Discussion What should I look for in a Gamedev laptop?

T

Tirous

Guest
I want to get myself a nice laptop. You know, something that acts more or less like a portable desktop when it comes to things like gamedev, programming, gaming, etc.

The problem is that while I can explain to you how to make and train a Multi-layer Perception from start to finish; I can't explain to you what makes for a good computer, let alone one that fits what I'm looking for.

Thus I ask; when looking around online at laptops; what specs and features should I be looking for? What minimum requirements would I need to have a computer that can handle what I want?

Thanks in advance!
Sorry for being a scrub on these matters. If my question is too vague, or if you need more info to help me, then by all means just ask. :)
 
M

MishMash

Guest
The first thing I can say is you 100% need a GPU. My laptop is pretty much unusable for GameDev as it stands, it's a simple i5 + 6GB Ram, but it's pretty slow in comparison to my desktop and there's a lot of idle time wasted. I also cannot test certain things in my game, and have to run it in low settings just to get it open. Whilst it is good for testing on the lowest end of machines I end up targetting, and has a decent processor, the lack of GPU just makes it hard to work with.

A few comments i'd make:

- SCREEN: 1080p screen is pretty essential IMO, unless you have access to a 2nd monitor (1366x768 is a very poor amount of screen real-estate and you'll find it hard to have multiple code windows open) -- I used to use my laptop in school and would often just borrow a monitor from one of the desktops when i used it :p
- GRAPHICS CARD: Defo get a GPU, doesn't necessarily have to be a really good one, just atleast you have something that can offload the work from the CPU and allows you to do some level of graphical testing without pooping itself.
- SIZE: Get a full size laptop (15.6" atleast). From years of working for the University Student IT support service, so many people would come in with seemingly decent spec laptops (i7 + SSD), but they would perform like potatoes as they were small and thus the processor speed was throttled to 2.0GHz or there abouts to prevent overheating.
- STORAGE: SSDs are nice, but not essential. I'd get one if you find a good deal (i'd sacrifice getting a worse GPU over a better one if an SSD came in the package). Whilst it's not essential, it improves the speed of everything (compiling, loading etc) and just makes it feel more responsive. (If you do, capacity should be atleast 256GB as a lot of laptops don't come with secondary HDDs, and anything less will fill up very very quickly).
- Don't bother with any fancy touch screen or gimmick features, these just inflate the cost and mean you are getting a less powerful machine for the same price
- PROCESSOR: Getting atleast an i5 (or AMD equivalent) is a good idea. Anything less will likely only have dual core and ideally you want atleast 4 cores for game development.
- RAM: I'd suggest atleast 8GB. 6 is probably the minimum amount you'd want if you have other programs open at the same time as GM.
- I'd recommend spending atleast £800 (or your regional equivalent ~$1000 USD). This is quite a lot, however I think that's the minimum you would want to spend if you want to avoid development efficiency hurdles.

If you want a machine more tailored to gaming, then ignore what I said about preferring an SSD and get a better GPU instead (if you are on a budget).

An min-spec for a general development machine:
GPU: GTx950, GTx1050 equiv
CPU: Intel i5
RAM: 8GB
STORAGE: 256GB SSD
SCREEN: 1080p

Gaming spec
GPU: GTx960+
CPU: Intel i5
RAM: 8GB
STORAGE: 1TB HDD
SCREEN: 1080p

Some really good deals I found (UK links, but models may exist elsewhere -- Price conversions done factoring in the fact that computer tech is always about 10-15% cheaper in the US, even after currency conversion):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-bc006na-15-6-Inch-Natural/dp/B01H9UVTW6/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1510448056&sr=1-2&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin:1481781031,p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin:2989741031
(This machine is a bargain, i5, GTx960M, 8GB Ram, 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD @ £721.98 ($920)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-VN7-591G-15-6-inch-Notebook-Resolution/dp/B00YRY9AP6/ref=sr_1_8?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1510448056&sr=1-8&keywords=laptop&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin:1481781031,p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin:2989741031
(i5 CPU, 8GB Ram, 2TB HDD, GTx960M @ £687.13 ($880)
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
The answer depends on both your budget and what types of games you are making(or will be making).

In my opinion, an SSD is a really high necessity simply because everything you do depends on it. You don't want to be waiting for windows or your software to load, or compilation of games, or anything you can help.

A good GPU is also important, but if you are making the "typical" gamemaker game(as in pixel art, tilebased, no shaders, etc...), integrated graphics are fine, and may be better in the long run so you have a good machine to test on. If you plan on something with heavier shader usage(like real-time lighting, use of surfaces, bigger sprites with more animation frames), then you want at the least a low end dedicated graphics chip. Some of those chips are about the same actual speed as the integrated chips, BUT since they have actual dedicated VRAM, you can do so much more with them. The biggest issue with integrated GPUs isn't always the speed, rather the lack of dedicated VRAM(and/or the speed of shared RAM/VRAM access).

As far as the screen, I figure I need a dedicated NumPAD, and any machine with one of those should have a big enough screen, 15 or 17 inches.
 
Everything @MishMash said.

I would avoid going lower than 8GB for RAM.

I've been researching laptops recently, my favourite so far is the Lenovo Legion Y520.

https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/lapto...Lenovo-Y520-15IKBN/p/88GMY500808#tab-techspec

The configuration I want is:
CPU: i5-7300HQ
GPU : NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
RAM: 8GB ( Might get 16GB if I can afford it )
Storage (HDD ) : 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD ( need that second hard drive for storing all my data, 256 SSD will fill up with apps quickly)

It is 15.6" display, 1080p, seperate numpad, keyboard has a good solid feel to it.
 
T

Tirous

Guest
I found these two. Are either of them any good? If so, which is better?

Laptop A

Laptop B

Edit: Of the two, I kinda prefer Laptop B; though again, I'm not exactly eager to trust my impressions.
 
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If I had to choose between these two, I'd go with Option A.

The GPU (Nvidia MX150), while not top of the line performance wise, is more than adequate for development purposes, plus helps keep the costs of the laptop down.

Laptop A has the addition of a 1TB Hard Disk, which is where I'd store all my working files and documents. The 128GB solid state drive would be reserved for the Operating System and apps. Personally I would be looking for a laptop with 256GB SSD, but that bumps up the price a bit and is probably not necessary as long as you only keep your OS and Apps on there.

The only thing Laptop A seems to lack (it's not mentioned in the specs), is an ethernet port. As long as you are happy to only connect it via Wi-Fi, then that's not a problem.

Performance wise it should be fine. Especially as I am currently able to run GMS 2 on my approximately 7 years old laptop with no major issues. Minor issue of my old laptop is the screen resolution of 1366 x 768, which means I have to manage the workspaces quite tightly.

However the laptops you linked to have 1920x1080 resolution, so this will be less of a problem.

P.S. If you use Steam and/or have lots of games you like to play, I would usually want to install the games to the 1TB drive. If you start installing the games on the SSD, you may run out of space quickly.

EDIT : Alternatively, as both laptops have almost identical hardware, you could go with Laptop B, but just add a 1TB Hard Disk, which would then make it the preferred choice, as it comes with the 256GB SSD already (and included an ethernet port).
 
T

Tirous

Guest
If I had to choose between these two, I'd go with Option A.

The GPU (Nvidia MX150), while not top of the line performance wise, is more than adequate for development purposes, plus helps keep the costs of the laptop down.

Laptop A has the addition of a 1TB Hard Disk, which is where I'd store all my working files and documents. The 128GB solid state drive would be reserved for the Operating System and apps. Personally I would be looking for a laptop with 256GB SSD, but that bumps up the price a bit and is probably not necessary as long as you only keep your OS and Apps on there.

The only thing Laptop A seems to lack (it's not mentioned in the specs), is an ethernet port. As long as you are happy to only connect it via Wi-Fi, then that's not a problem.

Performance wise it should be fine. Especially as I am currently able to run GMS 2 on my approximately 7 years old laptop with no major issues. Minor issue of my old laptop is the screen resolution of 1366 x 768, which means I have to manage the workspaces quite tightly.

However the laptops you linked to have 1920x1080 resolution, so this will be less of a problem.

P.S. If you use Steam and/or have lots of games you like to play, I would usually want to install the games to the 1TB drive. If you start installing the games on the SSD, you may run out of space quickly.

EDIT : Alternatively, as both laptops have almost identical hardware, you could go with Laptop B, but just add a 1TB Hard Disk, which would then make it the preferred choice, as it comes with the 256GB SSD already (and included an ethernet port).
So Laptop B + my external Hard Drive (assuming I can find it...), cool! Thx, m8!
 
So Laptop B + my external Hard Drive (assuming I can find it...), cool! Thx, m8!
An external drive could also work.

Although the 1TB drives that I'm talking about above are internal to the laptop, so would be much more convenient and have faster access times.
 
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