Anyone have suggestions for a laptop to run TS4 on?

"No fan noise" = impossible; it is the only thing that keeps the laptop from overheating. Perhaps a laptop so good and expensive (like...$5K)

My laptop has very QUIET fans, particularly compared to others I've used, even while running the game. I use the Acer Nitro 5 and recommend it. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-nitro-5-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-256gb-ssd-obsidian-black/6413247.p?skuId=6413247 This version is very good (ignore how best buy tells you it has a crappy graphics card). Take a look at the comments and you'll be convinced. Buy it, then buy another 8 gb of ram for it if you want even better performance if you want, but I don't have it. The reason this laptop is "cheaper" is because it comes with great hardware, but is easily up-gradable like with the ram, which is super high quality ram. Or you could add another hardrive to it for more room (I did this).

Or there's this laptop: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-legion-5-15-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-512gb-ssd-phantom-black/6398969.p?skuId=6398969

@gingered84  Thank you for your response! I'm seriously considering the Acer Nitro because of your recommendation. I have a couple of questions.

If I want to upgrade the storage capacity from 256 GB to 512 GB or more, is there a certain brand of storage that you recommend I buy? And how much should I add just for better overall performance of the laptop?

Same question for the ram, if I want to add another 8 GB to it, any certain brand/product you recommend?

Is it true that to upgrade the laptop you have to unscrew and open up the entire bottom panel of the laptop? Is it pretty easy?

@sims929292  If you want to see the upgrade options for the Acer, this is a very thorough guide:

https://laptopmedia.com/review/acer-nitro-5-an515-55-review-can-it-handle-the-comet-lake-h-processors/

(Click on "Disassembly, upgrade options and maintenance" in the Contents list.)  And yes, you'd need to take off the bottom panel.  It's not complicated but does require a little patience.

For another SSD, that depends on whether you'd be adding an M.2 drive or a SATA.  Samsung is the gold standard of SSDs, but its products are more expensive.  Something from WD or Crucial would be more than fine for everyday gaming use.

For RAM, you want to match the speed and timings of the existing module.  The easiest way is to order an identical stick by the listed product number, but you can also look up the module's specs and find something equivalent.  Your user manual will probably also list recommendations.  Memory is easy to make well and usually comes with a longer warranty than the expected life of your laptop, so if you buy from a reputable manufacturer, you should be fine.

The Acer is somewhat loud though.  You're not going to find a gaming laptop with no fan noise at all—that's just not feasible with the amount of heat generated by running games.  Legions are quieter and have less annoying fans in terms of whine; I'd probably go with one of those if my top priority was low noise and I didn't want to spend $1,500.  There are also steps you can take to limit heat, and therefore fan speed, for example capping in-game framerates.  But please understand that you WILL hear the fans running while you play.

Hello @puzzlezaddict I read that the 11th Gen Intel chip is out now, and that people should buy a laptop with the new chip in it instead of the old 10th Gen Intel chip. I went on Best Buy's website and found the same Acer laptop that we were talking about but now it has the new 11th Gen Intel chip in it. What are your thoughts on that? How will this new upgraded Acer run TS4?

Another question: I know Windows 11 is coming out in a few months. Will the new Acer laptop be able to upgrade to Windows 11? There's a site detailing the system requirements needed to upgrade to Windows 11 but with my lack of computer knowledge I can't be sure if it can upgrade or not. Do you think it will be able to?

Thank you for any help!

Acer laptop with new 11th Gen chip: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-nitro-5-gaming-laptop-15-6-fhd-11th-gen-intel-core-i5-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-8gb-ddr4-256gb-ssd/6462659.p?skuId=6462659

Site with Windows 11 system requirements: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications

(Also I read this on another site - it meets these requirements right?) "From the looks of it, major Intel Core processors such as i3, i5, i7, i9, etc., are supported, but you must be running an 8th-Gen (released in 2018) or above CPU to install Windows 11, which is a shocker. Basically, if you have an Intel processor below 8th-gen, you won’t pass the Windows 11 compatibility test." It's an i5 with 11 gen, right? So it's able to upgrade?

@sims929292  As far as Sims 4 is concerned, getting an i5-11400H rather than an i5-10300H won't make a noticeable difference.  If you'd like a newer processor anyway, this Acer looks fine and is based on a design that works well, although I haven't seen reviews of this specific configuration yet.  I can have a look if you really like the Acer in particular but want to be thorough, or I can look for other options if you're interested.

Windows 11 also requires that a certain security chip be active; google TPM 2.0 if you're curious.  Any new-ish computer should have the chip, certainly any that also has an 8th-gen or newer Intel processor, but it may not be activated.  You can do that yourself, provided the option exists within the BIOS, but some laptop BIOS configurations don't allow for many user adjustments.  However, I'd expect most laptop manufacturers to release a BIOS update to make their recent products compatible with Windows 11 if they aren't already.

The short answer is, I would expect this laptop to support Windows 11 out of the box or be updated to support it, but it's not an absolute guarantee, just highly likely.  You could also visit a Best Buy that has one of these on display and check whether TPM 2.0 is enabled: if it's in the display model, it would be in yours too.

@puzzlezaddict  I had no idea about the TPM 2.0 chip. I saw it on the system requirements but skimmed over it since I didn't know what it meant. Thank you for your detailed response!

I went to Best Buy yesterday. I asked an employee if there was an Acer Nitro on display. There wasn't and he said that Acers are not good gaming laptops. He suggested I try a different brand.

I've decided to splurge and go over my budget and consider a more powerful gaming laptop. https://www.costco.com/msi-ge76-raider-gaming-laptop---11th-gen-intel-core-i7-11800h---geforce-rtx-3060---144hz-1080p.product.100763831.html

What are your thoughts on that one? How would TS4 run on it? Ultra settings with no problems? Is it overkill for TS4? How much better than the Acer Nitro is it?

@sims929292  The Best Buy sales rep is either misinformed or making an assumption about what you want that isn't in evidence.  I wouldn't recommend a Nitro to run demanding games because its specs don't go past a certain level.  But it's perfectly capable of running Sims 4 on ultra settings, and in fact the Nitro is in many cases the only good budget option for a gaming laptop.  Better models can often be ~$200 more for essentially the same hardware while only giving a couple percentage points' increase in performance.

Anyway, it's a moot point if you're looking to spend more money.  I think you can do better than the Raider though.  Since we've been talking about Acers, this one has the same graphics card, a processor that's more than fast enough and runs cooler, and is much cheaper.  You wouldn't need the extra storage for Sims 4.

https://www.newegg.com/shale-black-acer-nitro-5-an515-45-r21a-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834360085?Item=N82E16834360085

This laptop isn't perfect by any definition: for example, the battery life isn't good and the screen could be better, but the point is that you don't need to spend as much to get the same performance.  But the MSI's screen isn't an improvement, and in-game performance, at least for games like Sims 4, doesn't have much room to improve.

This is an example of a higher-quality laptop that's still cheaper than the MSI.  It runs cooler and quieter than the others and has very good performance in gaming.  It does only come with 8 GB RAM, but you could upgrade that relatively cheaply and still come out ahead.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1617923-REG/lenovo_82ju006dus_legion_5_ryz7_5800h_8_512.html

To be clear, you don't need to spend this much money on a laptop for Sims 4.  A 1660 ti or 2060 would be a bit of overkill; a 3050 would still be more than fine.  (As an example, here's a high-end laptop with a 3050 ti.)  If you're going to splurge though, you might as well get your money's worth.  And if you don't like the options available now, keep in mind that laptops with 30-series GPUs are still being released, so you might find something better in a week or two.

@puzzlezaddict  Thank you for the recommendations. Now you’ve got me leaning toward the cheaper Acer Nitro again. But the more expensive one you linked to looks pretty good also. Not to mention I’ve had numerous people recommend the Legion. I’m going to do more research. I need the laptop by August so I have less than a month to make my decision.

I’ve been reading what various people have to say on Reddit about different gaming laptops that they own. Basically everyone seems to be constantly checking and monitoring the temperatures of their laptops while they game. One guy was gaming for two weeks and didn’t check his temps the whole time and apparently that was a big mistake. My question is: Do I need to be concerned with this and be checking the temps on my future laptop everyday? Is that just something that all laptop gamers need to do? I haven’t gamed on a laptop for over a decade so I never considered this before.

Also, should I be checking the temps on a desktop computer also? I play TS4 on a Mac and have never checked the temps before.

@sims929292  If your system is stable and doesn't have any overheating issues, it's not strictly necessary to monitor temperatures every time you play, but it's still a good idea.  Just as an example, Origin sometimes uses almost all the CPU resources it can get, for annoying and not always obvious reasons.  So a laptop that runs Sims 4 at ~50% CPU use and stays quite cool might start to overheat if Origin drives the CPU to 100%, and you wouldn't necessarily notice this happening if you didn't look.

However, that doesn't mean you need to constantly check your hardware stats.  You could instead install an app that allows you to set alarms when a certain condition is met, for example the processor going over 90º C or the graphics card over 80.  Then you don't have to pay attention; just run that app alongside your games and let it monitor for you.  Hwinfo is one such tool, and it has the advantage of picking up pretty much everything, but there are other options too if hwinfo isn't your style.

MacOS is very good at throttling performance to protect the hardware, in fact often too aggressive for my taste.  But the point is, you don't need to worry about temps when playing on your Mac: as long as the vents aren't blocked, it should be fine.

@puzzlezaddict Hello again, I decided to go with the MSI Raider that I linked to earlier. I picked that one because I decided I wanted a 17.3” inch screen. Also because when Steam was having its summer sale, I bought some new games. They are more demanding than TS4 and the Acer would barely be able to run them according to their system requirements.

I have a question. I always get a bit nervous when I’m gaming and I hear the laptop’s fans come on. It makes me think the laptop is overheating and is going to end up fried and ruined. I installed Hwinfo as you suggested and learned how to use it. I’ve been checking the temps and so far they have been normal.

I know it’s normal for the fans to be running while gaming. I don’t mind listening to them and I don’t want them to stop, but I want to make sure the laptop isn’t being damaged when they’re on.

If the fans come on, and the temps are normal, then I have nothing to worry about, right? The fans are what’s preventing the laptop from overheating? So I can ignore the fans as long as the temps are normal… the laptop is not overheating and being damaged? Please correct me if I’m wrong about any of that.

Is it typical for someone to have a 5 hour gaming session with the fans running the entire time? It’s safe for the laptop and the fans?

Laptop specs: MSI GE76 Raider, 11th Gen Intel Core i7 11800H, GeForce RTX 3060,16GB memory, 1TB SSD. I bought it about 2 weeks ago.

Thank you again for any help!