Re: Good Windows Laptop for Sims 4?

Hi @puzzlezaddict Thank you so much for your help! 🙂

Thank you for your explanation on video cards! I'm not a super computer-y person, so something that explains the basics would be good for me (but only if you have time!)

Also, I like the sound of that first laptop (Dell Inspiration 15 7000). Though it's video card isn't as "powerful" as the second laptop's, it's more than enough for the Sims 4, Stardew Valley, and Octopath Traveller (I checked out their recommended specs).

However, I have no brand preference. My family had a Dell desktop growing up, so that's all I know much about. All I really know is that I'm not a fan of ThinkPad laptops. Are there computers like Dells that you suggested?

Thanks again! 🙂

@Lyoufln  There are plenty of very good laptops available in your price range, so you have a lot of options, in fact too many to properly summarize.  What makes things more complicated is that you want a quality trackpad.  There aren't many gaming laptops with good trackpads, and even among the better ones, two models that should have the same trackpad can be evaluated quite differently.  And none of them are going to compare with a Mac's trackpad.  The only Windows laptops that come close are the Microsoft Surface line, but to get a Surface with a gaming graphics card, you'd probably need to spend well over $2,000.

Overall though, there are some trends.  MSI and HP laptops generally have lower quality trackpads, Asus models are a bit better, and Lenovo a bit better than that.  With Dell, it depends on the model; the G-series laptops rate lower than the others.  The Acer Predator line has a great one, but there are other reasons you might not want one: battery life is bad, the display isn't as good as the one on some other models, and application performance is pretty mediocre for the hardware.  On the other hand, you have the budget to get an overpowered laptop for Sims 4, so maybe you don't care about giving up a fraction of the ideal performance.  And you'd always want to play with the laptop plugged in anyway.

Point is, you'll need to decide what your priorities are and go from there.  As a couple of examples, these two laptops are both highly rated overall for different reasons, they're both well within your budget, and they're both reasonable choices.  But neither has an excellent trackpad.

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1920_1923&item_id=173777

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-tuf-15-6-gaming-laptop-fortress-grey-amd-ryzen-7-4800h-512gb-ssd-16gb-ram-geforce-gtx-1660ti/14584169

This is a high-end laptop, again not with an outstanding trackpad, but an example of one that's very highly rated on other metrics.

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1920_1924&item_id=163579

I'm happy to keep looking, once I have a better idea of what you want.

As for guides that explain graphics cards, most of the ones I found are geared towards desktop cards and have a lot of irrelevant info.  This one is a couple years old, but it's a good place to start:

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/gpu-comparison

At the very least, it should get you oriented.  If you have more questions, or want something more technical, feel free to ask.

Edit:  Actually, take a look at this one:

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_1925_1920_1923&item_id=168421

and some info about it:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/ADATA-debuts-its-first-XPG-XENIA-gaming-laptop-but-we-already-reviewed-the-system-last-year.462121.0.html

It apparently has the same chassis, including the trackpad, as this model:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Schenker-XMG-Fusion-15-in-Review-Intel-s-reference-design-challenges-the-competition.435952.0.html