Forum Discussion

Re: Is this computer good enough for ts4?

@Winchestercester  The second one doesn't have a dedicated graphics card, so it would struggle with higher settings as well as some of the more taxing expansion packs.  Its processor is also pretty weak; in fact, that might be the limiting factor, rather than the graphics card.  I wouldn't recommend buying that computer unless it was half the price, and even then not for Sims games.  The first one is stronger—it could run all current packs on high settings, but maybe not ultra, especially as new, demanding expansions are released.

In either case, you can do better.  For example, I saw this model at Best Buy last week.  It has a better graphics card, a slightly better processor, and a smaller but faster hard drive.  Best of all, it's built to be easily upgradable, so you could add more RAM (maybe $60) or a second hard drive ($40 for a 1 TB HDD) when you wanted.  It's $600 at Best Buy.  There are probably better options out there, but this is to give you an idea.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-series-8gb-memory-amd-radeon-rx-570-480gb-solid-state-drive-black/6343318.p?skuId=6343318

Laptops are a bit trickier, as I mentioned before, but I can look for those too.  Just let me know.

10 Replies

  • The only thing that worries me reallt on that one is the hardrive. I think it would fill up very fast. What do you mean by a second hardrive? Like an external one? I already have an external 1tb hardrive but it's dedicated mostly to storing content for another program I use

    Also if I can get into my old laptop could I just take the ram from there? 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @Winchestercester  I'm not saying that the computer I linked is the best option for you, just that it's much better than the Dell you found.  I'd be happy to look for other desktops, or laptops, if you're interested.  It would be good to know how much storage you'd like, and whether you plan to do anything besides play TS4 and store data on it.

    As for hard drives, I meant the internal kind.  They're very easy to add: screw the drive into the tray that comes with the case, insert the tray into the slot, then plug in one cable into hte PSU for power and another into the motherboard for data.  These are examples of a quality 1 TB HDD and SSD, although if you wait for sales, you might save a few bucks.

    https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK

    https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-Internal-MZ-76Q1T0B-AM/dp/B07L3D19MY

    The other possibility is that you could get a computer customized to your needs, again better and cheaper than the Dell.  CyberpowerPC does custom builds and lets you pick every part, including the model of hard drive(s) you want.  I'd be happy to customize a model for you; just let me know exactly how much you're willing to spend, as in, is $800 a hard cap and is that before or after taxes.

    Edit:  I just saw your edit, and I wouldn't recommend taking the RAM from your old laptop.  It wouldn't match the new computer, and mismatched RAM can cause all kinds of problems, especially if one stick is slower than the other, as would almost certainly be the case.

  • If they do financing maybe more. Dell says 20 a month. 800 something is just how much I have on my credit card. But I don't think I could go over 20 a month

    But I would need at least 1tb. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @Winchestercester  I wouldn't want to put you over budget or make you get financing; the reason I asked is because if I were going to customize a system for you, I would want to know where the limit was.  As it turns out though, the best deals right now are in prebuilt models.

    The most economical approach would be to get this model, at $650, and add a second internal hard drive yourself.  This one has an excellent processor, much better than the one I linked before, and also a better graphics card.  Its 500 GB SSD is not so small that it would get filled right away, but you could keep an eye on storage and add the second drive later, when you wanted.  Its 8 GB RAM is more than enough for TS4, but again, you could add more when you wanted.  (You'd need to make sure the model numbers matched, but you could definitely find what you needed on Amazon.)

    https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-005B-000E1?Item=1VK-005B-000E1

    By the way, here's the same 1 TB HDD as before, but slightly cheaper:

    https://www.outletpc.com/dx5854-western-digital-caviar-blue-1tb.html

    If you really don't want to have to upgrade later, this has the same processor and graphics card as the one above, but it has a 240 GB SSD/1TB HDD combination.  The SSD is too small to install a whole lot; it would be better to put TS4 on the HDD.  The game will run the same either way, although other programs do benefit greatly from being installed on a solid state drive.  This one also has only 8 GB RAM, but it would be just as easy to add more later.

    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-series-8gb-memory-amd-radeon-rx-580-2tb-hard-drive-240gb-solid-state-drive-black/6290721.p?skuId=6290721

    If these aren't quite what you want, please let me know what you're looking for, and I'll try to find it.  There aren't a whole lot of good options in this price range, but I can keep looking.

  • I don't think I would mind too much having to upgrade I just hope I am smart enough to do it. Is it easy to get into the case or do you have to unscrew things? 

    I dont know if I need more than 8gb atm. Does sims even use that much? I feel like it caps right? I might add more later if I feel like it but I'm not sure what the difference would be. I run sims on my laptop on 8gb but it's not really built for it and gets slower the more eps i add so if I am going to buy a new comp I want something that can support then

    I'd also like to play visage or scorn but I think that's just a pipe dream atm. I tried visage on this computer but it was unplayable at the lowest settings 

    I also render in 3d but, though it's slow, I'm still able to do it on here. 

    If I get a desktop I am assuming if I ever want to play bigger games I can upgrade it later right?

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @Winchestercester  TS4 and Windows together don't use 8 GB RAM.  The reason you might want 16 GB is if you like to multitask, but then again you can browse the web on your laptop without having to tab out of the game.  But there's no harm in waiting to do the upgrade until later.

    To upgrade the computer, you would have to unscrew the front panel, and maybe the back, but these panels are made to be easily removed.  Many come with knobs that you can manipulate by hand, no screwdriver required.  Installing RAM is as easy as clicking it into the slot; the only complication is making sure to buy something that matches what you already have installed.  (The RAM sticks will have their model number printed on them, and you can search by number on any half-decent site.)

    As for installing a hard drive, it's not much harder.  I saw this video a while back; it'll give you an idea.  (The gloves are overkill, but still.)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsMpqxythc&feature=youtu.be

    In case it isn't clear, after the HDD goes into its slot, the SATA cable gets plugged into the motherboard, then into the drive, and finally it's connected to the power supply.

    I also looked up the games you mentioned.  With the processor and graphics card in the models I just listed, you could actually run both on ultra settings, although just barely.  If you noticed a performance hit, you could dial things back to high and have no issues.

    I don't know what program(s) you use for 3D rendering, but if they run at all on your current laptop (given that it struggles with TS4's more demanding packs), they would run very well on these systems too.  AMD cards are actually better in general with these tasks than their Nvidia equivalents, in addition to being cheaper.  The program(s) would also benefit from being installed on an SSD.

    And yes, these computers are definitely upgradeable.

  • i think i will get the skytech archangel then. i just hope it'll be alright in my closet (a good reason i didn't have a desktop is space and portability) so it's gonna have to go in my closet and i'm gonna have to cut a hole in the wall lol

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @Winchestercester  Please make sure it has some airflow around it while you're playing or doing 3D rendering.  TS4 doesn't generate a lot of heat compared to some games, but it's still more than enough to require some cooling support.  The processor and graphics card each have a fan to dispel excess heat, and the case has fans for intake and outtake, so a closed closet would be a real problem.  An open one would probably be fine though.

  • The closet is fairly large, it has a dresser in it which I planned to put my computer on but I guess I could leave it open. The laptop I use now gets up to 70c something when rendering but I don't think the fans are working all that well.

    Idk if you could answer this question, but do you know if a higher powered PC has the potential to trip a breaker? Some of the breakers are faulty in this house so I'm trying to figure out if I'd be able to actually do any real gaming/rendering.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    7 years ago

    @Winchestercester  You can close the closet when you're not using the computer for anything taxing; just open it when you're playing or rendering.

    As for the breakers... I don't really know.  The SkyTech computer has a 500W power supply, so it won't draw more than that at any time, and less if its current tasks don't require as much.  (I don't know what the Cyberpower model has, but from the company's other products, I'd guess 600W.)  Whether that's a problem will depend on how sensitive the breakers really are.  This is definitely beyond my level of expertise, but I would guess that the issue wouldn't be the computer itself but how much else was running in the house at the same time when it started demanding power, i.e. when you turned it on or started to play.

About The Sims 4 Technical Issues - PC

PC players get help with their technical issues in The Sims 4 here.51,990 PostsLatest Activity: 2 hours ago