Best way to test if a laptop can run FFXIV

[HyoMinPark]

Dunno how helpful it will be, but I play on a laptop with an i7 6700 @ 2.60 GHz (not overclocked) and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M with 6GB VRAM. 16 GB RAM, and my FFXIV install is on an SSD. I get 60 FPS 95% of the time in borderless window mode while running ReShade on custom settings (some things I have off but mostly everything is set to high); only when things are graphically intense does it dip to 45-50 FPS (phase transitions can do this sometimes). But I play on an Asus ROG Strix, and unless you find one on sale (like I did), that may be outside of your budget.

I’ve used this for about 2 years though, and it holds up pretty nicely.

I’d recommend a 1060 for a card, personally. And try to get something with an i7 in it. I’ve heard i5 is okay, but I’ve also heard it can be not so okay. I prefer an i7, personally. My CPU sits at sub 30% usually with FFXIV running and other stuff up in the background.

[KaivaC]

Dunno how helpful it will be, but I play on a laptop with an i7 6700 @ 2.60 GHz (not overclocked) and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M with 6GB VRAM. 16 GB RAM, and my FFXIV install is on an SSD. I get 60 FPS 95% of the time in borderless window mode while running ReShade on custom settings (some things I have off but mostly everything is set to high); only when things are graphically intense does it dip to 45-50 FPS (phase transitions can do this sometimes). But I play on an Asus ROG Strix, and unless you find one on sale (like I did), that may be outside of your budget.

I’ve used this for about 2 years though, and it holds up pretty nicely.

I’d recommend a 1060 for a card, personally. And try to get something with an i7 in it. I’ve heard i5 is okay, but I’ve also heard it can be not so okay. I prefer an i7, personally. My CPU sits at sub 30% usually with FFXIV running and other stuff up in the background.

Yeah, my current laptop uses an i5, and it was okay-ish. I could decently play, but I was also on Famfrit in the low levels at the time I first started, so there wasn't much in the way of issues. I'll see if I can track down one with NVIDIA. My local store is coming up on having a sale soon, so we'll see. Thanks.

Aim higher.

If you intend to game on it:
- Geforce GTX 1050 Ti, minimum (this can do 1920x1080 at 60fps, usually, but with a fair bit of cooling fan noise)
- 16GB RAM if possible

The iGPU's (which are most 2-in-1 tablet systems) are super-weak compared to any dedicated GPU, so while it may offer sufficient video and web browser performance, it will fall over with most games. FFXIV will run on iGPU parts, but you're looking at 15-30 fps in any sub-$1000 machine, and a lot of noise.

If in doubt, bring the FFXIV benchmark on a USB stick to the store and just run it on every machine until you get one that has acceptable performance, but trust me when I say that you're better off investing a little more and hanging onto it for a few years, because buying too weak of a model will result in you having to just throw it away after 2 years.

Skip the 13" laptops though. They may be light, but they're all phenomenally weak due to compromises made to make them quiet.

I have last years version of this: https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops.../p/88GMY501020 , it's slightly overkill in the storage department, but it's not a 2-in-1. It is however designed as a gaming laptop that looks like a business laptop (even business laptops backlit keyboards now.)

If you prefer Dell, this is the absolute minimum I would consider: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell...top/dncwgf423s , but again, it's not a 2-in-1

Here's a Sager model https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP6853.html that is equal to that Dell but without the NVMe SSD. To bring it up to the Dell's or Lenovo's specs you'd need to add a 256GB NVMe SSD. I'd also again recommend 16GB ram. Also not a 2-in-1

From experience, all the 2-in-1 laptops are just bad for gaming (they will get more hot in tablet mode), and you're paying an additional 800$ for the privilege, eg https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop...smx15w10p1c412

Most people don't actually use the touch-screen on 2-in-1's, so unless you have an application for it in mind, I'd skip it. If you want to use it for art, you are better off buying the MS Surface tablet (which has a passable digitizer), but that is absolutely not a gaming machine.

While I could go higher, I would prefer not to unless it's on some discounted sale. I don't really have a preference so much as I just need it to be budget, but decent. SSDs have been recommended a lot, so that is probably the direction I'll be headed in since I really have no reason to have a 2-in-1 other than the cool factor. But this is something else I can look into as well. Thank you.

[Sunako]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjVFQS0gnV4

There is pretty good comparison. 1050 ti is already enough for this game, but fps may drop between 40 - 50 fps. 1060 would bring constantly good frames.

[Dzian]

Aim higher.

If you intend to game on it:
- Geforce GTX 1050 Ti, minimum (this can do 1920x1080 at 60fps, usually, but with a fair bit of cooling fan noise)
- 16GB RAM if possible

Not really necessary my old vortex laptop ran dx11 mostly 60fps on near max settings using a gtx870m. Only a couple of settings tweaked with Nvidia optimiser. Would drop to about 51-53 fps in 24 man raids crowded areas but still easily playable.

If the op can get a 1050 or something in his budget then yeah go for it. But should still manage to get high performance with less

[KisaiTenshi]

Not really necessary my old vortex laptop ran dx11 mostly 60fps on near max settings using a gtx870m. Only a couple of settings tweaked with Nvidia optimiser. Would drop to about 51-53 fps in 24 man raids crowded areas but still easily playable.

If the op can get a 1050 or something in his budget then yeah go for it. But should still manage to get high performance with less

In general, gaming laptops aren't meant to be used for 8hrs per day unlike business laptops, so aiming too high means it won't be portable, and aiming too low means that you're not going to be raiding on it, as the cooling won't be able to keep up and it will thermal-throttle. Business laptops with equivalent hardware to a 1050Ti are the Quadro P3000. Hence the baseline is the 1050 Ti. Older laptops would have to have a GeForce GTX 980M or Quadro M5000M to be within the same range.

For reference the latest 2019 business software demands at least a Quadro P1000 (Quadro M4000M and GeForce GTX 1050 are also equivalent.) So anything less, is not going to last more than 2 years.

[Kuzulo]

I would just make sure it is a gaming laptop, with a good enough nvidia card (like other people have mentioned.) Read some reviews.

I'm on a desktop, pretty outdated now probably. 3200 (DUAL CORE ONLY ) CPU, Gtx 750 TI 2 gig (yeah, so kind of dated.) 8 gig system ram.

I'm also playing in OpenSuse Linux, since I've been Windows free since the World of Warcraft Burning Crusade expansion (so 12 years, or something?)

Yet I'm able to play the game, I just turn some stuff down (grass, shadows, stuff I don't need anyway.)

I don't do raiding or anything anyway, this system seems fine for this and for Wow for general play/dungeons, etc.

So this game doesn't seem THAT demanding. It also has some REALLY GOOD "occlusion" (way better than Wow, for instance. ) I notice a difference, with me having a good frame rate in this even in a city (while a modern city in Wow, like BoreALLus (see what I did there, HA?) in BFA will drop me to 11 fps or something.

[Hamada]

x50 (like 750, 1050, etc) can run it but if you want reliable performance, like making sure you get 60 fps in most cases, you need a x60 or higher, or older ones, x70 or higher, like 770 (do not do 760 and lower) or 1060, do not blindly buy a "gaming laptop" because even though they can play games, they may not be up to speed as far as performance.

You do not need a big ssd card, but you do want a SSD card to boot off of (so windows and ffxiv install) while you install everything else on a secondary data HDD. Make sure in every setup you save on the HDD, you dont want to fill the SSD with stuff pointlessly.

I'm on a desktop, pretty outdated now probably. 3200 (DUAL CORE ONLY ) CPU, Gtx 750 TI 2 gig (yeah, so kind of dated.) 8 gig system ram.

I'm also playing in OpenSuse Linux, since I've been Windows free since the World of Warcraft Burning Crusade expansion (so 12 years, or something?)

Yet I'm able to play the game, I just turn some stuff down (grass, shadows, stuff I don't need anyway.)

I don't do raiding or anything anyway, this system seems fine for this and for Wow for general play/dungeons, etc.

So this game doesn't seem THAT demanding.

laptops and desktops , the difference between them is night and day, you need to go a step up just to get a more even ( though desktops still get a slight edge)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjVFQS0gnV4

There is pretty good comparison. 1050 ti is already enough for this game, but fps may drop between 40 - 50 fps. 1060 would bring constantly good frames.

No it isn't that is for DESKTOPS, (you really want to see a "m" noted, 1050 M etc, 1050 =/= 1050 M

See how the 1050 hovers around 50 fps? you really don't want a 1050 M, stay away from x50 Ms, a 1050 M would be significantly less performance then that.


http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare...23242vsm164336
just to give an idea, mobile is very different then desktops, you really want a 1060 M or better.

Dunno how helpful it will be, but I play on a laptop with an i7 6700 @ 2.60 GHz (not overclocked) and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M with 6GB VRAM. 16 GB RAM, and my FFXIV install is on an SSD. I get 60 FPS 95% of the time in borderless window mode while running ReShade on custom settings (some things I have off but mostly everything is set to high); only when things are graphically intense does it dip to 45-50 FPS (phase transitions can do this sometimes). But I play on an Asus ROG Strix, and unless you find one on sale (like I did), that may be outside of your budget.

I’ve used this for about 2 years though, and it holds up pretty nicely.

I’d recommend a 1060 for a card, personally. And try to get something with an i7 in it. I’ve heard i5 is okay, but I’ve also heard it can be not so okay. I prefer an i7, personally. My CPU sits at sub 30% usually with FFXIV running and other stuff up in the background.

yup, this is the best post in this thread, tbh

[SerLuke]

I’ve seen a laptop at Costco for $850 with a Nivida 1060 if that helps

[Sunako]

No it isn't that is for DESKTOPS, (you really want to see a "m" noted, 1050 M etc, 1050 =/= 1050 M

See how the 1050 hovers around 50 fps? you really don't want a 1050 M, stay away from x50 Ms, a 1050 M would be significantly less performance then that.


http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare...23242vsm164336
just to give an idea, mobile is very different then desktops, you really want a 1060 M or better.

Well if you compare 1050 ti mobile and normal it have only 6% difference. Surely desktop is better, but difference is not really that huge.
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare.../m223242vs3649

[Ilan]

Good morning all

Just have a quick question. Other than checking the specs on a specific laptop, what is the best way to check to see if a potential purchase can run this game? I'm still in budget laptop range, so I can't spend too much on a high end laptop. To clarify, I'm not buying a laptop solely for FFXIV either, but being able to run it smoothly will influence which one I get.

Would I need to run a benchmark?

Look at the specs and if you have it at home there is a internetside where you can let the side check if you meet the requirements (search for "can you run it").