@AlexvonAuen I remember you now. I'm not good at all with names (usernames or real ones) but can bring up an entire conversation (forums or IRL) when prompted. And the question about mini PCs was an interesting one.
Anyway, my experience with Sims 4 is that when changing the resolution in fullscreen mode, the game renders the same volume of space, but in windowed mode, it can render less or more depending on how you expand the window. The problem with this test, of course, is it uses the same screen at all times, so fullscreen necessarily has the same aspect ratio or is inherently distorted. I don't have a widescreen monitor to test with but can ask someone who does, or I can fiddle with my monitor's settings. Still, at worst, windowed mode should give you the wide viewing angle you want.
I personally think that 90-100 Hz is a significant upgrade from 60, if you can get fps that high. (That wouldn't be a problem with an RTX 4070 mobile, or even a 4060 mobile.) Going from 90 to 120 is very nice but not as much of a change. So if you find an otherwise perfect monitor that only runs at 100 Hz, and you don't like any of the 120+ Hz models, then go with the 100 Hz option.
I play Sims games at 144 fps, and I only notice when framerates drop below 100 or so. That's not to say I couldn't tell the difference between 110 and 144 if I was looking, just that it doesn't distract me from the game at that point. I wouldn't say the game feels choppy at 60 or 75 fps, and in fact if you didn't have any exposure to higher refresh rates, you'd likely be perfectly happy at the lower rate. It's more of a small quality of life upgrade that you never knew you missed until you found it.
I always tell people to go look at monitors in person because some are much more sensitive to changes in refresh rates than others. Even if you can't run a game on a demo monitor, you can drag around a File Explorer window and see how it feels at different refresh rates. The setting is simple to change on a monitor and can be accessed even with the tight restrictions that stores place on their demo systems. Best Buy usually has a lot of monitors on display, with various specs, so if you live near one, it would be a worthwhile trip.
Hey PuzzlezAddict,
Glad to hear that my mini-PC question was interesting. ;-)
I normally play in "windowed" mode, as I like being able to click on files (for cheats) or the internet (cheats/questions) in the bottom bar when playing.
I did change the screen settings from 3840x2004 down to 1600x1200....but the game now opens as a 'pop-up' box in the centre of my screen and I have to hit the 'maximise' button in the upper right corner to get full screen (..not a major problem though..). With the new settings, can't really notice any huge differences (downwards) in the image quality...but also no real improvements in motion either: Sims are still not really 'fluid' when moving.
If you do happen to know someone who plays on a 21:9 screen, it really would be interesting to learn if one can actually see 'more' real estate (i.e., if previously 'off screen' images are visible)..or if the picture is simply larger. In the latter case I would probably just stick to a normal 16:9 format, as I don't play any games other than Sims (or possibly 'Life by You' when it appears), that would benefit from a widescreen monitor.
At the moment a simple improvement from 19-25 FPS up to a 'mere' 60 FPS would, in itself, be rather nice, but ~100 or better would be fantastic (144 FPS would be a dream!). As I'm still looking for either a new laptop or mini-PC (the Zotac sold-out before I could get it and I definitely want a Nvidia GPU) I'll try to match a possible new screen to the PC's FPS capabilities.
Currently have my eye on the new Asus Rog Nuc (..although not yet available) or possibly a Lenovo Legion/Legion Pro laptop (they have all the major ports in the back and...blissfully.....out of the way). At any rate, definitely something with a dedicated GPU. My current setup (Ryzen 7 - 3700U w/ Radeon RX Vega 10 iGPU) was fine...before I discovered CC. Unfortunately, it simply can't cope with 12 GB of MODs and a rather extensive, long-play game with 16+ elaborately decorated houses (almost exclusively CC furnishings) and 90+ Sims. I actually spend more time just building and giving the Sims major 'do-overs' (hair, outfits, etc.), as opposed to actually 'playing'.
As I'm located in Europe, we don't have any Best Buys......but you're perfectly correct about looking at an actual screen in action first before buying. We do, however, have a good sized electronics chain in Austria/Germany where one can get a bit hands-on before buying...at least with the items on display: some are unfortunately available as 'online only'.
Thanks again for all your input.
Cheers
Alex
Community Manager
