@puzzlezaddict Here is the link to the laptop itself https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-128gb-solid-state-drive-gun-gray/6373047.p?skuId=6373047
I would definitely be open to any and all recommendations. I live in the USA and can spend up to around $1200 USD. I'm opening to spending more if really necessary but certainly won't complain about spending less.
@FlyTransGuy The graphics chip in the laptop you're looking at would only really handle medium settings, and perhaps only barely if you had all packs enabled. (Some of that depends on play style and whether you want high framerates.) Even though the other hardware is fine for Sims 4, the graphics chip is the limiting factor, and it would be a significant limit on performance.
If you'd really like a touchscreen, I found exactly one with a graphics card that could handle ultra settings and that wasn't at least $1,600. The base price on this HP Envy is $1,100, but adding a touchscreen is $80, and although you could technically get away with a 256 GB hard drive, it would be a lot better to spend the $70 to upgrade to a 512 GB SSD. The other components are all fine or more than fine for Sims 4. The Nvidia 1650 ti can easily handle ulgra graphics now, and it may be able to for the entire run of Sims 4, depending on how demanding future expansion packs turn out to be.
https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-envy-laptop-15t-ep000-8rg48av-1
To be honest, I don't know for sure whether you could use the touchscreen while you played. I think you probably could, but I'm not totally sure. I've asked someone who I think has a touchscreen laptop, although I don't remember the exact model, and I'll let you know what they say. But if you've heard from other people that they can play with their touchscreens, that's probably true.
For comparison's sake, you could get an equally powerful laptop but without a touchscreen for about $900, although the exact configuration is unusual. You could get a faster graphics card for less as well—laptops with a 1660 ti,16 GB RAM, and the same or a similar processor start around $1,000. If you want, I'll look for a few examples in the morning.
@FlyTransGuy Are you planning to play other games too, or run other demanding apps, or would you at least like to have the option in the future? Digital art can be created on a tablet, so the question is more about what programs you'd want to use. Plenty of other games are more demanding than Sims 4, but not always in the same ways, for example Cities Skylines and Planet Zoo are much more processor-intensive than most, relative to their graphical demands.
If this is really just about Sims 4 and some light or medium graphics apps, you could get an overpowered graphics card for $1,000, or perhaps a bit less. For $1,200, you could get the kind of power that would run almost any game out there on high or ultra settings. These aren't necessarily the best options, just examples to give you an idea. If you let me know what exactly you're looking for, including any other details that matter (screen size or weight, battery, not an HP...), I'll do a more thorough search.
This is a quality laptop with a very fast graphics card and a processor that's more than good enough for Sims 4. It does only have 8 GB memory, but it's only $950, so adding another 8 GB for $50 or so wouldn't be a big deal.
This one has 16 GB RAM and a graphics card that would be slightly faster for Sims 4, not that it's necessary, and a lot faster for games with Raytracing. It's $1,000.
This would be an equally viable option at $1,000 if it were currently in stock, but if you really like it, you might be willing to wait a few weeks. (It also might be available elsewhere; I didn't check.)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1558021-REG/asus_tuf506iu_es74_tuf_a17_gaming_laptop.html
This one has the same specs as the first laptop except for a much stronger processor, and it's $1,050.
Or, if you like MSI laptops, this one is on sale for a couple more hours for $1,200, but with an additional $100 rebate. It has an Nvidia 2060, 16 GB memory, and the same strong processor as the one above.
For comparison's sake, this is a premium gaming laptop, with a 2060, 16 GB memory, and the fastest processor for games of any of these. The only real knock on it is its mediocre battery life, but you wouldn't want to play on battery anyway. This is all more power than you'd ever need for Sims 4; I'm just mentioning it so you can see what's out there. It's $1,300.
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16834725086?Item=N82E16834725086
Let me know what you think, and I'll do a more thorough search later, and check reviews too.
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