New Computer Build Recommendations for The Sims 4 @ 4K Ultra + Mods
Hello
I'm looking to build my wife a PC which will exclusively be used to play the Sims 4 with a lot (5GB and counting so far) of custom content and mods. Currently she's using my i7-6700, 64GB RAM, RX 6800 XT.
I've noticed that the game experiences rather large frame drops. This is before buying any expansion packs and also before loading any mods. Is this an engine issue, because using AMD's profiling tool my CPU usage doesn't really go above 65% and the GPU barely goes over 35% usage. The RAM usage is barely noticeable, maybe 6GB or 8GB.
Additionally, I've noticed that the load time of the save games are gradually creeping up (which is, to a certain extent, understandable with larger houses and families that are about 30 sims big, plus the pets.)
Does anyone have any recommendations for her pc please? Does anyone have any hard data if, for example, I should get one of AMD's 5xxx3D or 7xxx3D cache CPUs or rather get a higher clocked Intel CPU? Which graphics cards top out performance at 4K for The Sims? Maybe a 6600XT or a 2070?
Heck, are there tweaks or hacks to keep the build mode files (or ALL 44-odd GB of the game's files) so that the huge dips going into build mode don't occur?
Thank you very much
GDI Lord
@GDI_Lord Unfortunately, yes, the performance issues you're seeing are mostly or entirely due to the game engine and not really fixable on the user end. There are some things you can adjust around the edges, for example Simp4Sims has posted an edited graphicsrules.sgr file that can help with performance, especially on high-end machines with underutilized hardware. If you're curious, google "Simp4Sims Graphics Overhaul" and try it out on your current machine.
The fps drops going into build mode are also a longstanding issue with no good fix or workaround.
Load times increase as a save has more sims, the sims are more progressed (skills, relationships, etc.), as the lots get more complicated, and possibly some other factors I'm not thinking of right now. Custom content affects load times as well, although it's not linear—some cc will have a negligible effect, while other items' impact can be noticeable. It's difficult to predict beyond the fact that broken or outdated cc will definitely drag out the loading process.
As for what hardware would max out the game's performance, that depends in large part on the framerates you want to see. In QHD, my 2070 runs a new save at around 170 fps in most worlds, but that drops in a couple of worlds and in inclement weather and with post processing enabled and occasionally for other reasons. I haven't tested in 4k, but if you'd like to know, I can play with the DSR settings and give you some numbers. The GPU isn't close to maxed out at any point while running the game, according to hwinfo, and neither is my 9700K.
AMD GPUs have had a couple extra graphics issues that Nvidia cards have not. I don't know whether it's been an AMD driver issue or something the Sims developers overlooked, but if all else is equal, I'd go with an Nvidia card and avoid the potential extra hassle. Just in case you're considering it, Intel laptop GPUs seem to not get along with the game very well; I haven't seen any data on the desktop models, but they do use the same drivers.
Sims 4 uses four CPU cores, at most, or at least that was the case the last time I checked. So clock speed is going to be more important than having extra cores.
If you'd like some hard data, just let me know what you're looking for, and I'll fire up the game post some hwinfo results.
As for a specific recommendation, I'd say if you can get a good deal on a 2070 and perhaps a 11600K, you can be confident that the hardware isn't the issue and also not spend a lot of money unnecessarily. 16 GB RAM should always be fine, as would be a SATA SSD, but NVMe SSDs are almost as cheap these days.
