a little markup vs buying the extra components off NewEgg or some other PC parts outlet, and those small markups can add up substantially by the time you've added enough items.

 

Installing all the "extras" yourself slowly over time might be just encouraging and fun enough to give you some confidence to build the next one entirely on your own ^_^  

 

 

Edited by Brash_Endeavors
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A little late, but I wouldn't get anything with less than 16GB of RAM these days (my current PC is at 32), and having made the move to SSDs, I just can't imagine going back to a mechanical drive for my primary disk.  Honestly, those are where I'd spend upgrade cash, if you're considering it.

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