Which CyberPower Desktop Sims 4

@sweetgraace  For under $1,000, you could get a computer that would run all Sims 4 packs, plus plenty of custom content, on ultra graphics settings.  Even if you're okay with medium-high settings, the upgrade to ultra settings doesn't cost much more, especially if you're looking at Cyberpower systems.  You also don't need 16 GB RAM for gameplay, although it's nice to have for other reasons.

As examples, these three are prebuilt models with free shipping.  The first, at $659 before tax, is still good enough for ultra graphics now and in all likelihood for the entire development of Sims 4.  The second, $739, is almost the same, except it has a much stronger processor, one that should still be good enough for whatever you had in mind in four to five years.  As a practical matter, it means you could swap out the graphics card for something better when you needed it (or have a shop do it for you), and you'd get a new computer's performance level for less than half the price.  The third is overkill for Sims 4, but it's a good price ($900) for the hardware.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gaming-Instant-Ship-GM-9919

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gaming-Instant-Ship-GM-9949

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Gaming-Instant-Ship-GM-99507

Among these, only the third has 16 GB RAM, although it would be simple and inexpensive to upgrade the 8 GB in the first two.  (Open the case, read the serial number off the existing RAM stick, order a matching one on Amazon for $40, click it into the slot.)

If you wanted to pick your own components, the price would be a bit higher for the same hardware.  For example, the second system above, except with 16 GB memory, plus a couple other minor tweaks, and extra storage because it's almost free, would cost something like $866 if you ordered today.  This is the first good base to work with I saw, after a few minutes of clicking around:

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1M6WPN

(I can look for cheaper configurations, but this is probably close to the cheapest.)  However, if you ordered when a component you wanted was on sale for the day, the price might come down.  Today it's a $50 AmEx gift card, if that's your thing.

Point is, you can afford a few upgrades that aren't strictly necessary but might be nice to have in the long run.  The question is what's worth the money to you.

Edit:  Just kidding, I found one that's $804 with the same configuration as the custom on above, partly because the memory upgrade to 16 GB is free "today only."  (I wonder.)  The motherboard is not as good but should still be fine, especially if you're not thinking about doing any serious building on your own.

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1M6WQR

@puzzlezaddict Thank you so much for your response! Thank you for sharing your time, I really appreciate you.

Seeing that there are viable options in the $650 to $800 range, I definitely want to stay in that now. I looked through the ones your shared and the middle option for $739 stuck out to me.

A couple follow-up questions. I did google a little more and on the sims forum people were recommending upgrading to the 16GB RAM but you shared 8GB would be sufficient. Currently on my MAC I have 16GB. I feel more comfortable going with a 16GB RAM but it may just be my feeling and not substantiated with computer knowledge. Why do you recommend staying with 8GB?

Are there pros and * to Nvidia vs Radeon?

I have zero clue what I'm reading when reading about the motherboard. Are the ones included in the ready to ship options good ones?

Lastly, do you recommend looking into / buying another desktop computers other than Cyberpower? 

Thank you so much!

In God's grace.

@sweetgraace  I wouldn't say I recommend staying at 8 GB—after all, 16 GB is nice to have.  I'm just saying it's not strictly necessary.  Windows is generally better with memory management than macOS, at least if you disable all the apps on startup that would otherwise be running.  (This involves a couple of clicks to get to the right settings and just turning off everything; you can always open the apps you want manually.)  If you're playing Sims 4 and not doing much else at the same time, 8 GB is more than enough.

The other point is that depending on the configuration you want, it might be cheaper to get a system with 8 GB and install another 8 GB yourself.  Paying $40 and clicking a RAM stick into a slot might be more appealing than paying $100 for a system that already has that extra memory installed.  And you can add more RAM whenever you want.

Between Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, the better choice depends on what people want to play.  Nvidia has better driver support: when a new popular game is released, you can expect an optimized driver for it within a week or two as a hotfix, and stable drivers are released about once a month.  With AMD, it's more like once a month and once every three months, respectively.  But if you're only playing Sims 4, you won't care about that.

AMD cards are cheaper, or at least the ones you'd need to run Sims 4 on ultra settings are cheaper; the newest generation is a bit more expensive.  If you want to futureproof your computer a bit, you could pay significantly more for a better card than Sims 4 would ever need.  But the nice thing about getting quality components overall is that you could upgrade the graphics card in a few years without having to change anything else.  So if Sims 5 is more demanding than Sims 4, or a new game catches your eye, you wouldn't need an entirely new computer.  On the other hand, you wouldn't need to pay now for graphics power you'll only need later, and you wouldn't need to correctly guess how much power you'd need either, or overpay to be on the safe side.

The motherboards on the CyberpowerPC site are all of at least good quality.  The company doesn't sell the cheap low-end models that don't get BIOS updates and turn out not to support newer hardware.  The question becomes whether you want a board that's good enough, or one that has extra features you might want in a few years.

There are certainly plenty of other companies that make good gaming computers in the price range you're considering.  You could also get a Cyberpower system from Amazon or Best Buy, if you're more comfortable with their return policies.  The difference is you wouldn't be able to choose exactly the configuration you wanted; you'd have to take what was offered.  I can look for other options, but it would be easier if I knew exactly what you wanted, for example 8 vs. 16 GB RAM, and what category of graphics card.

By the way, I looked at the site again for someone else and saw yet another configuration that might work for you.  It's $750 (with free shipping) for 8 GB RAM right now, or $790 for 16 GB, because the free giveaway isn't necessarily something you'd want.  But you could buy on a day when a memory upgrade to 16 GB is the free offer, which I think happens once or twice a week.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Work-From-Home-Special-II

Hi. I have a hp pavillon almost 10 yrs old. Looking to upgrade. I was also looking into the cyberpower. I play the sims2 sims3 and sims 4 all expansion packs and stuff packs and CC. I also play cities skyline and is looking to play planet zoo.  I also use my desktop for work and save alot of files.

I was thinking of getting 16GB and nvidia 

@megsadams911  For Planet Zoo, a high-end Nvidia graphics card will help a lot, although you could still play on a mid-range card from either Nvidia or AMD.  And 16 GB memory is great for a lot of reasons, including running the non-Sims games you play.

I take it you're in the U.S.?  I can help you pick out components, if you want.  Just let me know how much you'd like to spend, as well as how much storage (more or less) you'd like.