Laptop recommendations please for Sims 4 [ Edited ]

[voguelamb]

I haven't played since Sims 2, and now looking at re-starting again to play Sims 4, being isolated and all.

Can someone please let me know whether these two would be okay to run the game on? I have done some research to the best of my ability. I haven't really looked at game specs since 2007 so I apologise in advance for this!

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/asus-vivobook-15-15-6-full-hd-laptop-512gbryzen5

OR

https://www.centrecom.com.au/asus-vivobook-s-s531fl-ej642r-156-fhd-core-i7-10510u-laptop-gunmetal-gr...

Happy for any other suggestions of course! I would ideally like a laptop that does not solely focus on gaming (i won't be playing anything else other than Sims 4) but obviously open to suggestions. 

Budget no more than AUD2500 ideally, but happy with budget options first. 

Thanks so much

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@voguelamb  Sorry for the delay; I got halfway through a search last night and then really had to go to bed.

There are plenty of good laptops that would run the game on ultra settings, so I'll list the cheapest couple options in each category, and if you don't like what you see, let me know what features you'd prefer.  The only ones that don't look like gaming laptops are the Dell models and maybe the high-end HP Gaming Pavilion, depending on whether you consider green backlighting to be fine or entirely too much.  Both are significantly more expensive though.

Laptops with an Nvidia 1650 and enough drive space (and that are available instead of sold out or back-ordered) seem to start at $1,300.  (Models with a 1050 are a bit cheaper, but only if they have a very small hard drive, and 256 GB is probably not enough if you also plan on storing work data on this computer.)  This Asus is widely available; the MSI is mostly sold out, from the looks of it.  Their two processors are basically equivalent, and both more than good enough for Sims 4.

https://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/buy/asus-tuf-gaming-fx505dt-15.6-120hz-ryzen-7-8gb-512/FX505DT-AL...

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-gl65-9sc-019au-156-fhd-core-i5-9300h-laptop

This Acer is $1,388 and has the same specs as the two above, except for its much stronger processor.  Or you could get it for $1,480 with 16 GB RAM; it's avaliable for pre-order and supposedly arriving next week.

https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-nitro-5-15-6-inch-i7-9750h-8gb-512gb-ssd-laptop.html

https://www.centrecom.com.au/acer-nitro-5-156-fhd-gtx1650-i7-laptop

(Or the 16 GB variant is $1,500 and in stock here if you don't want to wait.)

https://www.jw.com.au/acer-nitro-15-6-fhd-ips-gaming-laptop-i7-9750h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-gtx-1650-win...

This Asus is the cheapest model I saw with a 1660 ti.  Its processor is the same as the first Asus listed, and it has 16 GB memory.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/asus-fx705du-h7099t-173-fhd-ryzen-7-3750h-laptop

The same Acer as the previous one, except for a 1660 ti, is $1,700.

https://www.jw.com.au/acer-nitro-15-6-fhd-ips-gaming-laptop-i7-9750h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-gtx-1660ti-w...

For comparison, here are HP laptops with a 1650 and 1660 ti, respectively; plus 16 GB RAM and the more powerful processor that the Acer has:

https://www.jw.com.au/hp-power-pavilion-15-6-fhd-gaming-laptop-i7-gtx1650-4gb-512gbssd-w10h

https://www.jw.com.au/hp-pavilion-15-6-fhd-gaming-laptop-i7-gtx1660ti-16gb-512gbssd-w10h

Aside from the Dell I already linked (here from the third-party site, here from Dell), this one is a bit sleeker and more understated and is also $1,600, at least while it's on sale.  It has the same 1650, 8 GB memory, and processor.

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-7000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7590-laptop/c51...

The Dell equivalent to the Acer and the higher-end HP is $2,000, which shouldn't be a surprise.

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/gaming-and-games/dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop-in-stock-for-fast-delivery...

I know these are a lot of links, probably too many, but your budget does have a lot of flexibility.  The question is just how much you're willing to pay before the upgrades are no longer worth the money.  And of course if you have more questions, or want more information on any of these options, please feel free to ask.

[puzzlezaddict]

@voguelamb  For $2,500, or really even $2,000, you can pretty much get whatever you want, at least as far as Sims 4 and related tasks are concerned.  When you say you want a laptop that doesn't solely focus on gaming, what exactly do you mean?  Do you not want it to "look" like a gaming laptop, do you want portability, do you want extra storage for other tasks....  There are a lot of options to sort through, depending on your preferences.

And, of course, how well do you want this laptop to run Sims 4?  The two you linked would handle medium and high (or mostly high) settings if you had most or all of the demanding expansions.  To get ultra graphics settings, you would need a proper gaming laptop with a proper graphics card.  In terms of the hardware you'd want, an Nvidia 1050 will run the game on ultra settings, but only barely.  A 1650 is faster and would give you a margin to accommodate later, more demanding, expansions, but it's not clear whether it would be quite fast enough to always handle ultra settings.  A 1660 ti is overkill for Sims 4 but nice to have.  A couple of examples of laptops with a 1650:

https://www.centrecom.com.au/asus-fx505dt-bq191t-156-fhd-ryzen-5-3550h-laptop

https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-nitro-5-15-6-inch-i7-9750h-8gb-512gb-ssd-laptop.html

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/dell-g3-15-3590-15-6-gaming-laptop-i5

The Dell is overpriced for its hardware, but if you're looking for not a gaming laptop, maybe that's the kind of model you'd want to consider.

In terms of price, I only looked at a few sites, but I would guess the Asus above is about as cheap as you'd see for that level of performance.  Laptops with a 1660 ti start around $1,600, from what I could see.

Let me know what you have in mind, and I'll look for more good options.  And if you have more questions, please feel free to ask.

[voguelamb]

@puzzlezaddict  Thanks so much for all that info. That dell one is on the more sleeker side which you mentioned (and I like the look of), but I have also heard re it being overpriced etc. 

in terms of budget, I should have worded it better: the less I spend the better! 

I need a laptop for work from home purposes, but also one that could incorporate sims 4. 

so basically - the first two I listed wouldn’t be worth it? 

thanks for your response though, it helps a lot with narrowing down! 

[puzzlezaddict]

@voguelamb  I get that you don't want to spend more than is necessary, but the question is how good to you want in-game performance to be?  The two you listed would run Sims 4, sure, but not on ultra settings, maybe not even on high settings.  They're not bad computers for what they are, but if you're going to spend even that amount of money, you could do better.

All the gaming laptops you could get would be fine for working from home too, although some of them scream gaming laptop while others are more subdued.  Of course, the more subdued ones tend to be more expensive, so there's a tradeoff.  I can list a few of each though, so you can decide if the premium price tag is worth it.

The only other question is what level graphics card you want.  Let me know whether you'd like an Nvidia 1650 or a 1660 ti (or the somewhat slower 1050), or you're not totally sure yet.

[voguelamb]

@puzzlezaddict apologies! I would like in game performance to be smooth and for it to not to lag or crash. It doesn’t have to be peak performance, but anything that won’t crash would be a bonus. High settings at least would be great I guess?   

happy with either of the two NVidia options you mentioned .

Appreciate it !

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@voguelamb  Sorry for the delay; I got halfway through a search last night and then really had to go to bed.

There are plenty of good laptops that would run the game on ultra settings, so I'll list the cheapest couple options in each category, and if you don't like what you see, let me know what features you'd prefer.  The only ones that don't look like gaming laptops are the Dell models and maybe the high-end HP Gaming Pavilion, depending on whether you consider green backlighting to be fine or entirely too much.  Both are significantly more expensive though.

Laptops with an Nvidia 1650 and enough drive space (and that are available instead of sold out or back-ordered) seem to start at $1,300.  (Models with a 1050 are a bit cheaper, but only if they have a very small hard drive, and 256 GB is probably not enough if you also plan on storing work data on this computer.)  This Asus is widely available; the MSI is mostly sold out, from the looks of it.  Their two processors are basically equivalent, and both more than good enough for Sims 4.

https://www.shoppingexpress.com.au/buy/asus-tuf-gaming-fx505dt-15.6-120hz-ryzen-7-8gb-512/FX505DT-AL...

https://www.centrecom.com.au/msi-gl65-9sc-019au-156-fhd-core-i5-9300h-laptop

This Acer is $1,388 and has the same specs as the two above, except for its much stronger processor.  Or you could get it for $1,480 with 16 GB RAM; it's avaliable for pre-order and supposedly arriving next week.

https://www.harveynorman.com.au/acer-nitro-5-15-6-inch-i7-9750h-8gb-512gb-ssd-laptop.html

https://www.centrecom.com.au/acer-nitro-5-156-fhd-gtx1650-i7-laptop

(Or the 16 GB variant is $1,500 and in stock here if you don't want to wait.)

https://www.jw.com.au/acer-nitro-15-6-fhd-ips-gaming-laptop-i7-9750h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-gtx-1650-win...

This Asus is the cheapest model I saw with a 1660 ti.  Its processor is the same as the first Asus listed, and it has 16 GB memory.

https://www.centrecom.com.au/asus-fx705du-h7099t-173-fhd-ryzen-7-3750h-laptop

The same Acer as the previous one, except for a 1660 ti, is $1,700.

https://www.jw.com.au/acer-nitro-15-6-fhd-ips-gaming-laptop-i7-9750h-16gb-ram-512gb-ssd-gtx-1660ti-w...

For comparison, here are HP laptops with a 1650 and 1660 ti, respectively; plus 16 GB RAM and the more powerful processor that the Acer has:

https://www.jw.com.au/hp-power-pavilion-15-6-fhd-gaming-laptop-i7-gtx1650-4gb-512gbssd-w10h

https://www.jw.com.au/hp-pavilion-15-6-fhd-gaming-laptop-i7-gtx1660ti-16gb-512gbssd-w10h

Aside from the Dell I already linked (here from the third-party site, here from Dell), this one is a bit sleeker and more understated and is also $1,600, at least while it's on sale.  It has the same 1650, 8 GB memory, and processor.

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/dell-laptops/inspiron-15-7000-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-7590-laptop/c51...

The Dell equivalent to the Acer and the higher-end HP is $2,000, which shouldn't be a surprise.

https://www.dell.com/en-au/shop/gaming-and-games/dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop-in-stock-for-fast-delivery...

I know these are a lot of links, probably too many, but your budget does have a lot of flexibility.  The question is just how much you're willing to pay before the upgrades are no longer worth the money.  And of course if you have more questions, or want more information on any of these options, please feel free to ask.

[voguelamb]

@puzzlezaddict wow amazing thank you so much . You’ve covered it all! I truly do appreciate the effort. 

I’ll be spending the next week deciding so stay safe and take care! 

[voguelamb]

@puzzlezaddict Finally, before I purchase the Dell G3, what about this one:



https://www.harveynorman.com.au/hp-envy-x360-15-ds0040au-15-6-inch-2-in-1-laptop.html



would this have the capability of running all expansion and stuff packs?





Thanks!!!

[puzzlezaddict]

@voguelamb  It would run all Sims 4 content, but not nearly as well as the other laptops I listed.  Its integrated graphics chip is not in the same class as the dedicated cards in the models I listed: an Nvidia 1650 is about 400% faster in gaming than the Radeon chip.  That's the difference between medium settings and ultra.

[voguelamb]

@puzzlezaddict Excellent & thank you- I’ll stick with the Dell!