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

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

@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:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-ideapad-1-15-6-laptop-ryzen-7-5700u-with-16gb-memory-amd-radeon-graphics-512gb-ssd-cloud-gray/6555683.p?skuId=6555683

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.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-thin-gf63-15-6-144hz-fhd-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-12450h-with-8gb-memory-rtx-2050-1tb-ssd/6559443.p?skuId=6559443

If you have more questions, or want other suggestions for laptops, please feel free to ask.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/534855652

https://www.target.com/p/hp-15-6-34-touchscreen-laptop-amd-ryzen-3-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-storage-windows-11-silver-15-fc0030tg/-/A-88283360?ref=tgt_adv_xsp&AFID=google&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012767085&CPNG=PLA_Electronics_Priority%2BShopping_Local%7CElectronics_Ecomm_Hardlines&adgroup=Electronics_Priority+TCINs&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=m&location=9030132&targetid=pla-840476230290&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvWrBhC0ARIsAO4E6f_te_2pWSV4xaiaLZm1X8VfbDp6QHpk_kqWpTOgUsyFdo3gogWaXXYaAsw9EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-chromebook-516-ge-cloud-gaming-laptop-16-2560x1600-120hz-intel-core-i5-1240p-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-rgb-kb-titanium-gray/6516347.p?skuId=6516347&extStoreId=251&utm_source=feed&ref=212&loc=17936235247&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvWrBhC0ARIsAO4E6f8UaCazslZvXIb6B1r0Cc5sxBGqXHJRjpZ6a6n6Mj-7Io0LAh_Z5gIaAsH6EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

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!