Gaming laptops to play sims

emilyjh11  This laptop should handle Sims 4 very well.  The graphics card can handle the game itself, all current packs included, on ultra graphics settings, with plenty of room to spare for your custom content or ReShade or whatever else you want to add.

However, you could do better for the same price:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-nvidia-rtx-4060-16gb-15.6-144hz-amd-ryzen-5-7535h-gami-lap-asu-02778.html

This laptop has the same specs except for a significantly faster graphics card.  While you don't need the upgrade to play Sims 4, it's worth considering if you want the best performance for your budget.

If you'd prefer to spend less, let me know how much less, and I'll have a look around.  There's a significant drop-off in performance from an RTX 4060 to an RTX 3050, and I didn't see any other laptops with the in-between RTX 4050 and 16 GB RAM for less than £800.  On the other hand, if you're willing to add extra memory yourself, this one is a good option:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-nvidia-rtx-4050-8gb-15.6-fhd-amd-ryzen-5-7535hs-lapt-lap-asu-03776.html

RAM is cheap and simple to install on most gaming laptops.

As for desktops, they're typically slightly cheaper for the same category of components, but that doesn't factor in having to buy a monitor.  On the other hand, they're much more upgradable and repairable, and the desktop version of a given component is more powerful than its laptop equivalent.

If you do want to look into desktops, please let me know how much you'd like to spend overall, and I'll see whether you can do better, including the monitor, than the laptop you found or the ones I linked.

Hi :)

Thanks so much for your reply! That's really handy. Do you reccomend going for one of the two laptops (£800 ones) or going for a desktop? I didn't want to spend no more than £700 overall ideally but not sure this is possible.

Thanks again!

emilyjh11  Since, as noted, desktops will outperform laptops at the same price point, a desktop is the better option when performance is the priority, or when someone is interested in upgrading.  But laptops have obvious advantages too, so this is more a question of what works best for you.

I have a laptop I use for everyday tasks and some gaming, and I have a gaming desktop for long play sessions and anything demanding.  I do like to sit in bed with my laptop (and my cat, if he's in the mood), so I see the appeal.

The issue in your particular budget category is that there are no common desktop graphics cards between the RTX 3050 and 4060.  The 4060 is of course faster than its laptop counterpart, but most systems that have one are £800 or more.  The laptop 4060 is about 30% faster in gaming than the desktop 3050, although that varies significantly from one game to another.  So there aren't many great options if you want to do better than the laptops I linked.

I did find this one though, for £700, with an RTX 4060 desktop (~20% faster than the mobile version) and an overall configuration that should run Sims 4 very well:

https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/ultra-55-rtx-next-day-pc

You don't need any of the accessories, of course.  A monitor will add to the sticker price, but if you're willing to do a bit of legwork, you can find a used monitor locally (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor) for not much money.  The nice thing about a monitor is it's obvious when it doesn't work: you plug it in, you run some game to test it, and either you see dead pixels/bleeding/etc. or it looks fine.  You don't need to pay first—most sellers will understand wanting to test before handing over any money.  And then you can upgrade in a year or two, or never, depending on how you feel about your current monitor.

All this is to say that there's no one right answer, just what's right for you and your budget and your use case.  And all these computers will handle ultra settings with room to spare, so you should get a good experience in any case.

Hi thanks for all the help.

Can I just ask one more question. Do you think this model Acer nitro would run sims 4 with packs/mods/cc well. And also games like planet zoo?

Thank you!

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-nitro-v15-15.6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-rtx-2050-512-gb-ssd-10264766.html?istCompanyId=bec25c7e-cbcd-460d-81d5-a25372d2e3d7&istFeedId=4d7eb93e-055f-499d-8ee5-1cdcc50d67d1&istItemId=mriamtppa&istBid=t&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~0073+(Shopping+Ads)+PC+Gaming+HW+-+PMAX~~Exact~71700000120523261~&mctag=gg_goog_7904&kwid=GOOGLE&device=m&ds_kids=&tgtid=0073+(Shopping+Ads)+PC+Gaming+HW+-+PMAX&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD7JKSKoR3SSg6ANOuOtRm35mDn_5&gclid=Cj0KCQiA8q--BhDiARIsAP9tKI25tf3W14SWkPEy9tk6Yiq5dUUIbv6Hfdi18ZIIaphPt3stXhvf9QEaAujvEALw_wcB

emilyjh11  This laptop would run Sims 4 on at least a combination of high and ultra settings.  But the RTX 2050 is significantly slower than the RTX 3050, and Planet Zoo is more demanding than Sims 4.  So I would avoid anything with a 2050, including this model.  You can get a 3050 within your budget.