Non-Gaming laptop for sim racing?

Supercededman · Jan 4, 2023

I realise that many/most people would advise getting a gaming laptop, but my budget just does not stretch to a dedicated gaming machine, and for various reasons I have to rule out a workstation.

So ... what OOB (direct from manufacturer) option is best otherwise? I've seen a few of the HP machines, etc, that come in under 2K Aussie dollars. Looking at customer reviews, there are some (light) gamers who say it's feasible. I know it's not the best solution, but I'm quite limited in my options.

I currently have a PS5 console, playing GT7, and just can't get it to run ACC (even the PS5 version), but may have to take a leap into the PC world.

Daz555 · Jan 4, 2023

Why a laptop at all? You are paying for size/performance/heat compromises you don't need, paying for a screen you don't need, paying for a trackpad you don't need, and a paying for a crappy keyboard you don't want.

Why not a budget PC? I'd be interested why you have to rule out a standard PC. Can't it just sit next to your PS5?

timekiller001 · Jan 5, 2023

Also, why can't you get ACC to run? It should work fine on any PS5

Daz555 · Jan 6, 2023

timekiller001
Also, why can't you get ACC to run? It should work fine on any PS5

I think the problem is that the console version is horribly supported in comparison to the PC version. Why they are not on identical code is a complete mystery to be honest - for current gen I mean.

Supercededman · Jan 8, 2023

timekiller001
Also, why can't you get ACC to run? It should work fine on any PS5

No idea. ACC runs fine on my PS4 Pro (different location). Have uninstalled and reinstalled numerous times, still the same "cannot connect to server" message, even though internet is just fine (can run GT7 sport mode for instance).

Daz555
I think the problem is that the console version is horribly supported in comparison to the PC version. Why they are not on identical code is a complete mystery to be honest - for current gen I mean.

Somebody suggested on Twitter that I might get success trying another profile account. Yes, Asia Pacific (I'm in Australia) also seems to be problematic (for some, not all).

Daz555
Why a laptop at all? You are paying for size/performance/heat compromises you don't need, paying for a screen you don't need, paying for a trackpad you don't need, and a paying for a crappy keyboard you don't want.

Why not a budget PC? I'd be interested why you have to rule out a standard PC. Can't it just sit next to your PS5?

I'd consider a budget PC, but thought that most would not be up to handling ACC or i-Racing. Yes, I realise that a budget PC would be a better solution, but I'm limited for space. A laptop would just fold up.

I'm coming around to the idea, but frankly it scares me. What really concerns me is that a vendor would want to offload old stock or substitute cheap components. I'm not exactly computer savvy!

I'd be happy if someone in Melbourne, Australia, could recommend a vendor who could provide an off-the-shelf solution for me.

Thanks

csmirnoff · Jan 8, 2023

Supercededman
I'd consider a budget PC, but thought that most would not be up to handling ACC or i-Racing. Yes, I realise that a budget PC would be a better solution, but I'm limited for space. A laptop would just fold up.

Budget gaming PC will definitely handle ACC or iRacing much better than any gaming laptop you can get for the same price will. Selecting the best price-to-performance components is almost always a better idea than a prebuilt as well. What is your budget?

Supercededman · Jan 14, 2023

csmirnoff
Budget gaming PC will definitely handle ACC or iRacing much better than any gaming laptop you can get for the same price will. Selecting the best price-to-performance components is almost always a better idea than a prebuilt as well. What is your budget?

Thanks. I don't need a monitor, but looking around and researching a LITTLE, I'm saying around $1500-1600 Aust.

I'm going with an RX3060 graphics card, 16gb ram (DDR), and a 12 Gen i5.

This might do?

csmirnoff · Jan 14, 2023

Supercededman
Thanks. I don't need a monitor, but looking around and researching a LITTLE, I'm saying around $1500-1600 Aust.

I'm going with an RX3060 graphics card, 16gb ram (DDR), and a 12 Gen i5.

This might do?

I've created a quick PCPartPicker list for you, you can even squeeze in a RTX 3060 Ti in your budget, which will allow you to do 1440p on most simracing titles without issues if your monitor is 1440p. Here you go: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/kdDF6r

Since you wanted to go 12th gen Intel, I picked the i5 12400F with a budget air cooler. If you don't need to go Intel, you can also look at the Ryzen 5 5600 which seems to be quite cheap in Australia with a B550 motherboard. And if you don't need to go Nvidia GPU, you can replace the 3060 Ti with an AMD RX 6700 XT or 6750 XT which are about the same price and are a little bit quicker in rasterization performance (as long as you don't do ray tracing or video encoding, otherwise keep Nvidia).

A 2x8GB (16 GB total) DDR4 RAM kit is perfectly fine, ideally look for at least 3200-CL16. Cheapest M.2 NVMe SSD will do, you don't really need an expensive PCIe 4.0 one, but recommend going with 1 TB, as sims with mods can take quite a bit space. Any case with good airflow (mesh preferable to glass front panel) and a PSU that's C-tier or better on this list and you're good to go.

theknyte · Jan 16, 2023

Supercededman
I'd consider a budget PC, but thought that most would not be up to handling ACC or i-Racing.

A refurbished Dell or HP business tower is only about $200-$300 (USD) Slap some more RAM in and a graphics card that doesn't require a power cable, such as a GTX 1650, and you have a decent 1080p Gaming PC. It will run games like AC and iRacing just fine.

Check this out, for details:

Supercededman · Jan 31, 2023

theknyte
A refurbished Dell or HP business tower is only about $200-$300 (USD) Slap some more RAM in and a graphics card that doesn't require a power cable, such as a GTX 1650, and you have a decent 1080p Gaming PC. It will run games like AC and iRacing just fine.

Check this out, for details:

Thankyou. Ended up buying a tower, albeit a mid-range. Bit the bullet. LOL.

csmirnoff
I've created a quick PCPartPicker list for you, you can even squeeze in a RTX 3060 Ti in your budget, which will allow you to do 1440p on most simracing titles without issues if your monitor is 1440p. Here you go: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/kdDF6r

Since you wanted to go 12th gen Intel, I picked the i5 12400F with a budget air cooler. If you don't need to go Intel, you can also look at the Ryzen 5 5600 which seems to be quite cheap in Australia with a B550 motherboard. And if you don't need to go Nvidia GPU, you can replace the 3060 Ti with an AMD RX 6700 XT or 6750 XT which are about the same price and are a little bit quicker in rasterization performance (as long as you don't do ray tracing or video encoding, otherwise keep Nvidia).

A 2x8GB (16 GB total) DDR4 RAM kit is perfectly fine, ideally look for at least 3200-CL16. Cheapest M.2 NVMe SSD will do, you don't really need an expensive PCIe 4.0 one, but recommend going with 1 TB, as sims with mods can take quite a bit space. Any case with good airflow (mesh preferable to glass front panel) and a PSU that's C-tier or better on this list and you're good to go.

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Thanks. I looked at some of those specs and compared some of them to off-the-shelf, inexpensive, towers. I bought one in the end. I'll be slow on upgrading though, as I have done my budget by preordering a VR2 headset for my PS5 (I play a bit of GT7).