Why can't I run the Sims 4, when Can I Run It says I meet the minimum?

@havefeith  AMD cards often show up with generic names, and I've seen them slightly misidentified as well.  It's not really an issue by itself.  On the other hand, if you mean that Sims 4 is misidentifying your card, that would be because the database of device IDs has an error.  Whether that error matters depends on its nature and the GPU involved.

Anyway, please let me know where you're seeing the "HD 6640" instead of your GPU's name.  Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

Here you go. Not sure why it doesn't list the Processor, but I'm not entirely surprised, considering this instance of windows is still a fresh install, all things considering. And I was slightly wrong on the Graphics chipset (Identifier? Model Number? whatever), but only by 2 10s digits. It's registering as a 6620, not a 6640. The sticker on my laptop insists it's a 6740, but I think a buddy of mine who deals more with tech stuff said that's because of the APU? Something about the graphics chipset being augmented by the integrated... something. Can't recall exactly what it was.

@havefeith  Older AMD-based laptops often have a secondary graphics processor, essentially a low-powered graphics card that works in concert with the graphics chip integrated into the processor, that doesn't show up properly in the dxdiag.  In your case, you can only see the 6620G, the chip integrated into your processor, listed in the dxdiag, but there's also a driver for the 6600M/6700M series present.  That would be for the 6740M.

The driver for the 6740M is the newest AMD has, the only one available for Windows 10; Acer never made Windows 10 drivers for this laptop.  It's possible the 2015 driver is the issue here, that it's too old to run Sims 4 properly, but that's difficult to say, and impossible to test since you can't install a newer driver.  And even AMD didn't make a Windows 10 driver for the integrated chip—the one you have installed is a generic version from Microsoft.

Anyway, you can try forcing your system to use the 6740, that is if it's even an option.  Click Windows key-i, select System > Display > Graphics settings, click Browse, choose TS4_x64.exe, click Options, and choose the high-powered option, then save the change.  If that doesn't work, try the power-saving option.

You can also try running the Legacy Edition of Sims 4.  It won't run any packs released after October 2019, but it's better than nothing.

Out of interest, how do I get at the legacy edition of Sims 4?

Edit: the graphics thing didn't work. Unfortunately.

@havefeith  The Legacy Edition is an add-on to the base game, and it works sort of like other packs.  You can download it from Origin's Extra Content tab.  Once it's installed, you can switch from the 64-bit standard to the 32-bit LE by right-clicking on the Sims 4 icon in your game library and selecting Game Properties > Advanced Launch Options.

Well, that sucks... I have to redownload the base game in order to use the Legacy edition, but when I tried to use my steam version, it gave off an error. I'm trying to play the game with some, shall we say, more mature mods. Those mods require the game to be at the latest version of the base game. Once I saw the error, I stupidly uninstalled the base game. This will take me ages to redownload, since my actual download speed is in the kilobytes range since I'm using Wi-fi. My apparent download speed is about 5 megs a second until a bandwidth limit of 100 gigs is reached, then it gets throttled to 1 meg a second after the limit. It's rather annoying that I can supposedly run the base game according to the best hardware testing site, but I can't play the deluxe version I currently own, due to some unknown errors. I think I'll wait until next month to try again.

So. After my frustration went away, I decided to re-download TS4. I got it downloaded, and TS4 legacy selected as my start-up option, But it still says that it can't start with the video card in my system. I still think this shouldn't be happening, but am willing to admit I may be going off outdated information. After all, how often does "Can I Run It" update their benchmark for a game after it releases? They don't have the Deluxe edition on their site, for heaven's sakes. Guess I definitely need to get a new computer. Any suggestions that won't cost over $1,200 Canadian with a decent hard drive in it? Shipping is included in that budget, by the way.

@havefeith  I'm sorry the game isn't working, but it's possible that this is down to the lack of newer driver support.  The "can I run it?" sites almost never update their info after a game's release, and even then, they go by official requirements, which don't usually include a list of supported drivers.

Do you want a desktop or laptop?  I should be able to find a few good options within your budget, either now or in a week when the Black Friday sales start multiplying.

Desktop would be better, since I'm running into this problem because it's a laptop I'm using. No worries on sales; I won't have enough for it just yet. Still have to repay my grandmother $200. Give me about 6 months after that, and I'd have enough. Gonna be a pain transfering files, though, since I have no way of peer to peering any computers on my wifi. I've got an external hard drive though, which is the next best thing.

@havefeith  Whenever you're ready to buy, feel free to come back and ask for help.  For reference, this computer ($1,200 CAD) is powerful enough by an unnecessarily large margin for ultra settings:

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/lenovo-legion-tower-5i-gaming-pc-intel-core-i5-10400-1tb-hdd-256gb-ssd-8gb-ram-gtx-1660-super-en/15309485

Most of the time, I can find a suitable option that can handle ultra settings for $100-200 less, but much of the stock in that range is sold out right now, and there's not much point in looking if you're not ready to buy yet.  I doubt anything available now will still be around in six months.  There should still be similarly good systems though.