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bondzie_j's avatar
bondzie_j
6 years ago
Solved

The Sims 4 Laptop Recommedations UK

Hello 

Can anyone help at all? I do not understand the system requirements and what is classed as 'or better' at all. I've been trying to read up but cant get my head around it. I've searched on Amazon and Currys online for a suitable laptop that will also play the sims 4.

I have searched gaming laptops but they are pricey - this will predominantly be used for home admin and occasional sims 4 use. So I dont expect I need an actual gaming laptop.

Ideally I wanted to spend around £300-400 is this feasible? I'd not I could stretch a bit. Can anyone give me a few links/recommendations of good value laptops that will meet the sims 4 recommedations? Ideally Amazon or retailer if not.

Thanks!

gameplay issue
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    6 years ago

    @bondzie_j  The one you just found has the same hardware as the others, except for the larger SSD.  If you want the storage, paying the extra £40-50 is a reasonable deal—whatever you install internally will run faster than if it was on an external drive.  This doesn't really matter for photos, music, etc. because although it will take longer to write to an external, it will play back the same either way.  But for most apps (games and otherwise), they'll load significantly faster from an internal SSD.

    As for the 1 TB HDD, yes, Sims 4 would load more slowly.  Live gameplay would be the same though.  I linked that model because I wasn't sure whether 256 GB was enough storage for you.  But 512 GB is enough for most people, so if you want the extra storage, that's the best option.

    The performance in the £480 Lenovo V330 would probably only be marginally better.  It's difficult to tell though, because how the two cards perform relative to each other in benchmarks varies depending on the test.  So I would guess you wouldn't get much out of this upgrade, but it's difficult to say for sure.  Besides, if £400 is already stretching your budget, then it's probably not close to worth the extra money.

4 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @bondzie_j  There are a few different categories of laptop to consider.  Sims 4 (and almost all modern games) run much better on at least a mid-range dedicated graphics card, which will be significantly faster than the best integrated cards.  In between, there are some low-end dedicated cards.  While other specs matter, they're a lot simpler.  You need at least 8 GB RAM and enough storage—256 GB is doable if you're only installing Sims 4 and small apps like browsers, but you'd want more if you were planning to play other large games.  Almost any decent dedicated graphics card will come with a processor that's good enough, and the best integrated cards are integrated into at least decent processors.  So it's usually easiest to look at the card first and then check the other specs afterwards.

    Within your preferred budget, you won't be able to find a new laptop with a dedicated card.  The best available integrated card in that price range is the AMD R8, which would handle Sims 4, all packs included, on at least medium settings.  If you had fewer expansion packs or didn't mind your in-game framerates being a bit lower, you might be able to run the game on high settings, but it would be easy enough to experiment.

    I looked at a number of U.K. sites, and laptops with an R8, 8 GB RAM, and at least 256 GB storage start at £350.  The equivalent Amazon models, or at least the ones from Amazon itself rather than a third-party vendor are more expensive—the cheapest I saw was £400.  (Currys was even more expensive).

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-VivoBook-X512DA-R5-3500-Windows/dp/B07SHT8C3D/

    For comparison, these are equivalent models from other sites.  The first group has a 256 GB solid state drive.

    https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/lenovo-v155-15api-amd-ryzen-5-3500u-8gb-256gb-ssd-15.6-inch-radeon-vega-8-w-81v50008uk/version.asp

    https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/hp-255-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-256gb-ssd-15.6-inch-windows-10-home-laptop-8ab98es/version.asp

    https://www.laptopoutlet.co.uk/hp-255-g7-15-6-full-hd-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-2500u-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-windows-10-8ab98es-abu.html?___SID=U

    (the second and third are the same model)

    https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3068984

    This one a 1 TB mechanical drive.  Windows will run faster, and apps will load faster, on an SSD, although most apps, Sims 4 included, will run just fine on any drive once loaded.  But if you need more storage, the larger drive might be a better option.

    https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/acer-aspire-3-amd-ryzen-5-2500u-8gb-1tb-amd-radeon-vega-8-15.6-inch-windows-nx.gy9ek.009/version.asp

    Laptops with a mid-range dedicated card usually start over  £700, although these two are £600:

    https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-fx505dy-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-rx-560x-256-gb-ssd-10194549-pdt.html

    https://www.box.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-ec0001na_2788805.html

    There aren't a lof of options with low-end dedicated cards, at least not for cheaper than £600.  This is the only good one I found that's significantly cheaper:

    https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/lenovo-v330-15ikb-core-i5-8250u-8gb-256gb-ssd-15.6-inch-windows-10-home-la-81ax011muk/version.asp

    Its performance would be a bit better than the laptops with an AMD R8, but maybe not £100 better.  Still, it's a viable option.

    If you have other questions, or want to see different options, feel free to ask.

  • bondzie_j's avatar
    bondzie_j
    6 years ago
    @puzzlezaddict This is so helpful thank you!!

    So the extra amount for the Lenovo v330 is likely not worth it is that correct?

    I have narrowed down to the Lenovo v155 which seems to have better reviews than the other I had narrowed down to the Acer aspire 3 with the extra storage. It seems from reviews that the HDD does make it slower. So I'm also comparing the the Lenovo idealpad you suggested which seems similar to the v155.

    Odd question as I had assumed all new laptops have it - but do all laptops have an sd/memory card reader. It notes it for the ideal pad but it doesnt for the v155 and I would like to use that for my camera/photos occasionally.

    And you feel both of these would run the sims okay? I'm clueless with the processors and graphics cards. To be honest it is going to be occasional use and home admin (I cant believe the cost of office 365 price now either!)

    Sorry I havent bought a laptop dor 12 years! And have been using a work laptop since that one died! I have no clue!
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    6 years ago

    @bondzie_j  The one you just found has the same hardware as the others, except for the larger SSD.  If you want the storage, paying the extra £40-50 is a reasonable deal—whatever you install internally will run faster than if it was on an external drive.  This doesn't really matter for photos, music, etc. because although it will take longer to write to an external, it will play back the same either way.  But for most apps (games and otherwise), they'll load significantly faster from an internal SSD.

    As for the 1 TB HDD, yes, Sims 4 would load more slowly.  Live gameplay would be the same though.  I linked that model because I wasn't sure whether 256 GB was enough storage for you.  But 512 GB is enough for most people, so if you want the extra storage, that's the best option.

    The performance in the £480 Lenovo V330 would probably only be marginally better.  It's difficult to tell though, because how the two cards perform relative to each other in benchmarks varies depending on the test.  So I would guess you wouldn't get much out of this upgrade, but it's difficult to say for sure.  Besides, if £400 is already stretching your budget, then it's probably not close to worth the extra money.

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