Re: best gaming desktop for sims 3 and 4

Thank you so much! I do live in the U.S. and if you could find a computer for less that would be great! There’s nothing else I would like to play or anything else I want to do or need it for.

@booklover240  I found several models that are affordable and would run TS3 on high settings, and likely TS4 as well, although you'll want a second opinion on that from the TS4 experts.

A couple of notes:  First, 8 GB RAM is enough to run either game comfortably, but it would be better to have 16 GB for the sake of future-proofing.  All of these models have room to upgrade to 26 or 32 GB later, if you want.  Second, TS3 in particular loads everything much faster when installed on a solid-state drive (SSD).  (It doesn't make a different for TS4.)  You can certainly play off an HDD, but it's going to take longer to load the game itself, your saves, CAS, and travel destinations.

Also, none of these models come with monitors.  It's a good idea to pick one out in person, so you can see what it looks like—after all, you'll spend a lot of time staring at it.

This one ($700) has a strong processor and an Nvidia 1050 ti, which should be able to handle both games.  The disadvantages of this model are its 8 GB RAM and its small (SSD); you'd need to install both games and keep your user game folders on the larger, and slower, HDD.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230370

This one ($820) has a weaker, but still strong-enough, processor, and an Nvidia 1050 ti.  It has the advantage of a 500 GB SSD, which could hold both games, as well as 16 GB RAM.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883289009

This one ($880) has a processor comparable to the first computer listed, plus it has a better graphics card (Nvidia 1060 6 GB).  Its small SSD (240GB) might be enough to fit TS3 and your game folder, although you'd have to be careful to move any saves you're not using to the much larger HDD.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230367

Finally, I poked around CyberpowerPC's website a bit, and it looks like I could pick out a custom model with an Nvidia 1060 6 GB, a 500 GB SSD and secondary HDD, and various other details for about $1000.  (I was hoping to catch the free upgrade to 16 GB RAM, but it looks like that deal ran out at midnight.)  If you'd like to go custom, which would mean getting higher quality parts, let me know, and we can talk about what features you'd like to have.

Thank you for your recommendations. I would like to go custom because I also want to have cc installed in my games if possible and I want something that will run both games as smooth as possible.

@booklover240  The systems I linked would run both games smoothly with any custom content you wanted to use.  The only limiting factor would be the way TS3 is built, but some players report using 10 GB or more.  (I have no idea how much cc TS4 players use, but again, an Nvidia 1050 ti or an Nvidia 1060 6 GB would keep up just fine.)

Still, if you want to go custom, I'd like more details.  This is, after all, supposed to be built to your exact preferences.  Do you want to go from 8 GB RAM to 16 GB for $97?  (There's a deal for a free upgrade from 2400 MHz to 3000 MHz, which just means your RAM will be even faster.)  Do you want a single 500 GB basic SSD, or would you prefer to spend another $52 to get a PCle SSD that's three times faster?  Do you want a larger SSD, or maybe a secondary HDD (mechanical drive)?  Do you want to be able to upgrade this computer with stronger components in a few years, or are you going to keep this system as is?

If you're not sure about these details, feel free to ask.  Or, if you just want a good system, let me know how much you'd prefer to pay—I know your budget is $1300, but you said you'd like to spend a bit less, if possible—and I'll keep adding features until I get to that number.  I'd still like to know about drive space though; that's a pretty critical detail.

@puzzlezaddict @booklover240 

An Hybrid drive could also be considered especially if the system has Intel Optane memory installed. This will make this drive perform as fast as a basic SSD or a little faster depending on what Optane memory is installed.

I would like to growth the 16GB, The PCle SSD and I would like to be able to upgrade. About the larger SSD or a secondary HDD I'm not really sure what would you recommend?

@booklover240  PCIe SSDs are much faster than M.2 SATA SSDs, and since you're already used to the PCIe in your macbook air, I understand why you'd want to stick with that.  PCIe models are also more expensive than the alternatives, of course, but if the speed makes a difference to you, then it's probably worth it.  (If you'd like some idea of how your current SSD compares to the models available for your new computer, click About This Mac > System Report > Storage, and list the device name of the drive.  I couldn't find it myself in ten minutes of googling.)

If you want to run TS3 off an SSD, which would be much faster than using an HDD, you'll want one that's at least 512 GB.  Between the program files and the game folder that you'd like to fill with custom content (as well as saves and everything else), you'll run out of space quickly on a 256 GB drive.  And you can certainly install TS4 on an HDD without seeing any drop in performance, but its game folder will land in Documents as well, which you'll want on the SSD for when you're playing TS3.

If this computer is only for Sims, you don't need a second drive besides the larger SSD.  But you might prefer to have the HDD as convenient internal storage for other data.  It's not a big deal to get an external storage device later, either.  For reference, I bought a 4 TB external for $110, which is the same as it costs to add a 4 TB 7200 RPM HDD on the site I was browsing.  (You can get a 1 TB drive for $37 or two of them for $52, or you can pay a bit more for a higher quality drive.)

The other point to consider is that these computers can be upgraded later, if and when you decide to do so.