Best affordable gaming laptop for the sims 4?

xcherryerim​  A cooling pad is almost always helpful in general.  What it doesn't do is change the sound of the fans or the temperatures at which they increase their speeds.  So the pad might or might not help with the noise, depending on how much cooling it provides and whether that allows the fans to downclock.

To be clear, I'm not saying this laptop is defective.  Even without extra cooling, it should run Sims 4 fine and control its internal temperatures effectively.  I just wanted to warn you that under load, it would run louder and be hotter to the touch than you might expect.  But maybe you have good headphones and would use a mouse and neither of these matters to you.

And of course all gaming laptops have fans that you can hear and can get warm if not hot under load.  It's just a matter of degree, with MSI Thin models being towards one end of the spectrum.  The laptops that run cool and quiet, relatively speaking, are also more expensive for the same hardware.

As for shipping, it sounds like picking up the laptop at the store (whether they have it in stock or ship it there for you) would be your best option.  Amazon does have lockers in certain locations though, for example there are some in my local grocery store, which is open very early and very late.  UPS also sometimes holds packages at one of its stores if the initial delivery fails, and although those can close early, they should be open on weekends.

Thank you! Im wondering, would a cooling pad work or would it be useless with that laptop? And I could ship it to a friend but she’s too noisy and will probably open it before i do… I’m also worried if the package will need my signature. I tried doing it online with UPS but the website never let me. 

xcherryerim​  This is an alternative if you want to keep the price down.  It has the same graphics card, RAM, and storage, and a processor that's also good enough:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/15843466879

However, this model laptop runs hot and noisy, so if you want to play with speakers, or are sensitive to noise even through your headphones, it's not a good choice.  I know someone who has one (albeit with higher specs) and I can hear the fan three rooms away.  It's not a terrible noise, just loud enough to be distracting without some kind of muffling.

If you like Best Buy and Walmart better than Amazon, this and the first laptop I linked are your best bets.  You're not going to see a better price on a comparable laptop, at least not new and from a reputable store, than the MSI—Walmart often steeply discounts one or two laptops at a time to prices that are frankly unreasonable for anyone to match.  Costco does too, if you're a member, but the trade-off is the selection is very limited.  And if you want something a bit higher quality, and not as loud, the Victus is as cheap as you'er going to see, although I can always search for other options that might be equivalent in price.

As for shipping, could you send it to your work address, or to a friend or family member?  I believe Best Buy will also ship to a physical store if it's not in stock there.

Yes I am from the US! I would like If i can get it in store instead of shipping it (cause i get home really late from work), but if there’s a good deal I can figure something out. Walmart and Best buy are great options, third one would be Amazon. Thank you so much for your help! 

xcherryerim​  I take it from your mention of Best Buy and the fact that you can get a gaming laptop for $800 or less that you're in the U.S., but let me know if you're actually in Canada and are just finding good deals on used laptops.

At any rate, the graphics card is the most important component because it will be the limiting factor in determining how well Sims 4 runs.  Processor power is cheaper than GPU power, at least relatively speaking, so manufacturers pair any given GPU with a CPU that will more than keep up with it.  At least 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage is ideal, but you can upgrade both in almost any gaming laptop, so it's not as critical to get exactly what you need if your budget is currently tight.

What do you think of this one?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-victus-15-6-144hz-full-hd-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-7-7445hs-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4050-512gb-ssd-mica-silver/6623881.p?skuId=6623881

The RTX 4050 is faster than a 3050, being in the same slot in the stack, so to speak, but a couple years newer.  The 3050 can run all current Sims 4 packs together on ultra graphics settings, so this is not a necessary upgrade, but it's available and this particular laptop is cheaper than anything Best Buy offers new with a 3050.  The other specs are good enough, and the screen is fine too.

If you don't like it, let me know why, and I'll have another look.  Please also let me know if there are other stores you'd consider as well as Best Buy.  Walmart is okay, and Microcenter is great if you live near one; and then there are all the online retailers that are not Amazon.

Liking this so I can also see the suggestions.