@Sakura1979 A gaming laptop isn't strictly necessary to play Sims 4, but it will handle higher settings than a regular laptop, will do much better with more expansion packs installed (especially the newer ones), and will likely cool itself better as well. Regular laptops aren't really built to withstand the stress of even a moderately demanding game like TS4, and while then can technically run the game, you can see issues from lag and fps drops to overheating if you push them too far.
It's difficult to say what you should look for at some point in the future, as the laptop market can change a lot in a short amount of time. Right now, laptops guaranteed to run all TS4 packs on the ultra graphics settings, now and in the future, start over $1000. But that's because the older graphics card in the $800-900 laptops is being phased out, and the newer cards have yet to come down in price. (As an aside, I've recently seen an $800 Dell that would fit the bill, but I doubt it will still be available in a few months.) The next level down, the entry level gaming laptops that could run TS4 on ultra now but maybe not in the future, used to start around $700 with decent sales, but the newer versions are over $900 right now.
The point is, there's not much of a point in picking out a laptop now or trying to plan ahead beyond saving up. When you're ready to buy, I'd be happy to help you look for something in your price range.
P.S. The biggest favor you can do for your current laptop is to make sure it stays cool. Elevating it will help—put books under the corners or something—as will pointing a fan at it if it's hot in the room where you're playing.
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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
