Hello,
I am looking for a laptop that will be good for playing Sims 4 on it. I found a couple that I think are good but just wanted to get some advice. I have some of the packs and am planning on probably getting most of them. I like to have CC as well so would prefer one to handle this. I am not picky on the graphics though I would prefer if they were at least medium. I would say my max budget is the Dell Inspiron at $599. I am open to Refurbished ones too.
chicagofirepdmed This system would work fine if it were available. And it's true that you typically get more performance from a desktop than from a laptop at the same price, but that doesn't account for the monitor. Plus, the main difference is that desktop hardware is faster than laptop hardware of the same name, for example a desktop RTX 3050 is about 50-60% faster in gaming than the lower-end laptop version (there are several versions) but is slightly slower than an RTX 4050, which comes in very cheap gaming laptops these days.
I don't see anything comparable to the out-of-stock system you linked, at least from Best Buy. This is the best option I'm seeing, with an RX 6500 XT, which is significantly slower than the desktop 3050 but should still be able to handle ultra graphics settings.
Alternately, this one is $50 cheaper from Newegg and has an RTX 3050:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16883151490
I'm seeing very little else that's decent, at least in the desktop market. The problem is likely the tariffs, not necessarily that they're in force but that buyers are aware they're coming and are trying to avoid paying the premium. And it's not clear when this will resolve either.
If you'd like to talk laptops again, let me know.
I haven't bought a laptop yet and wondering if you could help me look at PC. I have accepted that my budget will have to go up to max $700. My partner's brother is into PC gaming and said that you can typically get more for less money. I was looking at this one but it seems like its sold out now.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-codex-r2-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-12400f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-6g-500gb-ssd-black/6586846.p?skuId=6586846
Thank you for all your help.
chicagofirepdmed If you're looking to save money and are fine with medium-high to high graphics settings, the Asus is a good choice. The graphics chip is the limiting factor in determining how well almost any computer would run Sims 4, and the chip in the Asus is only maybe 10% slower than the chips in the other two. I don't know that that upgrade is worth the significant extra cost, although it may be to you.
If you do want a bit of an upgrade, the graphics chip in this laptop (the $600 option with the 8540U processor) is about 15% faster than the chips in the Dell and Lenovo you linked:
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-16-laptop/spd/inspiron-16-5645-laptop
I understand if you don't want to go over $600, but this one is only a little over, and it's a significant upgrade over the one above, maybe 60% faster in gaming on average. That's borderline for ultra graphics settings, depending on your play style. It also has a brighter screen; both have a 16:10 resolution, which is a nice feature if not at all necessary.
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/hp-pavilion-laptop-16-ag0087nr
I looked for other laptops worth linking and didn't find anything cheaper than the Asus in that performance category, or cheaper than the Lenovo in that category. There are certainly other options like the Lenovo and the Dell you linked, at around the same price, if you're not satisfied with those two, but they're all variations on the same theme. But if you're willing to spend $600, it's worth considering the significant jump in performance from this HP.
