@thiswebsitesux There are lots of good options for under $1,200, sometimes well under that price. I'm excluding the cheapest ones because while they're okay, you'd be making some compromises that you don't need to, and these aren't much cheaper than the cheapest models in the next-higher tier of machine. I figure it's worth paying an extra $100 or so to upgrade the processor and graphics card; even if those upgrades aren't strictly necessaary, you might notice a difference in performance now and will probably notice in a year or two. Still, if you want to see those cheapest options, just ask.
And just to be clear, all of the computers below should run Sims 4, all packs included, on ultra settings, with plenty of room to spare. The game itself has issues and will slow down here and there, but that's unavoidable on even the most powerful gaming machines.
On that note, this is the first very good option, at $950. It's not exceptional, but it should do just fine and is the cheapest model with this hardware that I saw and would feel comfortable recommending.
This one is only slightly more expensive and has a slightly faster graphics card, plus the same hardware otherwise. I don't think you'll ever need the extra power for Sims 4, but if you plan on upgrading in the future, this one's components should make that easier. (Cyberpower uses the same types of components that people buy when building their own computers, as opposed to OEM components that are often lower quality and usually less interchangeable.) The downside is that you don't have a physical store to go to if you have a small issue that an on-site tech could resolve. It's a trade-off.
https://www.amazon.com/CYBERPOWERPC-Xtreme-i5-11400F-GeForce-GXiVR8060A11/dp/B09DHP9M9G
This one has a significantly better processor than the ones above; this won't matter now but could in a few years if you were looking to upgrade. The graphics card is the same as the second one above, and the other hardware is the same as well. Whether the faster processor, including its ability to keep up with a hypothetical significant upgrade down the line, is worth an extra $100 to you depends on what your plans for the computer will look like in a few years.
https://www.newegg.com/cyberpowerpc-gm61000-gamer-master/p/N82E16883230668
Finally, this one has a significantly faster graphics card than the others, plus 16 GB RAM, which is nice to have if not strictly necessary. (On the other hand, memory is cheap and incredibly easy to install: you could upgrade any of the others for under $50 and about five minutes of your time.) It has the same processor as the first two. I don't actually think you need the extra graphics power, but I figured I'd mention it as an example of how far $1,100 can go.
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali564/p/N82E16883360194?Item=N82E16883360194
If you'd like to see more options, let me know what you're looking for. And if you have more questions in general, please feel free to ask.
Actually one question - do you think NXZT computers are up there as well?
@thiswebsitesux If you're talking about NZXT custom-built PCs, the build quality and the quality of the components are high. However, the prices are also quite high. The lowest I could get the price of a custom configuration was over $1,400, excluding one very cheap graphics card that's actually quite bad in many situations.
The prebuilt options are better, but still, this is the only one I'm seeing that's worth mentioning and is still in your price range:
https://nzxt.com/product/the-starter
It's $1,100 and compared to the other $1,100 option I linked, it has a slower graphics card and otherwise the same hardware. A 3050 is absolutey still more than fast enough for Sims 4 and always should be, but the 3060 is about 35% faster. The 1660 Super is about the same speed as the 3050, and the 2060 is faster by a notable margin. So even assuming you'd get a bit more performance out of the NZXT model compared to the others (due to the higher build quality), you'd be paying a premium for a very small improvement over the 1660 model, or you'd be sacrificing performance vs. the 2060 and even more vs. the 3060 without saving any money.
In case it's not clear, I'm not talking about the quality of the hardware included in these builds, other than the one point about the HP Omen possibly using an OEM component or two. The hardware in the others should all be more or less on the same level—you might get something slightly better or slightly worse because the build company got a good deal on one component or another, but that's both random and often impossible to verify until you actually have the computer and can look inside. Even then, the component quality is all going to be within the same range; it's just that some parts are a little better than others, as in any other industry.
The difference I'm referencing is basically the care with which the computer is assembled, both on the hardware and software side. That doesn't mean that a given computer will have issues while another will not; it's more about the little details and how thoroughly the system was tested before being sold. These details can mean nothing in the end, or they might mean a few percentage points of extra performance from the higher-quality build. Here again, it's impossible to say until you can see for yourself.
On the other hand, if the most important thing to you is that the computer is built to the highest standards and that you have the best customer support, then a company like NZXT is a better option than buying from a traditional store. I can't really decide that for you—it's your money after all, and your game that will be running on one of these computers. I will say that in terms of real-world results, the statistically better outcomes happen when buying the better hardware; even if you're not getting every drop of performance out of that hardware, you're still significantly ahead of the best possible version of the next tier down. But that only matters if performance is the most important thing here.
Anyway, I know that was long, but it's been an interesting topic over the last 18 months as the market for some components has been in chaos. Reasonable people can disagree. Regardless of what you decide, you'll be getting a computer that runs Sims 4 beautifully and will hopefully make you happy for a long time.
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