Desktop for sims 3 and 4

[Jazzie92]

So I am not tech savvy , barely know what all the specs mean and this would be my first desktop after always using laptops.

I want a desktop that will last me a long time with easily upgradeable space if need be. I want to be able to have the sims 3 and all packs, sims 4 and allpacks/Cc/Mods, and if possible room for sims 5 whenever it’s released. Settings run medium to high depending on price. I will solely use it for sims. Budget is $1500 but hoping to find something under that amount. I’ve read a few similar posts on here so I have a vague idea of what I need. I tried customizing on cyberpowerpc but it was confusing to me so gave that up. I found a HP Pavillion desktop I’m wondering if will work that I’ll share. Or if you have any better suggestions I’d appreciate also thank you.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Jazzie92  You could get away with an Nvidia 1650, but for your budget, a 1660 or better would give you more of a buffer to account for game slowdowns and other fps drops.  Essentially, a faster card than you strictly need will make your games feel more smooth, up to a point at least.  And a system with a 1660 is relatively cheap, for example:

https://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Xtreme-i5-10400F-GeForce-GXiVR8060A10/dp/B08FBK2DK5?th=1&psc=1

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-legion-tower-5i-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-11400-8gb-memory-nv...

The Lenovo is a classic prebuilt system, but it's higher quality than the typical Dell or HP offerings; the Cyberpower is built like a custom PC.  That just means more flexibility in the future, although the Lenovo should still give you plenty of upgrade options.  With either of these, I'd recommend adding another 8 GB RAM, which would cost around $50 or $80 depending on the configuration.

This one is essentially the same computer as the ones above except its graphics card (Nvidia 2060) is a little faster, maybe 10% on average.

https://www.amazon.com/CYBERPOWERPC-Xtreme-i5-11400F-GeForce-GXiVR8060A11/dp/B09DHP9M9G

This one already has 16 GB and also has a 1660 Super; this company's build quality is generally very good.  The other main difference is that this one has an AMD processor.  While it's not as good as the Intel CPUs in the first two options, the best AMD processors that would fit in this motherboard's socket are better (cheaper and/or faster) than the best Intel CPUs you could install in the first two options.  So this one might be a better choice if you're serious about upgrading down the line.

This one has a faster processor than any of the above—fast enough that you should never need to even think about upgrading it for Sims games—and a graphics card that's about 15% faster than the 2060.  This is of course massive overkill, but at $1,200, it's the best option I'm seeing that has a processor you'd never have reason to upgrade paired with an at least reasonably fast graphics card.  It does only have 8 GB RAM, but upgrading should only be $50 or less if you do it yourself.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-5600g-8gb-memory-a...

If there's anything specific about these that doesn't match what you're looking for, let me know what that is so I can narrow things down.  There aren't a large number of options, but there should be something close to what you're looking for.  A custom build on CyberpowerPC wouldn't be much cheaper with a slower graphics card, for example you'd only save $50 by downgrading to a 6600XT.

[puzzlezaddict]

@Jazzie92  That system would certainly run Sims 3 and 4 on ultra settings, in fact it's overkill for both and will likely be for Sims 5 as well whenever it shows up.  However, if you care about upgradability, a prebuilt system from HP isn't the best choice.  It uses proprietary components that are difficult if not impossible to upgrade or replace, and the build quality isn't great.  That doesn't mean that this computer would be bad now, just that it will limit your choices in the future.

If you want the same unnecessarily fast graphics card, you could get one in a higher-quality prebuilt system for a little more:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-rog-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i7-11700f-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce...

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-5600g-16gb-memory-...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1639004-REG/cyberpowerpc_xtreme_gxi11140cpgv7_i5_11600kf_12gb...

The Cyberpower models use the same types components you'd buy if you were building your own PC, so the system is as upgradable as if you'd built it yourself.  As for a custom Cyberpower build, this is the best I could do ($1485) with a 3060, although today the upgrade to a  3060 ti is free, so you'd be getting an even faster graphics card:

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1PUBMJ

Among the advantages are that you'd get a better CPU cooler than the ones in the prebuilt systems and that you'd have a single 1 TB SSD, so you wouldn't need to swap files to the slower HDD.  The above configuration doesn't ship to certain states due to power consumption laws, but if you live in one of those states, upgrading the motherboard for about $30 would fix the issue.

Of course you could get a perfectly fine system with a slower graphics card that's still more than fast enough for Sims 3 and 4.  If you'd prefer to go that route, let me know, and I'll list some suitable options.  And if you have more questions in general, please feel free to ask.

[Jazzie92]

Hmmm, yeah could I see your options with the slower graphics card please and thank you. 

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Jazzie92  You could get away with an Nvidia 1650, but for your budget, a 1660 or better would give you more of a buffer to account for game slowdowns and other fps drops.  Essentially, a faster card than you strictly need will make your games feel more smooth, up to a point at least.  And a system with a 1660 is relatively cheap, for example:

https://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Xtreme-i5-10400F-GeForce-GXiVR8060A10/dp/B08FBK2DK5?th=1&psc=1

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-legion-tower-5i-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-11400-8gb-memory-nv...

The Lenovo is a classic prebuilt system, but it's higher quality than the typical Dell or HP offerings; the Cyberpower is built like a custom PC.  That just means more flexibility in the future, although the Lenovo should still give you plenty of upgrade options.  With either of these, I'd recommend adding another 8 GB RAM, which would cost around $50 or $80 depending on the configuration.

This one is essentially the same computer as the ones above except its graphics card (Nvidia 2060) is a little faster, maybe 10% on average.

https://www.amazon.com/CYBERPOWERPC-Xtreme-i5-11400F-GeForce-GXiVR8060A11/dp/B09DHP9M9G

This one already has 16 GB and also has a 1660 Super; this company's build quality is generally very good.  The other main difference is that this one has an AMD processor.  While it's not as good as the Intel CPUs in the first two options, the best AMD processors that would fit in this motherboard's socket are better (cheaper and/or faster) than the best Intel CPUs you could install in the first two options.  So this one might be a better choice if you're serious about upgrading down the line.

This one has a faster processor than any of the above—fast enough that you should never need to even think about upgrading it for Sims games—and a graphics card that's about 15% faster than the 2060.  This is of course massive overkill, but at $1,200, it's the best option I'm seeing that has a processor you'd never have reason to upgrade paired with an at least reasonably fast graphics card.  It does only have 8 GB RAM, but upgrading should only be $50 or less if you do it yourself.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-master-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-5600g-8gb-memory-a...

If there's anything specific about these that doesn't match what you're looking for, let me know what that is so I can narrow things down.  There aren't a large number of options, but there should be something close to what you're looking for.  A custom build on CyberpowerPC wouldn't be much cheaper with a slower graphics card, for example you'd only save $50 by downgrading to a 6600XT.

[Jazzie92]

Awesome!! I think I’ll go with one of these, appreciate your time!!

[planettv]

If you are in the US, you can try CPU Solutions, as they can help you built a PC on a budget. It's where I got my PC that I use for The Sims. If not then maybe there is a similar company in your area that does what they do.