Re: CPU - AMD x Intel for the sims 4

@meazzyyy  In terms of in-game performance, there shouldn't be any meaningful difference between these two CPUs.  The Intel model does do better in gaming, but Sims 4 isn't going to max out the CPU or GPU; the game engine itself will be the limitation.  So while you might notice a slight difference in average framerate if you used a monitoring tool, it won't have any practical effect on your own experience—I doubt anyone can identify a few extra frames when the baseline is at or close to the game's own 200 fps max.  And I believe Twitch streams are typically capped at 60 fps.

The AMD processor has the (small) advantage that it runs a little cooler, and while Sims 4 alone shouldn't make the Intel CPU thermal throttle, that might be an issue once you're streaming alongside the game.  But the Intel CPU has slightly higher multi-threaded scores under ideal conditions (i.e. no thermal throttling).  This might matter to you if you were planning to use the laptop as a workstation, but for the moderate workload of streaming, I don't think you'd notice the difference here either.  And when thermals are a concern, the theoretical peak performance doesn't matter, only how much of a workload the CPU can take on before throttling.

In your position, I'd take the Intel model if the prices were close to the same AND I was sure I could keep the laptop cool, for example if I planned to use a cooling fan.  If I were concerned about temperatures, I'd take the AMD model.  Since the AMD laptop is cheaper and available sooner, I think that's the right call for you, and that you'll be very pleased with the results.