Best Budget Desktop PC's 2021 for Sims 4

[scarletgirl27]

Hi, I am looking for a pc to play Sims 4 and a decent amount of mods and cc. I would only use it to play sims. I live in the us and I have been saving so my price range is around 1500. I have tried looking online but I seem to be getting conflicting answers. I am not super tech savvy and am looking for a pc that I can just plug in and go. Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you

[puzzlezaddict]

@scarletgirl27  I've moved your post to its own thread since the other thread was a bit old.

Are you looking for the cheapest good-quality option that will meet your needs, or the best computer your budget can buy?  Here are an example of each, respectively:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpowerpc-gamer-xtreme-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i5-11600kf-16gb-mem...

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

I'm not saying that either of these is the absolute best option; I didn't do a thorough search.  But both are very good prices for their hardware, and both would run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings at over 100 fps when the game itself isn't being difficult.  (That can't be avoided, but at least these would give you some cushion to absorb the usual fps drops.)

You also have the budget to get a custom-built PC, if that's what you want, although those are more expensive.  How much more, I'd have to check—prices were bad six months ago but should have come down to some degree since then.  The advantage is in the build quality and the upgrade options down the line, but you don't really need to go that route if you're not interested.  A prebuilt PC from a company that also does custom builds, like Cyberpower does, has the same quality hardware, it's just that you don't get to pick the components.

If you'd like help picking out a monitor as well, let me know what size you want and we'll go from there.

[scarletgirl27]

Thank you so much for responding. I have read your past threads and they have been very helpful. I went with a custom built pc from nzxt . I would like help with monitor though. I want at least 24 inches and under 200 dollars. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@scarletgirl27  Your options for a monitor depend on what resolution you're looking for.  If you want to stay at 1920x1080, I wouldn't go higher than 24"; the screen tends to look grainy if it's any larger.  These three are all good options, with good color range and high refresh rates for a smoother gaming experience:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-odyssey-gaming-crg5-series-24-led-curved-fhd-freesync-monitor-b...

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-odyssey-ag3-24-flat-fhd-1ms-amd-freesync-gaming-monitor-black/6...

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lg-24-full-hd-gaming-monitor-with-freesync-premium/6451069.p?skuId=6451...

Samsung and LG both make high-quality monitors.  The LG has a better-quality panel (IPS vs. VA), but in practical terms, they're close enough that you might happen to like the look of the Samsung panels better.  I'd suggest going to a Best Buy or another store that has monitors hooked up and ready to view so you can see for yourself, not just these or similar examples but other brands as well.  Every panel of a certain type (as in, IPS or VA) will look very similar in terms of color and contrast.

If you don't like the ones above, there are other similar options too.  While I think these are objectively the best quality, you might find you prefer the look of another brand, and in that case, let me know and I'll see what else is out there.

If you want a higher resolution, specifically 2560x1440, there aren't a lot of options for under $200, but these two are good quality:

https://www.amazon.com/LG-24QP500-B-FreeSync-Virtually-Borderless/dp/B08YJWYMD5

https://amazon.com/Acer-KA272U-biipx-Zero-Frame-Technology/dp/B08JQSBNYH

They're both IPS, the highest-quality panel in terms of color, and they run at 75 Hz, which may or may not make a difference to you as compared to a higher refresh rate.  If you do visit a store that has monitors on display, it's a good idea to compare 60 or 75 Hz with 120 or 144, just to see whether you care about higher refresh rates.