Will This Computer Play The Sims 3?
This is for my friend who wants to buy a laptop to play The Sims 3 at medium-high settings. Will it run? https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-thinkpad-2-in-1-14-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-...
Forum Discussion
@riccardouga I'm not sure what else you have planned for this computer, but I can provide a bit of information on Sims games. From all indications, and due to how it's programmed, Sims 4 will never need anything stronger than an Nvidia 1060 6 GB, even on ultra settings. It might be fine with the 3 GB version, but that's not clear. Sims 4 will be in development for at least a couple more years, and then there will certainly be a gap before Sims 5 shows up, if it ever does. So if there is a Sims 5, it's at least 3-4 years away.
Even then, if the base game is anything like the previous two, its requirements will be relatively low. The more demanding packs will be at least another year or two away. At that point, even if you take great care of this laptop, you'll probably be looking for a new one. And the graphics cards themselves will have advanced significantly in that time. So there's really not much point in trying to futureproof for a game that's years away from existing, and may have features that none of the current cards can handle.
Having said that, you may want a stronger card for other reasons. The next card up from the 1060 is the 1660 ti. After that comes the 1070; a 2060 is equal to or better than a 1070, depending on the game. The 2060 is definitely the better choice for newer games, as the architecture of the 20-series cards was updated to support features that the 10-series cards can't run. None of this has anything to do with Sims games, but if you were wondering about graphics cards, that's the short answer.
Having said that, if you do want a 1070, this one you found would be an excellent option at that price, if it weren't sold out. But for €1750, you could get a laptop with a 2060 and the same processor and RAM. Its only drawback is that its SSD is smaller, but at least its HDD is of the faster 7200 RPM variety:
https://www.amazon.it/MSI-8SE-012IT-Notebook-Gaming-Nvidia/dp/B07N9HLT5R
It would take an additional €100 to get a 1 TB hybrid drive (SSHD), which is a little slower than a regular SSD:
https://www.amazon.it/Asus-GL704GV-EV013T-notebook-i7-8750H-FireCuda/dp/B07P9DSWS1
For reference, this is the same computer as above, but with a 1060 6 GB:
https://www.amazon.it/Asus-GL704GM-EV001T-Gl704gm-ev001t-8750h/dp/B07N6MNHRG
This is the best price (€2149) I saw for a laptop with a 2070:
https://eshop.asus.com/it-IT/gaming/serie-rog/notebook/asus-notebook-rog-scar-ii-gl504gw-es006t-windows-10-home-15-6-fhd-ips-144-hz-processore-intelr-coretm-i7-8750h-16gb-ram-1tb-hdd-128-ssd.html
The reason I was recommending the company that does custom builds is that you'd be able to get exactly what you wanted instead of compromising on the hard drive or graphics card. I understand that custom builds can sound like a risk, but this company offers a two year warranty, which is the same as or better than most manufacturers. I looked at the site again (because I really can't help myself) and saw that you could get an i7-8750H, a 2060, 16 GB RAM, a quality 1 TB SSD, and a 17" screen for €1882. Getting a 2070 instead would cost an extra €200; upgrading the processor to the newer 9750H would cost €90. (You could also add more storage, in several different configurations.)
Anyway, the point is, with your budget, you should be able to get exactly what you want. Once you pick the graphics card, it's pretty easy to find good options. The only thing I can't tell you is whether the other stores you've been browsing have good reputations, since I can't read reviews in Italian. But buying from Amazon, or directly from Asus, would be fine.
Even then, if the base game is anything like the previous two, its requirements will be relatively low. The more demanding packs will be at least another year or two away. At that point, even if you take great care of this laptop, you'll probably be looking for a new one. And the graphics cards themselves will have advanced significantly in that time. So there's really not much point in trying to futureproof for a game that's years away from existing, and may have features that none of the current cards can handle.
Having said that, you may want a stronger card for other reasons. The next card up from the 1060 is the 1660 ti. After that comes the 1070; a 2060 is equal to or better than a 1070, depending on the game. The 2060 is definitely the better choice for newer games, as the architecture of the 20-series cards was updated to support features that the 10-series cards can't run. None of this has anything to do with Sims games, but if you were wondering about graphics cards, that's the short answer.
Having said that, if you do want a 1070, this one you found would be an excellent option at that price, if it weren't sold out. But for €1750, you could get a laptop with a 2060 and the same processor and RAM. Its only drawback is that its SSD is smaller, but at least its HDD is of the faster 7200 RPM variety:
https://www.amazon.it/MSI-8SE-012IT-Notebook-Gaming-Nvidia/dp/B07N9HLT5R
It would take an additional €100 to get a 1 TB hybrid drive (SSHD), which is a little slower than a regular SSD:
https://www.amazon.it/Asus-GL704GV-EV013T-notebook-i7-8750H-FireCuda/dp/B07P9DSWS1
For reference, this is the same computer as above, but with a 1060 6 GB:
https://www.amazon.it/Asus-GL704GM-EV001T-Gl704gm-ev001t-8750h/dp/B07N6MNHRG
This is the best price (€2149) I saw for a laptop with a 2070:
https://eshop.asus.com/it-IT/gaming/serie-rog/notebook/asus-notebook-rog-scar-ii-gl504gw-es006t-windows-10-home-15-6-fhd-ips-144-hz-processore-intelr-coretm-i7-8750h-16gb-ram-1tb-hdd-128-ssd.html
The reason I was recommending the company that does custom builds is that you'd be able to get exactly what you wanted instead of compromising on the hard drive or graphics card. I understand that custom builds can sound like a risk, but this company offers a two year warranty, which is the same as or better than most manufacturers. I looked at the site again (because I really can't help myself) and saw that you could get an i7-8750H, a 2060, 16 GB RAM, a quality 1 TB SSD, and a 17" screen for €1882. Getting a 2070 instead would cost an extra €200; upgrading the processor to the newer 9750H would cost €90. (You could also add more storage, in several different configurations.)
Anyway, the point is, with your budget, you should be able to get exactly what you want. Once you pick the graphics card, it's pretty easy to find good options. The only thing I can't tell you is whether the other stores you've been browsing have good reputations, since I can't read reviews in Italian. But buying from Amazon, or directly from Asus, would be fine.
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