allthemore44 I want to mention that you could get a gaming laptop for $500. It's not required for Sims 4, but if you want the best performance your money can buy, this is the fastest one I found:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/5150283757
It's capable of running all current Sims 4 content together on ultra settings with some room to spare. It does come with the benefits and drawbacks of a proper gaming laptop, including that it will probably run somewhat hot and noisy, but then that's the trade-off for higher performance.
If you'd rather save money and don't need to play on ultra graphics settings, what do you think of this one?
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-15-laptop/spd/dell-dc15255-laptop
I'm specifically talking about the second configuration, $350 for a Ryzen 5 7530U and 16 GB RAM. It could run all current Sims 4 content on medium-high graphics settings, maybe high depending on your play style.
If you'd like to split the difference, in both price and performance, this laptop is probably capable of ultra settings, although it's not as fast as the MSI. I don't know whether it being Open Box matters to you, but Best Buy at least offers reasonable warranties.
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/hp-omnibook-x-flip-2-in-1-copilot-pc-16-2k-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-ai-5-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-meteor-silver/JJGQJRKGWG/sku/6613869/openbox?condition=good
If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.