HELP! Running Sims on Certain CPU and GPU

@strwbrri  The hardware in this PC is several tiers better than any new system you could find for $500 CAD.  It's also better than any used systems I've seen for that price from reputable sellers, although I can't tell you what the market is like on Ebay or Craigslist.  To me, the price feels a bit high for a sale between two individuals, with no warranty or other formal guarantee.  But if you trust your friend to help you with setup and any issues that arise, it's not unreasonable.

In terms of performance, this computer should run Sims 4, all current packs included, on ultra graphics settings, with some room to spare.  Three years ago, I'd have happily recommended it to someone looking in the corresponding price range, and the game is only barely more demanding now.  Stardew Valley and Minecraft should also be fine, although Minecraft in RTX mode may not be.  But if that's something you want down the road, you could pick up a used RTX 3060 for cheap (they're already cheap and will only drop from here) and slot it in.

The one question I have is whether this computer has a solid state drive or a mechanical drive (HDD).  If the latter, I'd consider installing an SSD now, as it will make a very significant difference in the computer's overall performance.  Sims 4 will play the same once it's loaded, but everything from Windows to other games will be noticeably faster running from an SSD.

The best time to install a new drive would be now since you should reinstall the OS anyway when you buy a used computer.  You could do it later, but that would mean another round of reinstalling the OS and drivers.  Used SSDs have a bad reputation, not entirely without cause, but if you're only playing games and are willing to periodically back up your data to the secondary drive, it's a reasonable (small) risk to take given the cost savings.  Of course this is moot if the current drive is an SSD.

Hi puzzlezaddict,

Thank you for your response regarding my inquiry! I greatly appreciate your opinion regarding this. Upon further conversation with my friend, she was able to bring down the price to $450CAD and will help with setup! It's assuring to hear that the computer will be able to run Sims 4 smoothly with packs included. Would you know anything about mods or even Gshader if I plan on installing that as well? I will be planning on cleaning out my mod's folder to remove any unused mods - do you think it'll still run on good graphic settings? 

I do plan on using whatever specs she has now for the time being as I'm not too too picky but if I do end up saving up and want to invest in a better upgrade, I will definitely have the RTX 3060 noted down the road, thank you for your recommendation! 

As for SSD and HDD, I was informed from my friend that the PC has SSD. She was also to provide me with a link that includes the exact specs and parts of the PC. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pkwjdH (hopefully this is able to provide some further information)

In terms of installing a new drive, would that be something that can easily done? I could try figuring it out myself if not ask my friends for help as well.

@strwbrri  Yes, installing a new drive would be simple.  Another SATA SSD, as the computer currently has, requires two connectors: one from the power supply (and the cable is likely already present, since these cables typically have three connectors each), and one to the motherboard (probably came with the motherboard, but if not, these are cheap).  An NVMe SSD can be almost as cheap and a lot faster, and it doesn't require any cables at all.  You simply insert the drive into the designated motherboard socket and screw it down, or sometimes there's a clip to rotate.

The motherboard has one presumably empty M.2 socket that would take an NVMe drive, and four SATA ports, only one of which is being used.  Make sure you get the board's manual from your friend in case you want to install something later.  There are also lots of YouTube tutorials for this kind of thing, and it really is easy once you've seen what you're supposed to do.

However, you don't need a new drive now and may not for the life of this system.  The SATA SSD is fast enough for Sims 4: the game wouldn't load any faster on an NVMe drive.  And while Windows would load faster, the difference is much smaller than the gap between a SATA SSD and an HDD.  You'd notice if you had two systems side by side, but it won't have any significant impact on day-to-day use.  So you can hold off on this upgrade until you decide you need more storage, if that ever happens.

The overall parts list looks fine, nothing to worry about there as long as the system is running well overall.

As for the Sims 4 content, mods won't be an issue as long as they're in working order, and neither will custom content up to a point.  The GTX 1660 Super gives you plenty of room to make the game more demanding without having much of an impact on performance, even on ultra settings.  Sims 4 will lag no matter what—that's what it does, on any system—but it won't be the fault of this hardware.

GShade is somewhat broken and somewhat incompatible with Sims 4 right now.  I'd suggest trying Nvidia Freestyle first, as it's built into GeForce Experience and therefore doesn't require extra downloads or nearly as many updates.  It also has a smaller impact on performance than third-party tools.  If you want more customization than Freestyle offers, try Reshade.