Re: Re: Can I play Sims 4 on a Surface Laptop 3?

@JasonD716  You can certainly do better than the Surface for your budget, although the thin and light requirement does constrain things a bit.  There aren't many light laptops in this range with dedicated graphics cards, but even the high-end integrated graphics chips should still run the game on medium-high settings.  Then the question becomes whether you want to pay extra for a slightly lighter model or some other feature that matters to you.

The processors with the fastest integrated graphics chips available right now, at least in normal laptops with reasonable prices, are the Ryzen 7 4700U and the Intel i7-1165G7.  The graphics chip in the 4700U is a bit faster on average, but there's a lot of variation depending on the game involved, so I'm not sure which would be better specifically for Sims 4.  You could actually get one of these for $800, although most other options for both are a bit more expensive.  Since I don't know how thin and light you want your laptop to be, or how much storage you want, here are a few different examples:

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-5000-laptop-amd/spd/inspiron-15-5505-laptop/ni155000_sb_s103e

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-5000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5502-laptop/ni155000t_sb_5013dbe

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1912_1909&item_id=182956

https://www.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/thinkbook-series/ThinkBook-14-Gen-2-AMD/p/20VF004JUS

https://www.thesource.ca/en-ca/computers-tablets/laptops/all-laptops/asus-vivobook-flip-14-tm420ia-db71t-14%22-touchscreen-laptop-with-amd-ryzen-7-4700u%2c-512gb-ssd%2c-8gb-ram-windows-10-home/p/108092590

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/hp-15-6-laptop-natural-silver-intel-core-i5-1135g7-1tb-ssd-16gb-ram-windows-10/14960571

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-14-5000-2-in-1-laptop/spd/inspiron-14-5406-2-in-1-laptop/ni145406_sb_h5044be

This laptop has an entry-level dedicated graphics card, one that's not all that much faster in synthetic tests than the integrated chips in the laptops above.  But the advantage of a dedicated card is that it handles the graphics load separately from the processor, which will presumably have a moderate workload already while you're playing.  This laptop also has 16 GB RAM, which is convenient for multitasking if not strictly necessary.

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1912_1909&item_id=165763

This is a real gaming laptop, just thinner and lighter than most.  Its graphics card should be able to run all current Sims 4 packs together on ultra settings.

https://www.dell.com/en-ca/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-7000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7501-laptop/ni157501_sb_h014e

I know these are a lot of links, but there aren't really that many details to keep track of.  For the first list, the point is that the underlying hardware is essentially the same, other than a couple having a larger hard drive or more RAM.  So the important question there is which one you like the best.  Or if you want something a bit faster, take a look at the two with dedicated cards.

And feel free to keep asking questions as well.

@JasonD716  The only laptop on the list capable of running all Sims 4 packs on ultra settings is the last one I linked.  There are plenty of laptops in your price range that could handle ultra settings, but they're all bulkier, like you'd expect gaming laptops to be, so I didn't include those.  The second-to-last laptop should probably handle high settings without a problem, but ultra may be out of the question.

Which laptop is "best" depends on your priorities, as in, how small and light do you want it to be, would you like to save some money to get a cheaper option, are there other features that matter to you, etc.?  I can't tell you what matters to you, but if you tell me, I can let you know which laptops have those features.

@JasonD716  The first group of laptops might be able to run Sims 4 on high settings, but I wouldn't say it's guaranteed.  The settings you could use would depend on which expansions you installed, whether you added high poly (high-resolution) custom content and how much, other details relating to your playstyle, and other factors about the laptop itself.

As an example, all modern computer hardware will throttle performance to protect itself from overheating, but some laptops are tweaked to throttle at lower temperatures than others.  It's very difficult to be sure exactly how a given system will behave until you have it in front of you.  That's why I don't want to make promises a laptop might not be able to keep, especially when the laptop hardware is only borderline powerful enough for high settings under ideal conditions.

Not to complicate things further, but if you don't mind ordering from a store that ships from the U.S., this laptop has the same MX350 graphics card as the Asus Zenbook and is only slightly more expensive.

https://www.newegg.ca/slate-gray-lenovo-ideapad-slim-7-14iil-82a4000mus-mainstream/p/N82E16834645108

If you don't think any of these are quite what you want, you could always look again in a week or two.  Inventory turns over quickly, and prices change as well.

@JasonD716  There are no new laptops in your price range that can handle ultra graphics settings and have a 14" or smaller screen.  The closest is the Asus Zephyrus G14 model, but its cheapest configuration is more like $1,500-1,600 CAD under normal circumstances.  (If you really like it, you might be able to find one used for a lower price.)

The problem is, a fast graphics card is physically somewhat large, even in its laptop version, and powerful hardware requires powerful cooling.  So it's difficult to fit everything necessary into a small chassis.  That translates into a higher price for carefully engineered and arranged smaller components.  The issue doesn't exist with laptops that have integrated graphics chips, because the chip is part of the processor and not a separate component.  And it's not as pronounced with the MX-series graphics cards because they're specifically made to be smaller, with some compromises on speed as a result.

The Lenovo's i5 processor doesn't matter as much because the graphics card would be doing the graphics rendering, not the processor itself.  The i7 and Ryzen 7 are stronger, for sure, but the processing load of Sims 4 can easily be handled by an i5.  It's the graphics part that would be sensitive to the speed of the processor's graphics chip, but if the graphics chip isn't being used (as it wouldn't be with a dedicated card in place), it's a moot point.

@JasonD716  The Dell with the Nvidia 1650 would handle Sims 4 the best by virtue of having the 1650, which is much faster than an MX350, more than twice as fast (on average) in games.  But if the Dell isn't what you want for other reasons, you could still get a good play experience on other laptops.  It just depends on your priorities.  And that's why I'm not giving you an answer: your priorities are not for me to say.

@JasonD716  I didn't see any other lightweight-ish laptops with an Nvidia 1650 for under $1,250, regardless of color.  I wouldn't expect to see them either; like I said, it's more expensive to get a gaming laptop at the weight of an ultraportable model.  I know the Zephyrus G14 comes in a dark color as well as silver, but like I said, I think it's going to be more like $1,500-1,600 CAD, and other options the same or higher.

@JasonD716  I think high settings would work, but probably not ultra.  It's hard to say for sure because so much depends on your playstyle and what you consider acceptable framerates.  For example, more sims on the active lot, custom content on those sims, and more objects on the lot all increase the load the game is placing on the graphics card at that moment; with only a couple sims on a simply decorated lot, the MX350 might be able to handle ultra settings just fine.  But since an Nvidia 1650 (mobile) is more than twice as fast in gaming, on average, as an MX350, you'd definitely notice a difference at some point.

@JasonD716  Are you still looking for a lightweight laptop in the $1,200 CAD range?  I haven't seen anything new since you last posted, and prices have mostly been steady or even risen in the interim: the global shortage of graphics cards has made people desperate.  I can take another look, but I doubt there are more lightweight laptops with an Nvidia 1650 out there, and the ones with the (newer, faster) 3050 are both more expensive and mostly not available.