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puzzlezaddict's avatar
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
5 years ago

Re: Best gaming laptop Sims 4 - November 2020

@Malvina_J  HP does make minimalistic-looking computers, but their gaming laptops look like this:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/hp-pavillion-15-ec1009na-nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-16gb-15.6-fhd-amd-ryzen-7-4800h-gaming-laptop-lt-04y-hp.html

or these:

https://www.box.co.uk/7EE08EAABU-HP-OMEN-15-dc1045na_2785130.html

https://www.box.co.uk/1L6E7EAABU-HP-OMEN-15-dh1018na_2958255.html

They're all excellent prices for the hardware, but probably not what you're looking for.  (I'm using UK links because I know the sites better and I don't want to look up their Swedish equivalents unless you're interested in buying one of those.)  Dell gaming laptops are a bit more sleek:

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops/new-dell-g3-15/spd/g-series-15-3500-laptop/cng3024

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops/new-dell-g3-15/spd/g-series-15-3500-laptop/cng3021

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops/new-dell-g3-15/spd/g-series-15-3500-laptop/cng3022sc

You'll notice though that those are 2.3 kg each; to get something smaller and lighter that's still a gaming laptop, you'd need to pay a bit extra for the same hardware:

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops/new-inspiron-15-7000/spd/inspiron-15-7501-laptop/cn50103

The Inspiron in particular does not do nearly as well in gaming benchmarks as the Zephyrus—it should be fine overall, but you'd be sacrificing some level of performance.  If you were choosing between the two, I'd still go with the Zephyrus.  The G3 models are closer but still behind the Zephyrus, but maybe you don't mind a mere couple of percentage points of performance.

5 Replies

  • Malvina_J's avatar
    Malvina_J
    5 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict the only thing that is holding me back from ordering the Zephyrus is the fact that the graphics card is Nvidia 1650 Ti and not the 1660 Ti or RTX 2060. Do you think I should be concerned by that, considering it is a more expensive computer and there are others with "better" graphic cards for less. I know graphic cards are really important, but that it's also not the only thing that matters. I just don't want to later realise that I've made sacrifices in the wrong place.
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @Malvina_J  A 1650 ti is fast enough to run all current Sims 4 packs together on ultra graphics settings.  It may or may not be good enough for ultra settings by the time the game is out of development; we don't know how demanding future expansions will be.  A 1660 ti is about 40% faster in gaming and should always be more than fast enough for anything Sims 4 could possibly produce; a 2060 is a bit faster than that.

    So yes, you'd be sacrificing performance by getting a Zephyrus with a 1650 ti, and I think the models with a 1660 ti are significantly more expensive.  But that's to be expected.  It's not easy to fit powerful hardware and an adequate cooling solution into a compact chassis and keep the whole thing lightweight; doing so will raise the price no matter which model you're considering.  You can see the same pattern in pricing in the Dell Inspiron line vs. the G3 or G5 models I linked earlier.  There's a reason typical gaming laptops are 2-2.5 kg and have a 15" or 17" screen.

    As to whether the sacrifice is in the "wrong" place, that's entirely your call.  You're the one who's going to be using the laptop, and you're the only one who can say what your priorities should be.  If you're concerned about getting max performance, or being able to play other more demanding games, then maybe you should seriously consider a bulkier laptop.  If Sims 4 is your priority and you don't mind turning some graphics options down to high in a year or two, the Zephyrus might be perfectly fine.  Where you choose to direct your budget is up to you.

    By the way, I have a MacBook Pro with a graphics card that wouldn't even keep up with a 1650 ti.  I love my Mac for other reasons and willingly put up with the shortcomings in gaming.  If not for the current nonsense with the M1 ARM CPUs and the strange design choices coming out of Apple these days, I'd be convinced that my next laptop was going to be a Mac as well, and even so, I'm only wavering.  So I do think design and portability are valid priorities.  They're just not going to be equally valid for everyone, and I can't tell you what the right answer is for you.

  • Malvina_J's avatar
    Malvina_J
    5 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict Thank you again for your insight and knowledge. I gave it some more thought and decided to choose the Zephyrus G14 with AMD Ryzen 7, 16 GB RAM and Nvidia 1660 Ti. Even though it cost more it felt like a better investment that would last me longer.

    Thank you for your help!
  • InfinitySummer2's avatar
    InfinitySummer2
    5 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict Hey! All the laptops that you mentioned are soo beautiful and nice, but If possible could you please recommend a few laptops around 500 dollars please?! I am a university year 1 student so I don't need much things only I really badly want to play the sims 4 without it breaking my laptop? I also download lots of cc! If possible only could you suggest a few?! THANKS!!!
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @InfinitySummer23  Are you in the U.S. or elsewhere?  A number of different countries use dollars, and prices and inventory will be quite different.  The following is if you're buying in the U.S., since that's an easy search.

    If this laptop is back in stock at some point soon, it would be an excellent choice.  It should be able to run Sims 4, all packs and some custom content included, on ultra settings.

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-i5-GTX-1650-Gaming-Laptop/379414464

    Walmart seems to be posting the same deals over and over, letting stock sell out and then releasing more a few days later.  For this particular laptop, I've seen it on sale and available at least twice already, and out of stock in between.  So if you're willing to pay attention, check back just after 4 pm and 7 pm Pacific time every day; I can't remember which one it is, but I've seen notices about laptops going back on sale at that time of day.

    Other than that, the best option for $500 or less I can find is this Dell, for $490.  It should be able to handle Sims 4 on high or medium-high settings.

    https://www.dell.com/en-us/member/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5505-laptop/nn5505efpos

    There's unfortunately not much stock of laptops in between these two tiers, and the laptops that do fit currently cost more than you want to pay.

    In case you'd like to save money, this $400 laptop should still handle medium settings just fine:

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-IdeaPad-3-15-Laptop-AMD-Ryzen-5-3500U-Quad-Core-Processor-8GB-Memory-256GB-Solid-State-Drive-Windows-10-Abyss-Blue-81W1009DUS-Google-Classroom/103437747

    Feel free to ask more questions about any of these.  And if you're in a different country, let me know which one, and I'll take a look.

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