Re: Re: Best pc for the sims 4 with the highest settings A LOT OF MODS & expansi

@soogyus  Both of the computers you listed are overkill for Sims 4, even with custom content and Reshade, not that that's a bad thing.  But you can do better for your money.  This one has the same hardware as the Best Buy option you listed except that its processor is a year older, but that won't make any measurable difference to Sims 4.  Skytech's build quality is better than Cyberpower's these days as well, although Cyberpower is still fine in most cases.  It's also $200 cheaper:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/skytech-gaming-blaze-3-0-gaming-desktop-pc-intel-i7-11700f-16gb-3200-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-ti-1tb-nvme-240mm-aio-white/6489648.p?skuId=6489648

I wouldn't get the Amazon option you listed, to be honest.  Although the processor should be more than fine for Sims 4, I've seen a few examples of the game running slowly for no apparent reason on this particular generation of AMD CPUs, and I was never able to figure out the cause, much less fix it.

You can save more money if you want though.  These two are also overkill for Sims 4, even if their hardware is not quite as powerful, and should be able to handle your cc and Reshade settings just fine as long as you're not playing on a 4k monitor:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-xtreme-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-11400f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-2060-500gb-ssd-white/6514264.p?skuId=6514264

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypower-slatemr-gaming-desktop-intel-i7-11700f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-6gb-480gb-ssd-1tb-hdd/6477963.p?skuId=6477963

The first one has a faster graphics card and the second one a faster processor.  If you're more worried about graphics rendering, for example if you want to use very demanding Reshade settings, the first is the better option.  If you're more concerned about game engine issues like simulation lag, the second one is better.  They're both more than good enough though; I'm not sure you'd notice any difference between the two while playing.

If you're willing to shop elsewhere, this one is essentially the same as the second Best Buy link (faster GPU) except that its processor is a generation newer.  It's cheaper too:

https://skytechgaming.com/product/0536-12400f-2060-16g/

And these two have a 3060 and a 3060 ti, like the Amazon and Best Buy options you posted, respectively.  The first one's processor is significantly better than the Amazon option; the second is equally good for gaming as the Best Buy option.  And they're cheaper.  The only downside is that the first one doesn't have as much storage, but 500 GB is still plenty, and it's actually quite easy and reasonably to add another SSD later if you want.  Plus, like I said, Skytech generally has very good build quality for this price range.

https://skytechgaming.com/product/0470-12400f-3060-16gb-shiva2/

https://skytechgaming.com/product/azure-12600k-3060ti/

If you'd prefer to stick with Amazon or Best Buy and want to keep the price down, this one is almost the same as the Amazon option you linked except for its newer and better processor, and the fact that it only has half the storage:

https://www.amazon.com/iBUYPOWER-Computer-Desktop-SlateMR-Geforce/dp/B0BJ82521F

I know this is a lot of options, but it becomes simpler once you decide whether you really want the extra power of a 3060 (regular or ti) or not.  Then you can cross off half the options and go from there.  As I said, a 1660 ti or 2060 is still going to do what you ask of it, but maybe you want the faster card for other reasons.  The one thing I do know is you definitely don't need to spend $1,400 on this computer.

If you'd like help picking out a monitor, or you want me to look at the option(s) you're already considering, just ask.

@soogyus  That monitor is fine, but it has a VA panel, which, while good enough overall, doesn't have the brightness of color quality of IPS panels.  If you really like it, I don't think you'll be disappointed.  But if you want something better, here are some IPS options in the same size:

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-VA24EHE-Monitor-1920x1080-D-Sub/dp/B07Z8TC28F

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/aoc-b1-series-24b1xhs-23-8-ips-led-fhd-monitor-hdmi-vga-black/6357666.p?skuId=6357666

https://www.newegg.com/msi-pro-mp243-24-full-hd/p/N82E16824475264

(AOC makes panels for other better-known companies, so its own label is quite good if not as popular.)

Samsung IPS monitors are more expensive, but not ridiculously so:

https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Computer-Border-Less-FreeSync-Cleaning/dp/B0B7KJDRG9

There are far too many good and reasonably-priced options to list, so it would help if you could narrow things down a bit.  For example, maybe you want a Samsung monitor, or one with a particular stand or that can swivel.  If you want a curved monitor, your choices are more limited at this screen size, and honestly the curve doesn't really have any benefit for a 24" screen.

I wouldn't go to a larger size though unless you want a higher resolution as well, and that means opening up the choices to a whole new, and more expensive bracket.  1920x1080 looks good at 24" but a bit grainy at 27.  I'm not saying don't do it, just understand that you're driving up the price.  And frankly, if you do want to play at 2560x1440, you might want to consider a 3060 rather than a 1660 ti.  Under normal circumstances (no Reshade, no high poly custom content), a 1660 ti could still run Sims 4 at that resolution at above 60 fps, but you might see some small fps drops once you load in all your extra content.  For this scenario, a 1660 ti feels right on the border of what would be totally fine all the time vs. occasionally not quite enough.

@soogyus  If you're happy with a 1080p monitor, which is perfectly fine if you're getting a 24" model, then the computer you've picked out from the ones I listed is more than good enough.  It's really not more complicated than that.

If you want a larger, higher-resolution monitor, but still want to keep the price down, I would go with this one:

https://skytechgaming.com/product/0470-12400f-3060-16gb-shiva2/

The Skytech option that has a 3060 ti and a faster processor for $100 more is an even better deal, at least if you look at the relative costs of the components.  But if we're only talking about Sims 4, not other games or futureproofing for Sims 5 (and who knows what that will be like) or having extra power just because, that $100 would have no practical impact on your gaming experience.

If you're not sure about the monitor, go to a physical store and look at different options for both resolutions and decide what you think.  Best Buy stores usually have lots of monitors on display, and you can ask a sales rep to show you 1080p monitors at 24 and 27" and 1440p monitors at 27".  Make sure they all have IPS panels so you're only seeing the highest quality options.

@puzzlezaddictUnfortunately I couldn’t get this one because it went out of stock and isn’t sold anymore.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypower-slatemr-gaming-desktop-intel-i7-11700f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-6gb-480gb-ssd-1tb-hdd/6477963.p?skuId=6477963

do you have anymore options that’s not over 900+ and around 700-900 it’s really hard these days for me but I can still save since I don’t have bills I still have to help my mom tho lol😭

@soogyus  I wrote out a reply last night for someone looking for a sub-$900 PC here:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues-PC/TS4-PC-Help/m-p/12278815#M243591

Please let me know what you think of the options, particularly the first one.

@soogyus  What matters to Sims 4 is essentially the turbo clock speed of the processor.  It's not quite that simple, as newer CPUs are more efficient than older ones, so a core running at 3 GHz from eight years ago isn't going to accomplish nearly as much in a given amount of time as a current one.  The difference is usually not that significant from one generation to the next.

Sims 4 can only use 4 cores, so as far as the game is concerned, there isn't any benefit to having more than six: four dedicated to Sims 4 and two to run everything else.  The OS and your web browser or whatever else you're running in the background aren't going to use these full two cores; the point is just to give the game four cores it doesn't have to share.  These days, the advantage of an i7 is that it has extra cores relative to the i5, but that's irrelevant here.  So sure, it's "better," but not in a way that will matter to you.

Besides, as noted before, the limiting factor for Sims 4 will be the graphics card.  Good processors are cheap enough these days, and GPUs so expensive, that any computer manufacturer or system integrator is going to include a CPU that will outpace the GPU—no one wants to spend a lot of money on an expensive graphics card only to find the processor is holding the GPU back from its full potential.  And all these computers I listed have CPUs that will more than keep up with the GPU.

As far as Sims 4 is concerned, and this is true with most games, it's much better to spend whatever extra money you have on a faster graphics card than a better processor.

@soogyus  In your position, I'd likely go with this one:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-11400f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-512gb-ssd/6501551.p?skuId=6501551

I care a lot about build quality and being able to maintain or upgrade in the future, which eliminates the HP.  And while I think the build quality of a Skytech machine is slightly better than that of a ROG desktop, it's close enough that it's not worth spending the extra $100 if you have other uses for that money.  While I'd prefer to have an RTX 2060 rather than a 1660 ti, it's also not worth $200 to upgrade.

However, any of these choices should be fine, so if you have other priorities, just go with what feels right to you.

This is gonna sound crazy but due to my situations I decided to do installment payments with this rising star pc builder he has a lot of good reviews haven’t seen a bad one and he does refunds too.And these are the specs my total is 1400+ I went over board because of the installment payments I’m confident I can pay 97 bucks a month.So what monitor do you recommend with this.After all my antics to be cheap I finally was able to decide on this and what do you think about these specs?I wanted a curved monitor it doesn’t have to be curved but something nice and slick 

@soogyus  What size monitor do you want, and how much do you want to pay?

The specs are even more overkill for Sims 4 than the options I listed.  But that's fine, it's not like the game will run worse because of it.  The one issue I have is with the AMD graphics card: it's a perfectly good GPU, but Sims 4 occasionally has issues with AMD cards that don't get cleared up right away.  The mirrors issue took a year to resolve.

@puzzlezaddictWhat graphics card do you recommend?I want to know so I can replace later after I pay it in full.Also I want one for my 47 inch desk I’ll give you a link to the one I’m getting from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08B1HRLDS/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A35AFGI1NIBTZD&psc=1

@soogyus  I usually recommend Nvidia cards because the support is better from both Nvidia and Sims 4.  That doesn't mean that an AMD card would definitely cause you problems, only that those problems are less likely with Nvidia.  I definitely would NOT recommend an Intel Arc GPU, at least not this generation.  Intel has some issues to work out with support for older games and older runtimes.

On average, the 6600 XT is a little faster than an RTX 3060 and a lot slower than a 3060 ti.  So it's better than the GPUs in the desktops we were talking about before if you don't consider the possibility of AMD-specific glitchiness.  If you still want it, it should be fine overall; the glitches tend to be on the inconvenient end of the spectrum, nothing game-breaking.

If you want a different GPU, you'd be better off getting it now rather than switching it later.  The cheapest 3060s are $350 right now, and you won't get the full cost of the 6600 XT back if you sell it later.  But it's not critical to switch, and you might never notice any significant issue.  I'm just saying that all things being equal, and all choices being on the table, I'd choose an Nvidia card first.

For the monitor, I don't need to know the size of your desk, I need to know what size monitor you'd like.  If you have no idea, go to a computer store, for example a Best Buy, and have a look at the various sizes to get a sense of what might work for you.

Hi, sorry to ask and bother you in between this thread but if you could help me it would be amazing! 🙂

I've searched all over the internet about PCs and monitors for gaming, recording videos, and streaming (as I want to start a gaming channel) and I don't understand the specs or what the best options are, especially for games like Sims 4 with lots of mods, expansion packs, kits, stuff and game packs, Stardew Valley and more games on Steam. I'm just not sure if the PCs and monitors that I search can take everything and I don't want it to slow down. I just wanted to ask you about the options with a budget of around £1,000 to £2,000 in the UK.

If you can help, Thank you! 🙂

@CarlaDaS  That's quite a wide budget.  Do you have a more specific price in mind?  Do you want the best PC that a certain amount of money can buy, or the cheapest quality PC that will do what you want it to, or something in between?  Does this budget include the monitor or not, and do you want a particular size monitor?

I'm happy to help you find something that fits your expectations; please just narrow things down a bit.

@CarlaDaS  £450 isn't very much for a quality PC.  Did you mean £1,450, or something else?  I could still find something okay, but not great, for £450; the reason I ask is that it's a lot less than the original budget you posted.

Morning Puzzleaddict,

Sorry to also be bothering you on this subject - but reading through the previous messages, you seem like 'the' person to contact.
I am currently playing Sims4 (approx. 8 months now) on a three year old ASUS Laptop (AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, with Radeon Vega Mobile Gfx 2.30 GHz) and have increased the RAM from 8 to 12 GB).
It works....but I am always waiting and waiting for everything in Sims4 to load. My little brother has an O.T.T. gaming laptop (for ca. EUR 3.000) and everything goes "zack, zack"...no waiting for anything.

I want something a bit more powerful, am tired of using a laptop (..plug in, unplug, plug in, unplug...) and want to move to a mini-pc, as my desk is in the sitting room and has absolutely '0' space for a gaming tower or desktop pc.
I realise that a 'proper' desktop pc would be better, as GPU and CPU can be upgraded / switched-out as needed / wanted...however, for Sims4 I really don't need a super powerful gaming tower.
The only game I play is Sims4 (albeit, with 'lots' of CC)...but am also curious about the new "Life by You", which has somewhat higher requirements.
Also, if a laptop (basically just a mini-pc with screen) dies, there the GPU and CPU are also hardwired to the motherboard and can't be upgraded or switched-out.

I currently have my laptop connected to a new HP U28 - 4K HDR IPS monitor and would use this with the mini-pc. 

Have been looking at the following two models from Zotac:  
  Zotac ZBOX-EN374070C: 
   Intel Core i7-13700HX (16-core 2.1 GHz, up to 5.0 GHz)
   NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (8GB GDDR6 128-bit, 2175 Boost Clock, up to 115W)
   2 x DDR5-4800 SO-DIMM slots (up to 64GB)

  Zotac ZBOX-EN173080C-BE:
   Intel Core i7-11800H (8-core 2.3 GHz, up to 4.6 GHz)
   NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Laptop GPU 16GB GDDR6 256-bit, up to 150W
   2 x DDR4-3200/2933 SODIMM Slots (up to 64GB)

Both are 'Barebone' models, so I would be adding SSD and RAM myself.

Here a link to the complete specs comparison: https://www.zotac.com/eu/product/compare/mini_pcs?id=1259947,1099695,undefined

I know next to nothing about computers but have been doing a lot of reading and research recently.
As far as CPU and DDR are concerned, the ZBOX-EN374070C would seem to be the much better option.
What has me puzzled / worried is that the ZBOX-EN374070C is Euro 388,-- less expensive than the ZBOX-EN173080C-BE., which has a weaker CPU and DDR.
Would this be due to the NVIDIA RTX 4070 (as compared to the RTX 3080 in the EN173080C)?
According to the comparison website: UserBenchmark, the RTX 4070 is listed as "disappointing", although it still sounds rather good to me (albeit, at least for my needs: "Sims4", "Life by You", e-mail, internet, etc.).

Have specifically looked at Zotac models, as I really want a NVIDIA RTX with Ray Tracing.
My little brother uses Ray Tracing when playing Sims4 on his laptop and it looks so much better (as compared to when he has the Ray Tracing turned off).

Curious to see what you think.

Many thanks in advance and best regards,
Alex

@AlexvonAuen  I'll start with the easy part first: UserBenchmark is not a reliable source of information.  The Nvidia 40-series in general has also received a lot of criticism for pricing, most of which is valid but doesn't say anything useful about performance.  A GPU that's a disappointment at $800 might be an excellent option at $600.

The two models you're looking at appear to be built like laptops in that everything is soldered to the motherboard.  That's fine if you're comfortable with it, but I wanted to mention it given your concerns about the repairability of laptops in general.  These models don't have as many failure points since they don't come with a built-in screen, but you're still stuck with soldered components.

I'm not surprised that the 4070 model is cheaper.  The GPU isn't much faster than a 3080 at its best, and can be slower in some workloads, plus as you noticed, the sentiment around the 4070 is such that it's not selling as well as the last-generation chips.  The difference in memory is just what the processors and chipsets support: Intel didn't introduce DDR5 support until 12th-gen, so the i7-11800H is stuck with DDR4 and its comparatively slower speeds.  This would be noticeable in benchmarks but won't have much of a practical effect, and probably none in Sims 4.

Having said that, both of these are massive overkill for Sims 4.  The game won't come close to maxing out the hardware in either case.  That doesn't mean you wouldn't get any lag—Sims 4 will have slowdowns on any system due to how it's programmed.  But it won't be the fault of the components.  That would be true for a 4060 or 3060 ti too, even playing at 4k.

I can't really tell you how Life By You is going to run this far out.  My understanding is it's quite demanding but also not yet optimized, which basically means we know nothing useful at this point.  I will say that given the target audience, the developers would be foolish to require more than, say, an RTX 3060 or so even for ultra settings.

If you want a small form factor desktop PC, there aren't many options out there that include proper desktop hardware without a desktop-sized case.  You might consider an Intel NUC though.  They can be expensive, but they also use standard components, meaning you could upgrade or replace almost anything without worrying about repairs.  But if the laptop-style build of the Zotac options doesn't bother you, it's certainly a reasonable choice.

Hi!
Thank you for the info and input - nice to have someone who really seems to know what they're talking about.

With regard to my comparison between laptops and mini-pcs; I am indeed aware that both have fixed CPUs and GPUs, which can't be switched-out or repaired. My main point was that I would have had the same problem regardless of whether I choose a new (more powerful) laptop or a mini-pc. I would, of course, definitely prefer inter-changeable parts, but size is unfortunately a major concern.

I had been looking at Intel's NUCs as well (i.e., the really small ones) but didn't realise that some NUCs had GPUs, which could be switched-out....I'll have to take another look.
Price-wise, the NUCs are not inexpensive...but also not much different than the Zotac models, so that's not a major game-changer. However, since Intel announced that they'll be discontinuing the NUC product line as of September 2023, they may be a bit hard to find now.

I rather thought that both of the Zotac models might be a bit of overkill for Sims 4, but was also thinking of possible future developments (i.e.; Life By You, etc.).
Was basically wondering why the "better" Zotac model was less expensive (i.e., if there was something 'wrong' with the 4070).

Anyway, thank you again for the assistance. ;-))

Cheers,
Alex

@AlexvonAuen  You're welcome, and let me know if have more questions or want a second opinion on another system.

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. 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.amazon.com/Asus-R518UQ-DS54T-VivoBook-Flip-Laptop/dp/B079NQ4QWJ&ved=2ahUKEwj1_sWSjpODAxX7I0QIHdhgA2kQFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2lwgqMT3DxEq-_-40c5ooz

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.

https://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Touchscreen-i5-1155G7-Windows/dp/B0C6VZPY87/ref=asc_df_B0C6VZPY87/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=675689844684&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9066155616244721784&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030132&hvtargid=pla-2244629987907&psc=1&mcid=0ac97308926938849d6d7075e44a25ca

Or

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-ideapad-3i-15-6-fhd-touch-laptop-core-i5-1155g7-with-8gb-memory-512gb-ssd-abyss-blue/6549067.p?skuId=6549067&extStoreId=251&utm_source=feed&ref=212&loc=18533255185&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAj_CrBhD-ARIsAIiMxT8Sqr53V_Doy7oTcA98r5kOXR2Psv34jRMx2ftSEyol3kR5-xaQa0MaAujYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

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