Re: Best laptop for mods ??

I’d like to know too! I’ve been playing Sims on consoles for as long as I knew about it and now I would like to try out playing it with mods and CC. I’m ready for more excitement! I’d like something with good graphics, very minimal lag, 8-16 RAM, 256-512GB and a good pixel shader that’s above a 3.0. Budget = Nothing above 750

@chW33Nie  Is this 750 in U.S. dollars, or some other currency?  And I take it you'd like a laptop, but let me know if that's not the case.

Also, I should let you know that your owned packs won't transfer from console to PC; you'd have to buy new copies.  The base game is free, so you could still play, just not with your existing content.

USD 🙂 A laptop would probably be better since it’s portable ^^ I know I’ll have to buy them again but that’s fine since all I have on console is Cats & Dogs

@chW33Nie  There aren't a lot of really good options for $750 U.S. at the moment; it seems like most of the older inventory has turned over.  But I did find a few laptops worth mentioning.  These three have an RTX 3050, fast enough to run Sims 4, all packs included, on ultra graphics settings, with some room to spare.  They also have 500 GB storage, which is convenient if not strictly required.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g15-15-6-fhd-120hz-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-6600h-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-512gb-ssd-phantom-grey-with-speckles/6510327.p?skuId=6510327

https://www.walmart.com/ip/338517875

https://www.amazon.com/HP-i5-12500H-Keyboard-Enhanced-15-fa0025nr/dp/B09X8KFRB4/ref=sr_1_1?fst=as%3Aoff&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Among these, the HP is the best combination of quality and in-game performance, but they're all more than fine.

This model has a faster RTX 3060, but only 256 GB storage.  That's still enough for Sims 4 but probably not for an additional large game unless you're careful about storage.  Still, it's worth mentioning because of the significantly faster GPU, which may help down the road even if it's not necessary now.

https://store.acer.com/en-us/nitro-5-gaming-laptop-an515-57-537y

If none of these are quite what you're looking for, let me know why, and I can take another look.  There are definitely more options out there, particularly with a 3050 and a 256 GB drive, which I didn't mention because they weren't much cheaper and 500 GB is so convenient to have.  But they're also viable options if the ones above don't fit your needs.

And if you have more questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Those seem cool though I am skeptical because of the ratings and reviews- What about all in one desktops? Would any of these be good? Or is my best bet a PC? Also are most monitors compatible with any pc or do they have to be of the same brand?

Limited-time deal: HP All-in-One PC, 23.8" FHD Micro-Edge Touchscreen Display, AMD Ryzen 5 Processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, 12 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Windows 11 Home OS, Wi-Fi (24-cb1142, 2022) https://a.co/d/5XhhXoP

Lenovo IdeaCentre AIO 3-2022- All-in-One Desktop - 23.8" FHD Touch Display - HD 720p Camera - Windows 11 Home - 8GB Memory - 512GB Storage - AMD Ryzen 5 5625U - Black - Mouse & Keyboard Included https://a.co/d/cofge7R

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-24-touch-screen-all-in-one-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-memory-1tb-ssd-natural-silver/6477673.p?skuId=6477673

PC

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Acer Aspire TC-1760-UA92 Desktop | 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12400 6-Core Processor | 12GB 3200MHz DDR4 | 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD | 8X DVD | Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201 | Bluetooth 5.2 | Windows 11 Home https://a.co/d/8IXlFD8

Ssrotho Gaming PC Windows 10 Professional Desktop Tower Computer, Intel Quad-Core i5 3.2Ghz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD + 1TB HDD, WiFi Adapter, GeForce GT 1030 2GB GDDR5, RGB Lighting Case, Black https://a.co/d/8BXBRRo

@chW33Nie  There's nothing wrong with an all-in-one in theory.  They're basically laptops with large attached screens: they use laptop hardware and are just as upgradable, which is to say not all that much.  The problem with these AIOs is that none of them has a dedicated graphics card, meaning performance won't be anywhere near what it is with the laptops I linked.  An Nvidia GTX 1650 is at least twice as fast in gaming as the very fastest available integrated graphics chips, with an RTX 3050 being about 30% faster than that, and these AIOs don't even have the fastest iGPUs currently out there.

The first desktop has the same problem: only an integrated graphics chip, and not a particularly good one at that considering the price and other options.  The second PC has a GT 1030, which is about on par with the fastest iGPUs out there, although performance can vary significantly from one game to another and depending on which type of 1030 you get.  (The faster model is faster than the best iGPUs in Sims 4 but still nowhere near a 3050 mobile's performance.)  So for all these options, you're leaving performance on the table.

Please don't simply rely on reviews.  People have wildly different expectations of a computer without a dedicated graphics card than a computer that has one, and the products are for two different consumer bases that don't necessarily have a lot of overlap.  Even the same person would likely evaluate the two types with starkly different criteria, for example simply expecting a standard home or office computer to be stable and not too slow in basic tasks while wanting a gaming laptop to run demanding games with good performance.  As an example, the fact that a laptop overheats and/or downclocks when running games would be annoying, but even in those cases, it would still be running those games much better than these AIOs, and cooling trays are cheap.

If you do want a desktop, yes, you can use any monitor you want, although it's best to stick with one that supports one of the connection types the computer supports as well, for example HDMI or DisplayPort.  This is generally not a problem with any recent model, and you could get an adapter for an older one in theory, but in practice you might run into issues with the wrong adapter or a very old type of connector.

As for gaming desktops, I looked at half a dozen sites and only found one new option with a graphics card at least as fast as a 3050 mobile.  That would be this one, which is significantly faster and on sale:

https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-envy-desktop-te01-2265tbundle-pc

I can look further if you want, but I wouldn't be surprised if other sites had similarly meager offerings in your price range.

Thanks for you help! I know I probably must’ve been a bother😅 I think I’ll settle for the HP Victus! I do have one more question. Since gaming laptops don’t have the biggest screens is there any way to connect a monitor to the laptop so the game is displayed on the monitor instead of the laptop screen? 

@chW33Nie  Yes, you can plug a monitor into a laptop as long as you have the correct type of cable.  It looks like the Victus has a full-size HDMI port, meaning you could use a standard HDMI cable to connect it to a monitor, but see for yourself (and read the manual) before spending any money on a cable.  The laptop will definitely have something though, if not a full-size HDMI port then perhaps mini HDMI or mini DP.  Suitable cables should be cheap if the monitor in question supports HDMI or DisplayPort; otherwise, you might need an adapter.

I'd still try playing on the Victus's screen before spending any money at all.  Laptop screens are small, sure, but you can also get really close, and 1920x1080 looks much more crisp and clear on a 16" screen than a 24" monitor.

Is this a good option too? ASUS TUF F15 Gaming Laptop, 15.6" 144Hz FHD IPS-Type Display, Intel Core i5-10300H Processor, GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11 Home, FX506LH-AS51 https://a.co/d/6GskBfu

@chW33Nie  It's fine, not as good as the others, but still capable of running Sims 4 on ultra settings if you don't add any demanding custom content.  The RTX 3050 in the laptops I linked is about 30% faster in gaming, on average, than the GTX 1650 this laptop has, with the usual caveat that there's a lot of variation from one game to the next.  That may mean the difference between turning down some settings to high and not as future packs are released.

Still, the laptop isn't a terrible choice by any means, so if you like it better than the others for one reason or another, it should do fine.