Re: What computer is best for the Sims 4 including packs, mods, and cc?

@puzzlezaddict Hi! I'm looking for a good laptop in the €600-€700 price range ideally, or even lower if possible. I'm from Belgium and I would only use the laptop for Sims 4. I play Sims 4 with all expansion packs and lots of CC and mods, so it would need to be able to handle all of that. Completely lost in all the options there are, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

@NimsaJgirl  I'd be happy to take a look for you, but please let me know what stores you'd be comfortable buying from.  I don't know anything about the Belgian market and don't want to recommend something from an unreliable source.

Please also let me know what other details matter to you, for example do you specifically want (or not want) a gaming laptop?  They usually start around 700€ in the markets I'm more familiar with and are sometimes a bit less, so I might be able to find a good one within your budget.  But there are also plenty of quality non-gaming laptops, the kind that would run Sims 4 fine on medium-high to high graphics settings rather than ultra.

@kenzielea0514  What do you think of this one?

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_4527&item_id=243651

It's capable of running all current Sims 4 content together on ultra graphics settings with plenty of room to spare.  The build quality of this line of computers is good as well.  Its price is lower because the hardware is a little older, but that's not a problem for a computer that hasn't been used: it'll be in new condition now and get plenty of updates going forward.

This is a cheaper and not as powerful alternative, still capable of ultra settings but not by as large a margin:

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/lenovo-ideacentre-5i-gaming-pc-raven-black-intel-core-i5-12400f-512gb-ssd-16gb-ram-rtx-3050-win-11/17086979

Let me know what you think of these two, and if neither is what you want, I can refine things from there.  I wouldn't expect to do better in this price range, but I might find something else around the same level from a different store.

Well the second is $1400 so def too much but the first one is a good start, I’ll look deeper into that one. I was also wondering about cheaper monitors, which brand is better but more cost effective?

@kenzielea0514  The second one I linked was $870 when I found it, but perhaps the sale ended.  That's unfortunate but not a terrible problem since the first one's hardware is a bit better.

For monitors, there are lots of decent options for relatively low prices.  The most important detail in the budget category is that is has an IPS panel, the highest quality in terms of color and viewing angles.  If you can find one with a brightness of at least 300 nits (or candelas, or cd/m^2), that would be nice, but it's not necessary when playing in a darker room.  A refresh rate above 60 would be nice too, and above 75 would be even better, but that can also cut down on your options.

As for the brand, pick one you've heard of and you'll be fine.  Monitors are not difficult to make well, so a lot of companies do so, but there are also marginally cheaper options that are significantly worse in one way or another.  Spend the extra $20 to get something that will look good out of the box and last more than a year.

If you'd like me to make suggestions, let me know what size you want, plus any other details that matter to you.  I can also look over anything you pick out and offer a second opinion.

@kenzielea0514  A gaming laptop would currently be cheaper, but that's not always true.  What's definitely true is that laptop hardware is weaker than the desktop equivalents, meaning slower performance.  Laptops mostly can't be repaired or upgraded as well, so other than RAM and storage, you're stuck with what you buy.

Having said that, this would be a very good choice for Sims 4, capable of ultra graphics settings by a significant margin, and high quality overall:

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_4419&item_id=243491

This is even faster but also not quite the same build quality.  I'm not saying it would break in a year, but it also probably wouldn't last five years.  It's also open box.

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_4419&item_id=245185

It looks like the first one is only on sale for another 20 hours, although there's an open-box option that may stay cheap past that.

If you don't like either of the ones above, let me know why, and I'll do a more narrow search.  This site has a lot of options, but please tell me if either the site or an open-box laptop is a problem; and in the former case, please list other sites where you'd be comfortable buying.

@puzzlezaddict Thank you sm for your help, I have been looking at the HP for a couple days so I think I’ll go with that one. I appreciate all the help!!!