Laptop Recommendations Please

Simswhynotplay​  Sorry for the late reply; I've been away from the forums for a few days.  If you'd still like advice, I'm here now though.

In theory, this would be a great choice for Sims 4: capable of running the game on ultra graphics settings, not too expensive, not the cheapest low-quality option.  However, there are issues with running Sims 4 on newer HP gaming laptops with Intel processors, which can be worked around but not always in a way that preserves performance in the game.  Some players report that the only way they can play is by disabling the Nvidia GPU entirely, which leaves them running Sims 4 on integrated graphics you could find in a £350 laptop.  So I wouldn't recommend any HP gaming laptop with an Intel CPU right now.

Are you still looking for suggestions?  If so, let me know, and I'll find some for you, this time without the delay.  I don't think you need to wait until Black Friday, but you would save some money, so if you'd prefer to do that, let me know, and come back at the beginning of November when the sales start to roll out.

Hi, thank you so much, you just saved me from making a very expensive mistake! 

I would love some suggestion please! 

I probably won't wait until Black Friday anymore as my old laptop is really struggling right now, but since the laptop will be purely for the Sims I don't want to spend too much money on it and my maximum budget is £750, although ideally I want to spend less if that's possible. 

Thank you so much for your help! 

Simswhynotplay​  If you don't mind your laptop running loud and hot—not dangerously so, just enough to get the fans going—this is a good cheap option.  It can handle all current Sims 4 content on ultra graphics settings with some room to spare and is the cheapest new gaming laptop I'm finding right now.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/msi-cyborg-15-15.6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-rtx-2050-512-gb-ssd-10266064.html

These have an RTX 2050 graphics card, which is slower than a 3050 but still likely capable of ultra graphics settings as long as you don't pile on the high poly custom content.  They're about the same in terms of overall build quality: not high-end but also not two years away from being unusable.

https://www.laptopoutlet.co.uk/lenovo-loq-15iax9e-i5-83lk002suk.html
https://www.laptopoutlet.co.uk/asus-tuf-gaming-amd-fa506nf-hn008w.html

These are the next-cheapest laptops I'm seeing with an RTX 3050 that are reasonably-good, with the Alienware being a high-end laptop that usually doesn't even come with cheaper components like this.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/acer-nitro-v15-15.6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-rtx-3050-512-gb-ssd-10265657.html
https://www.dell.com/en-uk/shop/gaming-and-games/alienware-16-aurora-gaming-laptop/spd/alienware-aurora-ac16250-gaming-laptop

I haven't found other options with a 3050 for less than £750, but I also couldn't load the Argos website (down for maintenance) or the HP shop site (endless loading, both the site overall and your link that previously worked for me) tonight.  I'll check back later if you don't want any of these laptops.  But you can also check yourself if you like.  For Argos, choose the Gaming Laptop category, filter by price low to high, and look for an RTX 3050, or a 2050 if necessary, not from Medion and not an HP with an Intel processor.  For the HP site, look for a 3050 or 2050 with an AMD processor; these don't have the same issue.

I can also check back in a day or two if you want.

And if you have more questions in general, please feel free to ask.

Edit:  The Argos site is loading for me now, and I found two more options worth mentioning.  This one has an RTX 3050 and is £680:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7575521

And this one has the newer and somewhat faster (unnecessary, but nice to have if it's in your budget) RTX 4050, although still in the noisy MSI chassis:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4375834

I would definitely get the Asus from Argos over the options with an RTX 2050 due to the significant improvement in performance, but I'm leaving those other links up in case you or someone else has already read the post and might wonder where they'd gone.

The HP site loaded too, after a delay, but only has two gaming laptops in your budget, both with Intel processors and not as cheap as the Argos options or the MSI from Currys.  So it would be best to skip the HP options entirely.

puzzlezaddict​ Thank you so much for your help.

I am currently debating between the MSI RTX 4050 and the ASUS RTX 3050. I know the RTX4050 has the better graphics card, would this make it a clear winner for you?

Simswhynotplay​  The RTX 4050 would be a clear winner for me because I play other games that I want to run as well as possible.  For you, the answer might be different.  An RTX 3050 will run Sims 4 vanilla on ultra settings without any trouble.  Mods shouldn't be much of a problem for the hardware (they can of course break the game), and they don't tax the graphics engine anyway.  Custom content can be fine, or it can be more demanding than the game's own items.  Using ReShade definitely means more work for the GPU.

So the questions are, 1) are you going to use any of this content, now or in the future; 2) if so, would you be unhappy to have to turn down some graphics to medium; and 3) does the added heat and noise from the MSI mean anything to you?  I can't tell you what matters most to you, only what to expect from these choices.  And in the end, both machines are good choices, so you should be fine either way.

Hi thanks so much for all your help. Since Prime Day is on the 8-9 October I plan to wait until then to see if I can get a deal on one of the laptops you have recommended. Again, thank you so much for all your help! 

Simswhynotplay​  I'm not sure these exact laptops will be available in a few weeks, or how they'd be priced.  So if you don't see what you want during the Prime Day sale, feel free to come back and ask for other suggestions.  There should certainly be something in the same range for the same price or cheaper.

puzzlezaddict​ Thanks!

I have just noticed that Argos are running a discount code on gaming laptops / uploaded some new ones to their site. I was wondering what you thought of the two below please? Particularly in comparison to the ASUS one you linked above from Argos. 

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7516717?clickPR=plp:2:19

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7825587?clickPR=plp:7:19 

Simswhynotplay​  Acer Nitro laptops used to be fine for a couple of years before falling apart, sometimes literally.  They've improved recently, to the point where they last about as long as any other entry-level laptop, so they're a good choice if you're fine with replacing yours in five years or so.  I don't think the Asus is any better in the interim and might not last any longer either.

Laptop processors and graphics chips come directly from Intel/AMD/Nvidia, so other than the occasional defect, any differences in two laptops with the same components come down to the tuning imposed by the manufacturer of the laptop.  These differences tend to be relatively small since the point of a gaming laptop is performance.

The problem with the first Acer is that it has only 8 GB memory.  While that's enough to run Sims 4, especially since the graphics card has its own VRAM, you might run into problems trying to multitask, or even with general use in a few years depending on what else you like to run.  It's simple enough to install more RAM, and last I checked, doing so wouldn't void the warranty.  So if you're comfortable with the process (or have a friend or family member who would do so for you), it would be a reasonable choice to buy a compatible memory module or two and upgrade it after the fact.

However, paying someone to upgrade it is a lot more expensive than it should be: a 2x8 GB kit might be £40-50, depending on the speed the laptop supports, and a single 1x8 GB module (if the computer already has 1x8 vs. 2x4) would be even cheaper.  But installation might be over £100 for a few minutes of work.

Point is, if you wouldn't want to upgrade the laptop, don't get a model with 8 GB RAM.  You can afford better and will want better sooner or later.  If you're happy to upgrade, it's a good choice.

My parents ordered me the Acer Nitro 4050 while I was work today as a early birthday surprise. Thank you so much for all the help you have given me, I really appreciate it! Thank you!