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lovelife14's avatar
lovelife14
5 years ago
Solved

Help!- Unsure of Laptop Graphics Req for Sims

Hi I plan on getting a new laptop but I want to ensure that it can play the sims games (2,3,4) or else I’ll consider a different one. This is the new laptop that I’m looking at: 

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/X1-Carbon-Gen-8-/p/22TP2X1X1C8


the model number is 20U9005MUS


I tried to run the sims 4 on the gen 7 version of this laptop and it caused an error that said the video card wasn’t recognized. Additionally, once playing the screen froze on the entire laptop and the laptop had broken screen look (the game wasn’t even visible bc of lines and rectangles).

I tried lowering the game settings from ultra to medium and the same problem occurred. 

I would appreciate any help on this! I don’t want to buy a laptop that won’t even be able to play sims (at least 3 & 4) on it ☹️ 

pc

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  • EeveeTinn's avatar
    EeveeTinn
    Seasoned Ace
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14 

    PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: THE SIMS 4

    MINIMUM SPECS:

    • OS: 64 Bit Required. Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10
    • CPU: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 or equivalent)
    • RAM: At least 4 GB RAM
    • DISC DRIVE: DVD Rom Drive required for installation only
    • HARD DRIVE: At least 15 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
    • VIDEO: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better
    • DIRECTX: DirectX 9.0,10 and 11 Compatible
    • INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse
    • ONLINE REQUIREMENTS: Internet connection required for product activation.

    RECOMMENDED SPECS:

    • OS: 64 Bit Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10
    • PROCESSOR: Intel core i5 or faster, AMD Athlon X4
    • VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better
    • MEMORY: 4 GB RAM
    • HARD DRIVE: 18 GB of Hard Drive space

    https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/system-requirements#:~:text=MINIMUM%20SPECS%3A&text=Windows%207%20(SP1)%2C%20Windows,At%20least%204%20GB%20RAM

    The laptop should be good enough to run all The Sims.

  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    Hero (Retired)
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14 

    As it only have integrated graphics it will be no good for gaming. Given the price you can find something far better for gaming. Perhaps @puzzlezaddict can suggest something in time for Black Friday.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14  As @jpkarlsen mentioned, you can do a lot better for your money than the laptop line you linked.  Do you want a gaming laptop, or something light and portable?  How much are you interested in spending?  If you give me a better idea of what you're looking for, I can find some suggestions.

    As a couple of examples, this laptop would be overkill for all Sims games and is just under $1,000:

    https://www.newegg.com/fortress-gray-asus-tuf-gaming-a15-tuf506iu-es74-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834235421?Item=N82E16834235421

    On the cheaper end, this would still run the games on ultra graphics settings, all current packs included, although Sims 4 may end up being demanding enough that you'd eventually need to turn down a few settings to high:

    https://www.newegg.com/obsidian-black-acer-nitro-5-an515-55-55sd-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834316951?Item=N82E16834316951

    Those are just examples from one site though, since I have no idea what you're looking for.  If you let me know, I can do a more thorough search.

  • lovelife14's avatar
    lovelife14
    5 years ago

    @EeveeTinn  Thank you for the response! My only follow up question is whether the graphics card in the model I’m looking at would be ok? I don’t know much about graphics cards haha

    happy holidays too!

  • lovelife14's avatar
    lovelife14
    5 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict @jpkarlsen Thank you for your response and the examples!! 

    I don’t need a full on gaming laptop ( I just plays Sims on my PC and maybe some steam games) ideally I would use the laptop for Sims, watching movies, holding photos, writing documents, making presentations, browsing the web, etc.  I would prefer a light and portable laptop too!


    I think my budget is $1500 or less - I was looking at Lenovo specifically because I would get a discount from a family member. 

    currently,  I have a Lenovo thinkpad 13 that is running Sims 4 fine with intel Hd 520 graphics- Ideally I’d like to stick with Lenovo laptop bc those have been reliable and that discount (haha)  I really don’t know anything about the graphics cards though so I’m open to exploring other brands

    Suggestions  on laptops doesn’t need to be in time for Black Friday! I’m sorry for being so specific too  

    thank you so much for your help and happy holidays! 

  • EeveeTinn's avatar
    EeveeTinn
    Seasoned Ace
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14I am not fully familiar with this graphics card model, so I'm sorry 😅 it is a fairly powerful laptop but not worth the price. Usually integrated graphics aren't that good, but think pads are commonly good. So just because it is integrated does not mean it is awful. You can google the model and see if it can run the Sims 4 or look for reviews. But as mentioned, you could get a gaming laptop for that price and you would not have to worry about it not being able to run it. They are also perfect for movies (and obvs Steam games then). I have Acer Predator 17, but that's like full on gaming laptop. For your usage I'd also recommend Acer Nitro.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14  There are plenty of options for well under $1,500 that would run Sims 4 a lot better than the laptop you linked.  In any case, the limiting factor is the graphics card, as in, the game will run as fast as the card can manage to render it.  An Intel UHD 620 is really only capable of medium graphics settings at best, unless you either don't install all the demanding packs or you lower the in-game resolution.

    In terms of your options, you could get a lightweight portable laptop with an Nvidia 1650, capable of running all Sims 4 packs together on ultra settings.  The 1650 might not be quite fast enough for ultra settings by the time the game is out of development—we don't know how demanding future packs will be.  But it should still always be able to handle a mix of high and ultra settings.

    In between are the MX cards, entry-level dedicated graphics cards that you often see in ultraportable laptops.  The cards are slower than gaming GPUs but still significantly faster than integrated cards.  As an example, the MX350 is about half as fast as a 1650 but more than three times as fast as a UHD 620.  So they're a significant improvement over an integrated chip even if the laptops that have them aren't proper gaming systems.

    I looked on the Lenovo site and didn't see much available that's both lightweight and has a decent graphics card.  If this one weren't sold out, it would be a great deal for $830:

    https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/t490/p/20N2S3H700

    But I'm not sure it'll get restocked, especially since its an older model.  Other than that, this much more expensive laptop is the next best option, in either configuration:

    https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/thinkpad-x1-extreme-gen-3/p/20TK001EUS

    https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/x1-extreme-gen-2/p/20QV0007US

    Lenovo does have some very nice gaming laptops—the Legion series is highly rated and not overly expensive.  But the laptops are bulky and start over 5 lbs, so that's probably not what you had in mind.

    If you're not set on a Lenovo though, there are plenty of good options with Nvidia 1650s in the $1,000-1,300 range.  Some of them come in various configurations or can be customized, if you happen to want more RAM or storage or would rather save money and get the basic setup.  Since I'm not sure whether any of these are what you want, I'll just list them and you can take a look; let me know if you have more questions about the specs.

    https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/new-inspiron-15-7000-touch-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7501-laptop/nn7501eiivh

    https://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-spectre-laptop-15t-eb000-191b0av-1

    https://www.newegg.com/grey-with-blue-diamond-cut-msi-prestige-14-a10sc-020-mainstream/p/N82E16834155309

    https://www.newegg.com/royal-blue-asus-zenbook-15-ux534ftc-nh77-gaming-entertainment/p/N82E16834235471

    https://store.asus.com/us/item/202006AM240000001

    There are also plenty of options with MX cards, for example these:

    https://www.newegg.com/silver-asus-vivobook-s512fl-ph55-mainstream/p/N82E16834235284

    https://www.newegg.com/silver-asus-ux431fl-eh74/p/N82E16834235318

    https://www.newegg.com/carbon-gray-msi-modern-14-a10ras-1031-mainstream/p/N82E16834155432

    https://store.asus.com/us/item/202002AM070000015

    I didn't check all the sites, since I wasn't sure whether you'd rather stick with a Lenovo, and if not, what category of laptop you'd want.  But if there's something specific you have in mind, let me know what that is, and I'll do a more thorough search to see what else is out there.

    And of course if you have more questions about any of this, please ask.

  • lovelife14's avatar
    lovelife14
    5 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict @jpkarlsen @EeveeTinn 

    thank you sooo much for you input and explaining the differences between the graphics cards that exist!! I used to have a dell but I had so many issues with it so I try to stay away from it.

    I think I will stick with Lenovo bc the family discount  😅 I checked out the legion models and you are right they are pretty heavy and bulky looking. However,  I do like the x1 extreme gen 3 models. 

    right now, I’m looking at the Lenovo thinkpad x1 extreme gen 3 -

    https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/ThinkPad-X1-Extreme-Gen-3/p/20TK001GUS 

    with discounts i could get it for $1600ish 

    do you think it would be worth moving forward with this laptop (it looks like it has significantly more memory and hard drive space) - the processor looks different too (i7-10850H), graphics card is still GTX 1650 Ti Max Q 4GB

    thank you so so much for your help everyone!! You have made this process way smoother than it would have been by myself ❤️

  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    Hero (Retired)
    5 years ago

    @lovelife14 

    That is certainly a good choice if you can get it at that price. It is overkill for The Sims 4 but there are nothing wrong in planning for the future. That should be good for several years to come.

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