New PC Help (Sims 4)

@newcitysims  Do not buy an all-in-one for gaming. Think of an all-in-one as a laptop you can't carry around. All-in-ones frequently have custom parts and for the most part are not upgradeable. They usually make poor gaming machines. Mass computer makers usually make conservative computers. While they are good computers they usually lack the expandability of a good gaming rig. Example - there may be no video card slot to add a video card later. Details for the Onxy are slim. What size power supply? What motherboard? What brand memory?

Thanks! That helped a lot, at least I know to cross them off the list. I've since been looking at gaming laptops and found this one discounted: https://uk-store.acer.com/predator-helios-300-gaming-notebook-ph317-52-black-3

Specs: 

• Windows 10 Home 64-bit
• Intel® Core™ i5-8300H processor Quad-core 2.30 GHz
• 43.9 cm (17.3") Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS 144Hz
• 8 GB, DDR4 SDRAM
• 1 TB HDD, 128 GB SSD
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 4 GB Dedicated Memory

Would appreciate your feedback 🐱

@newcitysims  A 128 GB SSD is fine for Windows.  And an i5-8300H is above the recommended specs according to EA by a significant amount; players also report it handles the game quite well.

However, the graphics card is worth upgrading.  An Nvidia 1050 ti is a decent card, but it may not run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings for the entire duration of the game.  And if you own most or all packs, you wouldn't see framerates anything like the 144 Hz refresh rate of the Acer's monitor.

Besides, for £1,000, you could do a lot better.  A 1650 is a couple years newer, and somewhat faster.  Much faster than that is the 1660 ti, which you can usually get in laptops in your price range.  For example, it took me about two minutes to find these, at £950 and £1,000, respectively:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-gf65-nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-8gb-ddr4-15.6-120hz-fhd-i5-9300h-gaming-laptop-lt-2a6-ms.html

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lenovo-legion-y540-15irh-nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-8gb-15.6-fhd-ips-144hz-intel-i5-9300h-gaming-laptop-lt-006-lv.html

Aside from brand, the only major difference is that the MSI has a single 512 GB SSD, and the Lenovo has a 256 GB SSD/1 TB HDD combination.  If you need a lot of storage for data (music, photos, movies, etc.), or if you want to install a significant number of other games, you might benefit from the extra space.  But 512 GB is enough for most people.

There are plenty of other options out there, depending on exactly what you want.  The prices will be about the same though.

P.S.  Among the desktops you initially linked, the first one is actually a decent gaming machine, not an all-in-one.  Its performance would likely be equal to or perhaps a bit greater than the two laptops I linked—while its graphics card is a shade slower than the 1660 ti, it has a better processor, twice the memory, and almost certainly a more powerful cooling system.

Thank you both so much! I've narrowed it down to 2 laptop choices as opposed to a PC. I will only be using it to play Sims 4 and some streaming, so I've realized it's would be silly to spend over the odds. Do you have any input on either of these? I have googled the specs but can't decide which would run the game better. (faster)

Asus Tuf FX705DY 17.3" £749

SCREEN

Acer Nitro 5 17.3" £699

SCREEN

If I was going to get one to last, do you think that this would be the best option out of these three?

MSI GL75 17.3 £1149

SCREEN

@newcitysims  The second one's graphics card is slightly faster, although the difference is small.  However, you could do better for the same price.  Both those cards are slower than the much newer Nvidia 1650 by a decent margin, and you could get that card in what is otherwise the same laptop as you listed first for £50 less:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/7318984

If you wanted the larger screen, it would still only be a bit more expensive than the one you found:

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-ryzen-5-3550h-8gb-512gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1650-4gb-17.3-inch-windows-10-fx705dt-h7116t/version.asp

If you're willing to spend extra, the MSI is a much better option than the other two: its graphics card is significantly faster, and its processor is significantly stronger.  This is another good option with the same specs, for £1,000:

https://www.box.co.uk/7JZ86EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-dk0026na_2614938.html

If you're interested in other options, or have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

I've found this one which is also a HP pavillion with the 17.3" screen that I would love. (Scared to downsize screen incase I hate it lol) I'm basing it from places I can access today. Does this seem much superior to my options previously? It's £999 but the thing putting me off is the 60hz part, I don't know much about it apart from what I checked today, is that bad for this price point? 

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-pavilion-17-cd0526na-17-3-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-gtx-1650-1-tb-hdd-256-gb-ssd-10193615-pdt.html

Thanks so much for all your efforts and help. I really appreciate it! 🐱

@newcitysims  For that price, you could get a better graphics card, or you could get the 1650 and save the £200+.  While this laptop's processor is much better than the Ryzen 5 3550H in the Asus models, the processor isn't really the important factor here.  Any of these CPUs would run Sims 4 just fine; the quality of the experience will be about the graphics card, and of course how much you enjoy looking at the screen.

As far as refresh rate goes, some people notice a difference between 60 Hz and higher, and some people don't.  If you were curious, you could go to a store that has monitors on display and look at a few.  The fastest test is to open a File Explorer window and drag it around the screen really quickly.  If you don't notice a different between a 60 Hz and a 144 Hz screen then, you probably never will.

If you really want a 17" screen, there are fewer options.  I linked the cheapest good one with a 1650, although it's even a bit cheaper on Amazon.  The cheapest one with a 1660 ti is this £1,000 Asus.  It has the weaker AMD processor (almost equal to the i5-9300H though), but on the other hand, it has 16 GB RAM.  While memory is easily and cheaply upgradable, and doing so doesn't break the warranty, it's still convenient not to have to add it after purchase.  It does look like this one has a 60 Hz screen though.

https://www.box.co.uk/FX705DU-H7083T-ASUS-FX705DU-H7083T_2839527.html

The same laptop with a higher refresh rate screen is £1,060:

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/asus-ryzen-7-3750h-16gb-512gb-ssd-geforce-gtx-1660ti-6gb-17.3-inch-windows-fx705du-h7083t/version.asp

I saw a number of 17' laptops with a 1660 ti for £1,100 and up, but I didn't know whether you wanted to pay that much.