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Re: Sims 4 US Laptop Reccomendations

@toothpasteluvr  Before you spend $1,000, or close enough, on a gaming laptop, it's worth testing out a cooling pad or fan for your Mac.  Airs come with no fan, relying on passive cooling: the chip dumps heat onto the heatsink, which radiates it out from there.  That means that once the heatsink is soaked, as it probably will be soon after you start playing, performance will be heavily dependent on how quickly it can dissipate that extra heat.  So a cooling pad or fan could make a significant difference, and it would be a lot cheaper than a new laptop.

If you have a friend or family member that uses one, you could borrow it and see what you think.  Or you might test a new one if you can find a store that accepts returns.

If you do decide you want a new laptop, I would be happy to help you pick something out when you're ready.  But there's not much point in looking around now if you're going to wait a few weeks to buy, so let me know when you're ready.  That might be now; I'm just saying tell me either way.

If you'd like to do some shopping yourself, a laptop with an Nvidia RTX 3050 will run Sims 4, all current packs included, on ultra graphics settings, with some room to spare.  A 4050 or 3060 would be a nice but not strictly necessary upgrade, and the sub-$1000 category includes laptops with all three GPUs.  So the question is whether you want the best laptop your budget can buy or the cheapest good option.

Any processor paired with one of these graphics cards will be able to keep up with the GPU and will therefore be more than fine for Sims 4.  I'd suggest getting 16 GB RAM if possible, but it's also a very simple and cheap upgrade.  512 GB storage is convenient too, but it's not necessary if this computer is only going to run Sims 4, which takes up about 60 GB by itself with all current packs installed.

In terms of build quality, consider Lenovo Legion, HP Victus, or Asus ROG, although there are other quality options too; it just depends on the exact model and year, plus whether you care how well the laptop is running five years from now.

Like I said, I'd be happy to look around for you when you're ready to buy.  Or you can link some laptops you like for a second opinion.

6 Replies

  • toothpasteluvr's avatar
    toothpasteluvr
    3 years ago

    Thank you for your help!!

    I'll be trying out a cooling pad ASAP and let you know if I change my mind! 😆😆

  • gamplt684cc9's avatar
    gamplt684cc9
    2 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict I was wondering if you could help me find a good laptop for the sims 4? I would really appreciate the help! 

    If you're willing to help me, just for context, I'll be using the laptop for college, work, and obviously some light gaming lol. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @gamplt684cc9  What country are you in, what is your budget, and do you want a proper gaming laptop or something lighter or less obviously gaming-related?

  • gamplt684cc9's avatar
    gamplt684cc9
    2 years ago

    Let me first say thank you for helping! 

    I'm in the USA, and imma be honest it would be nice to have the lighter side of a laptop but I'm not opposed to having a thicker laptop! And my budget would probably be around 2k maybe more if you convince me lol

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @gamplt684cc9  What do you think of this one?

    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-legion-slim-5-14-5-oled-gaming-laptop-ryzen-7-7840hs-with-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-8gb-with-1-tb-ssd-storm-grey/6559123.p?skuId=6559123

    It's a high-end laptop currently significantly discounted, its hardware is powerful enough to handle anything Sims 4 could throw at it, and it has an excellent screen: bright, colorful, high pixel count.  It's also somewhat light and smaller than a typical gaming laptop, at 14" and just under 4 lbs.  The price of $1,060 is not that much higher than the typical starting point for laptops with this hardware (around $900 at best), which is a very small markup considering the features.  The Legion line has also been one of the highest-quality laptops outside of the premium price category for a few years now.

    A very good alternative is the Asus ROG Strix 14" laptop, which is also on sale in a couple different configurations:

    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-14-165hz-gaming-laptop-qhd-amd-ryzen-7-7735hs-with-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-rtx-4050-6g-512gb-ssd-moonlight-white/6535497.p?skuId=6535497

    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-14165hz-gaming-laptop-qhd-amd-ryzen-9-7940hs-with-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-rtx-4070-8g-gddr6-1tb-ssd-moonlight-white/6535498.p?acampID=0&cmp=RMX&loc=Hatch&ref=198&skuId=6535498

    The first one has lower-end hardware than the Legion and the second higher-end.  To be clear, Sims 4 would never benefit from the RTX 4070 in the second Asus, but it could benefit a little from the upgrade from the 4050 (the first Asus) to the 4060 (the Legion).  That would depend on what kind of extra content you add, for example high poly custom content or Reshade.  The unmodified game might run a bit faster on the 4060, but the difference is likely too small to notice with the naked eye.

    It's also worth going with at least the 4060 if you're going to play other, more demanding games, for example Hogwarts Legacy or Baldur's Gate 3.  The 4060 is sufficient for either one on ultra settings, although not at very high fps, the 4050 would probably require lowering the graphics settings.

    The other hardware doesn't matter nearly as much because all of it is more and/or faster than Sims 4 could ever need, or really any other current game out there.  You may find it nice to have more than the 500 GB storage of the Asus with the RTX 4050, but that's still enough for Sims 4 and a few larger games, plus a sizable pile of custom content, so I wouldn't say it's necessary.

    I checked a handful of different sites that I know carry this type of laptop, and other similar models, and didn't find anything in the same price range that was equal.  You do have some room to play with in your budget, but there's not much point in spending $400 extra for the same hardware unless you're looking for specific features that the cheaper laptops don't have.  If that's the case, let me know and I'll look for those features in particular.

    If you have more questions in general, please feel free to ask.

  • gamplt684cc9's avatar
    gamplt684cc9
    2 years ago

    I can't thank you enough! I absolutely appreciate you helping me out with this! Currently I have no other questions, at least none that I can think of in the moment! 

    I think I'll go for the legion, that one sounds pretty good and I like the look of it. 

    Again thank you for helping me out! You are the absolute best for helping me out! 

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