Hello, I'm looking to get a gaming pc and monitor to play the sims 4 but I'm not sure what to get for either. I also tend to play with a lot of cc and mods so it also needs to be able to run those. I have a budget of $2,500 and I live in the USA. I will be very grateful for any help I can get thank you.
@miranda178 You don't need to spend nearly that much to get a great computer for Sims 4. Do you want the best computer and monitor $2,500 can buy, or to save as much money as possible, or something in the middle? There are plenty of options in any of these categories, so let me know what you'd prefer. And if you'd like a computer that can be upgraded down the line, that's helpful information as well. I'd also like to know how large a monitor you want, particularly if you have limited space for it.
Please also list any other games you'd like to play, in particular if you're interested in Sims 3, as that game doesn't start correctly on computers with the newest generation of Intel processors. There are plenty of perfectly good processors that don't have this issue, so it's easy to avoid.
I really just plan on playing the sims 4 and maybe a new game that's supposed to come out on steam called Coral Island but mostly just the sims 4. I don't think I'll go back to playing the sims 3 if only because of how glitchy the game kind of is now. I honestly wouldn't know what to do in order to upgrade a computer on my own so that option is kind of off the table. I'm not really looking for the best that money can buy I really just want a pc that will run the game smoothly with as few problems as possible for the sims even as the game gets more packs and I add cc and mods. If I can save some money on it that would be great but it's really not the priority. In regards to the monitor size I'm used to working on a laptop so I don't really need a big computer monitor just one that will work with the games and have everything looking nice the way it's supposed to.
@miranda178 In that case, I'll start with the kind of computer I'd suggest if someone wanted to buy or build a computer that could handle everything Sims 4 will ever throw at it. These are definitely overkill, but they'd give you room to accommodate both future expansions and a lot of high-resolution custom content. The processors are also quite fast, which will help to some degree with lag, although there's no way to eliminate it entirely. (That's a feature of the game engine and can only be mitigated.) These all have more storage than you'll ever need and 16 GB RAM, which is very nice to have for futureproofing, even if it's not strictly necessary at the moment.
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali635/p/N82E16883360300?Item=N82E16883360300
Because these all have the same graphics card and very similar processors, they're all in the same performance category, so you could choose based on any other details that stood out to you, or even just the fact that Best Buy has a physical store as a resource. Personally, I'd choose the third for its slightly better build quality, but it's a close call.
If you'd prefer to save some money even beyond these, you can even stay at $1,000 and get a computer capable of handling ultra graphics settings with plenty of room to spare:
(The second one has a slightly faster graphics card, but they're otherwise the same computer.)
One of the differences is that the processor, while more than capable of handling Sims 4, is a little slower than the CPUs in the above systems. What that means in practical terms is that when you saw lag, it might take a little longer to resolve, but that would still be on the order of a few seconds rather than minutes. The other difference is the graphics cards: while these are still quite fast, they wouldn't be able to run Sims 4 at a high refresh rate AND a high resolution at the same time. More on that below.
There are options in between these two tiers as well if you're interested. Just let me know what you're thinking, including about the monitor, and we can go from there.
As far as the monitor goes, I'd strongly suggest getting one with a 2560x1440 (QHD) resolution. The images will look much crisper, to the point that a standard 1920x1080 (FHD) monitor might look grainy by comparison. QHD monitors generally don't come in sizes smaller than 25" along the diagonal, so if you can't fit that size, let me know. The other main detail is the refresh rate, or the number of frames a monitor can display per second. The higher the refresh rate, the smoother things look when an image is moving. Many people can't tell the difference between 60 or 75 Hz and higher, but even some of them can feel a slight difference in smoothness.
All that is to say, if you get a computer with an Nvidia RTX 3060 (the first group of options), you'll be able to run Sims 4 at or around 144 fps and would benefit from a 144 Hz monitor. If you get a computer with a 1660, it's probably not worth the extra money to go above 75 Hz, although given the small price difference, you may want a higher refresh rate anyway. These are all high-quality 2560x1440 144 Hz monitors:
(excessively long Amazon link)
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Non-Glare-Adjustable-Optix-MAG321CQR/dp/B07NQG1FFB
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824012015?Item=N82E16824012015
https://www.amazon.com/LG-27GL850-B-Ultragear-Compatible-Monitor/dp/B07TD94TQF
https://www.amazon.com/LG-27GN800-B-Ultragear-Response-Compatible/dp/B08LLD2QXJ
The image quality of the first two isn't quite at the level of the others (still fine though), but they're also cheaper than most of the others. The third and fourth are basically the same; I included both in case shipping is weird for one of them, since Amazon isn't sharing that info. The other important distinction is the screen size. If you're sitting at a typical desk with the monitor standing on that desk, then 27" is probably the right size; if you're farther away, you may want to go to 31".
These monitors run at 75 Hz and are all high-quality:
https://www.amazon.com/LG-24QP500-B-FreeSync-Virtually-Borderless/dp/B08YJWYMD5
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-EB321HQU-Cbidpx-Monitor-Display/dp/B07X6KJKNZ
https://www.amazon.com/Acer-KA272U-biipx-Zero-Frame-Technology/dp/B08JQSBNYH
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1632356-REG/lg_24qp500_b_aus_24_16_9_freesync.html
https://www.newegg.com/black-acer-ka272u-biipx-um-hx2aa-004-27/p/N82E16824011372
I know this is a lot, but it's easier if you choose the computer first and then eliminate one of the two categories. Aside from screen size, the monitors are all quite similar within each category, so you could choose based on anything from the brand name to the look of the stand.
If you have more questions about any of this, please feel free to ask.
Thank you so much! I already decided on a monitor and I'm in between the cyberpowerpc (first pc) and the chronos (third pc) you suggested. I won't be able to purchase anything until August 1st so I'm going to wait and see if the chronos comes back in stock since I prefer how it looks over the others but if not I'll get the cyberpowerpc.
@miranda178 Alright, if you have more questions when you're ready to make a purchase, let me know.
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