Equipment questions

[maple_butter]

Hello folks!

I've been running FG for a game at my place, mostly pencil and paper, in my basement. I have a custom built table where I run one instance with the standard license for me as GM and another on demo for the players. It is plugged in to the custom map table I've built, and one player works to control all the player tokens and the like. Check out the table here https://imgur.com/a/nhxRebj
So I've been running with two laptops, but what I'd like to do is have a dedicated computer in the table.
Have any of you used Mini PCs or the like to run FG? Something like this perhaps? https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0749NR2KJ?aaxitk=cAV.1wVURsWMaQP6PXMblA&pd_rd_i=B0749NR2KJ&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_p=3863651456206764718&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=mini+pc&hsa_cr_id=8814603700001
Were there problems or did it handle the program well? If not a mini PC, what might any of you suggest to mount a small, affordable computer under the table?

Thanks for any advice you folks can offer.

[damned]

Welcome maple_butter

You want something that has 8GB RAM and an i3 CPU minimum - preferably an i5.
The CPU in that unit is very pedestrian.

Table looks awesome :)

[maple_butter]

Thank you! As with anything, there are probably things I would do differently if I built it again, but it's proven to be quite popular with my players.

As for the PC option, would you say it may be more efficient to build a small PC rather than use a "mini PC" then?

[damned]

Mini PC is fine - just get a better CPU and more RAM :)
https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=nuc+i5

[LordEntrails]

What about recent issues with some of the onboard Intel graphics chips? Is it worth investigating the graphics of those mini's and choosing accordingly?

[lostsanityreturned]

What about recent issues with some of the onboard Intel graphics chips? Is it worth investigating the graphics of those mini's and choosing accordingly?

All I can say is that any integrated graphics chip has turned the program into a laggy unresponsive mess.
personally I would build a computer out of spare parts and find a way to attach it, or just use a wireless hmdi connector to a computer I already owned.

[Trenloe]

All I can say is that any integrated graphics chip has turned the program into a laggy unresponsive mess.
That isn't my experience at all. I use FG all the time on different laptops all with integrated chips. There have been issues reported with specific Intel integrated graphics chips (620) - but not any/all like suggested. Some info here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?42970-Severely-Poor-Performance-on-an-i7-8550U-and-Intel-HD-620-Expected

[lostsanityreturned]

That isn't my experience at all. I use FG all the time on different laptops all with integrated chips. There have been issues reported with specific Intel integrated graphics chips (620) - but not any/all like suggested. Some info here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?42970-Severely-Poor-Performance-on-an-i7-8550U-and-Intel-HD-620-Expected

I suppose i should have said "in my experience". I have tried a lot of old and new options thanks to having access to anything the school i admin for has (which is a fair bit, boy do they go through computers)

We also might have expectations / tollerances :)

[Trenloe]

We also might have expectations / tollerances :)
Maybe. But I certainly would not describe any of the laptops I've used resulting in FG being "a laggy unresponsive mess". Maybe we have different tolerances for lag and messes. ;) Either way, it has never resulted in FG being unusable - which your statement kinda inferred.

[damned]

My current primary device is a 4yo HP laptop with integrated intel chipset and I regularly have 2 or more FG instances open and dont have any lag (other than on load, on player connect) that affect me.

[Nyghtmare]

I think that player connect affects eveyone. I know that it does on my desktop PC, although I feel it less in my Savage Worlds campaign than in my 5e one (probably because there is less to load/share).

[Trenloe]

I think that player connect affects eveyone. I know that it does on my desktop PC, although I feel it less in my Savage Worlds campaign than in my 5e one (probably because there is less to load/share).
Yep - a player connecting and downloading the campaign data (and any shared modules) will cause the GM instance to slow down dramatically during that process.