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xxonlywunxx's avatar
4 years ago

Most Powerful Desktop PC for Sims 4 w/ Mods, CC, & Expansions?

So I read the entirety of two past threads that went over the specs for good options when it comes to finding a pc that can handle running the sims 4 with lots of mods, cc, expansions, high game settings, & every other kind of setting like refresh rate, fps, etc.. Just playing the game at max capacity in every way basically.. And it was super helpful! I learned a lot of things about looking for a custom build versus a premade and graphic cards and whatnot but I’m still quite confused because in the threads it looked to me like at times it was implied that there were setups out there that could handle everything and then some no problem-- but in response to other comments it looked like it doesn't really matter what kind of fancy setup you have, no matter what, if your game is absolutely chalked full of extra knick knacks and ultra settings (the exact example was if all townies had cc..) your game is still going to lag or have moments of slowdown.. I’m wondering which is the case & wondering if someone (cough, cough puzzlezaddict, cough) might be able to lend me some of their super tech wisdom when it comes to finding the best possible setup for absolutely seamless gameplay with all of the above mentioned kinds of extra bits and settings.. If that's even possible! 

The sims 4 is the only pc game I play and the literal only thing that the computer would be dedicated to as I already have a laptop for everything else (which is currently choking to death trying to run my game lol..) ((loading screens between lots can take up to 15 minutes sometimes, 7-10 second wait before interaction menu pops up after clicking something, everything is jittery & laggy, etc..)) 

It might seem a little ridiculous to be looking for a computer just for sims but like many I grew up with it & it’s always been my absolute favorite game of all time so it would be really nice to have it finally be able to run like it used to without all the cool extra stuff except WITH all the cool extra stuff lol..  I also already have a nice monitor so that wouldn't be something I'd need suggestions on as well. It's really just all the best computer brain parts I'd love to get some insight on.. I’d say my budget would be anywhere from around 2-4k USD which also probably sounds a bit ridiculous for what I'm trying to achieve but I've never had a nice computer and it’s gonna be my big Christmas present to myself and I’d just really love for this thing to be an absolute POWERhouse that knows what I want to do with my sims before I do :’)

4 Replies

  • Oh! I should also mention I have a close friend that builds computers for a living so if it would be better to get certain parts separately and put them together as opposed to going with a company that puts the build together that's totally an option for me! 

  • @xxonlywunxx  There are a few different factors that sort of bleed into each other and can make things confusing, especially if you're comparing different threads.  So I'll summarize them here:

    Sims 4 WILL have lag and framerate drops on any system.  The causes include playing on a complicated lot (in terms of the number of objects), using high poly (high-resolution) custom content that takes more resources to render, and playing a crowded lot in terms of the number of sims.  Until and unless the game is better optimized, this is unavoidable.

    The lag and fps drops are often somewhat proportional to the strength of the system.  The faster the graphics card, the higher the fps floor will be: for example, in one situation, you might see a ~40% drop on any computer, but with a faster card, it would go from 120 fps to 72 rather than from 60 to 36.  So with better hardware, you're insulating yourself to some extent (but not fully) from these performance issues.

    The fps a given graphics card is able to produce is dependent on the number of pixels rendered.  It's not linear—a 4k (3840x2160) screen has four times the pixels of a FHD (1920x1080) screen, but you wouldn't see 1/4 the fps if you went from FHD to 4k.  But the drop would definitely be there.

    That's why I ask so many questions, at least when people are ready and willing to spend extra money over the minimum necessary for ultra settings.  Someone comfortable playing in FHD at 60 fps with no custom content does not need anything faster than a 1660 of some kind; someone who wants to play in 4k at >100 fps (minus the inevitable slowdowns) would want a 2070 or 3060.  And while it's great to get a powerful system that does everything you could possibly ask of it, spending money above what you need to get the play experience you're looking for is kind of a waste.

    Loading times depend on the speed of the drive(s) where the game's program files and the user folder are located as well as how much content is being loaded.  The processor and RAM matter to some extent as well, but with your budget, those are not really a concern.

    So, after all that, I guess the place to start is with the resolution and refresh rate of your monitor, that is if you're going to keep using it.

    And yes, building your own system is usually the best approach, if you can afford it and have the skills or a friend with the skills to make it work.  However, with the current market for graphics cards, just finding one is complicated; how bad it is depends on the card you want.  If you're going to wait until the holidays to order, you can put off that decision too, and it's possible by that time the card you want will be somewhat obtainable.  But it's also an argument for ordering a custom build from a high-end system integrator: the companies do have the components, and their prices are high but not scalper-level.

  • xxonlywunxx's avatar
    xxonlywunxx
    4 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict 

    Wow thank you so much for spending time on such a thorough explanation there really seem to be so many factors that go into getting things to go as smoothly as possible, I had to read your message a few times to try and grasp it all completely.. That's really too bad that a lot of those things are unavoidable no matter what kind of setup you have :/ with that better hardware that you mentioned, do you think the improvement would be quite significant? I'm just trying to wrap my head around some of the technicalities you mentioned and what it would all mean in the end. I could definitely live with a little buffering here and there so to speak but it would definitely be a bit of a shame to get all sorts of new gadgets for all the lag & waiting time to only decrease a tiny bit, I guess I'm just wondering if the partial insulation from the issues would be noticeable enough to be worth it in your opinion?


    I had no idea that my monitor had anything to do with game performance that's really interesting.. Are you saying that if I were to go ahead and also get a better monitor it would contribute to some of those things going smoother as well? Sorry I feel like you've already answered all the questions I'm sort of re-asking it’s just quite a bit to digest for a non-tech savvy bean 😅  after doing a little research it looks like my monitor is nowhere near as groovy as I thought it was. Compared to the specs of what some of the other ones out there have going on I think mine is pretty much just your average block with lights :P  The resolution is 1920 x 1200, and the refresh rate is 60 Hz

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    4 years ago

    @xxonlywunxx  Your monitor doesn't affect game performance at all, at least not directly.  What it does is set parameters for what kind of performance your system needs to achieve.  The floor is that rendering a specific number of pixels at a specific fps takes a certain level of power; the ceiling is that the monitor can't display performance above a certain level, so the extra power above that level is wasted.

    For example, with Sims 4 on a 1920x1200 monitor, an Nvidia 3060 ti could drive fps up to 200 in most situations.  But if your monitor can only display 60 fps, you wouldn't get to see those extra frames: 95% of the time, you'd get exactly the same experience running the game on a card that can only hit ~70 fps.  The other 5%, the fps drops would be somewhat noticeable on the slower card, and maybe you wouldn't be able to see them at all on the 3060 ti.

    Something else to consider is whether you're happy with your current monitor.  If you are, great, that makes things easy.  If you want to see what's out there, I'd suggest going to a Best Buy and asking to look at IPS (the highest quality panel) monitors with a QHD (2560x1440) and 4k (3840x2160) resolution.  Someone can play you a test video so you see what the screen can do.

    It's also worth looking at 144 Hz monitors, but there, the easier test is to open a window and drag it around the screen.  If it looks about as smooth as you're used to, you're one of the many people who can't tell the difference between 60 fps and higher, and buying a 144 Hz monitor or the card to drive it would be a waste.  If it feels significantly better AND the difference matters to you, then it may be worth spending some of your budget on a nicer monitor.  And just to be clear, this would not be a massive expense compared to the computer: you could probably find a 144 Hz IPS monitor for $300, although I haven't checked prices in a couple months.

    Once you know whether you're keeping this monitor or, if not, what specs your new one will have, the rest becomes a lot simpler.