u/yxngdrake

Budget: £350 MaxCountry: UKUse Case: Gaming — Specifically looking to play Nintendo Switch Emulation (Pokémon Sword on Ryujinx), Fortnite, Spider-Man Remastered, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse.

Preferred Specs: Looking at used laptops with a dedicated GPU (like an RTX 3050 or GTX 1660 Ti) and 16GB RAM.Notes: I currently own a Dell Pro 14 (PC14250) with an Intel Core i5-120U, 8GB DDR5 RAM, and Integrated Intel Graphics.I know Switch emulation is heavily CPU-dependent, and my i5 seems decent on paper, but I’m worried about the 8GB of single-channel RAM and the lack of a dedicated GPU.

Should I just spend £30–£40 to add a second 8GB stick of RAM to my current Dell to get it running? Or am I completely limited by the Intel integrated graphics drivers under Vulkan, meaning I should save that cash and buy a used entry-level gaming laptop (like an MSI GF63 or Lenovo IdeaPad) within my £350 budget instead?Thanks for any help or advice!

Hey everyone,I’m looking to get into Switch emulation and want to play Pokémon Sword using Ryujinx, but I'm not sure if my current laptop can handle it smoothly.

Here are my exact specifications:

Model: Dell Pro 14 (PC14250)

CPU: Intel Core i5-120U (10 Cores, up to 5.0 GHz Turbo)

RAM: 8 GB DDR5 (Single Channel)

GPU: Integrated Intel Graphics (shares system memory)

OS: Windows 11 Pro

I know Switch emulation is heavily CPU-dependent, and my i5 seems decent on paper, but I’m really worried about the 8GB of single-channel RAM and the lack of a dedicated GPU.

Will the game even boot, or will it just be an unplayable slideshow/stuttering mess because of the Intel integrated graphics and RAM bottleneck?

If it won't run well right now, would adding a second stick of RAM to get to 16GB dual-channel make it playable, or am I completely limited by the integrated graphics drivers under Vulkan?

The Alternative Option:Instead of spending money upgrading the RAM and SSD on this Dell, I am also considering selling it and buying a used entry-level gaming laptop on eBay/Marketplace with a £350 max budget.

I'm looking at models with an RTX 3050 and 16GB RAM (like an MSI GF63 or Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming 3).For playing Pokémon Sword and other emulation/casual games, would you recommend upgrading the Dell or just moving over to a dedicated budget gaming laptop?Thanks for any help or advice!