laptop

@binkababy  The second laptop you listed isn't a good choice: its processor, graphics chip, memory, and storage are all below what you'd want.  The Acer might be better, but that would depend on which configuration you were considering.  Feel free to link the product page so I can take a look.

I did my own search just now, and the best option I saw was this one:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/asus-vivobook-f515ja-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i3-256-gb-ssd-grey-10212843-pdt.html

It has enough memory and storage, its processor is okay, and so is the integrated graphics chip.  It's not an ideal option, but it should certainly run Sims 4 on low-medium or medium settings.  And it sounds like you already know how to deal with Windows 10 S.

There are a few options with 14" screens, including a few that only have 4 GB RAM but that could be upgraded if you wanted.  If you're interested in seeing those, let me know.

For comparison, this laptop is £430 and significantly faster than the one above, no upgrades necessary.  It does only have a 14" screen though.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1959318

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you so much for the reply, I really appreciate it. I don't use a laptop for much more than to watch netflix and play sims that is why I didn't want to pay a lot of money for a gaming laptop. 

The first laptop you linked me: The Asus Vivobook looks perfect for what I'm after. However when you say it is not an ideal option, do you mean it won't play sims in Maximum performance or is there something bad about it that could hinder my gaming? Like I mentioned before, I have never had a really fancy laptop just a Lenovo (that I can't find anymore as it's discontinued I think?) and a Asus R465JA 

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-r465ja-core-i3-1005g1-4gb-128gb-14-inch-full-hd-windows-10-home-laptop-r465ja-ek058t/version.asp

The Asus R465JA is the one I currently want to get rid off as I brought it trying to avoid having Windows 10 S and it ended up being in S Mode anyway as it was advertised wrong. But like I said I can easily take it out of S Mode. The company I brought it from has agreed to take it back as I would prefer to have a bigger screen than 14". I haven't found too many problems with it apart from it being smaller than I would like, and whenever I launch Sims a warning comes up telling me I don't have enough storage and it recommends me playing in lower graphics. I just ignore it and the game seems to play fine however for some reason the game keeps freezing whenever the laptop is unplugged and will only work well when it's charging, so that's why I would like to get rid of it. 

I have never had these problems before on my previous Lenovo laptop and it lasted me about 6-7 years so I was sad to see it go. It was nothing fancy, just one I got on contract with a mobile phone and it played all of Sims 2, Sims 3 and Sims 4 just fine without any problems. I do have a lot of expansion packs though, so if that could cause a problem let me know.

I have never had a warning on sims before my current laptop, but I'm pretty sure my Lenovo was nothing amazing so I doubt it played the Sims on it's Maximum requirements. Medium settings is probably what I have always used so I should be happy with that. I'm just worried that I get rid of my current Asus for something worse. Do you know if the Asus you recommended me (Asus Vivobook F515JA) is better than my current laptop? (Asus R465JA)

Also here is the link to the Acer I was looking at for you to look through the details: https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/acer-aspire-3-core-i5-7200u-8gb-1tb-15.6-inch-windows-10-laptop-nx.gnpek.014/version.asp

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me and I look forward to your reply 🙂

@binkababy  When I said the Asus isn't ideal, I meant that you couldn't expect excellent performance on higher graphics settings.  It's not a bad laptop, just not particularly powerful.  If you don't mind playing on the lower settings you're currently using, it should be fine: the processor and graphics chip are the same as the Asus you have now, and the graphics chip in particular will be the limiting factor.

The Asus you currently have comes with only 4 GB RAM installed, which, while technically enough, can cause problems.  So can such a small (128 GB) hard drive, depending on what else you've installed on the computer.  The Asus I linked should be fine on both fronts unless you have a bunch of other apps open while you play.

However, you're still going to need to plug the laptop in while you play.  Almost all laptops are designed to conserve energy when running on battery, throttling performance in the process, since higher workloads require more juice to run.  It's usually not possible to completely override this behavior in settings, and it wouldn't help much if you did—you'd just drain the battery that much faster and have to plug in the laptop soon enough anyway.  This is true for basic laptops, high-end gaming laptops, and everything in between.  So if your goal is to play while on battery, that's unfortunately not realistic.

The Acer you linked is not really a good option either.  While it has more RAM and storage than your current one, its processor and graphics chip are slower, and you'd probably notice a drop in performance.

Wow thank you so much! I didn't realise about having laptops unplugged while playing Sims, but this won't be a problem for me because I'm usually around a charging point anyway. I don't normally have anything else running in the background when I'm playing either so this laptop should be the perfect fit for me. Thank you so much for helping me with my research as I was so confused and overwhelmed by all the computer speak haha. 

However I am struggling to find it on any other website and Curry's near me is out of stock. If you know of any other UK websites that sell this laptop could you please link them to me as it would be much appreciated.

Thank you for all your help, you have been amazingly informative. 

@binkababy  I checked about 15 different sites and didn't see that laptop for anywhere close to the same price.  But that's not a surprise—Vivobooks are usually a bit more expensive, and the one I linked is on sale.  (That's probably why it isn't available for delivery: it's close to being sold out.)  If this one is in stock at your local Currys, it would also work:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-3-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i3-1-tb-hdd-black-10208112-pdt.html

It has the same processor and graphics chip, 8 GB RAM, and a 1 TB hard drive.  It's a mechanical drive, so Windows and many apps will load slower, but Sims 4 should play the same once it's loaded.

Other than that, your best option would be to get a laptop with 4 GB RAM and add more yourself.  Another 4 GB might cost less than £20, and you could add it later if you wanted.  This laptop is the same model as the Acer above, except with 4 GB RAM and a 256 GB solid state drive (much faster), and it's £400:

https://ao.com/product/nxht8ek003-acer-laptop-black-76700-251.aspx

The model does have an empty slot for another RAM module, in addition to the 4 GB soldered in.

This one is £380 and has a comparable processor and graphics chip, but it does have a 14" screen.  It also has one soldered RAM module and one free slot.

There are certainly a lot of options with smaller hard drives, but it sounds like 128 GB isn't enough for your purposes.  Unfortunately, that cuts your options down significantly, especially right now as stores haven't finished restocking from their holiday sales.

Okay so once again every website I found didn't have the Acer Aspire 3. Just typical haha. However I have found it available on ebay but I have noticed it's process is an Athlon not an Intel. I checked EA for the sims requirements but I am still not sure if this processor would be okay to run sims. 

Here is the link for you to check it out: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Aspire-3-15-6in-Athlon-Silver-8GB-1TB-Laptop-Black-/363040943682

If not I will consider getting the Acer with the 4GB RAM as it seems to be available on AO.com and paying to upgrade the RAM to 8GB like you said.

Thank you for doing so much research to help me, it honestly means so much to me ❤ 

@binkababy  The Athlon processors are weaker than the ones in the laptops we've been talking about, and their graphics chips are slower.  When I'm looking for a laptop for someone, I skip over any option that has an Athlon CPU.  I mean, they're fine for what they're supposed to do, but their expected workload doesn't include running even moderately demanding games.  The same goes for laptops with Pentium or Celeron processors.

I didn't realize you were willing to buy on Ebay, but I took a look there and didn't see anything new with a 15" screen that fits your preferences.  If you were okay with a 14" screen, this would be a great option though, better even than the ones I linked:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-VivoBook-M413DA-Full-HD-14-Inch-Laptop-AMD-Ryzen-5-8-GB-RAM-512-GB-SSD/373417564125?hash=item56f16bd7dd:g:ElMAAOSwvZ5f7LSt

You could always keep an eye on Ebay for something better, but considering there are zero good options right now, you might be waiting a while.

Hello again, I'm back! 

Firstly I just want to apologise for bothering you once again, I'm sure you were happy to be rid of me. But I have returned to bug you because you were so helpful to me and I was so thankful to you and your research that whenever I have a laptop question I can't answer I turn to you, so I hope you don't mind. 

Basically after all your amazing suggestions it turns out every single laptop was out of stock in my area, I even got so close to buying one and as I was filling out my information at checkout, it got sold to someone else and I was devastated. So I have just decided to stick with the 14 inch laptop I currently have and just deal with it haha. I would have waited longer to see if any come back in stock but the place I brought my laptop from is waiting for an answer about returning and I can't keep them waiting any longer. 

So what I wanted to know is if I could upgrade my current 4GB of RAM to 8GB but everywhere I have searched I can't find the answer. My model of laptop doesn't even seem to exist on ASUS' website so I am just a little stumped and confused, so I've come to you 🙂

If at all possible you know the answer to my question or can find it online you would be a lifesaver. The model of my Laptop is an ASUS VIVOBOOK R465JA-EK058T with 14 inch screen and 4GB of RAM. 

Thank you very much, and I hope I haven't annoyed you too much 

@binkababy  You're not annoying me at all.  I'm sorry that the options on Ebay haven't worked out, but maybe you'd find something eventually if you stayed with it.  Still, it can be exhausting to keep looking, and I understand why someone might not want to.

As for your current laptop, I can't find any documentation either, although there are plenty of sites trying to sell the same product.  Maybe there's a different model number you can find somewhere.  Here's how to look:

https://www.asus.com/us/support/article/565

Please check all the locations listed for laptops, in case one of them shows a model number we can actually work with.

Thank you so much I have done the DXDIAG method to find out what model my laptop is and that is saying: Vivobook_ASUSLaptop X415JA_R465JA. 

I hope that helps 🙂