The best laptop for playing Sims 4 is one that keeps your frame rates high and steady. This way, you can avoid crashes and protect your progress, especially during those long gaming sessions.

Yup, lost my progress due to lack of hardware (vRAM) before.

When it comes to hardware, you’ll want a laptop with a dedicated GPU—ideally with 4GB of vRAM. You can find these in laptops priced around $550 to $750.

And yeah, that might sound a bit pricey, but it’s only really necessary if you’re looking to play on high or ultra settings

If you’re fine with playing on medium or low settings, you only need to spend around $350.

But ideally, you’ll want a dedicated GPU—or at the very least, a Ryzen 5 or Core i5 CPU, since they have better integrated graphics.

Best Laptop Specs for Sims 4

Don’t stress about the CPU or other hardware—gaming laptops usually come with the right setup, so just focus on the GPU.

I’ve summed up the latest benchmarks above, so you can check out specs versus performance.

Now, before we dive into the best laptops for Sims 4, here are a few more tips

GPU

A) If your budget is over $550, focus on the GPU as mentioned.

1650 GTX, 2050 RTX: Bare minimum for playing the game at Ultra settings.

3050 Ti: Best bang for your buck. Can reach ~120-150 fps on Ultra settings.

3060 RTX, 4050 RTX: Slight overkill for Sims 4, but useful for 1440p gaming.

3070 RTX, 4060 RTX & above: Completely overkill unless you want to run 1440p with higher frame rates.

MX450 and MX550: Cheapest ‘decent’ dedicated graphics. Can reach ~60 fps on Ultra settings; ideal if you need portability and battery life (for school and work).

CPU

B) If your budget is under $500, the CPU is what matters most since it determines the quality of the integrated graphics you get:

• Avoid 7th-gen Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 3 CPUs, which come with Radeon 610M graphics. While these CPUs are fast, the integrated graphics are a bit too weak for solid gaming performance.
• Go for 5th or 6th-gen Ryzen CPUs instead, as they often come with Vega graphics, which are much better for gaming.
• For Intel, look for CPUs from the 8th-gen to the 13th-gen. The newer ones, especially 11th-gen and up with Iris Xe graphics, are a strong choice for gaming on a budget, giving you good frame rates even on medium settings.

This post includes a more detailed guide on integrated GPUs in laptop CPUs and their relative performance, so you can find the best option for the price!

RAM

8GB: This is all you need if you have a dedicated GPU—no need to upgrade or look for laptops with 16GB of RAM.

16GB: If your budget is under $500 and you’re using integrated graphics, consider upgrading to 16GB. This will boost the performance of the iGPU. 

Dual-Channel: This means installing two RAM sticks of equal size and type (more details in this post: Dual-Channel For Gaming). This setup can increase fps by 5-15%, depending on the game. It’s especially useful if you’re relying on integrated graphics.”

Storage: SSD

SSD Type: For Sims 4, SSD type (SATA, PCIe NVMe 3.0, 4.0, or even 5.0) doesn’t impact FPS and only slightly affects loading times. Faster SSDs  help with file transfers, so a standard SATA or NVMe 3.0 is plenty.

256GB: Most laptops come with this amount, which is fine for around 5-7 “heavy” expansions (each about 18-26GB).

512GB: Go for this if you want to install most, if not all, Sims 4 expansions on one laptop.

Other Games: If you’re planning to install other games besides Sims 4, check out my post here for a quick guide on estimating how much storage you’ll need.

CC & Mods: Don’t worry too much about custom content and mods—they only take up 1-5GB.

Top 5 Best Laptops for Sims 4

This is a short list, but the last section includes more benchmarks and models in tables. I’ve selected these five laptops from those benchmarks because they cover all budgets, from $350 to $1200.

Excluding the most expensive one (the $1200 laptop), the price range is $350 to $750.

1. Lenovo Ideapad Gaming 3

Best Laptop For Sims 4 – All Expansion Packs, CC and Mods

  AMD Ryzen 6 6600H

  16GB DDR4  

   RTX 30504GB vRAM

  512GB NVMe SSD

  15.6” 120Hz FHD IPS

  5.1 lbs

  2 hours (gaming) – 4 hours (Light Tasks)

In 2025, there’s a newer 4050RTX model that’s slightly more expensive than this good ol’ 3050RTX. If you are interested feel free to check the next 4050RTX laptop. We’ll start with this 3050RTX model because it’s cheaper and overall (hardware wise) has the best bang for your buck.

GPU

3050 4GB vRAM

All the 3050RTX GPUs (there are three variants: 4GB vRAM, 6GB vRAM and the Ti version) will give you sufficient performance to play Sims 4 at FHD on Ultra settings. You can add heavy mods with heavy shaders as well. Neither of them however is ideal for 1440p gaming though the 6GB vRAM version will handle it better. 

If you are interested in playing at 1440p resolution, you’d need a QHD display AND at least a 4050RTX (preferably 4060RTX, we’ll go over those laptops later).

Performance: 3050 4GB vRAM

If you compare the performance of the 3050 RTX shown in the video to that of the 2050 RTX or the 1650 GTX, you’ll notice the 3050 RTX delivers about 1.3-1.5 times the frame rates at the same settings.

You can see the stats in the lower left corner, showing it runs at just 45W (out of 85W) and stays cool at 64 degrees, which is excellent. Anything around 85 degrees requires immediate attention due to potential damage and thermal throttling.

CPU

AMD Ryzen 5 6600H vs Core i5 12450H

CPUs don’t make as much difference as the GPU in gaming laptops, especially since models with the same GPU generally come with similarly capable CPUs. The Sims 4 is primarily GPU-dependent, so focusing on GPU power is key.

That said, the benchmark I ran with the 3050 used a Ryzen 5 5600H CPU. The current recommended 3050 model comes with a newer Ryzen 5 6600H, which should give you higher frame rates—and even more if you upgrade to 16GB of RAM in dual-channel mode.

Now…

If you compare other 3050 RTX laptops with either the 12th or 13th gen Core i5, the Ryzen 5 6600H should also deliver better performance, at least for Sims 4. Multi-thread benchmarks (shown here) indicate that this 6th gen Ryzen 5 outperforms the 12th gen Core i5 in multi-thread tasks and is comparable to the 13th gen Core i5. Note, however, that 3050 RTX laptops with a 13th gen Core i5 tend to be more expensive.

Multi-thread performance is particularly relevant for Sims 4, as shown in my gaming benchmarks here: Sims 4- Single-thread vs Multi-thread for gaming

RAM & Upgrades:

This Lenovo IdeaPad allows RAM upgrades in Dual-Channel Mode (which can boost frame rates by 5-15 fps) with up to 32GB of RAM, though 16GB is more than enough—and even 8GB in dual-channel mode (two 4GB sticks) would work well. Check out my post, RAM in Dual Channel, for more details.

Storage:

It comes with a 512GB SSD, plus a free SATA III slot for an additional 1TB, and another M.2 slot. The Sims 4, including most expansions, generally requires around 100-125GB. The 512GB SSD will likely be plenty unless you plan on installing multiple other large games. If you use a lot of custom content and mods, it could reach around 200GB, but 512GB is still comfortable for most setups.

Bonus: 120Hz Display

A high refresh rate (120Hz) makes the game look smoother if your GPU and CPU can output high frame rates. With this setup, you’ll easily get over 150 fps on Ultra settings in many games, allowing you to benefit from the 120Hz refresh rate. However, The Sims 4 is capped at 60 fps by default, so you’d need to remove this cap through mods or settings tweaks to fully utilize the 120Hz display. While it can make gameplay feel smoother, it doesn’t impact game stability

2. Acer Nitro V

Best Gaming Laptop for Sims 4

  Intel Core i5-13420H

  8GB DDR5

  NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050

  512GB Gen 4 SSD

  15” 144Hz Full HD

  4.6 lbs

  2 hours

This is going to be SIGNIFICANTLY faster than the 3050RTX (4GB vRAM) and it’s only about 40 dollars more expensive. Though it may be a bit overkill for most.

Since performance is basicall down to the GPU (graphics card), we’ll talk about it before going over the benchmarks.

This laptop, with a 4050 RTX (6GB vRAM), is definitely faster than the 3050 RTX (4GB vRAM) and is only about $40 more. It might be a bit overkill for Sims 4, but here’s why it could still be a solid choice.

GPU: 4050 RTX 6GB vRAM

Let’s get into the GPU first since Sims 4’s performance mostly depends on it. The 3050 RTX actually has a few versions: a 4GB vRAM, a 6GB vRAM, and a 3050 Ti with 4GB vRAM. But for Sims 4—especially the unmodded version—the game doesn’t use more than 4GB of vRAM, so extra vRAM won’t really boost framerates. Even with mods, it’s rare for Sims 4 to need more than 4GB vRAM.

The big difference with the 4050 RTX comes from the new architecture and more CUDA cores, making it about 20-30% faster than the 3050 Ti. Just to give an idea, if the 3050 Ti gives around 180 FPS on Ultra settings while building and moving around in Sims 4, you’re looking at closer to 220-240 FPS with the 4050 RTX. Of course, you don’t need these extra frames, but it does show the relative boost in performance. This extra power might come in handy when you’re in areas with tons of NPCs, high shaders, or custom content.

CPU: Core i5-13240H

It performs a bit better in multi-threaded tasks than the Ryzen 5 6600H as we seen in the last review, and since Sims 4 does use multiple threads, you’ll see a slight performance gain. It’ll be even more noticeable if you’re comparing this to older Core i5 or Ryzen 5 CPUs. Also if you plan to multitask heavily while playing, this CPU helps keep things smooth.

RAM & Upgrades

This laptop has dual-channel RAM, and the 8GB stick installed isn’t soldered in, so you can easily add another 8GB stick to make it 16GB. Sims 4 usually won’t use more than 8GB, but having 16GB means you’ll have plenty of RAM for any multitasking you want to do while playing.

Storage-wise, there are two slots: one PCIe slot taken by the default SSD, and a free 2.5″ bay where you can add another SSD or HDD (up to 1TB), which is great if you need extra storage.

Bonus: 144Hz Display

The 144Hz display on this laptop is an upgrade over the 120Hz you’d see on something like the Lenovo IdeaPad. While you won’t necessarily notice this extra refresh rate with Sims 4, it’s a nice bonus if you play faster-paced games on the side where the higher refresh rate might actually be useful

3. MSI ‎Thin 15

Best Gaming Laptop For Sims 4

  Core i5 12450H

  16GB DDR5

   2050RTX 4GB vRAM

  512GB PCIe NVMe SSD

  15.6” 144Hz FHD IPS

  4.1 lbs

  4 hours

This laptop is much cheaper than the previous two we reviewed, yet it still performs well enough to run The Sims 4 at ultra settings in 1080p.

GPU: 2050 RTX 4GB VRAM 30W

Although the 2050 RTX is a recent GPU (released last year), it’s not as powerful as the 3050 RTX. It’s designed as a budget option to make entry-level gaming laptops more affordable.

Running at lower power, it’s also a good choice for those who prioritize portability and battery life. Despite its lower wattage, the 2050 RTX is about as powerful as any other 4GB VRAM GPU, like the 1650 GTX, if not slightly better in some cases.

In fact, the performance difference across most games between the 1650 GTX and 2050 RTX is minimal, which is why I’ll refer to benchmarks from last year’s 1650 GTX model to estimate 2050 RTX performance.

Sims 4 Benchmark – 1650 GTX 4GB VRAM (No MUX Switch + Non Max-Q)

You can choose the laptop shown in the benchmark video with a 1650 GTX or go for this 2050 RTX model, and you’ll likely get similar frame rates. I featured a benchmark without a MUX switch because if you find a 1650 GTX model with a MUX switch (or with Optimus disabled) like the Lenovo L340, it’s worth considering, as it would likely outperform the 2050 RTX. That said, it should be cheaper than the 2050 RTX model to make the ‘downgrade’ worth it.

RAM & Upgrades

There are two slots for storage, both compatible with SSDs in M.2 form factor. One slot is taken by the default PCIe NVMe SSD. This laptop also supports dual-channel memory since there are two RAM slots, and none are soldered to the motherboard.

4. Lenovo Legion 5 Pro

Best Laptop For Sims 4 

  Core i7 12700H

  16GB DDR5

   RTX 3060RTX 140W 6GB vRAM (MUX Switch)

  512GB NVMe SSD

  16” QHD IPS 165Hz

  6.55 lbs

  5 hours

This is as much GPU power as you’d need for Sims 4. It might be worth going for the 4060 RTX to future-proof for Sims 5, but the 4070 RTX and higher won’t offer significant performance gains for this game.

GPU: 3060 RTX 130W 6GB vRAM

This GPU is actually a bit overkill for Sims 4 unless you plan on playing at QHD resolution (1440p) or want to enjoy other games at FHD. There’s also a newer GPU—the 4050 RTX—that performs almost as well as the 3060 RTX and tends to be more budget-friendly. I’d consider that if you want solid performance on a tighter budget.

Sims 4 – 1440p

I recommend the 3060 RTX for those who want to play Sims 4 in 1440p. The 3060 RTX, running at 140W, is better suited for 1440p gaming than the 4050 RTX. Since this laptop has a QHD display, you can enjoy the game in 1440p without needing an external monitor. While both GPUs have the same amount of vRAM (6GB), the 3060 RTX is significantly more powerful due to its higher number of CUDA cores and greater power, or ‘wattage

Wattage – 140W

When choosing a laptop with this level of GPU power (anything above a 4050 RTX, like the 3060 RTX, 3070 RTX, 4060 RTX, etc.), it’s important to consider wattage. Wattage, or TGP, indicates how much power the GPU can draw. Generally, the higher the wattage, the better the performance. For a more detailed explanation, check out this article on GPU TGP or Wattage.

Be cautious of lower-wattage versions of the 3060 RTX; they can show a noticeable drop in performance for games like Sims 4.

Also, keep in mind that not all 3060 RTX laptops come with QHD resolution. Many, especially lower-wattage models, will have an FHD display instead

Sims 4 Benchmarks – 3060RTX 130W

Performance (framerates) in the video might look a bit lower than expected, and here’s why:

The 3060 RTX 130W GPU is running the game with all DLC and a bunch of mods. The framerates for the 3060 RTX are recorded in a heavily built-up environment with lots of buildings and objects being rendered at once, whereas other benchmarks (like those in previous 3050 RTX reviews) were done in simpler environments with fewer buildings and shaders to process.

The 160-170 fps shown at ultra settings in the video is pretty much what you’d get throughout most of the game. Plus the high framerates will be mantained at 1440p as well which is not going to be the case for the 3050RTX models.

CPU

Core i7 12700H vs Ryzen 7 5800H vs Ryzen 7 6800H

When it comes to laptops that run at higher wattage, you’ll typically see configurations with Core i7 or Ryzen 7 CPUs from the 5th generation onwards. The 3060 RTX can come with various setups, and some models even include a Ryzen 9 or Core i9 CPU. If you find one of these high-tier CPUs at the same price as this laptop with the 130W 3060 RTX, by all means, go for it.

Just keep in mind that the performance gains with these higher CPUs won’t be huge, so there’s no need to prioritize a top-tier CPU. The Core i7 12700H, for example, is more than enough to avoid any bottlenecking, meaning it can easily ‘keep up’ with the graphics data being processed by the GPU.

If you go with a Core i5 or Ryzen 5 alongside a 3060 RTX, the GPU may not reach its full potential because of limited CPU power. (See CPU bottleneck).

Finally, when choosing a high-wattage GPU, opt for larger laptops, as they tend to have better cooling systems due to increased space, allowing for better heat dissipation. Due to the large size, the Lenovo Legion allows for all sorts of cooling mechanisms: vapor chambers, heat pipes, two fans each  dedicated to the CPU and GPU separately which is the bare minimum to run a GPU at such high wattage (maximum wattage for the 3060RTX is 140W).

Upgrades

The Lenovo Legion supports Up to 4TB of SSD storage . The upgrades have to made with  M.2 form factor SSDs: two M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe SSD slots are available (note this is PCIe 4.0). You can one of the slots below the WiFi Card. 

It also supports dual-channel mode as can be seen by the two green slots in the middle up to 32GB RAM.

Alternatives:

Please keep in mind that although there may be cheaper alternatives such as this model : Acer Nitro 5 AN515  . It will lack the high wattage (3060RTX wattages range from 85W to 140W) thus offering lower performance AND may not have the QHD display which is what you need to SEE the game running at 1440p.

5. Lenovo Ideapad 5i Pro

Best Laptop For Sims 4 Under 500 

  Intel Core i5-11300H

  8GB RAM

  MX450 2GB vRAM

  512GB SSD NVMe PCIe

  16” QHD IPS

  4.19 lbs

  5 hours

This is the most budget-friendly option on the list and also the least powerful, but it’s perfect if you’re after something portable with good battery life. Since both the CPU and GPU are low-power, you get more time between charges, and it’s super easy to carry around.

GPU: MX Series – MX450

The MX450 is part of the MX series GPUs designed for slim laptops, so it doesn’t need tons of power and helps keep battery life solid. This MX450 runs at around 18-28W, which is just right for a laptop that prioritizes battery life. It’ll handle Sims 4 on medium to high settings comfortably, especially if you’re okay with tweaking a few graphics options.

A Heads-Up on Older MX Models: Not all MX GPUs are built the same! Stay away from the older MX150, MX250, and MX350 models—they’re only about as strong as some integrated graphics. The newer MX550 and MX570 are decent but often cost more, so the MX450 really gives the best value for budget gaming.

Sims 4 Benchmarks – MX450

For an idea of how this setup handles Sims 4, check out the benchmark on a similar laptop with the MX450 below. You’ll see that it holds up well for casual gaming, especially if you’re aiming for a smooth experience without maxing everything out

CPU: Core i5 11300H vs Core i7 1165G7

The laptop in this review has a Core i5 11300H, while the benchmark uses a Core i7 1165G7. Here’s the difference:

The Core i5 11300H is a bit slower than the i7 1165G7, so expect around a 10-15 fps drop (maybe more). With lower-power GPUs like the MX450, the CPU actually plays a bigger role in keeping performance smooth.

If this laptop’s main purpose is school or work with a bit of gaming, consider running the game on high or medium settings. This’ll save battery life, especially if you’re not near a wall outlet.

Display: QHD 16″

The display is a big reason for choosing this MX450 laptop over others. You get a QHD resolution—almost twice the pixel density of standard FHD—so even though the game will run at 1080p, the display quality is amazing. This is super handy for multitasking too, giving you extra screen space to keep multiple windows open side by side, which is great for school or work.

The 16″ screen size also gives you a lot of space, making it ideal for productivity.

Upgrades

RAM: Unfortunately, RAM is soldered, so you’re limited to the 8GB DDR4 that comes with it.
Storage: Only one storage slot, but you can replace the SSD with a larger one if needed

Alternatives: It’s likely this laptop will run out of stock by early 2025 so look for the following models if you’re interested in the lightweight design with decent battery.

How to Buy The Best Laptop For Sims 4 (Complete Guide)

This section will focus on a bunch of benchmarks then we’ll comment on the results so you can get an idea of the performance of each different piece of hardware and make the best choices.

For the sake of completion, first let’s go official requirements and translate that to laptop specs and see the performance you get.

EA Sims 4 Hardware Requirements

Minimum Requirements (Laptop)

Approximately (taken into account modern laptops only). 

CPU: Ryzen 5 3500U and or i5 8250U
GPU: Intel UHD, Intel HD, RX Vega 3 or RX Vega 7

Below’s the performance you can expect if you meet the MINIMUM requirements.

As you can see it’s barely enough to play the base version of the game with decent framerates somewhat smoothly. Expansions and mods may make it unplayable however.

Recommended Requirements

CPU: Late generation Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5
GPU: 2GB vRAM GPU (1050GTX, MX250, MX350, MX150)

If you get a laptop with a recent Core i5 or Ryzen.5 CPU plus ANY 2GB vRAM GPU, then expansions like Season and Pets will be PLAYABLE but not  great.

For example, having an expansion like Paradise or Pets will be way more taxing on the GPU which in turn may cause lag spikes (more common you build and use the zoom/pan function) which may lead to crashes.

You can check out carl’s sims 4 website to learn more about the minimum and recommended requirements by EA and their performance with the game. However, in this section, we’ll look at benchmarks with different kind of CPUs & GPUs set ups so you can make your own conclusions to what’s ideal for the game.

Sims 4 Laptop Benchmarks

I’ve made divided the benchmarks into two sections to save you time, depending on where your budget is please look at the corresponding section:

• If you have anywhere from 300-500, check out the benchmarks of the CPU section.
  • This much budget cannot buy a laptop with dedicated graphics so CPU becomes the single most important spec.
• If you have more than 500 dollars, you can get a dedicated GPU thus your focus should be entirely on the GPU.

CPU

You don’t have to worry about clock speed or the number of CPU cores when it comes to Sims 4 on a laptop without a dedicated GPU (dGPU). Instead, focus on the type and generation of the integrated GPU in the CPU, as this will determine your in-game performance.

Integrated GPU means the ‘graphics chip’ built into the CPU, which handles all graphics processing in laptops without a dGPU.

As a rule of thumb (with some exceptions), the more recent the CPU generation, the better the integrated graphics and frame rates will be for Sims 4. However:

• 8th Gen Intel CPUs and 7th Gen Ryzen CPUs generally have weaker integrated graphics, so they may struggle with higher settings.
• Starting with 10th Gen Intel CPUs with Iris Xe graphics and 5th Gen Ryzen CPUs with Vega or RDNA-based graphics, integrated GPUs are significantly better and can handle Sims 4 at medium to high settings smoothly.

Points to keep in mind from these benchmarks:

• Ryzen 5 (except 7th gen) and Core i5 CPUs are significantly better than Core i3 and Ryzen 3 laptops.
• The integrated GPUs found on Core i5 and Ryzen 5 CPUs perform almost as well as the low-tier 1GB-2GB dGPUs recommended by EA.
• For integrated GPUs, upgrading RAM to 16GB provides a significant performance boost, allowing you to play at higher settings with no lag.
  • Why? Extra RAM not used by the CPU can be allocated as ‘vRAM’ by the iGPU, functioning similarly to how dedicated GPUs use vRAM.
• Sims 4 can run smoothly at high or even ultra settings as long as you have 16GB of RAM installed in dual-channel mode on a Core i5 or Ryzen 5 laptop CPU.
• Core i3 or Ryzen 3 CPUs will only achieve stable frame rates if you use ‘laptop’ mode, which reduces graphics below ‘low’ settings.
  • Lowering the resolution to 720p also makes the game much more stable on these CPUs.
• Core i7 and Ryzen 7 have been excluded from the list because, although they offer significantly better performance and can definitely run the game at ultra settings, they’re not available on laptops under $500.
  • Even if you have the budget (usually around $800) to afford them, it’s better to focus on finding the best dedicated GPU for your budget, as dGPUs have a much greater impact on gaming performance.

GPU

A budget of around $550 should ensure you get a dedicated GPU.

What’s the difference between ‘regular’ integrated GPUs and dedicated GPUs?

• If it doesn’t say NVIDIA, there’s a 95% chance it’s not a dedicated GPU.
• Examples of integrated GPUs include Intel Xe Graphics, Intel UHD Graphics, etc.
• AMD dedicated GPUs are rare on laptops; most AMD GPUs found on laptops are integrated.
• Anything that doesn’t say ‘RX’ on AMD is integrated

Sims 4 GPU BenchMarks – Laptop

Most benchmarks below have been taken with at least one expansion installed. Most of the benchmarks, if not all, are taken WHILE building a house and rotating, panning or zooming in 3D.

This is good practice because this is the most hardware demanding thus laggy part of the game as framerates are super low here. 

500-530 dGPUs: NVIDIA MX Series

Note that the performance of the RX555X and similar Radeon RX dedicated GPUs is almost the same as the older MX series GPUs (MX150, MX250).

Note that the performance of the MX150 & MX330 is quite close to the performance of the Core i5 & Ryzen 5 we went over in the integrated GPU section. This means these laptops are only worth buying IF they’re quite close to the price of Core i5 or Ryzen 5 laptops (Near 450)

530-$600 GPUs: MX450, 1050GTX

There are no benchmarks for the other GPUs but these should be sufficient to give you an estimate of what this collection of GPUs can do. Basically, you can play at ultra settings with 70-90 fps but it’s recommended you lower down to high settings to get stable and higher framerates.

You should prioritize on MX GPUs because they also come with more recent CPUs (more framerates) and will be cheaper. 

$600-700 : 1050Ti, 1650GTX, 1060GTX

All things being EQUAL (CPU & RAM) here’s the hierarchy of gaming performance:   

1650GTX (non-MaxQ) > 2050RTX > 1650GTX (Max-Q) >> 1050Ti

The first two are VERY close in performance. For most games it’s about 10fps. Unfortunately, there are no benchmarks of the 2050RTX nonetheless:

• Both the 1650GTX and 2050RTX should handle ultra settings no problem with a very small performance difference.
• If you find a 1650GTX with a MUX Switch or has optimus disabled , you’ll get the fastest performance out of this group of GPUs.
• 1050Ti is obsolete so you should avoid it unless you’re buying for a much cheaper price than a regular 2050RTX.
• Note that on average 2050RTX are much much cheaper than 1650GTX yet delivering almost the same performance.

700-800$ GPUs: 3050Ti, 2060RTX, 1660Ti

**Deluxe Edition Party is very hardware demanding due to amount of shaders being used to bring out those colorful and beauatiful mansions and rooms

All these GPUs should have the same performance given the same settings , same mods and expansion: ~130fps in hardware demanding Expansion Packs like City Living and 170-200fps when building a house. Now, the 3050RTX has much less ‘cuda cores’  than the 3050Ti, nonethelss the performance difference is mainly due to a mode used in the benchmark: “Reshade” which increases graphic quality but reduce framerates.

The 1660Ti is said to be better than the 3050Ti because it has more ‘vRAM’. However,  Sims 4 does not require a lot of ‘vRAM’ unless you set resolution to 1440p or 4k or use mods like RedShade. Thus the choice is up to you, if you find a 1660Ti  at a decent price and plan on playing at higher resolution, then go for it.

900-1300$ GPUs: 3060RTX, 2070RTX

Notice the HUGE perfomance difference between the two laptops above despite having equally powerful CPUs and the same GPU and running the same instance of the game with the same expansion.

The reason? It’s wattage, the latter has more wattage (TGP). In other words, it runs at a higher power. 

The former although it’s maximum wattage is 95W, it’s capped at 60W. But even if you uncap it and run it at 95W it will still run slower than the 130W 3060RTX in the second row.

Long story short, only buy the high wattage version of the 3060RTX.

4050RTX: Unfortunately, there are no benchmarks with the 4050RTX nor with any of the 4th generation GPUs. Hopefully, if we can increase our earnings on the site this year , we can afford a 4050RTX and do benchmarks. 

1500-4000$ GPUs: 3070RTX, 3070Ti , 3080Ti, etc

These GPUs are listed here for the sake of completion. There are no benchmarks and even if Sims 5 comes out I doubt there will be because they are OVERKILL for the game and no one in their right mind would buy any of these cards for playing Sims 4 alone.

RAM

Is the minimum recommended (4GB) good?

It’s puzzling that EA lists 4GB as the minimum requirement. This might work for MacBooks because macOS can scale memory usage based on available resources, but for Windows, 4GB is far too low. Windows 11 itself uses around 4GB, and Windows 12 may require even more, leaving no memory for Sims 4.

8GB: Enough for All Setups

In reality, 8GB is the true minimum, not just for Sims 4 but for any modern game. Unless your budget is below $350, most modern laptops come with 8GB RAM. Only laptops running Windows in S mode (a limited version of Windows to accommodate lower hardware specs) typically have 4GB RAM.

With 8GB RAM, you should be able to run Sims 4 smoothly at the settings seen in the benchmarks. A dedicated GPU will perform as expected with this amount of memory.

16GB RAM: A Must for Integrated GPUs

For laptops with integrated GPUs (iGPUs) – meaning those without a dedicated GPU – 16GB RAM is essential. This is because integrated graphics use system RAM for processing graphics, and with only 8GB, the CPU and background processes consume most of it, leaving limited memory for the iGPU.

If you’re using custom content (CC) and mods, 16GB RAM becomes even more useful.

Dual-Channel: Performance Boost

Installing RAM (whether 8GB or 16GB) in dual-channel mode can significantly boost performance, potentially increasing frame rates by up to 15 fps or even more in some cases, depending on the game settings.

Dual-channel mode requires two RAM sticks of identical specifications (size, type, and brand) installed in your laptop’s slots. As long as the RAM slots are adjacent and not soldered, dual-channel mode will be activated:

8GB RAM = two 4GB RAM sticks
16GB RAM = two 8GB RAM sticks

Storage

Expansion Packs

The base version of the game only takes 25GB so even the lowest storage size found on laptops , 128GB, will do and you’ll even be able to add a few expansion packs.

If you install lots of expansion packs especially the heavy ones like Pets then you MAY need more. Most light expansions take up 3GB whereas the heavy ones usually take 18GB as shown below:

128GB: Most laptops under 300 bucks will have this much and this is fine if you want a couple of expansion packs.
256GB: This ups the amount of expansion packs on a single laptop to approximately 6-8 expansions.
512GB: If you have enough money to install all expansions packs you’ll need at least 512GB. 

Solid State Drive: Type

Modern laptops use several types of storage drives, with SSDs (Solid State Drives) being the most common. SSDs come in different generations like PCIe 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0.

It’s rare, if not impossible, to find an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) as the primary storage on modern laptops; if present, it’s usually additional storage. HDDs are significantly slower at reading data, so launching games, loading expansion packs, and data-heavy processes within the game can be delayed. Thankfully, SSDs are now standard on nearly all laptops.

Regarding SSD generations, there’s no need to worry about the difference between PCIe 3.0, 4.0, or 5.0 for gaming. The performance improvements mainly apply to file transfers or asset loading in massive games, but the impact on overall gaming performance is minimal.

FAQ

Q: Can Sims 4 Run on a MacBook Air?

Yes.

It can run on pretty much ALL versions of the MacBook Air including old and new versions.

However, not all MacBook airs will run the game fast enough to be playable.

Any MacBook Air from 2015 should the game as long as you adjust settings (40fps at low settings & laptop mode). The latest ones with the Apple Silicon Chips (M1 & M2 & M3 chips) can run the game at ultra with every expansions pack.

Q: Can Sims 4 Run on a MacBook Pro ? 

Yes. It’s going to run faster on a macBook Pro than on a macBook Air. Just be sure to get a model post-2014. You will still have to adjust settings and set it to laptop mode for the game to be playable if you buy a very old MacBook Pro. The newest ones however (post 2017) especially the ones with dedicated graphics like the MacBook Pro 16” version from 2019  will run the game at ULTRA (it has a 6GB dGPU : Radeon RX 5500M).

The newest ones though they lack a AMD or NVIDIA dedicated GPU they have the Apple Silicon Chips which have a GPU that can easily  run the game at the highest settings and because the MacBooks have 2k resolution displays you can also run the game at 1440p resolution.

MacBook Pro with the Intel CHIP (2020): No Dedicated Graphics

MacBook Pro M3 14” version

Q: What is the best laptop to play the Sims 2 ? or Sims 1?

Any laptop with a modern CPU (doesn’t matter if its Core i3 or Ryzen 3) will run the game without issues. You don’t even need a dedicated GPU to play the game with high framerates because textures and graphics of these versions of the game have lower quality.

There’s one big problem though. Although a cheap laptop with low hardware MAY be powerful enough to run Sims 2 and Sims 1 . It may still not run the game properly or even run it at all because those versions of the game are so old they are not WRITTEN for modern hardware in other words, they may not be compatible with today’s modern CPUs & GPUs.

Comments?

If you have any questions, suggestions or just anything to say. Please leave a comment below. I’ll be more than happy to reply as fast as possible.

Author Profile

Miguel Salas

I am physicist and electrical engineer. My knowledge in computer software and hardware stems for my years spent doing research in optics and photonics devices and running simulations through various programming languages. My goal was to work for the quantum computing research team at IBM but Im now working with Astrophysical Simulations through Python. Most of the science related posts are written by me, the rest have different authors but I edited the final versions to fit the site's format.

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