Laptop/desktop Recommendations

Laptop is a compromise (mostly because of mobility), desktop is always better for gaming starting with it's thermal design advantages.

For both types minimum specs are 16 GB RAM, a dedicated GPU with dedicated VRAM (usually standard for desktops, quite important for laptops) and an Intel i5 or Ryzen 7 CPU. Also important is a NVMe "disk" instead of a SSD or - by no means - an ancient HDD with real rotating disks.

Finally you should look for good cooling abilities because esp. laptops tend to overheat with temparature sensor triggered shutdowns, also because of dust and dirt accumulating over time in the fans and cooling pipes. At worst they can  be damaged due to overheating.

It's a tricky question. Usually you get as much different opinions as people are answering 😊

I'm anxious to hear a response to this as I also am considering a gaming laptop. I have a desktop computer right now, but it needs replacement.

I recommend a new Desktop with Windows 11 at Best Buy.               

You can have at least a few different games besides Sims 4 & can always get more storage if you want.

As for mods, I extremely recommend you avoid them at all cost.  They will corrupt your Sims 4.

Lyana2  What country are you in?  $2,000 should be enough for a great computer for Sims 4 in any country that uses dollars, but prices and available systems will vary widely.

Please also let me know whether you'd prefer a laptop or desktop.  Desktop hardware is faster than the equivalent laptop hardware, and a desktop is also much more upgradable/repairable, so it's the better choice for performance reasons alone.  But if you have a use. case for a gaming laptop, there are plenty of options that would still let you play on ultra graphics settings with a giant pile of custom content.

The "best" options are impossible to summarize in large part because price matters here.  A laptop that's great at $900 is a bad choice at $1,200 and might not even be available at times.  For desktops, the manufacturer matters relatively little because most system integrators use standard components supplied by the same companies.  So you're not getting a [brand-name] desktop, you're getting a desktop someone built with components from various brand names.

Anyway, let me know what you'd like, and what country you're in, and I can list some good options in your price range.  If you'd like help picking out a monitor, please also list the size you want, more or less, that is if it matters to you.

Bonxie_MCCC  A dedicated graphics card, desktop or mobile, has its own video memory pretty much by definition.  The right Ryzen 5 is more than fine for all games listed.  An NVMe drive is an SSD, the faster type.  And no proper gaming system currently on the market comes with an HDD for a system drive.

If a laptop overheats and shuts down, it's defective.  This should never happen.  All computer components (in laptops and in desktops) are designed to throttle performance when necessary to protect themselves from overheating, and laptops are designed to be able to cool the hardware they contain, usually with minimal to moderate throttling depending on the components and use cases.  A shutdown would only happen if the throttling couldn't get temperatures under control, which would in turn mean a problem with the cooling solution.  That means not a poorly-designed laptop, as even the worst-quality builds should never get to this point, but a defective unit.

SEREFRAS  Mods are fine when used responsibly.  At worst they can corrupt a save, but that's one excellent reason to keep backups.

telemwill  When you're ready to buy a new system, feel free to create your own thread in PC tech asking for advice.  Please list your budget and country as well as any other details that matter to you, for example screen size in a laptop.

I could give you a general idea of what to look for now, but listing specific examples would be pointless because of how quickly prices and availability change.

Lyana2  You could do any kind of work you wanted on a desktop, and it would come with Windows (likely Windows 11) pre-installed.  Sims 4 only runs in Windows and macOS anyway.

Would you like the cheapest good option, as in one that will run all your games on ultra settings but without frills; or an upgrade or two above that?  I'll have a look around as soon as I know what you want.

Lyana2  What do you think of this computer?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypower-scale-gaming-desktop-valorant-vcta-amd-ryzen-7-7700-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-8gb-1tb-ssd-black/6576678.p?skuId=6576678

This is significant overkill for Sims 4, but that's pretty reasonable given its price.  It's the cheapest system I'm seeing with an RTX 4060 ti, by about $100, and nothing I found under $1,200 is any better.  It's also only about $100 more than computers with a 4060 non-ti, which would be something of a downgrade if still overkill.  The RGB fans don't look great to me, but their colors should be adjustable.

This one has a 4060 ti as well and a processor that's not quite as fast but still more than good enough for whatever you want to do with it.  The system does only have 16 GB RAM, but you could upgrade should that ever become an issue.  More relevantly, the memory is slower (DDR4 vs. DDR5), and although that won't make any obvious difference in Sims 4, it might affect professional-level workloads such as compiling code or encoding videos if you're interested in that kind of thing.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-i5-13400F-ToughRam-GeForce%C2%AE-S2QT-B66R-46T-LCS/dp/B0CR56R8KG

The next-faster graphics cards currently available are the RTX 4070 and AMD RX 7800 XT; systems with these start around $1,500.  The extra power would be completely lost on Sims 4, so the only reason to consider it would be fore other games.  Keep in mind that you can always upgrade the GPU in the future if something new and exciting comes out that your current card can't quite run the way you like.  Still, let me know if you'd be interested in some of these options.

If you don't like the two I've linked above, please describe why.  There are lots of good options with similar specs, just not as cheap, so I could find something to fit pretty much any preferences.

Many desktops come with cheap and low-quality peripherals thrown in for free.  I wouldn't recommend using the included mouse and keyboard for long, but testing them would at least give you an idea of what to look for when you buy a better version.  Quality mice (e.g. anything Logitech) are cheap, good keyboards less so, but then you don't necessarily need a high-quality keyboard, just something that feels good under your fingertips.  I'd suggest visiting a Best Buy and putting your hands on the demo models to get a sense of what you like.

For the monitor, your budget and the hardware you're looking for would handle a high-resolution, high-refresh-rate panel without trouble, at least when running Sims 4.  The important details are resolution (2560x1440 is the sweet spot), refresh rate (100 Hz at least; higher means smoother up to a point), panel type (IPS is the highest quality; don't compromise on this), and brightness (300 nits minimum).  Any of these would work:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-pro-mp275q-27-qhd-100hz-1ms-adaptive-sync-monitor-with-built-in-speaker-displayport-hdmi--black/6583175.p?skuId=6583175
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-mag-275qf-27-qhd-rapid-ips-180hz-0-5ms-adaptive-sync-gaming-monitor-with-hdrdisplayporthdmi-metallic-black/6585692.p?skuId=6585692
https://www.newegg.com/msi-pro-mp273qp-e2-27-qhd/p/N82E16824475393
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-g27q-27-qhd-144-hz-ips-black/p/N82E16824012015

The first two have a 300-nit brightness, which is good enough; if you want something brighter, the third and fourth are 400 and 350 nits, respectively.  You'd likely notice the difference between 100 Hz and 144 or higher, but it's somewhat subtle, not like the difference between 60 or 75 and 100.  You could also test the monitors at a Best Buy in person to get an idea of how different refresh rates feel.

Here again, there are lots of options that are close in price to these, so if none of them is exactly what you're looking for, just let me know why, and I can do another search.

If you have more questions about any of these or in general, please feel free to keep asking.