Hi All,
These forums were immensely helpful when I ordered my desktop gaming PC so I thought I'd look for some advice re: upgrading the laptop. My last was bought in 2018 and since I bought my desktop in 2021 I haven't really used the laptop for gaming except when travelling, and then it's mostly Hearthstone or indie games with low graphics requirements, so I haven't really felt the need to upgrade.
However, I recently started playing Dungeons & Dragons again, and while I never thought that would be what broke my PC, it's placed surprisingly high demands on the system (or else the laptop's performance has just deteriorated significantly - probably both). I'm the DM for my group, and one of the players moved away, so he attends remotely now. For that reason I use a virtual tabletop called Roll20.net. The players can connect to the game via this browser-based platform and play as normal, and I can load maps on to it which can have many individual tokens on them. Players can also connect their video and audio via the platform. As DM, I also have many other webpages open at the same time so i can look up rules, access a monster's stats etc.
All of these demands seem to have slowed down the system considerably, so that on certain maps that have a lot of tokens, zooming in and out and moving tokens etc., slows everything down to a slideshow. Video and audio tends to cut frequently, which I don't think is related to the internet connection as I don't have connection issues other than in this context. When I run the program on the desktop I don't have any issue with slowdown, though I haven't tested it while players are connected (I do have issues on the laptop even when players are not connected). This leads me to believe I may need to upgrade the laptop (can post its specs if you are interested, I bought it here too but didn't ask for advice that time).
Sorry if that was a bit long-winded. Anyway, I don't know if I need a gaming PC to do what I described, but below are the specs I selected. Some points:
1. RAM: I've never really understood RAM except that more is better, so 32gb may be overshooting my needs.
2. SSD: I don't understand the difference between the options except the size, and 1TB seems reasonable.
3. Display: I picked 240hz because it's a bigger number than 120hz and there was no price difference. If there are any potential negative implications for this I would be grateful to learn about them.
Budget: £1250? I can afford more but I can't imagine it's needed. Ideally I would pay the minimum required to accomplish these goals.
Thanks in advance.
Chassis & Display
Ionico Series: 15.3" Matte QHD+ 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 8845HS (3.8GHz, 5.1GHz Turbo, 16 AI TOPS)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO SODIMM DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4050 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 240W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Ionico Battery 80WH
Thermal Paste
LIQUID METAL PERFORMANCE COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS AMD Wi-Fi 6E AW-XB591N (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.2
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 x USB 3.2 PORTS (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
IONICO 15 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED IR+FHD Hybrid Webcam
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
TongFang GM5HG5A (6GB RTX-4050, R7-8845HS,AW-XB591N,120Hz QHD) - WHITE
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: €1,338.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/ionico-15-white/TKzDG3FG7R/
These forums were immensely helpful when I ordered my desktop gaming PC so I thought I'd look for some advice re: upgrading the laptop. My last was bought in 2018 and since I bought my desktop in 2021 I haven't really used the laptop for gaming except when travelling, and then it's mostly Hearthstone or indie games with low graphics requirements, so I haven't really felt the need to upgrade.
However, I recently started playing Dungeons & Dragons again, and while I never thought that would be what broke my PC, it's placed surprisingly high demands on the system (or else the laptop's performance has just deteriorated significantly - probably both). I'm the DM for my group, and one of the players moved away, so he attends remotely now. For that reason I use a virtual tabletop called Roll20.net. The players can connect to the game via this browser-based platform and play as normal, and I can load maps on to it which can have many individual tokens on them. Players can also connect their video and audio via the platform. As DM, I also have many other webpages open at the same time so i can look up rules, access a monster's stats etc.
All of these demands seem to have slowed down the system considerably, so that on certain maps that have a lot of tokens, zooming in and out and moving tokens etc., slows everything down to a slideshow. Video and audio tends to cut frequently, which I don't think is related to the internet connection as I don't have connection issues other than in this context. When I run the program on the desktop I don't have any issue with slowdown, though I haven't tested it while players are connected (I do have issues on the laptop even when players are not connected). This leads me to believe I may need to upgrade the laptop (can post its specs if you are interested, I bought it here too but didn't ask for advice that time).
Sorry if that was a bit long-winded. Anyway, I don't know if I need a gaming PC to do what I described, but below are the specs I selected. Some points:
1. RAM: I've never really understood RAM except that more is better, so 32gb may be overshooting my needs.
2. SSD: I don't understand the difference between the options except the size, and 1TB seems reasonable.
3. Display: I picked 240hz because it's a bigger number than 120hz and there was no price difference. If there are any potential negative implications for this I would be grateful to learn about them.
Budget: £1250? I can afford more but I can't imagine it's needed. Ideally I would pay the minimum required to accomplish these goals.
Thanks in advance.
Chassis & Display
Ionico Series: 15.3" Matte QHD+ 240Hz sRGB 100% LED Widescreen (2560x1600)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen™ 7 Eight Core Processor 8845HS (3.8GHz, 5.1GHz Turbo, 16 AI TOPS)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO SODIMM DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 4050 - 6.0GB GDDR6 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated 3 in 1 Card Reader (Full Size SD / SDHC / SDXC)
AC Adaptor
1 x 240W AC Adaptor
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre Cloverleaf UK Power Cable
Battery
Ionico Battery 80WH
Thermal Paste
LIQUID METAL PERFORMANCE COOLING
Sound Card
2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS AMD Wi-Fi 6E AW-XB591N (2.4 Gbps) + BT 5.2
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 x USB 3.2 PORTS (Type C) + 3 x USB 3.2 PORTS
Keyboard Language
IONICO 15 SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED IR+FHD Hybrid Webcam
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Chassis
TongFang GM5HG5A (6GB RTX-4050, R7-8845HS,AW-XB591N,120Hz QHD) - WHITE
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: €1,338.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/ionico-15-white/TKzDG3FG7R/