Minimum TGC *2019* Computer Requirements That Runs Great?

[philbanc]

Carry over topic from "The Golf Club" forum. <link

Minimum TGC *2019* Computer Requirements That Runs Great?

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I'm new to simulator golf and I owned the following laptop before buying SkyTrak and TGC 2019 in September (2019); I was pleased to find that it worked just fine.
Now, that doesn't mean I don't wish it was a little faster, or had a better graphics (obviously), but I'm happy with it.

The following things stand out related to my laptop.
1.) After a hit, TGC 2019 is usually quick to send the ball on it's way (with a regular 3 second delay that I think is normal for SkyTrak/TGC 2019), but sometimes it can take 7 seconds for a shot (but that happens randomly and the shots before and after are normal).
2.) I was trying out the TGC 2019 driving range this weekend and the clouds were wavy zig-zags. NBD.
3.) When I play a course with a lot of trees on it, the "H"ole flyover is slow (but looks nice). The "Q"uick look works fine.
4.) When I play a course that I think is really well designed, the grass on the greens looks strange.

So all this doesn't bother me because I didn't buy a new laptop, but it might be noteworthy to a new person.

I'm not up to speed with computer hardware lingo, but I wanted to share my laptop details so that it might help serve as a baseline for someone, if someone owns a similar laptop already and was questioning whether it would work or not. Note: I only have a "1.6 GHz processor" and whatever a "Intel HD Graphics 620" card is.

So here it is; when it dies, I'll buy something nicer.

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Purchased on January 6, 2018.
$850 marked down to $750.

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Dell - Inspiron 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive - Era Gray
Model: I7373-5558GRY-PUS
SKU: 6083539

Specifications
Key Specs
2-in-1 Design Yes
Backlit Keyboard Yes
Screen Size 13.3 inches
Touch Screen Yes
Storage Type SSD
Total Storage Capacity 256 gigabytes
Solid State Drive Capacity 256 gigabytes
System Memory (RAM) 8 gigabytes
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 620
Processor Speed (Base) 1.6 gigahertz
Processor Model Intel 8th Generation Core i5
Processor Model Number i5-8250U
Operating System Windows 10 Home
Battery Type Lithium-ion

General
Product Name Inspiron 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 256GB Solid State Drive
Brand Dell
Model Number I7373-5558GRY-PUS

Feature
Windows Features Windows Ink
2-in-1 Design Yes
Rugged Design No
Backlit Keyboard Yes
Cooling System Air
Operating System Architecture 64-bit

Ports
Headphone Jack Yes
Number of USB Ports (Total) 3
Number of HDMI Outputs (Total) 1

Display
Screen Size 13.3 inches
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)
Touch Screen Yes
Display Type Touchscreen LED

Storage
Storage Type SSD
Total Storage Capacity 256 gigabytes
Solid State Drive Capacity 256 gigabytes
Solid State Drive Interface SATA

Memory
System Memory (RAM) 8 gigabytes
Type of Memory (RAM) DDR4
System Memory RAM Speed 2400 megahertz
Cache Memory 6 megabytes
System Memory RAM Expandable To 16 gigabytes
Media Card Reader Yes

Graphics
Graphics Intel HD Graphics 620
Graphics Type Integrated
Video Memory Type Shared

Processor
Processor Brand Intel
Processor Speed (Base) 1.6 gigahertz
Processor Model Intel 8th Generation Core i5
Processor Model Number i5-8250U

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-in...?skuId=6083539
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Anyone care to share a link to their store bought, non-bespoke, laptop which is amazing?

[SkeetShooter]

*** Oops... I just noticed you were saying that this system is the minimum that you could run TGC2019 on.... below is what I would recommend as a good starting point though...

What is your budget for another computer? Black Friday has some good deals on some good computers: Newegg has this one that I would look into
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E1688328...82E16883289038

That has a RTX2060 Super for a GPU and a Ryzen 7 2700. The case is a bit flashy, but its a Thermal Take and it looks like it comes with some good fans for airflow. It also comes with peripherals and Windows 10.

You could easily run 1080p and 1440p... Possibly 4K, but YMMV. You also won't be bottle necked by the CPU. the Ryzen 2700 is a solid CPU. Not a bad deal.

[halekala]

What if my budget is $ 1500, what desktop would you recommend? I am fan of NVIDIA graphics card!

[SkeetShooter]

What if my budget is $ 1500, what desktop would you recommend? I am fan of NVIDIA graphics card!

$1500 is a pretty considerable budget. Are you buying or building? And also Why are you an NVIDIA fan? The reason I ask is depending on budget, AMD has a pretty good option in the 5700 XT Red Devil... Its less than $400 and will perform right up with a NVIDIA RTX-2070, which is around $100 more.

At $1500 I could easily spec a computer that had a rtx 2070super in it and for bang for buck, likely a Ryzen 3rd Gen CPU with either a B series board or a x570 board.

[halekala]

Damn, you rattled off lots of good stuff there I built few computers before but always ran into one issue or other. MoBo not screwed properly, one time HD didn't run, etc. Is it easier to build now or easier to buy one with all the option you mentioned. I said I was NVIDIA fan w/o any deep knowledge, thought they are the best out there. I have TGC2019 on a pretty good Dell laptop (Latitude 7480). But I don't think I get the stunning graphics folks talk about here. So I am really thinking to get a Desktop with powerful Graphics card and hence the interest. Also, thinking my son (13yo) can play his games on it as well. If you can point me to one pre-built in NewEgg or somewhere that would be great. Or if you think building is the way to go, let me know. Many thanks in advance for sure.

[SkeetShooter]

Here is a pre-built for $1500 from CyberPower PC:
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/...tra-2070-Super

Its pretty good however if you wanted to build a system that is in my opinion of better quality:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/SkeetS...d/#view=cTxwhM

This is a list of components to make a very nice PC. I leaned towards BeQuiet instead of flashy aesthetics for the case, power supply, and cpu cooler, because in this configuration this computer will basically be completely silent.

The mother board also is latest generation and will keep allow you to be more future-proof in regards to expansion or upgrades. Also the GPU is the same variant as the Cyber Power PC listed above, but since they don't tell you which one they are putting in, I'm betting its not as good as the Windforce one I listed in my PC parts list. Also the Ram speed is higher in my list. The only thing my build does not have is a Windows Operating system, but thats not a big deal as you can run Windows 10 for free in "unregistered mode" where it puts a watermark on it.

Mind you I could also change a bunch of this around to get you a better "bang for the buck" when it comes to trade-offs in performance etc... Also if your son is thinking about using it for a gaming PC, you also need to think about a good low latency, high refresh rate monitor (and those are generally not cheap) as well as gaming peripherals.

[halekala]

Thanks a lot for putting this together. I get permission denied when I clicked on the second link. May be you need to make that public? Not sure.

[SkeetShooter]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9fYGcq try that

[halekala]

Yep, I see it now. Thanks.

[halekala]

so the question is that is it easy to put all this together? As I said twice I had issues building PC from the ground up and I had to take them to the local computer shop embarrassingly
I have all the tools, the grounding thing that goes in your hand. I am hoping the Mobo screws will come with the mobo, what else I may need?

[SkeetShooter]

Its pretty easy. All the screws come with the case, usually with the correct stand-offs or alternates. The only thing I can see from the suggested equipment I listed is that the drive cage will likely have to be removed from the case (This is not a big deal). Other than that. This is a very simple build.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npGL2-pRXlU&feature=youtu.be

Watch that video. Its a pretty simple guide on how to do things.

Also one thing that is not mentioned is that you will need to have a USB stick (I think it has to be 8GB or larger with your Operating system on it.
On another computer, download the media creation tool:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Then on that page I referenced, click on the second option and read those directions. That will help you create a Windows 10 boot USB to install on your new computer when you get to that point.

Really its gravy. A lot of people make mistakes by doing the following:
* Using extra power pin-outs when not necessary (For example the board I recommended in that pc parts guide has an extra 4 pin power slot) this is an optional area that you would never use. Its for people who do extreme or exotic over-clocking) So don't put anything in that 4-pin port.

* Using power tools (Just don't)

* Over tightening... Most screws just need to be hand tight

* using the wrong pin-outs from the case (Most case manufacturers as well as MOBO manufacturers are really good now about labling the correct pinouts
to turn on, reset, and turn off your computer via the case buttons.) READ THE INSTRUCTIONS that come with the products!

Last bit of advice... The build I recommended uses a Ryzen 3700X... Its a badass CPU, however it has one shortcoming over some of its Intel competition (if you could call it that) It does not have integrated graphics, so what that means is that the HDMI port that is in the I/O of the Motherboard is not going to work.

Thats fine, and precisely why you have a dedicated graphics card. That is where you will plug your HDMI display cable into. Just remember that in case you accidentally plug it into the motherboard I/O and can't understand why nothing is coming up on the screen when you turn it on I did that once and it took me 10 minutes of tinkering to realize that I didn't plug it into the GPU instead...

[halekala]

Wow, you did a lot of great advice. That HDMI output thing, good that you mentioned it. I can see how folks can be dumbfounded when no graphics come out. Once again thanks a lot. Last night I tried to use my PS4 controller with my laptop, it did not work meaning I could not move around using PS4 controller. I am going to buy an Xbox controller I suppose.

[halekala]

BTW, will this build work with VR gadgets like Oculus?

[SkeetShooter]

I've seen the Xbox controller work for me on certain games, but a lot of times you do need to map the buttons. I suppose this would work for a VR setup, a 2070 Super is one of the most badass gpu's you can buy, (only a 2080, 2080 Super, and 2080Ti are better, with the exception of the Titan cards)

[philbanc]

When this is all in full VR, I'll never leave the house again....except for golf IRL.

[TXANM]

Walmart has this system right now for $579. It has the 1660ti graphics card in it which has the capabilities to compete with the RTX-2060. For $579 this system should last a couple years and then throw it out and build a newer one. At least this is the direction I was heading.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-Gaming-Desktop-Tower-Intel-Core-i5-9400F-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1660Ti-8GB-RAM-256GB-SSD-690-0073w/902037635

[Wizard of Coz]

I didn'tread through this entire thread but I would use no less than a 70 card meaning. 970/1070/2070.
ive heard people get away with a 60 card but it needs to be 6gb not 3.

[FaultyClubs]

Protee recommends gtx 1060 performance and up for 1080p. Differences get pretty small above that although there are always faster cards.

See https://csc.protee-united.com/hc/en-...bile_site=true

That Walmart computer looks good, the 1660 ti smokes a 970 (which runs tgc pretty well) and is similar ball park to the 1070