Forum Discussion

dmlebayy's avatar
dmlebayy
3 years ago

Using an external hard drive, windows laptop, multiple questions!

So I'm not sure I have a specific question.  I have a laptop with windows, and it absolutely does not have the power to run sims. I started playing on Ps4 instead but miss all my packs, cc, and mods from PC. I really want to get back on PC but don't have the money to buy a laptop or PC that would support the sims. 

I've been looking into hard drives and these are a few questions I have. 

Is 250 GB enough for the entire sims collection, with room for cc, mods, and saves?

I've been looking at a lot of videos about putting the game on an external hard drive and each one makes it seem like a complicated process to move the game. Is it really that complicated? Do I need to download other applications to do the move? And after it's set up on the hard drive, and then I have something new I want to download can I download it directly to the hard drive instead of to the computer and then moving it? 

When using a hard drive, does it need to stay plugged in all the time, or just when playing? Do you have to do anything when unplugging it to be sure it doesn't affect the game?

Does origin/ea app need to be on the drive, or on the computer? 

Thanks so much, I'm not very good with tech on this level lol but I do love playing sims!

Also, if you have a suggestion for a specific hard-drive, that would be appreciated!

pc

2 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @dmlebayy  First, the easy questions:

    • 256 GB is enough for all your Sims 4 content
    • It's simple to install the game onto an external drive and slightly more complicated to move the user folder, but it's not difficult at all if you're good at following directions
    • Please don't use video guides, which often make the process more convoluted than necessary and might have unwanted side effects; I can link a good written guide if you get this far
    • No, you don't need any outside applications, and any guide that says you do should be disregarded entirely
    • If you download new packs, they'll be installed into the correct location
    • If you download new mods or custom content, you'll need to move the files to the correct location yourself, but this is as simple as dragging and dropping
    • The hard drive needs to be plugged in before you open the EA App and through the play session, until you close the App again
    • The hard drive also needs to have the same drive letter, in File Explorer, every time you play, or else the App will get confused as to where your game is located
    • Windows assigns drive letters in the order in which drives are connected, so if you only have one device that receives a letter (external drives, USB sticks, etc.), you'll be fine
    • Origin is dead in Windows
    • The EA App will install itself on your internal drive without giving you a choice, which is fine for Sims 4

    The more complicated question is whether this is a good idea.  Installing Sims 4 onto an external drive only helps with storage, not with a computer that's underpowered in other ways.  If you were previously having performance issues that were unrelated to free storage, those aren't going to go away just because the game is now stored externally.

    If you'd like, you can post a dxdiag and I'll take a look at your computer's hardware.  I can give you a general idea of what to expect.  It's also fine to test the game and see what you get, as in, it won't harm your computer provided it can cool itself adequately; no playing in bed with the laptop resting on the covers.  But it would be disappointing to buy an external drive only to have it not help you play any better.

Recent Discussions