@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.
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
@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.
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