Pc build for sims 4,please help!

[xws3qax4wier]

I am a newb who hasn't purchased a pc in a decade or more and who knows nothing about available software today. I am looking to do a custom build on clx, am liking the idea of the Nvidia geforce rtx 3060 gpu, but when I put this gpu into the pc builds bottleneck calculator with anything from the Ryzen 9 series to be played on 2560x1440 resolution, it tells me I have an extreme cpu bottleneck issue and immediately reccomends threadripper 3970 or higher. What? Most sources I look at say the Ryzen 9 5950x pairs well with the rtx 3060, and I just don't feel a threadripper is necessary? I also read that many times the bottleneck calculators aren't accurate, and I do not want to pay out my nose for a cpu I don't need. Can someone please advise me on wether or not the Ryzen 9 5950x is sufficient to be paired with the Nvidia rtx 3060 to play sims 4 on 2560x1440 (QHD) resolution? And if no, Please tell me which available cpu would be better?  Please and thank you!!

[puzzlezaddict]

@xws3qax4wier  You absolutely do not need a Threadripper, and I have no idea why these calculators would be recommending one.  I would definitely stay away from the Ryzen 3000-series—these are much slower than the newer 5000-series and not much cheaper.  (I'm going by prices for the components individually, not what custom-build sites are charging.)  But a 5600X is more than sufficient to drive an Nvidia 3060, or even really a 3080 in most cases.  Since you're planning to play at 2560x1440, the GPU will be the limiting factor here, and it won't be close.

There is no reason at all to go above a 5800X for gaming, and I mean for any game currently on the market.  The extra cores of a 5900X and 5950X are only useful if you're doing heavily multi-threaded tasks, the type you'd really only see in professional workloads.  For reference, Sims 4 can only use four cores, and beyond that, the important factor is how high those cores can clock while running the game.  Like I said though, a 5600X is going to outpace whatever GPU you buy as far as Sims 4 is concerned.

It's also worth comparing prices from CLX and other custom-build sites, for example NZXT BLD.  The prices are usually comparable overall, but you might find that one site offers a better deal on the exact configuration you want, or perhaps a better SSD or PSU than you could get elsewhere.

[xws3qax4wier]

Thank you so much!! This was so helpful and exactly what I was looking for. Are there any other specs you'd recommend as far as this combo goes?

[puzzlezaddict]

@xws3qax4wier  The most important other detail is the power supply: you want a quality unit with a little more wattage than is strictly necessary for your build.  For a 5800X and a 3060, 550W is Nvidia's recommendation and is more than sufficient; any upgrade beyond 650W would be a waste of money.  Some custom-build sites don't give much, if any, choice in the matter, and when that's the case, the PSU provided is almost always at or above the level you'd choose for yourself, so it's probably not a concern.  But if you want, feel free to list the options you see once you've chosen the other components.

That goes for the build in general too: I'd be happy to look over a parts list.

For RAM, going above about 3600 MHz isn't going to make a noticeable difference either, so don't bother spending a lot of extra money on something faster.

For storage, unless you want to keep a very large amount of data on your computer, it's less of a headache to have just one drive rather than a smaller SSD and a larger HDD.  Given current prices and the convenience of having extra space, I'd personally go with a 1 TB SSD, which is more than double the space Windows and Sims 4 (plus all the custom content you could download) would ever occupy.  But if you need more storage than that, a 500 GB SSD plus a large HDD could be more cost-effective; the question is whether you find the price difference worth juggling the two drives.

I'd suggest that you not spend extra money on a PCIe 4.0 SSD unless the price difference is trivial.  Sims 4 won't even max out a SATA SSD, which is significantly slower than a PCIe 3.0 model, and the main difference between 3.0 and 4.0 is a few extra seconds of load time when you boot into Windows.  DDR5 RAM (as opposed to DDR4) is in the same category—you'd only notice the difference in benchmarks—but the AMD 5000 series CPUs don't support it anyway.

For the motherboard, you might not have many options, but I really wouldn't worry about it unless you plan on upgrading the computer yourself down the line.  X570 boards are the top-tier options, but they only make a difference if you're going to overclock your CPU or GPU or you'll want to add more components later.  (These generally have more slots than a B450 or 550.)  If you do have a choice, don't get an A-type board (e.g. A520) unless it's from Asus.  The other manufacturers' low-end boards are hit or miss.

Like I said, feel free to list any specific components you're considering for a second opinion.  And remember that most computer components from reputable companies do exactly what they're supposed to, which is work well and last for a long time.  So it's not critical to pick the very best of everything, just options that are good enough.

[xws3qax4wier]

Thank you!!! I will apply this info when looking at options and will come back if I run into questions!! 😊

[xws3qax4wier]

And alas, I have run into questions 😆. After looking more thoroughly into components, I actually have 8. So as not to overwhelm you, I will start with these 2.

1.) In order to get the case I like, the minimum cpu I could get is a AMD Ryzen 7 5700x. While unnecessary, I don't mind getting the upgrade in order to get the look I want and for a little future proofing. Having said that, could I also upgrade my gpu? If a 5600x is more than enough for a 3060 ( and even a 3080 in most cases), a 5700x could definitely handle an rtx3070, right?

2.) I know the recommended RAM is at at least 16GB, if I'm going to invest in something custom, I would at least be getting a 32GB ram. Having said that, If I'm planning to play on 1440p on high/ultra settings, on more than 60 fps (according to the website, the above cpu/gpu combo would support up to 110 fps on 1440p), and up the number of sims to 150-200 per save file, would I need something BIGGER than 32GB for ANY reason?

Thank you in advance, you have been most helpful and I appreciate it greatly.

[puzzlezaddict]

@xws3qax4wier  I don't get overwhelmed by hardware questions, so feel free to list whatever's on your mind.  Who knows, we might even find out whether this site has a per-post character limit.  (Let's hope we don't find out.)

1)  You could absolutely upgrade the graphics card if you wanted.  A 5700X will also keep up with everything currently on the market under $1,000, and maybe some of the more expensive ones.  (I can check benchmarks if you'd like, but you get the idea.)  However, if the price of upgrading is relatively high, I'd consider waiting: a GPU that costs $800 today might only be as fast as a $300 model in three years, so you could put away the extra money and get something faster if and when you need it.

2)  Sims 4 can't properly use even 16 GB memory.  Its practical max seems to be in the 6-8 GB range; above that, the save runs poorly on any system.  This is a limitation of the game engine, not the hardware.  The only time RAM spikes above that is when the save or the game itself has a bug, for example the Father Winter issue from a couple years ago.  So no, you won't see any benefit from installing more than 32 GB over the entire life of Sims 4.

This is also completely or almost completely independent of the resolution you're using: more pixels means more VRAM used, but the GPUs you're considering have far more memory than Sims 4 can utilize.  The last time I checked my own game, my GPU topped out at about 2.5 GB VRAM used while running on ultra settings at 2560x1440 and around 170 fps.

Speaking of fps, it's not really your question, but my overclocked RTX 2070 can maintain a stable 169 fps (ultra settings, 2560x1440) under ideal conditions, and its core load isn't close to maxed out.  In fact, the GPU isn't even running at its turbo speed a lot of the time.  I do see fps drops, even as low as the 90s here and there, in certain worlds and during inclement weather, but even then, the core load is somewhere in the range of 60%.  (The CPU, RAM, and SSD aren't anywhere near maxed out either, and temps are fine across the board.)  So this looks pretty clearly to be a limitation of the game engine, not my hardware.

The number of sims in a save can significantly impact fps because the game engine has more to process, but this has nothing to do with the graphics card.  The CPU does matter here, but the ones you're considering are fast enough that the game engine will be the limiting factor.  What can impact GPU load is having more sims on the active lot, especially if they're wearing high poly custom content, but here again, the cards you're considering are more capable than the game engine and wouldn't themselves limit the performance.

I mention this because I have my doubts about the website you're looking at, but also because I want you to have reasonable expectations here.  I'm not sure there's any way to overcome Sims 4's limitations, and above a certain point, faster components aren't going to make any difference.  That doesn't mean there's no point in spending more money—in particular, a strong processor is a great investment when it enables you to install a faster GPU down the line.  It's just that Sims 4 is limited in what it can reasonably handle regardless of the computer running it.

[xws3qax4wier]

Aah, okay. I understand what you are saying. Thank you for all that information! I did a bit more research today and answered most of my own questions, the biggest one I have left is this: is there a reason or benefit to a backup power protector? Would I need one if my psu is already strong enough to support my gpu per Nvidia's recommendations? If I should get one, does it need to match/exceed the wattage of my psu or not since it's just a backup (assuming it's even necessary)?

[puzzlezaddict]

@xws3qax4wier  Are you talking about a UPS (uninterruptible power source)?  I would say it's probably not necessary unless you live in a place with frequent power outages or unreliable power delivery.  It would also be important to have one if you were handling sensitive data that you needed to know would always be intact; for Sims 4, you'll have backup saves, so it's not so critical.  I'd definitely at least get a surge protector though.

If you do want a UPS, you can get one with a slightly lower maximum output than your PSU, since the goal here is not to keep playing but to give you a few minutes to shut down safely.  Something like 500W should be fine for that purpose.

[xws3qax4wier]

Yes, I did mean UPS I couldn't remember what it was called. 

I think I might alas have one more question: I was skimming back through our conversation and saw you say your temps were good across the board. What kind of cooling do you have? Are the fans that come with it sufficient or is it wise to invest in extra cooling?