A laptop to run TS4 with all packs at moderate/high graphics

EffyApples​  Do you have any other preferences for this laptop?  You don't need to spend even £1,000 to get a computer that would run all current Sims 4 content on ultra graphics settings with a lot of room to spare.  For example, this one is £800 and has a graphics card (RTX 5050) that's generally at least twice as fast as one (the RTX 3050) we know can handle ultra settings without a problem:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7806908?clickPR=plp:7:42

Most laptops under £1,000 don't have quite so fast a GPU, but there are still plenty that are a lot faster than an RTX 3050.  So you could be picky about other details—screen size, weight, aesthetics, whatever—and still get what you want.

puzzlezaddict​ Interesting! All of the suggestions I’d seen on Reddit were ~£1500. 

If I was to go with one that has that graphics card, what other specs should it also have to handle TS4 as I’ve described? I’d love to not have the need for an external hard drive! I had been using iCloud for a lot of stuff on my MacBook. 

EffyApples​  With a gaming laptop, you mostly don't need to worry about the other specs.  The graphics card is the most expensive component, so manufacturers are going to pair it with other hardware that can more than keep up—no one wants to spend a lot of money on the GPU only to have it held back by some other component.  (This is not true for every game, as some put most of the load on the CPU, but Sims 4 is not one of those games.)

I would definitely avoid a laptop with only 8 GB RAM.  While it's not fatal, you can afford better, and having at least 16 GB is a quality-of-life improvement in general.  More than that doesn't make a difference at present and never will for Sims 4.  If you find you need more later, it's an easy upgrade, and usually cheap; RAM prices are extremely high right now, but this is an outlier.

If all you're going to install on this computer, aside from small apps like browsers, is Sims 4, then a 500 GB drive is more than enough.  The game itself is about 70 GB at present, and saves are relatively small.  Windows is in the 20-25 GB range.  You could have a 300 GB collection of custom content and still not fill up the drive, and that much cc would be almost impossible to manage, not to mention drag loading times down past what most people would want to put up with.  If you do want more storage though, I can look for systems with a 1 TB drive.  There aren't as many in this price tier, but they do exist.

puzzlezaddict​ Thanks so much for such a detailed reply! I’ll have to have a look around, you’ve definitely saved me a lot of hassle and money. If I can find a 1 TB drive laptop I might still go for it as I already have a lot of iCloud files (4+ years of university work, crochet pattern PDFs) and will have a lot more when I start uni again in September. I want this laptop to last me so storage would be a component of that.

Thanks again!

EffyApples​  When you're ready to buy (as in, click the button), feel free to post a link for a second opinion.  Or I can try to find something for you if you prefer.  Just let me know what you'd like to do.  Keep in mind though that prices can change quickly, so the perfect laptop right now might be a lot more expensive, or not available at all, even a few weeks later.

puzzlezaddict​ A friend recommended this- 

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-nitro-v15-15.6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-rtx-5060-512-gb-ssd-10285550.html

What would be the differences between the two, if any? I also said I’d maybe possibly like to play games like hogwarts legacy or baldurs gate 3, and he said it would run them at low graphics. Would the laptop you suggested run them better? This isn’t a dealbreaker, they’re just games I’d not been able to play because I’ve been on mac. 

EffyApples​  The Acer is very similar to the Lenovo but has a graphics card that's one tier faster in the same generation.  There are certainly other subjective differences, for example you might like the screen or chassis on one better than the other, but in terms of performance, the Acer is a straight upgrade due to the GPU.  I didn't suggest it because you wouldn't see any benefit from the extra power if all you ever played was Sims 4.  But it would make a difference in more demanding games.

Your friend is underestimating the capabilities of this hardware, by the way.  Its CPU and GPU are both above the recommended specs for Baldur's Gate 3, not by a lot, but those specs are for high settings.  The same is true for Hogwarts Legacy, and Steam at least specifically says the recommended specs are for geting 60 fps on high settings at 1080p.  The caveat here is that the game is demanding even on low settings, so if you wanted higher framerates, there might not be a lot of room to improve.  But the game also looks very good on low settings—there's no real "potato mode" like most games have.

Anyway, if you do want an RTX 5060, you have a lot of options.  Let me know if you'd like to see some others, or some (more expensive) laptops with an even faster graphics card.

puzzlezaddict​ Thank you so much for all the help! Would you know of any within the £1k limit that look a bit less gamery? More like a standard laptop. That’s my only real gripe with these laptops. Or even just give me a range of different ones with near identical specs to the ACER and I can pick which I like aesthetically, knowing they’ll all be suitable. TIA again :)

You are so amazing, thanks for all the help! I’ll keep an eye on the prices! Was planning on getting it this weekend if any of them were available to pick up. Thanks again!