I have absolutely no idea about PC's when it comes to gaming but I'm hoping to find an affordable PC and monitor to be able to play the Sims 4 at good graphics and run smoothly with all packs, mods, and CC that I have. I currently use a 2019 Macbook Pro and it cannot handle my game. It constantly crashes, freezes, and overheats to concerning levels. Any advice and recommendations is highly appreciated, thank you!
@mrsalynn A 2019 MacBook Pro shouldn't have that much trouble running Sims 4, regardless of its specs. If you'd like help troubleshooting that issue, please ask in the Mac section:
https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-Mac/bd-p/The-Sims-Mac
If you'd rather get a gaming system though, I can link you a few good options. Or, if you prefer, I can list out the specs you should look for. Either way, please list your budget and country, so I have an idea of what you'd be able to get for that price.
@mrsalynn There aren't many great options for $600, although if your total budge is $950, you could spend a bit more and save on the monitor. There are good monitor options in the $100-150 range, especially if you're fine with a 1920x1080 screen. For the desktop itself, this is the cheapest good option I found, at $600:
Its processor isn't that strong, but it's still good enough for Sims 4; its graphics card should run the entire game on ultra settings.
This one is $650 and has a significantly stronger processor, but a somewhat slower graphics card. The Nvidia 1650 is still capable of maintaining ultra graphics settings though. The major disadvantage of this option is that it only has a slow mechanical hard drive, so everything from Windows to Sims 4 would load more slowly. The game would run the same once loaded though.
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-pavilion-gaming-desktop-tg01-0170m-7bb49av-1
These two are $750 and have similar specs. The Nvidia 1650 Super is a bit faster than the AMD RX 580; the Ryzen 5 3600 is a bit faster (in gaming) than the Intel i5-9400F. They're both excellent systems. The quality of iBuyPower builds isn't always great, but that's why you get it from Best Buy and not online.
As for monitors, there are too many options to list without knowing your preferences. These two are cheap and good quality though. IPS is the best category in terms of color, and both Asus and Dell make high quality monitors. The 75 Hz refresh rate of the Asus would make a difference to some people, but not to others; your Apple screen is 60 Hz.
https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VA24EHE-Monitor-1920x1080-D-Sub/dp/B07Z8TC28F/
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-SE2419Hx-23-8-1920x1080-Monitor/dp/B07HKV5RLG/
Let me know what you'd like in a monitor, and I can look more. You probably won't find many options from good manufacturers that are cheaper than these though.
@mrsalynn Then you probably want an IPS monitor, or at least VA (just not TN). The first question is size, and then once you know the size, you'll have an idea of what resolutions are available. For example, it's hard to find a monitor in the 21-23" range with a higher resolution than 1920x1080, but there are are some options in the 27" range. Of course, those are more expensive.
Under normal circumstances, it would be a good idea for you to go to a physical store that sells monitors and have a look. If you can find a Best Buy that's open and will let you in, that would be a good place to start. You'd get a sense of what size and resolution you wanted, plus which brands of monitors you like looking at. For example, I personally don't like the colors on a Dell or Acer monitor, but other people prefer them over Asus or Samsung, even though all of the manufacturers make the same quality screens.
If you can't get to a store, think about the monitors you've seen recently, like ones owned by friends or family, and what you thought of them. You can ask what brand and type they are, and then you'd know what to look for or what to avoid.
