Looking for a new laptop for Sims 3
@puzzlezaddict Hi there, I saw your post here about advice on getting a new computer, and after you fixed my Windows 7 issue, I valued your opinion lol.
I have an Alienware 17 laptop.. from 2014. ...
Forum Discussion
@adrianna456 That depends on your budget and your goals. But the most important detail is the graphics card, or the graphics chip that comes with the processor if you're getting a laptop with only integrated graphics.
For a gaming laptop, or at least one with a dedicated card, an RTX 3050 is more than sufficient for ultra graphics settings. A 4050 might not be much more expensive though, depending on your country, and it would give the laptop some room to absorb the game's inevitable fps drops, or for you to add something like ReShade without taking too much of a performance hit. I wouldn't bother upgrading beyond that unless you really want to play at a high resolution (at least 2560x1440), and even then, a laptop 4060 is as much power as the game could ever use.
Any processor paired with one of these GPUs will be far above what Sims 3 needs, and if you get 16 GB RAM and at least 512 GB storage, you won't have to worry on those fronts either.
If you're looking to keep the price down, or you want a lightweight laptop, high-end integrated graphics would still allow you to play on at least a combination of high and ultra settings. The thing is, there are lots of processors out there, and even ones from the same generation and seemingly equal can have different graphics chips, so it's difficult to neatly summarize what to look for. In that case, it's easier for me to get someone's budget and look around myself, or at least list the CPUs they should look for in that price range.
In both cases, the "best" option is the combination of power, price, build quality, and the user's preferences (screen size, weight, etc.), rather than there being a single right answer. And since inventory and prices vary so much from one country to the next, I'd need to know where you are located before making any suggestions.
@puzzlezaddict I’m in the United States. Thank you for the extensive info and considerations, making a note of it all. I would prefer a lighter laptop, the one I have now is 9lbs. I probably don’t need anything super advanced as I don’t plan to use it for much else other than sims. I do play sims medieval which I only access it using the disc (afraid to link it to EA, assumed I would lose access to it too). I’m assuming that’s not an option anymore so I would have to get an external disc drive. But anyway, I would like to stay in the $1500 and under range, but if that’s not realistic I’m flexible.
@adrianna456 Everything below assumes you'd want to pay more than is absolutely necessary, while staying under budget, for a laptop that's better than the basic gaming models in some way. If you'd prefer the cheapest good option, I can look for those too. But for $1,500, you can afford to be picky on several key points.
First, how light is "light" to you? Even your basic gaming laptops are typically in the range of 5-6 lbs these days, and some are under 4. For example:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/yoga/yoga-pro-series/yoga-pro-7-gen-9-14-inch-amd/83e30001us
The first one is much cheaper but also has an RTX 3050 rather than the 4060 in the other two. All three have bright, high-resolution screens, both details that are wonderful to have if not scrictly necessary. (The difference between 250 and 300 nits is significant, but it gets smaller as you go higher.) The 90 Hz refresh rate of the first is about right for a laptop with an RTX 3050, and the other two go higher. A high refresh rate—typically at least 120 Hz—is something you might never know you were missing until you experienced it. 90 Hz is still noticeably better than the standard 60.
The other important detail about these is they all have 14" screens, as most people looking for a lightweight laptop want something smaller. If that's a little too small for you, it's harder to find a truly lightweight 15-16" laptop, but you could still stay at 5 lbs and get a high-quality model with the other attributes above:
If none of these are what you want for any reason at all, let me know, and I can narrow down the search. There are a lot of good laptops out there if you're fine with an RTX 3050, or a 1920x1080 screen, or a ~5.5 lb weight.
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