Laptop Recommendations?
@Coco2loco56 You can fit all your Sims games on a 256 GB drive if you don't download a massive amount of custom content, so 512 GB would be fine as long as you're not downloading several other large games too. I believe all these laptops would take a second hard drive, so you're not locked into that choice either.
The graphics card will be the limiting factor in determining how well Sims games run on all these laptops. Since you have the budget to do a lot better, I'd cross off the options with a 1650. The MSI GFxx laptops run somewhat loud and hot, nothing alarming but also not ideal, and there again you can afford better. Between the Legion and the Predator, the reviews are quite similar, but the Legion should win just because it's so much cheaper. Its processor also uses less power, which means it both runs cooler and doesn't use as much battery.
I understand the temptation to get a high-end model because you can afford it. But since you don't need anything faster than a 3060, the higher price isn't justified until you get into the premium tier: Razer, the better Gigabyte models (not the K5), the high-end Asus Zephyrus line, a few custom builders, that sort of thing. And even then, you'd likely only see a few percentage points of performance increase, which you wouldn't need with a 3060 anyway.
Plus, that's $500 you'll have saved for the next computer you want, whenever you want it. And that $500 won't put off that next upgrade either, at least not if you're looking at a 3060 either way. Besides, graphics cards are improving so quickly these days, there's not much point in trying to futureproof beyond three or four years.
