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BeEllenn's avatar
BeEllenn
Rising Newcomer
17 days ago

Looking for a laptop suggestion to play the Sims4. Budget of $1000 CAD

Hi!

I'm looking for a laptop I can use to play the sims 4 with all expansion packs, I have found two laptops currently on sale and I want to know which one would work better. I just need something that will run smooth and without lag when I have all the expansion packs downloaded. I'm also open to other suggestions. Thanks!

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/lenovo-ideapad-slim-3i-15-6-laptop-arctic-grey-intel-core-i5-1335u-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-windows-11/16948051

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/acer-aspire-5-15-6-laptop-iron-intel-core-i7-13620h-1tb-ssd-16gb-ram-windows-11/17698611

  • BeEllenn  The second one has a somewhat-faster graphics chip, not necessarily enough to justify the higher price but clearly the better option if you're comfortable paying extra.  But you can do better for $1,000 CAD.  In particular, you could get a gaming laptop with a dedicated graphics card, one that's a few times as fast as the integrated graphics in the ones you've linked.  For example:

    https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-tuf-gaming-f15-15-6-144hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-12500h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-rtx-3050/17697539
    https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-tuf-gaming-f15-15-6-144hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-13620h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-rtx-4050/17697537

    These two are essentially the same laptop other than the faster graphics card in the second, which is simply one generation newer and better.   The first one could still run all current Sims 4 content on ultra graphics settings, but if you'd like some breathing room, for example to run ReShade or high poly custom content, the second one may be the better option.

    In the non-gaming-laptop category, this one's integrated graphics chip is almost twice as fast as the faster iGPU you linked.  That's the difference between medium-high and high-ultra graphics settings, or translated up or down a bit depending on your play style and what other content you install.

    https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/hp-15-6-laptop-natural-silver-intel-core-ultra-5-125h-1tb-ssd-16gb-ram-windows-11-home/17907962

    To be clear, the RTX 3050 is still significantly faster than the iGPU in the laptop above; this is more a question of what kind of laptop you want and what your priorities are: super smooth performance on ultra settings, a portable machine, a certain screen size, etc.

    If none of these are what you want, let me know why, and I can check other Canadian sites for better options.  I didn't do so now because I don't know whether you'd prefer a gaming laptop or not.  I will say that the prices on the first and third laptops seem reasonably good to me, so I doubt I could find anything equivalent for much less; the second one might be more like $900 with the right sale.  I will be happy to search for whatever you'd like once you let me know what that is.

    If you have more questions, about these laptops or in general, please feel free to ask.

    • BeEllenn's avatar
      BeEllenn
      Rising Newcomer

      Thank you this is really helpful.

      I wasn't looking for a gaming laptop as I'd prefer something lighter and more portable, I'm not worried about the screen size, any size is good, but something that runs smooth is my main concern.

      I use my boyfriends laptop at the moment (Dell Inspiron 14, 8GB RAM, Intel Core i5-11300H) to play the sims and it barely manages base game and 4 expansion packs. I currently have 26 packs and I'm looking into buying more, so a laptop that can handle all of these when downloaded and run without lag is my top priority. 

      I probably wont be playing on ultra settings. I might also download a few mods as well as all of the expansion packs.

      Thank you for your help!

  • BeEllenn  For a non-gaming laptop, the last link is the best I've seen at around this price point in general.  Its iGPU is about as good as you can get for integrated graphics, and the slightly better options are mostly somewhat more expensive in any market.

    I can look for other similar options if you'd like, or if you're happy with that one, it's a good choice.  Let me know either way.  This one is only on sale for a few more days though.