Laptop recommendations?

US Dollars? A laptop to run the entire game, meaning all EP/SPs and a solid dose of store content and CC, would tend to start at around $900 and go up from there. We can cut corners, look for sales, etc. and bring things down a bit, but in the under $500 range we would be talking about a class of machine that might be able to run the base game and maybe one or two of the earliest EPs on low to maybe medium graphics settings but even then it would be expected to struggle. Pets and Seasons practically demand a dedicated graphics card of sufficient strength and then a cooling system strong enough to be effective, IP and ITF would be just behind those two, and such features drive the price up considerably over a typical laptop meant for web browsing and light office/school types of tasks.

Desktops run cheaper than laptops generally, with the understanding that you would need a monitor. Would that be a viable way to proceed? Even then we would be hovering around the $700s for a machine that can handle the entire game again subject to sales and cutting corners here and there.

I'm just not comfortable recommending a laptop that I know is expected to have issues or only last for a short time with more than the base game and maybe one or two of WA, Ambitions, and Generations in play. Unless it is your expectation to not add more to the game than those. I also would never want to "push" players into putting themselves too far in debt or in danger of not being able to afford necessities like food, shelter, and other financial obligations thinking they have no choice if they wish to enjoy their games. Would an even cheaper, less capable laptop do temporarily on which to play TS2, if you have that game available to you, and while saving up for something stronger?

Refurbs and used computers can of course be cheaper, but it's always a gamble as to how well they will work and for how long. We can't really ever know why the previous owner gave them up, how hard they were used, or what the reason was for the refurb.

Here's a somewhat recycled rundown of the specs recommended (by us, not by EA) to run the entire game on a modern system.

"igazor;c-17128756" wrote:

Processor: For a desktop, an i5 quad core or higher, or the AMD equivalent, 2.4 GHz, the newer H-series processors that run at just under that are fine as they can turbo slightly to make up the difference and are designed to take the stress but a higher base speed will always be preferable. Avoid the U- and Y-series processors at all costs as they are meant for ultra-low power consumption, not continuous high speed processing.

RAM: At least 8 GB, if you want to be able to run other applications alongside of or while the game is paused then 12 or 16 GB. The game itself can only use just under 4 GB but Windows and other processes are going to claim a large amount for themselves.

Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 1050/1050Ti or higher within that series, the newer 1600 series, or the AMD equivalents. The also pretty new GT 1030s and MX 130s and 150s should be avoided, they are not strong enough within the range.

Hard Drive: At least 512 GB to work with comfortably, of course the game doesn't need all of that space but one assumes other uses for the computer. Solid Stated Drives (SSDs) are great, but ones large enough to carry Windows, the game, and other things (so over 256 GB) will drive the price up considerably. Very small SSDs (128 GB or less) are meant to carry Windows and system processes only, and will typically come with a second standard HDD that provides more space to work with -- in this case the games would need to be installed on the second drive and the Documents library shifted over at the Windows level.

Edit: This is about as low as I would dare to go for a new laptop. The 256 GB drive would be limiting, not as a matter of performance but more of a pain to keep enough space free for Windows and the game to maneuver. But the drive is a fast SSD and it's perhaps worth considering if you have a way to offload things like already installed downloaded content and saved games elsewhere.
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL63-8RCS-060-i5-8300H-GTX1050/dp/B07RMLHVYS/ref=pd_cp_147_2/139-1583085-1307728?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RMLHVYS&pd_rd_r=2e82d89e-89e9-433a-bee1-6ee73e38bcca&pd_rd_w=YKM4L&pd_rd_wg=UCVa7&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=PCH809CM4HQD8177EACM&psc=1&refRID=PCH809CM4HQD8177EACM
(The price I am seeing is currently $659, which is a great bargain for MSI laptops even on the lower end of their range. Others here with better developed shopping skills might be able to find similar models.)

The Asus looks like a solid build and there's one from that series on sale at Best Buy currently (wow, marked down from the $700s to $500) and perhaps elsewhere. The processor seems a bit borderline on speed to me, but I could be under-estimating its abilities...in fact, I probably am. The Lenovo L340 seems to be an entire product line so even narrowing them down to i5s doesn't really help me see which model(s) you are looking at.

The Office Depot special, that Lenovo L340, is a non-starter by comparison. It has no dedicated graphics card. Nice laptop for office/school use and it has a roomier hard drive, but that's about it. Office Depot is almost never a good place to shop for a computer for gaming, even if the game in question has some age to it.

Just to make sure we are talking about the same Asus model, this is the one I saw. If and when the much smaller (but SSD, so better for TS3) hard drive begins to be too limiting, you could put a larger SSD in it sometime in the future and a RAM upgrade, again maybe in the future, wouldn't hurt things either.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-fx505dd-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/6338249.p?skuId=6338249&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=DWA&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7rf7iOv85AIVGZSzCh129Q24EAYYASABEgLyMvD_BwE

Thanks for your help! I ordered the Asus from Best Buy and it should be arriving Friday!

@SouthernSim - If you're going to add more RAM to your new Asus later, I recommend that you do a thorough research first to avoid possible compatibility issues. Laptops can be veeery fussy and finicky when it comes to RAM upgrades. I have done it twice, on one Asus ROG gaming laptop and one Lenovo standard laptop, and it was definitely not as easy and straightforward as some people make it sound.

Yes, perhaps I should have phrased that to say something more like "have the RAM upgraded," meaning have Best Buy/the Geek Squad do it so you have coverage if something goes wrong. I'm not a tremendous fan of the Geek Squad generally, but adding things like RAM or hard drives to a laptop is a very different proposition than it is for a desktop that might be designed to be more accessible and modular. Regardless, I hope you enjoy your new laptop when it arrives and that it helps you enjoy your game again! :)

Ugh, that's disheartening. I don't have room in my home for a desktop at the moment. I had been running it on a Toshiba Satellite that's about 5 years old now, but it's cracked and they can't fix the charging port. I've been looking on Amazon, Best Buy, etc. Can't do much more than $500. $700 stretching ot severely. What specs would you recommend? Is it possible to get it for less refurbished? Thanks for your advice!

Thank you so much for the info! The specs are especially helpful since I've been getting random info all over the web. I know my Toahiba had been running everything with all ts3 packs just fine with some lagging, but if I'm getting something new, I would rather invest in better performance. I am definitely going to check out your link. I won't be homeless or anything if I go over budget, but we are in the process of trying to secure a home loan, thus trying to keep our debt to income ratio as low as possible. Thank you for your help!

So I've narrowed it down to an Asus FX505Dd gaming laptop with Ryzen 5, which is at the top of my budget, or a Lenovo L340 with an i5 processor. Both have 8gb memory. Do either of these sound doable?