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.