6 Best Laptops For Sims 4 2020 – (All Expansions Packs CC & Mods)
The best laptop for Sims 4 should not only prevent the game from crashing often but also make the animations run as smooth as butter.
If you’ve played long enough you know how depressing it is to have the game crash right after you’ve spent tons of hours trying to build a house.
The best way to minimize the chances of this happening is to find a computer that’s never bottlenecked by lack of power.
Which is another way of saying..
You need decent framerates (50ish) when playing with the several expansion packs,mods and custom contents available.
Unfortunately…
That’s not what you hear online.
A lot of people will tell you to buy cheap old laptops reassuring you that they will handle the game no problems.
Although many of those laptops might be able to run the base game, that doesn’t mean the graphics and gameplay will be buttery smooth nor does it mean it will handle all the expansion packs or extra content you want w/ no framedrops.
No worries…
In this post we’ll go over everything you need to know about the game and the hardware you need to enjoy it to the fullest.
But….
Because I know most of you just want to pick up a laptop without doing much reading, I’ll list the best laptops that can run the game first telling you what you can expect from them(what settings, expansion packs, framerates,etc).
I’ll also list a laptop that will play Sims 3 and past versions.
I’ll leave all the computer jargon to the section after that. You can use as a guide to buy a laptop if you don’t have access to these computers wherever you are, it has a step by step guide on how to do this.
Contents
Top 6 Best Laptops for Sims 4
EA’s hardware requirements has two parts:
1.Minimum requirements: to run the base game only:
Dual Core Processor with +2.3GHz , 4GB RAM, Intel HD 4000+
2. Recommended Requirements: to run all the available expansion packs.
Quad Core Processor with +3GHz , NVIDIA GTX 960M or 1050 and beyond + 8GB RAM.
My advice: Go with recommended requirements but add a CPU with ~4GHz. This will make sure your laptop will be able to support the entire game as new patches or eps are added to the game.
1. HP 14 TouchScreen
Cheap Laptop For Sims 4
AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
8GB RAM DDR4
AMD Radeon Vega
256GB PCIe NVMe SSD
14” IPS full HD 1080p
3.24lb
8 hours
Performance
This laptop doesn’t have the recommended requirements but it is stil labove the minimum requirements and I believe this is the cheapest of the cheapest laptops you should try to play the game on.
Luckily, we are in the year 2020 and even the cheapest machines have insane clock speeds. The processor here is at 3.5GHz which was considered super high 2 years ago.
A cool thing about this laptop despite being cheap is that it’s already upgraded to 8GB of RAM and a PCIe NVMe SSD so there’s nothing else you have to do it to make up the lack of “GPU power”.
Yes, the GPU unfortunately, is not a dedicated one you’ll only find them on laptops above 600$. But it is still a recent one (integrated) and you should be able to play Sims 4 without resorting to laptop mode at a 50FPS lowest settings and 30-40FPS at medium (768p resolution). Here’s the video of a laptop with the same specs.
As for those of you planning to play Sims 3, it’s one of the few systems that can run it. You can play expansions like Ambitions, Late night and Seasons. However if you try to add heavy custom cotent, it’ll struggle and overheat massively because again it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics cards.
Design
It’s just a bummber that even in 2020, we can’t buy it with a dedicated GPU at this price range so the FHD resolution might not be useful to play the game because it is very likely that you’ll stick with 728p.
Remember that you won’t be able to run all the expansions with this one due to that, especially Pets and Paradise. However any expansion less demanding than those should be playable as long as you tweak the settings.
But overall this is just a laptop to play the base game of Sims 4 and 3 with a few expansion and custom content.
2. Lenovo IdeaPad 3
Best Laptop for Sims 4 under 400
Intel AMD Ryzen 3 3250U
4GB RAM
Intel UHD
256GB SSD NVMe PCIe
15” HD
4.07 lbs
8 hours
This lenovo is even cheaper than the HP 14. Pretty much the same performance and all but there’s one big catch: it’s only got 4GB RAM. If you think you can do the upgrade yourself to 8GB by getting your own RAM stick you could save yourself quite a lot of money ~70 bucks because buying a RAM stick will cost you 30$. It is likely you have one in your house though or you could just take it out of an old laptop you got somewhere.
This Lenovo Idepad 3 comes in two versions two, the other version which is 100$ more expensive has a slightly faster CPU and a better GPU than the Ryzen 3 3200/Vega, so you’ll definitely squeeze out +10-15FPS when playing the game at low settings to a total of 60-65FPS at medium settings HD resolution.
3. Acer Aspire 5
Best Budget Laptop For Sims 4 and Sims 3
Intel Core i5-1035G1
8GB DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce MX350
512GB NVMe SSD,
15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS
5.79lb
5 hours
If you want your laptop to handle most expansion packs and custom-content mods you’re going to need a dedicated GPU.
Laptops with a mid-range GPUs for gaming start at 750$. This is well below 700$ and is the cheapest laptop with a “dedicated GPU” you’ll find online as of september 2020.
Although the dedicated GPU on this model may seem like a realy weak GPU, this is its 3rd generation released in early 2020 and equals in power to the 1050GB which you could find on laptops 700-800$ last year.
This is enough to push the game. This is a laptop that can push the game well into the mid-50s at high settings.
Another advantage of choosing it or any of its cousins : MX150,MX250 , is the fact their architecture is based on the 940MX which was released 4 years ago so it will be a lot more compatible with Sims 3 (Sims 4 too of course) than most modern laptops.
If you got 100$ more bucks I really think you should consider the next one.
4. MSI GF63 THIN 9SCX-005
Best Gaming Laptop For Sims 4 with all Expansions
Core i5 9300H
8GB DDR4
GeForce GTX 1650
256GB PCIe SSD
15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS
7.78lb
7 hours
Just like the third laptop above, this one can handle the game at high settings with high framerates ~80FPS and unlike the third laptop this one has enough juice to handl pretty much every expansion.
However, I have to admit both the GPU/CPU are a bit too powerful for just Sims 4 they are both considered “mid-range” among gaming latpops but this is way too much for a game with graphics like Sims 4 anyways.
The cool thing about it though is the fact this model is only 699$. Just a bit more expensive than the Acer Aspire 5 but with a far more powerful GPU/CPU combo.
5. ASUS TUF FX505DT
Best Gaming Laptop For Sims 4 w/ 120Hz All Expansions
AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H
8GB DDR4
GeForce GTX 1650
256GB PCIe SSD
15.6” 60Hz Full HD IPS
4.85lb
5 hours
The ASUS TUF is actually my favorite laptop on this list and it’s been my favorite laptop since the start of the year. Yes it was released a while ago but still offers what no other laptops as of Sep 2020 can offer: a 120 Hz and only for an extra 40 bucks. (120Hz display usually adds 100$ to the cost but this one has stayed cheap during the year).
If you take a good look at the specs and compare them to the MSI, you’ll notice pretty much every spec is the same except the CPU.
But fear not, the AMD Ryzen 5 3550H is only about 10% less powerful than the Core i5 9300H. Yes, you’ll get slower framerates Probably 10 FPS.
But…
You’ll actually feel the game run smoother because the MSI/Acer Nitro 5s with a Core i5 9300H only have a 60Hz display which limits the framerate your eyes can see to 60FPS. The 120Hz display obviously has a bigger cap at 120FPS which you’ll definitely need as you’ll be easily going past 100FPS at low to medium settings and hit nearly 80 at high settings.
6. Acer Predator Helios 300
The Best Laptop For Sims 4 and Sims 5
Core i7-10750H
16GB DDR4
NVIDIA RTX 2060
512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
15” full HD 144Hz IPS
5.07
4 hours
I think the Acer Nitro/MSI/ASUS TUF with the 1650GTX GPU hits the spot for the game to run at all settings with high framerates, it should be enough. I wouldn’t advice to get a laptop anymore powerful than those.
The game will look and feel awesome with just 60FPS at high settings and if you lower down the settings, then it’s even less likely almost impossible to ever crash.
However….
I know there are people here with deep pockets and want to get the best they can to play their fav game. This is why I decided to post a 2060RTX laptop with one of the most powerful processors.
The truth is is that…
It’s really overkill for the game but at least it will make sure you’ll run it at the highest settings with +150FPS without ever having to worry about the blue screen of death right in the middle of your most creative achievement.
Performance
Anything with a 2060RTX and a 9th/10th generation Core i5/Core i7 CPU will get you ~130FPS when designing/building and 60-90FPS when interacting with people at ULTRA settings.
Another reason to get a laptop like this one is that it will surviva every expansion that’s coming up and every new edition of the game, it’s just way too powerful for most games made this year.
It is weekly updated and you may find something cheaper with a dedicated GPU, it is very likely you’ll find a few of the laptops listed here on that post because we update both posts constantly. Just double check and see if you find something more affordable.
How To Buy The Best Laptop for The Sims
There are many sources to find systems requirements for the sims 4. It’s best to check the official website and then compare them with other sources such as: Carl’s sims 4 guide website.
Before going into the details of the specifications you need to look in a laptop. You need to be aware of the following (especially if you are new to the game).
Versions, Expansion packs, Mode, and CCs
Be aware that different versions of the sims, the mods, expansion packs and ccs will affect how smooth your laptop can run the game.
Versions
Sims 1 and 2
The first two versions do not take anything special to run them on. They are so old that you can play them on any laptop even the lowest end HP and Dell you can get your hands on.
That is because their graphics and textures are nothing compared to the current versions Sims 3 and 4.
I am going to stop here and recommend you get a desktop or play the sims 3 through a console for the game to run smoothly. If not just remember. You can try the following to make the game run better (if it does on your current laptop):
- Disable vertical sync throug the graphics card control panel (FPS can go nuts on new comptuers if you don’t)
- Make sure your graphics card is recognized by the sims 3.
- Use mods online such as Naars that will help with some of the problems the game has.
Sims 4
Expansion Packs
The more packs you add to this game, the more demanding it’ll become in terms of hardware. Pets being the most demanding ep to this date, paradise, Into the future and seasons are not too far behind Pets. Highly detailed and old mods will might slow down your computer and make it unplayable. So It’s always best to stick with the recommended specs by the official website.
Sims 4 Laptop Requirements
CPU
The Sims 4 is one of the few games who benefit quiet a lot from processors with more cores. That is, processors labeled with HQ label (four cores) as opposed to dual core processors (U label).
For Low settings you can settle with the:
i3-5010U, i3-5020U, i5-5200U, i5-6200U, i3-7100U, i5-7200U, etc.That is processors with the U label and the latest generations 5th,6th,7th,8th.
For high settings and best performance look for processors with the HQ labels
i5-7300HQ, i5-6300HQ, i7-6500 HQ.
The sims 4 will crash much less frequently with HQ processors if budget is not a problem invest on an HQ processor.
GPU
The most important component of your set up its your graphics card. It will define how smooth your game will play and at what settings. The game can run on pretty much any modern GPU, but be aware of their performance:
Intel ‘Bay Trail’ HD
This is a lower card than the Intel HD series that you find regularly on budget laptops. They usually come with a Pentium Processor and surprisingly the game can run at 1280×720, Low settings, laptop mode with 20-60fps and nothing else installed on it (ep packs, ccs, mods). Laptops such as these can cost you lower than 300$.
Intel HD
These are the graphics you’ll come across frequently when shopping for laptos less than 500$. As long as your CPU is of the latest generations (the first number starts with a 5, 6 , 7: Intel Core i3-7100U), you’ll get an intel HD Card decent enough to play the game. However try to get the latest Intel HD cardsavailable:
Intel HD 550/520/530, Intel HD 620/630
You’ll be able to run the Sims at medium settings with 30-40fps. Of course the more expansion packs and patches you add, the slower it’ll become.
For the base game:
Core i7-6500U with the Intel HD 520: 1080p medium settings 30-40 fps.
Core i3-7100U with the intel HD 620: 1366×768 medium settings 30-40 fps.
Dedicated GPUs
Having a dedicated graphics card is recommended, with addition of more expansion packs, especially pets, lower end systems such as the ones shown above will perform much slower and even go as far as becoming totally unplayable even on Laptop Mode.
Plus Sims 4 is not complete and assuming you’ll get most of the collection and expansion packs it’s best to invest on a dedicated GPU. Here are the ones you’re likely to encounter:
Can run the game without hiccups and several expansions too. If adding too many EPs severely lowers the average FPS of 38 – 39 at 1080p resolution and high settings, then you can always lower the resolution and / or graphic settings.
GTX 960, 1050ti, 1060,1070,1080
These cards can run the base game and all of it’s expansions at ultra settings without issues. While the 940M and lower end cards might not survive the whole sims 4 game (as new expansions come), these are the recommended graphics cards by EA that will.
If you come across an older model than the ones discussed here. You can check their compatibility and how well they’ll perform with the game in this post from the sims forums.
RAM
You would need at least 4GB RAM for the base game, the above recommendations are always assuming you have a 4GB RAM.
The more expansion packs and content you add,. the more RAM you’ll need, preferablt 8GB RAM. While this is not possible with low end systems, if you want to buy a laptop +300$ bucks, invest on extra RAM.You can always upgrade it yourself or have someone do it, it’s not expensive.
If you are buying a high end laptop it will naturally come with 8GB RAM.
Storage
Although the Sims 4 needs 10GB, adding Expansion packs,CCs and mods to the game on a small hard drive will eat the space away very quickly plus you also need to leave a lot of free space for your laptop not to feel sluggish.
If you are just playing the Sims 4, a 256GB will be OK.
If you plan to play other games get a hard drive with +256GB of memory. Preferably +512GB as other games take around 50GB.
SSD(Solid State Drive)
Although it is not required for the game to be playable. It is a huge bonus.
If you have thousands of mods and plan on installing the expansion packs, the game will take long to load on regular hard drives. An SSD might make all the difference for the game to run better by rendering images faster as well.
Remember that if you want an SSD on your laptop, buy one that already has it at the time of purchase, installing one later on your own will void the warranty.
MacBooks
Comments?
I am aware this may not be entirely clear for those are not acquianted with computer tech.
So if you have any comments, suggestions, questions about a laptop you’ve come across or you think it can fit with our best laptop for sims 4 list. Please let us know in the comments below,.