Re: Re: Whats the best laptop for sims4 and work?

Okay thank u so much.

me looking for another computer possibly wasn’t due to anything graphics related it was just for the fact that i was scared by the noise the computer makes the second i start playing the game and also the heat that starts coming from the laptop and lastly the fact that i read i should be playing sims 4 with the computer charging the whole time - i’m worried about how those things will affect the longevity of my mac. i want it to last long term and not be ruined by sims 4 game. i figures even tho i spent a lot already throwing it all away years from now if the mac isnt well performing due to those three factors listed that it may be better although painful to spend another 5-700 now and play separate instead of slowly damaging a 2000$ device overtime

But if i understand you correctly as long as i get the temp under control and maybe adjust the setting to medium high but do the fps cheat i should be ok? no slow damage done at all ? Can you address my worry about the mac being plugged during gameplay for like 3 -5 hours at a full charge . I always thought that was bad for devices ? like they say not to overcharge your iphone overnight and it causes damage to the battery but not to the mac while playing sims 4 simultaneously?

next, if i’m playing at medium / medium high i don’t need to enable vertical sync? only if i’m playing low? if i keep playing on my mac can you tell me exactly how i should configure my gameplay graphic settings? with mac preservation in mind but still wanting a clear picture

Also is the fps cheat a one time thing or it needs to be continuously checked?

@Player_njlrsklo  I have a 15" MacBook Pro and played almost exclusively on it for over a year, always with the laptop plugged in.  I also normally use it with it plugged in.  A couple of months ago, when the computer was more than two years old, I did some hardware monitoring and noticed that the wear level on the battery read as 8.5%, and the battery still read as having 60Wh when fully charged.  That's not much more than I'd expect with light use and no gaming.  Besides, batteries can be replaced.  You should definitely keep the laptop plugged in while you play anyway, for better performance.

As long as temperatures are fine, and framerates aren't too high (even 100 fps wouldn't be an issue), you don't need to worry about Sims 4 doing any damage to your Mac. What I meant about the graphics settings and fps is that the lower the settings, the higher the framerates your graphics chip will generate.  I don't think the chip could generate high fps on high or even medium settings anyway, just based on its overall speed, but you should check no matter what.

Some people like to play with fps constantly showing, but it's not necessary.  Start a new save and send a sim to Newcrest in good weather, then see what framerates you get.  You shouldn't ever see anything higher than you do there, in a world full of nothing, unless you lower the graphics settings.  Lower framerates are common in certain worlds (e.g. Del Sol Valley) or when the game isn't running well for other reasons, like there are too many sims around or the weather is bad or something else demanding.

If your fps is consistently below 60 (the refresh rate of your monitor), you don't need to enable v-sync.  You can still try it and see whether the game runs better if you want.  But if you're getting higher than 60 fps, that just means you can turn up the settings a bit.

By the way, one other very helpful step to make the game run better is lowering the in-game resolution.  The fewer pixels your graphics chip has to render, the easier it is.  On the other hand, very low resolutions don't look as good.  A good compromise might be playing at 1680x1050 or even 1440x900; your screen supports both resolutions.

Feel free to experiment until you get something you like.  Again, as long as temps are good, you should be fine.

Hi again, Thank you!

ok i think i few better. so if you were me , you would not go and purchase another laptop just to play sims 4?

you would just get a cooling pad -( which one is best by the way?) check the fps, toggle with resolution, adjust graphic settings and keep the game plugged in and i should be fine? You can replace mac book batteries?

i didn’t know that. 

i don’t know much about this stuff

do you use virus and computer protection software on your macs. should i get one? especially with cc downloads i’m thinking that may be a good idea. what do you think.

I think i’m going to take the idea of getting a new laptop just for sims out of my head. I love this mac book. i just want to protect it , but if i have nothing to worry about then yes , i’d obviously rather play on here. no lagging, nice display , i’m happy with everything i just want to take every precaution. 

have we discussed all the precautions i should take? or are there anymore ?

@Player_njlrsklo  Those are all the precautions I'd take, and if temps were within range, I wouldn't worry.  I don't know what cooling pads are best, really—I haven't been using one and usually go for a laptop tray instead.  It's not as efficient as a cooling pad, but it works okay for my taste.  On the other hand, I don't really play games on my Mac anymore, so I'm not the best judge.

I don't use a separate antivirus or firewall on my Mac, but then I don't download a lot of custom content, either.  If you want to be reasonably safe, use Firefox and add NoScript and UMatrix.  Also, avoid The Sims Resource if you can—it's full of viruses that even the strongest security software doesn't always manage to block.

In a couple years, you might see Sims 4 start to lag a bit, more due to the game's increased demands than anything wrong with your Mac; and then you might decide to get a gaming laptop just for Sims 4, and use your Mac for everything else.  But for now, as long as you're happy with how the game runs, there's no reason to switch.

Solid advice thanks a lot really appreciate it. I have used the sims resource in the past .. yea it seems so sketchy what should i do to check and remove any virus i may have from use the sims resource? it can be a free or paid program that’s good for keeping my computer clean .. any recommendations?

i don’t mind the game lagging in a couple years . well i do kind but it would t be as awful as my computer failing to work or turn on or whatever. i’ll look into a cooling of and adjust the settings when i play tomorrow . thanks for being so helpful ..I think my last question is what i asked about the sims resource and virus protection.. might have some more when i go to play and look into fps like u said

@Player_njlrsklo  If you've updated your operating system since the last time you were on The Sims Resource, you should be fine.  Reinstalling your OS (or installing a new one) is the last best defense against viruses anyway.  I'm not saying you need to do this, just that if you have, you don't need to worry.  There's plenty of antivirus software for macOS, but I think Malwarebytes is probably the best right now, at least among the free versions.

For TSR or other sites that use Adfly, you can look up how to "unshorten" a link, which essentially gives you the address for the download you want, instead of your having to wait to be redirected there after Adfly does its thing.  But if you're really nervous about the site, you can skip it and get your cc from elsewhere.  There are plenty of sources out there.

hi how are you doing? I hope fine. I stopped playing the sims for a while and just played again my laptop was literally up to 125 degrees !!!! why??? what is causing this. what can i do to make it not get so hot while i wait for my cooling pad? i literally have the graphics on medium. What is causing it to get so hot? It was like that since the first day i downloaded the game. It doesn’t move very slow, but it also isn’t very fast i’m in ok with the performance i guess. i’m so upset. This mac book was over $2000 and i can’t even play the sims on it without stressing and worrying and without the laptop being extremely hot. Please help !!! 

thank you in advance !

or can you tell me which of these fan options is that one that you told me should be 90 or less i believe the number you said was 90 right? I can always scroll up . but if you look at this picture my CPU digital core 1 went as high at 205 degrees just a few moments ago when i launched a saved sims game and as soon as i exited the game it started drecresing. it’s at 109 now. I won’t be playing the game anymore unfortunately until i figure this out ... which really sucks cause i have nothing better to do ☹️ am i able to return this laptop. i wonder what apples policy is. it’s been a month. i just don’t understand what i’m doing to cause it to get so hot by just playing the sims with the game plugged in as everyone else does . please advise . are these any other things i can do to lower the temperature beside cooling pad ? how much degrees does the cooling pad typically decrease from the laptop temperature anyway. you wanna know something . I kind of smell something burning . i think it’s this damn mac book! >:o

@Player_njlrsklo  You're looking at the temperatures in Fahrenheit.  Please switch to Celsius.  The CPU shouldn't get into the high 90s Celsius, and the other components should be cooler, with the possible exceptions of one or two motherboard sensors that I'm not sure would get picked up.

I don't know whether you can return this laptop or not, but while you wait for a cooling pad, try pointing a fan directly at your slightly elevated laptop (put books under the corners) while you play, and see what the temps look like.  The system should throttle performance before temperatures become immediately dangerous, although you wouldn't want to sustain CPU temps at or close to 100º C for too long.

Hi I am have been looking for a laptop to play Sims 4 and basic Microsoft office and internet browsing. I live in the UK and would be looking to spend from £500 to £800. 

I have been looking at the following laptops with research but I’m not sure if they meet the recommended criteria.

https://uk-store.acer.com/aspire-e-15-notebook-e5-575-red

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7296415

I would be open to any suggestions.

thanks 

@loneill293  The second laptop is better than the first one, but you could still do better for under £800.  An Nvidia 1650 graphics card will run Sims 4, all packs included, on ultra graphics settings, with some room to spare.  That may not quite be true by the time the game is out of development—we don't know how demanding future expansion packs will be—but at the very least, a 1650 should always be able to handle a mix of high and ultra settings.

I checked a few different sites, and these two are the cheapest options I saw, at £750.  The processors are equivlent, and they both have 8 GB memory.  The Asus has twice the storage, but the 256 GB drive in the Lenovo will still be able to accommodate all of Sims 4 and however much custom content you want to use, with plenty of room left over for documents, spreadsheets, etc.  If you're planning on handling multimedia presentations though, you may want the larger hard drive.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7318984

https://www.box.co.uk/81LK010TUK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2834990.html

If you really need a lot of storage, this Lenovo has a combination 256 GB solid state drive and 1 TB mechanical drive, which is more than enough for almost anyone.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7890017

If you're looking for something more portable, this laptop should run all Sims 4 content on high settings.  The MX350 is significantly slower than the 1650, but it's much faster than the integrated graphics chips in most laptops, including the ones you found.  This one is £700.

https://uk-store.acer.com/acer-aspire-5-laptop-a515-54g-silver-1

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

That is so helpful, thank you.

I just want to double check, would all of those laptops also be able to handle a few expansion packs?

@loneill293  Yes, when I said all Sims 4 content, I meant all current expansion, game, and stuff packs.  An Nvidia 1650 will run all... 32?... released packs together on ultra settings, and an MX350 should handle all current packs on high.

Thanks, would there be any laptops under £700 that would run sims 4 smoothly. I wouldn't really play any other games. 

Does it need to be a gaming laptop? 

Sorry for another message

@loneill293  You certainly don't need a gaming laptop.  Sims 4 will run on most systems that meet the minimum requirements, but running well is a different question.  The most important component in determining how the a computer can handle Sims 4 (and most other games) is the graphics card, and the graphics card in a gaming laptop is going to be faster than anything you'd find in a more mobile laptop, at least in this price range.  But like I said, the £700 Acer should still run Sims 4 on high settings, even with all packs installed.

For £700 or less, these two gaming laptops would also be fine:

https://www.box.co.uk/5YY93EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec0019na_2916989.html

https://www.box.co.uk/FX505DD-BQ121T-ASUS-FX505DD-BQ121T_2902781.html

The Nvidia 1050 is slower than the 1650, but it would still run all current Sims 4 packs together on ultra settings, albeit only barely.

In the non-gaming laptop category, the Acer is still the best one I've seen for £700 or less.  These two are also good options, but their MX250 is significantly slower than the MX350, so you might only be able to play on medium-high settings if you have all or most packs.  (As always, the fewer expansions you have installed, the higher your settings can be.)  The Lenovo is a bit cheaper; the Dell has a newer processor and more storage.

https://www.box.co.uk/81ND003QUK-Lenovo-ideaPad-S540-14_2893986.html

https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/laptops-notebooks-and-2-in-1-laptops/new-inspiron-15-5000/spd/inspiron-15-5590-laptop/cn55909

More questions are always fine.

ohhh wow celsius. ok that’s good to know so it was at 93 celsius at its highest point ok And now that i put the books it still makes noise but it deff isn’t as hot it’s at like 80 degrees celcius. So i guess i’m ok for now. except for the sound is kind of annoying. but there is nothing i can do about the fans sound right? Thank you!

@Player_njlrsklo  Yeah, the sound of the fans is kind of unavoidable.  The real problem would be if they weren't making noise.  I play with headphones, so I never notice how loud they get.

Running at 80º C while you play is pretty good, especially for a computer with an integrated graphics chip like yours.  You don't have to worry about excess heat, or that the system will throttle performance much either.