Hi
I'm new to the community as far as commenting goes in the forum and I do read lots of comments in regards to the sims 4. I recently decided to get a new computer and I'm going to stick with a laptop even though some comments suggest a built desktop and monitor for customization purpose. I, however, know no one who has time to build one and i dont have time or patience or money to do it myself. Ive done some research on the best laptops and now I've kinda got the jist of which ones are on that top 5 and got it down a few after seeing all their specs. I'm reading and learning all about different specs, ram size, gb, gigahertz, core processors and such. I think I've gotten it down now to 1 or 2 but now that I'm getting to the nit and grit of it I have to make a decision because it's purely going off what the cheapest one ith the best specs that's gonna last me in my specific budget and needs. I play the sims with lots of cc and would never go back, I love it and love building and playing the sims. I only play this game, and then off times I need it for personal needs and college. I have a small budget ans I'm frugal with money and don't see why I have to spend 1000 of dollars for a computer that may not work when I just want one that's the least expensive but last. I have a asus 2016 year model that was about 649 8 years ago when I bought it and has lasts me thsy long, however I could not tell you the specific specs but I can find it online and show you. This is the link.
I hope I linked that correctly.
Anyways, that computer is what I have, don't know the model or year, I'm guessing at this point, and im sorry. Sounds useless. But u want to know now, if I should buy this computer and want to know if this computer is really good for the sims 4.
Or
Before I really decide on this exact one cuz there were others thst were mentioned on he forum but those are way out of my budget unfortunately. I don't want to spend over 600 for a laptop.
Thank you
@candy_andy4 These two laptops have the same processor and graphics chip, meaning that performance in Sims 4 should be roughly the same under ideal conditions. The first one is technically better because it has 16 GB RAM, which while not strictly necessary, is nice to have in general and will prevent most issues related to multitasking that happen while trying to play with only 8 GB installed.
However, the second laptop's RAM should be upgradable, and that should cost significantly less than the price difference between the two even if you have to pay someone to do it. You could call Best Buy and ask about pricing if you're curious. The RAM itself will be cheap, somewhere between $20 and $40 depending on how much you're adding.
This laptop has 16 GB RAM and a processor and graphics chip that are equivalent to the one in the laptops you linked, at least as far as Sims 4 is concerned. It's more expensive than the 8 GB laptop but cheaper than the one with 16 GB:
I do want to mention that this gaming laptop is $500, at least for another 24 hours or so. It does only have 8 GB RAM, but that's less of a problem for a laptop that has a dedicated graphics card with its own video memory. (Laptops with only an integrated graphics chip allow that chip to borrow from main memory, i.e. RAM, to handle graphics processing.) The graphics card in this laptop is almost twice as fast as the iGPUs in the one I've linked and the ones you found.
If you have more questions, or want other suggestions for laptops, please feel free to ask.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/534855652
I also seen this one in the forum, and I wondered if this fits my criteria. Those are others I've seen along with those two I mentioned first.
I also wanted to know as far as brands go, what would be better to go for if any at all. Since it's up and down in reviews with a lot of laptops when it comes to gaming on the sims 4. I also need a refresher, in what matters most, is it the GPU or CPU in laptops. Unless it doesn't matter. I guess better question would be, with a ton of cc, mods and all game packs what do I need for medium settings, optimal playing with which ram size and which gb and what processor speeds.
Thanks for the help and clarification.
@candy_andy4 For Sims 4, and for most games, the most important component is the graphics card or chip. It will be the limiting factor in almost every case because the processor paired with a given GPU will outpace that GPU by a significant margin. For gaming systems, this is because discrete graphics cards are significantly more expensive than the processors that can keep up with them, and no one wants to pay a premium for a good GPU only to realize they can't get its full value because the CPU isn't keeping up. For integrated graphics chips, they're weak enough, comparatively speaking, that they're not even in the same class as the CPU.
To play Sims 4 on medium graphics settings, you're in the right category: an i5-1135G7 or higher, e.g. an 11th-gen or newer i5 or i7. These should be able to handle medium-high settings, perhaps high depending on your play style. There are some complications, with not all newer Intel processors having Xe graphics (the fastest available option in Intel iGPUs), so ask me if you're not sure. There's no neat way to summarize this: it often comes down to checking the specs for the processor or finding the manufacturer's product page for that exact configuration.
AMD has equivalent processors as well, with the Ryzen 7 4700U and R5 5xxxU models having a graphics chip that's barely slower than the one in the i5-1135G7. The R7 5700U has the next-faster chip, slightly faster than the one in the i5-1135G7 and roughly equivalent to the i7 models with Xe graphics. The 7000-series gets confusing, but the simple answer is that if the processor model ends in 20, its graphics chip is significantly slower, and 7x30 means equivalent to the iGPU in a 4700U. The tiers above that are even faster, but they're also more expensive.
Of the three laptops you linked, the first one is the only viable option. It has a slightly weaker processor than the first two you found but the game graphics chip. The second option has an R3 7320U processor, as in, an 7x20 model with a significantly slower graphics chip. The third option is a Chromebook, and Sims 4 doesn't run in Chrome OS.
Okay, thank you so much for all the info!
Community Manager
