Best laptop for Sims 4 with all expansions for up to £1200

[serenity_lopez]

Hi, I’ve been playing Sims since the very beginning and have always had lagging and crashing issues. I haven’t played Sims 4 in a while due to my current laptop being painfully slow. Can anybody please recommend a good laptop that I can use for Sims 4 (and perhaps Sims 5) with a 17 inch screen. My budget is up to £1200 but would be glad to spend less (or a bit more) and still get something good. I will be using the laptop for The Sims and work (excel, word, zoom meetings etc) 

Thanks in advance!

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@serenity_lopez  For £1,100 or under, the fastest graphics card you can get, at least from Amazon, is an Nvidia 1660 ti.  That's not much of a loss though: the 2060 is only a few percentage points faster, and laptops with the new 3060 are either sold out or yet to be released.

Take a look at these four laptops, all with a 1660 ti, and see what you think:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-i5-10300H-GeForce-Graphics-Keyboard/dp/B08DXVPMNB

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lenovo-Legion-Gaming-GeForce-Windows/dp/B08BLK6TQM

https://www.amazon.co.uk/HP-Pavilion-15-ec1006na-Gaming-Laptop/dp/B0877MJY1Q

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-G3-Backlit-Display-i7-10750H/dp/B08LL3NLMK

I listed them in order of weakest to strongest processor, although the CPUs are all more than fine for Sims 4, and that should always be the case.  These all have only 8 GB RAM, but since you wouldn't be spending your full budget, you'd still have more than the £40 or so it should cost to get another 8 GB if you want it.  (You'll probably want it sooner or later.)  I didn't see any laptops with 16 GB RAM and a 1660 ti for under £1,150, but that's not surprising: many laptops in this category are built with 8 GB under the assumption that some users will want to upgrade to 32 GB and others 16.

All of these are quality laptops.  The Lenovo gets the best reviews on the reilable sites, but the gap is not large.  The Asus does run hot, but that shouldn't be an issue for Sims 4 at least.

As for Sims 5, we don't know when (or really if) it's coming, or even if it's going to be a real computer game as opposed to some mobile hangout with your friends type of thing.  So I can't really tell you what you'd need to run it.  But I would guess that it wouldn't be more demanding than the current version of Sims 4 until at least a couple years and a handful of expansion packs in, if that's any reassurance.  So if it's two years to release, and another two before the game has a chance to catch up with Sims 4, that's a good amount of time to have a powerful gaming laptop.

By the way, you could play Sims 4 on ultra settings with an Nvidia 1650, but since laptops with a 1660 ti aren't that much more expensive, and you'd like to futureproof, I left those options out.

[serenity_lopez]

I should add that I love custom content so it will need to be able to handle a lot of it

[puzzlezaddict]

@serenity_lopez  There aren't a lot of 17" gaming laptops these days, but I did find a couple really good ones.  In your price range, you can get a laptop with an Nvidia 1660 ti or the slightly faster 2060, both of which would give you some room to accommodate a more demanding game than Sims 4.  (We have no idea what Sims 5 will be like, but given how the franchise has progressed, it's a good bet that it won't be much more demanding than Sims 4 currently is for at least a couple years after its release.  After all, EA wants it to be accessible to people with lower-end computers too.)

Anyway, the two best options I saw were these, with a 1660 ti and a 2060, respectively.  They're both highly-rated laptops overall and have good gaming performance.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/hp-pavillion-17-cd1013na-nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-8gb-17.3-144hz-fhd-intel-...

https://www.box.co.uk/81Y8003CUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-17_2943294.html

Other than the graphics card, there are a couple meaningful differences.  The HP only has 8 GB RAM, which you'd probably want to upgrade at some point, even if it's not strictly necessary.  Another 8 GB would cost around £40 and not void the warranty.  The HP also has a secondary 1 TB HDD in addition to its primary hard drive, although you might not need it: 512 GB is more than enough for two Sims 4-sized games and all the custom content you could download.  The Lenovo would accommodate a second hard drive if you ever wanted it.  Finally, I don't know whether this matters to you, but the Lenovo's battery life is significantly better, than the HP's.

In terms of other options, I don't think you'd get a better overall model unless you paid around £300 more for the same hardware, and even then, you might only see a small improvement in performance.  So unless there's some specific feature you're looking for, these may be your best options.  If you don't like them for some reason though, these are also good laptops:

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q8JEK.001-Acer-Nitro-5-AN517-52-75Z3_2934867.html

https://www.box.co.uk/NH.Q8KEK.002-Acer-Nitro-5-AN517-52-720M_2934868.html

https://www.box.co.uk/AORUS-7-SB-7UK1131SH-Aorus-7_2934855.html

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-rog-strix-g17-g712lv-nvidia-rtx-2060-16gb-17.3-120hz-intel-i7-10...

Among those, only the Aorus is rated more highly than the HP and Lenovo, but you'd be paying a premium for the upgrade.  The Acer Nitro is good, better than Nitros used to be even a couple years ago, but it's not quite in the same class.

If you have more questions about any of this, please feel free to ask.

[serenity_lopez]

Hi, I posted in the technical forum but I’m not sure if it’s the correct place.. could anybody recommend a laptop to play all the Sims 4 games and expansions and possibly Sims 5 games with lots of downloaded cc for £1200. I will also use the laptop for work related things like Microsoft office and Zoom calls.

I’d prefer a 17” screen too.

Also my sister is looking for the same thing but her budget is around £600 and screen size could be either 15” or 17”

Thanks in advance

[puzzlezaddict]

@serenity_lopez  I've merged your new post with your existing thread.  The PC tech section is a perfectly fine place to post a question like this, as is general discussion, but eitehr way it's easier to keep all the info and questions from one player in one place.

Are there any other details that are important to your sister?  Could she go up to around £650?  That can make a big difference in the performance she might be able to get out of her laptop.  Let me know, and I'll do another search in a couple hours, when I have time.

[serenity_lopez]

Thank you so much for your reply, I did come across the Aorus earlier actually but honestly I don’t know much about computers but I liked the look of it haha so I’m glad you’ve brought it to my attention again. I will definitely choose from what you’ve shown me. As for my sister, she could go up to £650, she’s getting it strictly to play Sims and like me, she’s over the lagging and crashing plus she loves cc too.

[puzzlezaddict]

@serenity_lopez  I looked at a dozen different UK sites, and to be honest, this isn't a great time to buy a chap gaming laptop.  The only one I found available below £650 with an Nvidia 1650, capable of running all Sims 4 packs together on ultra settings, is this Asus:

https://www.box.co.uk/FX505GT-BQ008T-ASUS-TUF-Gaming-FX505GT-BQ008T_2940903.html

It's a very good laptop; I'm just saying that there aren't a lot of options right now.  I saw a number of laptops with essentially the same specs for the same price that are currently sold out, but that doesn't help now.

The only other real gaming laptops I saw were these two, with an Nvidia 1050.  It's still capable of ultra or high-ultra settings, but the graphics card is about 30% slower for gaming, on average, than a 1650, which is a significant downgrade.

https://www.box.co.uk/81LK0039UK-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Gaming-L340-15_2934443.html

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8440710

There's also a category of laptops below this, ones that are mostly more lightweight and portable and that have Nvidia MX cards.  The MX350 should be able to handle high settings, although not ultra; the MX250 and 330 are somewhat slower.  Most of these laptops are sold out too, or at least the cheaper ones are.  But since the MX450 is now available, I'd expect the laptops with an MX350 to start dropping in price a little.  As an example, this one has an MX250 but is very similar to the newer models; it's £580:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-aspire-5-a515-54g-15-6-laptop-intel-cor...

It's not that the MX250 is a bad card, but it's definitely slower than the other options mentioned.  Still, the above laptop would be a decent choice for someone who doesn't care about playing on ultra settings.

If your sister doesn't like the laptops I've linked, she may be better off waiting a few weeks for stock to replenish.  While the price for a laptop with a 1650 is almost never below £650, the options available at that price do change somewhat.

Anyway, if you or she has more questions about this, please feel free to ask.  And if your sister wants to wait to see what options become available, I'll be around whenever she's ready to buy.

[serenity_lopez]

Thanks so much. Your expertise is greatly appreciated!!

[serenity_lopez]

Hi again, I've just had a thought.. could you also recommend some laptops with a 15" screen for me.. now I'm not too sure if I want a huge screen as I've recently been using a smaller laptop and love how easy it is to carry around.

The higher end of my budget is still £1200 but I would not be adverse to spending less on a good laptop. Thanks a lot!!

[puzzlezaddict]

@serenity_lopez  There are a lot more options available with a 15" screen, so many that you can really get whatever you want for your preferred budget or even significantly less.  So the question becomes which features are worth the extra money and which are not, for example if you want a stronger processor than Sims 4 would ever need, or more storage than you'd likely ever be able to use.

If you're interested in a small lightweight laptop, this 14" Asus is one of the only options below £1,200.  It's also a highly rated laptop, and the configuration that includes an Nvidia 1660 ti (and 16 GB RAM) is £1,100.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-rog-zephyrus-g14-ga401iu-nvidia-gtx-1660ti-16gb-14-120hz-ryzen-r...

Otherwise, the best options in 15" chassis are pretty much the same as the best models in 17" chassis, with more configurations available.  The Lenovo Legion is still one of the highest-rated laptops in this caterogy; you could get it with a decent CPU, a 1660 ti, and 8 GB RAM (upgradable); or the same specs except with a 2060; or with a stronger CPU, a 2060, and 16 GB; .

https://www.box.co.uk/81Y6005SUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-15_2938435.html

https://www.box.co.uk/81Y600DLUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-15_2953873.html

https://www.box.co.uk/81Y6005VUK-Lenovo-Legion-5i-15_2943293.html

I saw a few other configurations that weren't any better than those three, for example the model with the same specs as the third one except with a 1660 ti is also £1,100.

These HPs are also good options, in either configuration.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/hp-pavillion-15-ec1009na-nvidia-gtx-1660-ti-16gb-15.6-fhd-amd-ryzen-7...

https://www.box.co.uk/1L6F0EAABU-HP-Pavilion-Gaming-15-dk1024na_2958257.html

This Asus comes with either the same specs as the first HP, or with a slightly more powerful processor and a 1 TB SSD:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-tuf-gaming-a15-fa506iv-nvidia-rtx-2060-16gb-15.6-144hz-ryzen-r7-...

https://www.box.co.uk/FA506IV-HN429T-ASUS-TUF-GAMING-A15-FA506IV-HN429T_3062880.html

This Asus is also a good option, with the more powerful processor and otherwise the same specs as above:

https://www.box.co.uk/G512LV-HN037T-ASUS-ROG-STRIX-G15-G512LV-HN037T_2940905.html

Or, if you want massive overkill, the same laptop but with a 2070 is £1,200.  I can't imagine you ever using that much power for Sims 4, but I figured I'd mention it anyway, since it's within your budget.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-rog-strix-g15-g512lw-nvidia-rtx-2070-16gb-15.6-144hz-intel-i7-10...

And finally, the Aorus is actually a bit cheaper in its 15" form, with a 2060 rather than a 1660 ti:

https://www.box.co.uk/AORUS-5-KB-7UK1131SH-AORUS-5_2932841.html

These are all highly rated laptops, so the question becomes how you feel about the other details.  I know this is kind of a long list, but the point is that you can pretty much get whatever you want, whether it's a cheaper very good laptop or something over the top.  I didn't even check all the sites, since there are too many configurations to keep track of.  This is more so you see what's out there.  If you have one or two favorites but want a slightly different configuration, or you're wondering whether the price might be better on another site, let me know, and I'll do a more thorough search.