Laptop or Mac book to run tgc with skytrak

[Psw757]

Do any of the Mac books have a strong enough graphics card to run this or any laptop for that matter?

I'm installing a sim in garage and want portability

[keither5150]

Be prepared to spend over 2k to have a good experience. Compare that to around 1k for a decent gaming desktop. The latest MacBook pro has a M370X video card which is on the weak side for running TGC. A GTX 970M would be the minimum that I would start with. I would choose a laptop that has a GTX980m and good cooling. Good cooling mean thick.... not MacBook thin. They may be able to stuff a M370x into the thin MacBook but that doesn't mean that it will run at full speed all the time. When gaming, laptops often throttle down to prevent overheating.

Are you planning to have two different hitting locations or are you just thinking about taking your ST to the range. If you are just taking it to the range, buy a gaming PC and a tablet.

[Psw757]

Be prepared to spend over 2k to have a good experience. Compare that to around 1k for a decent gaming desktop. The latest MacBook pro has a M370X video card which is on the weak side for running TGC. A GTX 970M would be the minimum that I would start with. I would choose a laptop that has a GTX980m and good cooling. Good cooling mean thick.... not MacBook thin. They may be able to stuff a M370x into the thin MacBook but that doesn't mean that it will run at full speed all the time. When gaming, laptops often throttle down to prevent overheating.

Are you planning to have two different hitting locations or are you just thinking about taking your ST to the range. If you are just taking it to the range, buy a gaming PC and a tablet.

I already have an iPad so that part isn't a problem. As for the PC, im just trying not to junk up the garage too much since I will be breaking my mats down pretty regularly to park a car. Not sure where I will put a PC but will also need a monitor.

Are there any all in one computers that will work or do I need to go the tower route with a monitor? If the tower is needed I suppose I will need to get some sort of small moveable cart for it.

Thanks!

[keither5150]

Cart or mount it on the wall or shelve. All in ones are basically laptop parts with a monitor. You could also wall mount your monitor. If you are running your usb cable more than 12 feet, it is a good idea to buy a active extension cable. Don't get me wrong.... gaming laptops will work. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit more for less performance.

[Psw757]

[QUOTE=keither5150;n66934]Cart or mount it on the wall or shelve. All in ones are basically laptop parts with a monitor. You could also wall mount your monitor. If you are running your usb cable more than 12 feet, it is a good idea to buy a active extension cable. Don't get me wrong.... gaming laptops will work. Just be prepared to spend quite a bit more for less performance. [/QUOTE

I have a shelf where I could put the tower but it would be 8-10 feet from hitting area and ideally that is where I would want monitor and keyboard/mouse to be to adjust aim etc.....

[TheCoupe]

For those that have a fairly recent mac, be it Macbook or Mac Mini, all is not lost due to the internal graphics. If you google a thunderbolt to pcie adapter, you can actually run an external GPU. This will open up a few options, such as being able to neatly tuck the box away, with the projector etc permanently hooked up, then it's just a single cable to your Macbook when you go to use it, and getting all the added benefits of a high end gaming rig

[Tater]

Hi TheCoupe, this is exactly what I was thinking of doing. I recently bought an HP Omen but it is WAY bigger (heavier) than I expected the graphics run just fine but I only need the extra GPU when running the sim software. I am thinking of getting a lower rated and smaller laptop and then purcahsing an external GPU for when I want to sim play. What are the things I need to make sure I cover with the new Laptop? Can I go with an untrabook or something think as the real work will be done by the external GPU?

[keither5150]

Careful that you don't go too low with CPU speed. What you want to look at is stock speed, not turbo or boost. During gaming, laptops can only handle boost for a short period of time. They will clock back down fairly quickly when gaming. Stay away from ultrabooks or any laptop that is super thin. Super thin means lousy cooling. They actually can underclock under their rated speed when being worked hard. They do this to keep the heat manageable because they are not equipped with adequate cooling. If you can pick up a laptop with 2.4 GHz or better cpu speed ( not boost speed) you will be fine once you add and external GPU. External GPU are not meant to be a cheaper solution than a gaming laptop. They are for people who should have bought a gaming laptop but didn't. Or for people who love Macbooks but need some gaming performance.

[GmanJeff]

I'm using a Alienware laptop with a GTX1080 video card and 17" screen. With the laptop, you obviously don't have to deal with a separate keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Mine is on a compact stand, so it's very unobtrusive compared to a desktop form factor, is easily moved and is usable elsewhere for other purposes if desired. It did cost more than a similarly spec'd desktop, but it's not something I expect to need to replace soon. This has worked out nicely for me.