Good laptops for Sims 4?

@beesmart3   While you might only play Sims 4 (only?), you just happen to pick a 3D graphical game that works the video card harder then most. As an expandable game (game packs) storage space could become an issue over timeHave you looked at Dell? . As the cpu chip tends to produce a lot of heat I would like to see a separate video chip rather then an integrated video chip on the same chip as the cpu. Heat in a laptop is a problem and as laptop keep getting smaller and smaller cooling technology becomes more and more critical. You don't list the size of the hard drive for the HP. The Acer is using integrated graphics chip plus the hard drive (storage device) is small and would need watching for lack of free space. Have you looked at Dell? I have had many laptops and I have never scrapped a Dell laptop - they have all worked when when I passed them on. I normally get in home service until the laptop ages. Their laptops are sound and their service is better then most. Just looked at a few Dell laptops that would work nicely but are more expensive then you are presently looking at. There is no I only play Sims 4. You want to play 3D graphical games. After sale support is also very important.

@roberta591 I actually haven't looked at too many Dells so I'll look a little more into them, thank you for the suggestion. The HP I found has a hard drive of 256 GB, here's the link I'm using to reference: https://store.hp.com/us/en/ConfigureView?orderItemId=147002562&catEntryId=3074457345619275819&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&contractId=10003&storeId=10151&fromURL=AjaxOrderItemDisplayView&ctoCacheInvalidationCnt=0.3825460107033287&selectedRecommConfig=, 

I also found another Acer but it may run in to some of the same problems as the other two:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TJ21K7T/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=laptops4study-20&linkId=ff0c73a2c66da84ebc4514037c10854e&language=en_US&th=1

Specs:

Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Max Screen Resolution" 1920 x 1080
Processor: 3.9 GHz Core i5 Family
RAM: 8 GB DDR4
Memory Speed 3.9 GHz
Hard Drive: 512 GB Flash Memory Solid State
Graphics Coprocessor: NVIDIA GeForce MX250
Chipset Brand: NVIDIA
Card Description: Dedicated
Graphics Card Ram Size: 2 GB

Yeah, I apologize if I'm providing insufficient details. What I mean by "I only want to play Sims" is that while it can be a demanding game (which I understand), I won't be installing any other big softwares or games.

@beesmart3   What I meant is Sims 4 is more demanding then most 3D graphical games so the requirements are higher then entry level gaming machines. Being a laptop you have to think high because unlike a typical desktop there usually is no upgrade path. I'm getting an error trying to check the HP. My mother bought a HP laptop and paid a lot of money for it. It was returned to HP under warranty twice in 12 months for motherboard failure. At 18 months the motherboard failed again and HP refused warranty service. I bought her a Dell laptop. The Acer looks to be good at the 8Gb/512Gb SSD. Please check how the warranty service is handled.

@beesmart3  Just to be clear, among the components in a given system, the single most important one in determining how well a computer runs Sims 4 is the graphics card.  (This is true for most games.)  Extra hard drive space is nice to have, but if you're only going to use this laptop for Sims 4 and maybe some small apps (browsers, Spotify, etc.), 256 GB is more than enough.

In your price range, there are two good graphics cards that are commonly available and would run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings.  The cheaper and slower Nvidia 1050 would only barely handle ultra settings, and that might not be true as future packs are released.  The newer and faster Nvidia 1650 would handle ultra settings with some room to spare, meaning you'd have an extra margin to account for some demanding expansion that hasn't been released yet.  While we don't know what the game will look like by the time it's out of development, the 1650 is right on the border of what we'd guess would be necessary for ultra settings.

There are plenty of options for each graphics card, depending on how much you want to spend for extra features.  This Acer and this HP both have exactly the same core components, including a 1050.  They're both $630, or you could get the same HP (except with a smaller screen) for $650 at Target, plus a $50 gift card.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-nitro-5-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-256gb-solid-state-drive-black/6344383.p?skuId=6344383

https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-pavilion-gaming-laptop-17t-5xx64av-1

https://www.target.com/p/hp-15-6-34-pavilion-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-9300h-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-windows-10-15-dk0055nr/-/A-77062330

Laptops with an Nvidia 1650 start at $700.  This MSI has the same specs as the Acer and HP, other than the faster GPU.

https://www.newegg.com/black-msi-gf-series-gf63-thin-9scx-005-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834155354?Item=N82E16834155354

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1542057-REG/msi_gf63_thin_9scx_005_gf63_i5_9300h_8gb.html

An HP with the same specs, except a 512 GB solid state drive, costs $750 at Target, again with a $50 gift card included.

https://www.target.com/p/hp-15-6-34-pavilion-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-9300h-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-8gb-ram-512-gb-ssd-windows-10-15-dk0056nr/-/A-77062331

Other than those, the laptops I saw with a 1650 and more storage were $800 and up.  This MSI is the same as the other MSI except for storage:

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GF63-9SC-614-Gaming-i5-9300H/dp/B07TR7WRK9/

This Asus has a slightly stronger processor than the others mentioned, although it wouldn't matter to Sims 4; and a combination 256 GB SSD/1 TB HDD:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1554418-REG/asus_tuf505dt_rb73_15_6_amd_ryzen_7.html

This Asus has a much stronger processor than the others and a 512 GB SSD:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-g531gt-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-512gb-solid-state-drive-black/6335589.p?skuId=6335589

For comparison, since you were considering a Dell, these are the two best options with a 1050 and a 1650 in the Dell store:

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-laptops/dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-3590-laptop/gnslk5crg305s

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/dell-g7-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-7590-laptop/gnvcb5cr621ps

So you'd pay significantly more for the same hardware, even before the extended protection plan.  Dell does make good laptops, even good gaming laptops, but so do Asus and MSI, and for a lower price.  HP is fine too, pretty much the same as other brands in its price range.  There's a chance you'd get a lemon with any brand, even the very high-end ones, but that's what warranties are for.

@beesmart3  An MX250 is a good card for its intended purpose—supporting business apps that require some graphics processing power—but it's not a gaming GPU.  In terms of game performance, a 1050 is maybe 200-250% faster, depending on which exact model card is used and who's running the benchmarks.  Results are closer in synthetic tests, but there's still a sizeable gap.

The other consideration is that laptops with an MX250 are not usually built with gaming in mind, meaning they likely don't have strong cooling systems compared to proper gaming laptops.  This can be managed if necessary, but excess heat will cause the system to throttle performance to protect the hardware.  So in practical terms, you might not be able to play at the high settings the card is theoretically capable of handling.

It does make sense that you wouldn't worry about graphics quality, but the difference between medium and high settings can be startling.  Even if you never post a screenshot of your game, you'll still probably enjoy playing on higher settings.  But I'm sure there are videos that show the difference if you want to poke around youtube and get a sense of what to expect.

The other benefit of a faster graphics card is higher framerates.  Some people don't really care, but for others, playing at 30-40 fps feels a bit rough or choppy.  Having a card that can maintain higher fps could therefore make the game "feel" better even at the same graphics settings.

However, it's not like you won't be able to play on the Acer with the MX250.  If that's the laptop you want for other reasons, it will still handle the game well enough.

I hope you didnt purchase one yet!!! The HP pavilion gaming laptop youte looking at. Walmart has them for 650 but on thr hp website has them for 680 but with a 17 inch screen. With the i5 9300H (H means high performance) the graphic card 1050 is far best. Did i mention the cooling is AMAZING on these. I just ordered my wife one along with mine. I went all out and got the i7 with the gtx 1660 ti max Q. Apparently.... the guy who said buy a dell is either working for them or is still stuck in 1998. Dells suck. Too many limitations. 

Now... make sure you get rid of all the bloatware (pre installed b.s) 😉 grab a cooling pad (stand thjng with fans to cool your laptop) you dont need this but people tend to sit them directly on their lap. Well for men we burn our.... well you know.. LoL but definitely buy the HP with the i5 and gtx1050. You wont be disappointed.  If you have any further questions let me know.  I will direct you with all of my knowledge and not be judgy like the dell guy

@markmuffin666  In the price range the original poster was considering, a laptop with an Nvidia 1650 would be a much better choice than one with a 1050.  The newer card is significantly faster for gaming and has newer technologies that may be useful for other tasks.  The only advantage of the 1050 is that laptops that contain one are usually cheaper, as you've seen.

Also, no one should ever play games while their laptop is resting on their lap, and that has nothing to do with any discomfort it might cause.  Most laptop cooling systems perform much more efficiently when the bottom of the laptop is either exposed to air or resting on a hard flat surface.

Dell laptops are high quality and generally perform up to expectations.  The main reason not to get them, at least in the U.S., is that they're more expensive than other similar options with the same hardware.