Re: Can I play Sims 4 on a Surface Laptop 3?

@JasonD716  There are no new laptops in your price range that can handle ultra graphics settings and have a 14" or smaller screen.  The closest is the Asus Zephyrus G14 model, but its cheapest configuration is more like $1,500-1,600 CAD under normal circumstances.  (If you really like it, you might be able to find one used for a lower price.)

The problem is, a fast graphics card is physically somewhat large, even in its laptop version, and powerful hardware requires powerful cooling.  So it's difficult to fit everything necessary into a small chassis.  That translates into a higher price for carefully engineered and arranged smaller components.  The issue doesn't exist with laptops that have integrated graphics chips, because the chip is part of the processor and not a separate component.  And it's not as pronounced with the MX-series graphics cards because they're specifically made to be smaller, with some compromises on speed as a result.

The Lenovo's i5 processor doesn't matter as much because the graphics card would be doing the graphics rendering, not the processor itself.  The i7 and Ryzen 7 are stronger, for sure, but the processing load of Sims 4 can easily be handled by an i5.  It's the graphics part that would be sensitive to the speed of the processor's graphics chip, but if the graphics chip isn't being used (as it wouldn't be with a dedicated card in place), it's a moot point.