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emilyruthgeorge's avatar
emilyruthgeorge
5 years ago

Recommended MacBook Specs

Hi friends,

I am in the market for a new laptop and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on the best running computers for Apple.

I am a graduate student, and need Apple due to certain programs we use in my degree! PCs are not an option for me.

I’ll need a computer that has enough storage to properly run all my computer software, store my schoolwork (which can theoretically be put onto an external hard drive) and run the Sims 4 properly.

My current laptop is from my senior year of high school, and is a 2012 MacBook Pro. The computer has gotten slow and barely runs the Sims as is. It takes about 45 minutes for the game to fully load.

Sims is the only downloadable computer game I play, so my question is if it would be better to get a 256, 512, or 1TB hard drive? And how much memory should the computer have? 5 or 8 GB?

I would get an iMac which I know would have no issues running quickly and would have plenty of storage, but I need portability at the moment.


Thank you!

mac

2 Replies

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  • suzushka's avatar
    suzushka
    5 years ago

    Hi @emilyruthgeorge - glad you asked!  (:

    Actually, most Macs you buy new now have plenty of storage and memory.  For gaming, the limitations many Mac users encounter are related to the graphics card.  You want one with a dedicated gpu, which would be the 16" MacBook Pro.  By comparison, the 13" MacBook Pro model only has an integrated graphics card, so 16" is key. 

    Apple uses AMD Radeon brand dedicated gpu, so look for that in the specs. 

    You can save some $$ by buying a model that is recent but not the most current.  For example, I have a 2015 MacBook Pro with a dedicated Radeon gpu (and also an integrated Iris Pro card - it's ok if it has both), and it runs Sims 4 with all packs with no problem (and I've had it since 2016).  So you could go with a 2018 or 2019 16" model, no prob.  

    Hope that helps!  Let us know if you have more Qs as you shop.

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    5 years ago
    @emilyruthgeorge

    As you want an iMac I would recommend the 27". It has dedicated AMD graphics and you can upgrade the RAM yourself at a much cheaper price than Apple. Definitely go for the upgraded SSD, 512 GB should be fine.

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