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luxsylvan's avatar
luxsylvan
7 years ago
Solved

Need a new laptop, buying advice

Hi all,

I know this question gets asked a ton, so if there's already a similar thread that may be helpful to me, please don't hesitate to let me know! 

So I'm looking to buy a new laptop, and I'm kind of overwhelmed and I don't really understand, so I was hoping someone over here could recommend laptops for me to check out. Obviously, I want it to be able to run Sims 4 (preferably really well with highest graphics, since I've been playing on lower settings for years now). I think that in the future I might want to/need to be able to use Adobe products (mainly Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator), if that has anything to do with anything. I'm a PC user with a budget of $1500 or lower. I don't play other games besides the Sims, so I don't think I need something that's a massive gaming rig, but again, I don't really know what I should be looking for other than a few things (I'd prefer an i7 processor, and probably don't need more than 500 GB of storage).

I've looked at the recommended game specs, so I have general ideas, but there are just too many computers to try and choose from.  I've been using a Dell Inspiron (17", i3, got it 4.5 years ago), so I'm comfortable with that brand, but definitely open to others. Any help you can give towards spec or computer recommendations is appreciated. Thanks in advance! 🙂

Oh, wait last question that's vaguely related--has anyone had good experiences with buying on black Friday or cyber Monday? Is it worth waiting to buy then?

pc
  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    7 years ago


    Look for specs like these:
    The main reason for the recommendation is not the Sims 4 but the other programs you want to use.

    CPU = Intel I7 generation 7 or better AMD Ryzen 8 or better
    RAM = 16GB DDR4 or more
    HDD = 250GB SSD with secondary HDD for storage or 512GB SSD.
    Graphics = Geforce 1060 6GB or equivalent AMD card

    If you find one you like and want an opinion feel free to post a link.

4 Replies

  • jpkarlsen's avatar
    jpkarlsen
    Hero (Retired)
    7 years ago


    Look for specs like these:
    The main reason for the recommendation is not the Sims 4 but the other programs you want to use.

    CPU = Intel I7 generation 7 or better AMD Ryzen 8 or better
    RAM = 16GB DDR4 or more
    HDD = 250GB SSD with secondary HDD for storage or 512GB SSD.
    Graphics = Geforce 1060 6GB or equivalent AMD card

    If you find one you like and want an opinion feel free to post a link.

  • luxsylvan's avatar
    luxsylvan
    7 years ago

    Okay, thanks so much!

    I was looking at the Dell XPS 15, as well as the HP Spectre, which have similar specs. Any thoughts on those, or any I might not have heard of? These were two I knew of, since most everyone I know uses Dell or HP.

  • roberta591's avatar
    roberta591
    Hero (Retired)
    7 years ago

    @luxsylvan  I recommend you research the product support  if you buy a laptop. I have several Dell laptops and usually don't stop using them until the hardware is no longer supported. My Dell Inspiron I use for work has become legacy and due to get replaced in the near future. I have had more then a few HP's in the family and when they fail they get replaced with a Dell laptop. I have had little issues with Dell support. I supplied a Dell laptop with in home service for my son when he was in college. The screen got broke and the next day Dell delivered a new screen and the following day they came out and fixed it. 2 days down time. While Dell may be on the conservative side for performance they last and the service is good.

  • luxsylvan's avatar
    luxsylvan
    7 years ago

    @roberta591 that's a good idea. I've had similar Dell experiences; I had a faulty hard drive that quit a month after I got my current laptop. At the time I was located somewhere that was pretty far from any computer store, but they still managed to get me new parts in a fairly short amount of time. Even walked me through how to change the hard drive myself, which was surprisingly easy. My family has used Dell for as long as I can remember, and their computers never had to be replaced for crashing or anything like that. They just got old but lasted forever before buying a new one. Thanks for the suggestion!

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