Best Computer Setup for Jam Packed Sims 2026

When I was doing research for a new computer and what components to use, I looked at the set ups of some of my my favorite streamers on Twitch. A lot of them get asked questions about their set ups and have their specs, software tools, and auxiliary devices listed in their About section on Twitch.

I built my computer almost 5 years ago, it's not showing signs of running slow or being outdated, but there's definitely newer and better options available now like you mentioned. It's older than what you're finding from 4 years ago however I can share the specs if you're interested.

This doesn't fully answer your question, but hope it helps!

Miellasmamaxo​  What's your budget here, and do you want a laptop or desktop?  If a desktop, does the budget include a monitor, or do you already have one or would you buy it separately?  And for a desktop, would you buy an entire computer or build it yourself.

Sims 4 doesn't need and can't really use all the power of a high-end gaming system.  But it does benefit from a bit more power than you'd see in an entry-level gaming computer, at least if your goal is ultra settings and performance as good as you can possibly get from the game engine.  So if you let me know what you're interested in buying or building, I can give you an idea of what to look for, or list some specific recommendations if you prefer.

As far as budget is concerned, cost varies by country of course, but you likely wouldn't get any real benefit from going above the equivalent of about $1,200-1,400 U.S. at most.  Depending on what's currently available, you might not need to spend even that much to max out performance.

However, if "future games" includes new AAA games that might be significantly more demanding, that's a whole different conversation.  I don't mean Sims 5 so much as the next big hit like Baldur's Gate 3, although it is of course difficult to predict how demanding a game might be when it doesn't exist yet.

I would say my budget would fall into the range you listed, max $1700 for a computer/monitor (either a double monitor or a larger one). I'll also have to find a desk and chair that is not included in the $1700 budget,  but if you have suggestions for that I would love to hear. I am looking for a desktop that has the capabilities for ultra settings/performance/graphics (as good as you can get as you mentioned), and my dad has the capabilities of building computers so I am open to both options of building or not building.. however I don't want to burden him with building a computer. He did said if building one is significantly cheaper he is more than willing. "Future games" would just be future Sims expansions and franchises! I hope that helps, and thank you for your help!!

Researching other users and their set up isn't something I thought of, that is a great idea! Thank you for that! I'll go do that now.

And I would actually love to hear your specs, the more information the better! 

Thank you for your help!

Miellasmamaxo​  Keep in mind that streaming setups need to be overpowered compared to what the game requires without a streaming component, since that also takes GPU and/or CPU power, depending on exactly how the player is streaming.  So you might hear that you "need" a certain setup when it's not actually what you're looking for.

Photo and video editing would be done outside the game, or at least not when you're also trying to play.  Video capture takes extra resources too, but not nearly at the level of streaming.  And you don't need any special equipment to do either one, other than maybe some extra storage space.  There are free tools available that will work on any Windows machine that isn't totally overwhelmed by the load.

Is this budget in U.S. dollars or something else?  In this price range, it's likely that you wouldn't save any money by building the system yourself, although you might want to buy a standalone secondary drive and have your dad install that.  (It's very simple and would only take a few minutes, not like building the whole PC.)  The reason to build anyway, other than that's what some people like to do, is that you can customize the setup in a way that you simply might not see in prebuilt computers, for example some people need a high-end CPU for professional loads but would be fine with a mid-tier GPU.  It sounds like that's not a particular concern for you though.

As far as the desk and chair go, I don't have any suggestions.  The desk is relatively simple: get something sturdy that you don't mind looking at and that doesn't have any supports or protrusions that would be in your way.  For the chair, test in person and sit on what you're considering.  Even the most expensive and over-engineered chairs don't feel good to everyone.

You might find a deal on either or both from a business in your area that's moving or closing, so keep an eye out for postings to that effect.  These people generally want to get something for the excess inventory and quickly, and showing up with cash on the same day gets you a lot of consideration on the price.

I'll get back to you when I have time to do more research, which should be within a day.

As for my setup, it's overpowered for Sims 4, but I will say that I never had any trouble pushing 160-170 fps even on an RTX 2070 and at a 1440p resolution... unless the weather was bad, in which case the framerates could drop into the 100 range.  The card wasn't close to maxed out either, in fact half the time it wasn't even running at its maximum clock rate.  That was years ago though; I haven't tested that card since maybe 2021, but Sims 4 hasn't gotten much more demanding on the GPU since then.  Point is, for the game itself, almost any desktop gaming-tier card from the last few years is more than fine.