Re: Sims 4 Lagging After Update

@Hrrng327  There are three different issues here.  The first is that you should update your graphics card driver.  This is easy: download the new driver for your card from Intel.  This is the graphics driver for your processor (your card is integrated into the processor):

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28662/Intel-Graphics-Driver-for-Windows-15-40-?product=91830

Please make sure you get the Windows 10 64-bit version, not the 32-bit.

Adding more memory to your computer would help its performance, both in Sims 4 and in general.  Your laptop is upgradable, and RAM is not that expensive these days.  For example, here's what Crucial offers for your model:

https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/HP---Compaq/hp-14-%28intel-core-models-14-bs0xx-and-14-bs5xx%29

The one thing you need to be careful about is making sure all of the specs on the new RAM stick match what you already have installed.  The easiest thing to do is usually to buy an identical stick to the one you already have (check your user manual or the serial number on the RAM).  Some people just replace everything at once.  If you're not comfortable handling this yourself, you can always take the laptop to a computer store and have someone help you.

Finally, there are a couple of ways to allow your graphics card to use more memory for itself, which will help its performance.  The simpler way is to change the settings in BIOS, but messing with BIOS settings isn't for everyone.  Plus, if you allocated more memory to the card without installing more RAM overall, you could actually see worse performance, and there wouldn't be enough memory left over for Windows and Sims 4.

It should be said though that all of these interventions will only take your laptop so far.  Its hardware is still quite underpowered for Sims 4, and no matter what you do, it will still struggle with the more demanding expansion packs (e.g. Seasons, Island Living), as well as a large number of gentler packs.  So before you invest too much time and effort (and money) into trying to improve this laptop, you might want to think about whether it's worth it for only a moderate improvement in gameplay.

@puzzlezaddictHi thanks for the info. I tried to download a new driver from the link you sent but I don't know if its the right one as when I saved and ran it , it came up with error message basically saying it cant be installed on my computer (see attached screenshot) 
I downloaded this one off the link you sent me but I don't know if it is right.
win64_15.40.42.5063.exe
Windows 10, 64-bit*
Windows 8.1, 64-bit*
Windows 7, 64-bit*
Language: Multi language
Size: 201.54 MB
MD5: edd5590ed573e14855784da621205a39

Please help with which one I need please?

@Hrrng327  Apparently HP software is blocking your ability to download the driver yourself.  So you'll need to go to HP's own site, enter your serial number, and find the graphics driver for your card.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/laptops

Since I don't have your serial number, I can't search the site for your product number, and I therefore can't tell you if HP is offering a newer one than what you already have.  Yours is dated October 16, 2017.  If HP doesn't have a newer driver listed, there probably isn't a point in doing a clean install of the current one.

Sorry to bother you again but I tried downloading one and my computer says it cannot download it because of system requirements I think. Attached is list of available ones- I tried to download the newest one.

Never mind I figured it out - I downloaded  the February 2018 one. While im on that website do you think my computer needs anything else from there to run sims better?
Sorry to keep bothering you.

@Hrrng327  Yes, it looks like the newest graphics driver is only for the newest Windows build, which you don't have yet.  You could update if you wanted, but it's not strictly necessary, and the driver from 2018 should still be an improvement.

Could you link me the driver site directly?  I'd like to look at the dates on the various downloads and compare them with what's in your dxdiag.  The reason I didn't link that page to you myself is because HP makes it difficult to search without a serial number, but once you're on the right page, you can see everything.

And you're not bothering me at all.  The people who help here do so because we enjoy it.

@Hrrng327  Sorry, I got halfway through the list and then got distracted.  It's not clear how many of the drivers listed would help your laptop run TS4 better, but the updates themselves shouldn't do any harm.  It's also a good idea in general to update drivers to keep up with your operating system.  Since your OS build is newer than some of your drivers, a few updates might be in order.

If you want to update BIOS, you should do this first.  It's more complicated than simply downloading and installing though, so make sure you understand the process before starting.  It also might not be necessary; I'm not the expert on this subject.  You could also skip this step and come back to it later, if you want.  At any rate, here are HP's instructions:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00042629

Next, or first if you skip the BIOS update, would be the chipset drivers.  A few of them are quite out of date.  You don't need to install the "Intel Installation Chipset Utility and Driver"—it's only there in case you need to reinstall Windows at some point.  But these should be updated:

• Intel Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework Client Driver (1809)
• Intel Management Engine Interface (1809)
• Intel Trusted Execution Engine Interface (1709/1803, since there isn't a newer one for 1809)

The others in the chipset category are older versions or for earlier Windows builds.

There's also an update for your touchpad, listed as Elan Touchpad Driver (1809), and an HP wireless button driver (1809), both listed under Keyboard, Mouse, and Input devices.  But since these devices haven't thrown any obvious errors, and your existing drivers are not particularly out of date, I don't think it's necessary to install these.

The first firmware update may not be necessary, and the second one is for a different kind of hard drive than the one you have.  So skip those.  And the software updates aren't necessary either unless you want more of HP's software clogging up your system.  I'd skip those too.

Finally, and this is very important, be sure to restart your computer after you install each driver.  Download and install one at a time, then restart, then move on to the next one.  It's a bit tedious, but it's the best way to make sure the updates go well.

@Hrrng327  That's strange; those drivers are specifically meant for your computer.  I take it you made sure to get the version for 1809, not one of the others?

At any rate, run all the drivers listed that you can, and leave the rest.  None of these drivers are critical; the only one that really should be updated regularly is the graphics driver.

@Hrrng327  No, sorry, it's only very slightly better than your current one, in that it's the newer version of the same hardware.  Laptops that can run Sims 4 on high settings typically cost somewhere over £600; models that can handle medium settings are usually over £500.  Buying a used model can save some money, but unless you're willing to take your chances with a site like Ebay, the savings would probably be small.

If you do decide to get a new laptop, now or later, feel free to ask for help picking something out.  I could find a few good models, or list the hardware you should look for.

@Hrrng327  You're right, your current laptop wouldn't handle any more expansion packs very well.  But for £700, you can get a laptop that would handle all current packs on ultra graphics settings with room to spare.

The best model for you will depend in part on how much storage you want on your laptop.  A single 256 GB hard drive will comfortably fit all Sims 4 packs plus all your saves, but it might not also fit other games (depending on their size), or large collections of music, photos, etc.  If you have an external hard drive for these, it's not a big deal, but some people prefer to store everything internally.  So I'm listing options both with small, fast solid state drives (SSDs) and with larger, slower mechanical drives (HDDs).

The lowest I'd go is this setup, for £600.  The Asus has a 256 GB SSD, and the HP has a 1 TB HDD with Intel Optane memory to accelerate it, so it will be faster than a traditional HDD.  Otherwise, these two laptops have the same hardware: a processor that's more than strong enough for Sims 4, and a graphics card that can handle all current packs on ultra settings.  The Nvidia 1050 may not be able to maintain ultra settings as new expansions are released, but high settings should always be fine.

https://www.box.co.uk/FX504GD-E41275T-ASUS-TUF-FX504GD-E41275T_2458989.html

https://www.box.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-cx0999na_2485084.html

This HP, for £650, has an Nvidia 1050 ti, which is a bit stronger than the regular 1050.  Its processor is slightly faster than the one in the two laptops above, and it has a 512 GB SSD, which is plenty of storage for most people.  Unfortunately, it's back-ordered, and I don't know how soon you want the laptop to arrive.  But if you can wait, it would certainly be a good choice.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-bc508na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B07V38SGNR

For a bit more, you could get an Nvidia 1650, which is an even stronger card than the 1050 ti.  It may or may not run all future Sims 4 packs on ultra settings, depending on how the game develops (we don't know for sure, of course).  This laptop's processor is a bit weaker than the others, but it's still good enough for the game.  This model comes with a 256 GB SSD for £680, or a 512 GB SSD for £730.

https://www.box.co.uk/FX505DT-AL086T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505DT-AL086T_2550154.html

https://www.box.co.uk/FX705DT-AU042T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX705DT-AU042T_2561592.html

If you don't want to shop at that particular website, the 256 GB model is £700 on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Gaming-R5-3550H-GeForce-Windows/dp/B07S2ZLNS2

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

@Hrrng327  The Argos websites you linked doesn't have a great selection.  The laptop you linked isn't bad; it's the equivalent of the £630 HP laptop from box.  In fact, a similar model is also £630 on Argos.  The thing about this laptop is it doesn't have a solid state drive, so Windows would run slower, and most apps would load more slowly.  Still, once an app like Sims 4 was loaded, it would run fine.  Having the small SSD in the Acer you linked would be nicer, but it might not be worth the extra £70 to you.

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/1690000

But to get better hardware than these laptops on Argos, you'd need to spend over £800, which your mom probably doesn't want to do.  On the other hand, if she's willing to consider Amazon, there are a couple of good options now available there.  This HP is back-ordered a bit, but it's £625 and has a large solid state drive, so you'd get the benefits of the extra storage and the faster speed.  Its processor and graphics card are essentially equivalent to the ones in the Acer you found and the HP above.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-bc508na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B07V38SGNR

This Asus is £700 and has a much faster graphics card.  Its processor is a bit weaker than the ones above, but still more than strong enough for Sims 4.  Its solid state drive is smaller, but still large enough for all your Sims 4 content.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-Gaming-R5-3550H-GeForce-Windows/dp/B07S2ZLNS2

@Hrrng327  Yeah, the one you found is probably the best you're going to do on Argos, unless you go to £800 (for only a slightly better graphics card) or even £850.  The laptop you're considering isn't bad at all, and it's certainly a massive upgrade over your current one.  Just make sure to keep it elevated while you play, so it can cool itself properly.  As long as it stays cool, it should at least be able to handle a mix of high and ultra graphics settings, even with all packs installed.

@Hrrng327  The £630 laptop I linked has most of the same specs as the one you were considering.  The main difference is that it doesn't have a fast solid state drive, only a slow mechanical drive.  All of your apps would still run just fine, only they'd load more slowly, and the same goes for Windows.  It's not a big deal, more like an inconvenience.

You could upgrade in theory, as in, you could add an SSD to the laptop.  But in practice, that might be more work than you want to do.  At the very least, you'd need to physically install the new drive and reinstall Windows onto it to get the benefits.  And if the laptop only has one slot for a hard drive, you'd need to remove the existing one first, and so you'd need to have a way to transfer your data from the old drive to the new one.  This isn't difficult by any means, but it is work, and you'd also need to redownload any apps (like Sims 4) you wanted to install.

If you really like the laptop that's out of stock, this one has the same specs, including the small fast SSD, and it's also £700:

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/3039061