Best PC for Sims 3 and 4

@SimsinettySim  My gaming computer is a FX-6100 with a GTX 960 video card. I had thought about upgrading the FX-6100 to a FX-6300. With the Ryzen support of DDR4 will probably be the choice I'd go with. It depends on what you want to do. I like the idea of VR but seems to have issues catching on. This may be the year of 4K resolution and that could be a big factor in upgrading. My problem right now is lack of 4K material at reasonable prices. Watching 4K movies is a lot difference then processing 4K software. I admit I haven't researched the Ryzen technology fully and I haven't had many issues with the FX-6100 so I'm in a wait and see state right now. I have a HTC Vive pro and I set it up every now and then. Then it gets dusty and I pack it away. I do have a 4K tv but there isn't that much 4K material. Right now I have my gaming computer hooked up to a 1080p tv that I bought last years model (at that time) and got a good deal on it. IMO I would recommend a new power supply (psu) and see how it plays. Possible upgrade the video card to a mid level gaming card. I like to keep my gaming card to about the $200 mark. If game developers push the game requirements to high that limits their customers. So unless you have a specific requirement I think you have some life left in your old machine. HTH

Thanks Roberta591, I appreciate your input.  

it’s a pain to decide right now,  especially since most computer guys that I’ve spoken with don’t really know much about TS3/4 and the game requirements,  and it’s hard to find someone who can point me to a gaming desktop for my specific needs.  

I’ve also read some negative feedback on Dell Aurora’s for The Sims,  and my head is smoking at this point. 

@SimsinettySim  An FX-6300 is still good enough for Sims 4, and that should be true for the entire run of the game, although we of course don't know what future packs will be like.  If your motherboard supports it, you could add, for example, an Nvidia 1650 Super, and you'd in all likelihood be able to run Sims 4 on ultra even with all current and future packs together.  You could get a quality overclocked 1650 Super for $160:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081R359ZM/

If you're not sure what your motherboard supports, please list its exact model, and I'll take a look.

If and when you're ready to get a new computer, you may want to go with a custom build.  You'd get to pick the components, which of course is an advantage in that you get exactly what you want and don't need to pay extra for other features you can't use.  The other major advantage is that the quality of the components will be higher than in most pre-built systems.  In practical terms, that means the hardware should last longer and support a wider variety of upgrades with minimal fuss.

For example, you may decide that now (or whenever you buy) and for the next two or three years, you only want to play Sims games and maybe a couple others that aren't so demanding, but you're thinking that might change at some later date.  You could choose components that would support a high-end GPU, and a motherboard that had room for an extra NVMe SSD or faster lanes or the like.

Personally, if it were between ordering the Alienware you listed and getting a custom build, I'd go with the latter.  You don't need a 2080 Super for Sims games, not Sims 3 or Sims 4 and probably not Sims 5, or else it would take a couple years of development before any Sims 5 packs would benefit from that much power.  But that's at least four or five years out, since from all indications, the base game is at least two years away, if it even ever exists.  By that time, all current graphics cards will likely be obsolete, and there will be new ones that are more powerful than anything you could find now.  So instead of buying an $800 card, you could buy a $400 card now and get a $500 card in four years that's faster than the $800 card is now.

Also, not that I'm interested in criticizing Alienware, but with a third-gen Ryzen processor, you really want faster memory than 2666 MHz, and there's no reason to have a 2 TB NVMe SSD unless you're compiling code or doing advanced graphic design or video editing or whatever.  Point is, you could put together better components for your needs than those.

If you'd like to go the custom route, let me know, and I'll find a good starting point so you can see what your options look like.  If you'd rather get a pre-built system, I can look for other options aside from the Alienware, but let me know more or less what you're hoping to get.  Still though, you could just get a new GPU (again, if your mainboard supports it) and go for the new system in a couple years.

@SimsinettySim  I looked up your motherboard, and it should support any graphics card you'd want to install.  A high-end card would be a waste of money because your processor wouldn't keep up, but a 1650 Super or maybe 1660 Super would do fine.  I will double-check with someone else though if you're interested, because there's no sense in spending that kind of money without being absolutely sure.

Even if you're set on getting a new high-end system, your current one plus a new GPU (and maybe a good cleaning on the inside) would be great for someone else who just wants to play Sims games.  Maybe you have a cousin or a friend's kid or something who could afford a new $160 GPU but not a $700 computer.  Just something to keep in mind.

As for the new computer, I totally understand what you mean about not knowing where to start when you've never done this before.  When I first started thinking about custom builds, rather than pre-built systems, I was kind of disoriented and had no idea how to process the information.  I was lucky to have someone who was willing to answer questions and give me links to read, and I figured it out in the end, but that's a difficult thing to accomplish on your own.

So I guess the first question should be what resolution do you want to use, and how high do you want your framerates?  A graphics card that runs Sims 4 in QHD (2560x1440) at 160 fps is a waste if you're planning on using a 60 Hz FHD (1920x1080) monitor.  Many people can tell the difference between 60 Hz and higher, but many can't.  This will determine the graphics card, or at least the range of cards, and then we can go from there.

If you really do want a system you can upgrade over a long period of time, a custom build is your best bet.  Among other details, the better motherboards made for AMD processors now support PCIe 4.0, which is so fast that there's no current hardware that can take advantage of it.  That will change soon enough.  But a pre-built system would likely have a budget board without any extras.

Let me know about the monitor, and I'll have a look at a couple of custom build sites later today.  Then I'll link you the best options I find, and you can ask questions from there.