Mac Recommendations? Please help!

ConverseShoes

Hey fellow simmers,
Literally not too long ago (maybe last month?) I posted a thread on the Technical discussions asking for some laptop recommendations (Windows 10) that would run the Sims 4. My current laptop was Windows 7, upgraded to Windows 10 last year but was about 4 years old and could run the Sims 4 but very poorly. By that I mean, freezes all the time which made the game only playable on very low graphics settings which made it pointless. So naturally I was hoping to get a new PC in a month or two with much better specs.
Turns out, needing a new laptop came sooner than I expected. My laptop had to do a Windows 10 update last night (as you may know, its forced and you can't stop them from happening). Now since the update, my laptop will not turn on at all and in short, it's broken.
Basically, before this I had decided that my next laptop would be Windows as I have barely any experience with Mac, all my laptops have been Windows and I know next to nothing about Mac specs. I've been doing all my research on PC specs but now, as of today, I don't trust Windows anymore. I've also now read other stories about Windows 10 breaking laptops/causing problems and so I'm seriously questioning whether it's worth getting Windows 10 again. Which brings me here, as I now believe that Mac may be the way to go.

So if you're still reading, thanks for sticking around. I was wondering if anyone out there who knows about Mac specs could help to recommend me a Mac laptop that can run the Sims 4 on decent settings without lag. A few other details:

-It has to be a laptop (I know Deskops are better for gaming but I've already ruled it out of the question as it has to be portable)
-Links to British websites would be great (like Amazon.co.uk) as I'm British.
-Decent price (I have a budget of about £800, but I have no idea if that's reasonable or not because, like I said, I know nothing about Macs xD)

Oh and one more question: I read that Mac's aren't as good as PC when it comes to games, is this true or not? Any other info about Mac, like advantages if possible would be appreciated.

Thanks for any help!

nerdowl42

ConverseShoes wrote: »

So if you're still reading, thanks for sticking around. I was wondering if anyone out there who knows about Mac specs could help to recommend me a Mac laptop that can run the Sims 4 on decent settings without lag. A few other details:

-It has to be a laptop (I know Deskops are better for gaming but I've already ruled it out of the question as it has to be portable)
-Links to British websites would be great (like Amazon.co.uk) as I'm British.
-Decent price (I have a budget of about £800, but I have no idea if that's reasonable or not because, like I said, I know nothing about Macs xD)

For a laptop for the Sims 4 you are definitely best off with one of the Macbook Pro models. I have a 13" Macbook Pro (2012 model) but if you want to run Sims 4 on the highest settings you need to go higher than my spec mac. Which would mean as far as Apple laptops are concerned you'd probably want one with the dedicated Radeon Graphics Card in it and then you'd be looking at £1,500+.

As such your £800 budget may cause you some issues. I currently run Sims 4 (Base Game, Get To Work, Get Together, and Dine Out) on Medium settings with an average FPS of 25-28 on my Mac and mine would have been £899 from Tesco, except it was a Christmas present and Tesco were doing their double up clubcard points offer that month so it actually cost the equivalent of half that. This is the model of Macbook Pro I have: http://www.tesco.com/direct/apple-macbook-pro-133-133-intel-core-i5-4gb-ram-500gb-hdd-silver/639-2144.prd?skuId=639-2144

This article may also help: https://bluebellflora.com/2015/01/31/mac-system-requirements-for-the-sims-4/

ConverseShoes wrote: »

Oh and one more question: I read that Mac's aren't as good as PC when it comes to games, is this true or not? Any other info about Mac, like advantages if possible would be appreciated.

This did used to be the case yeah, but since Apple switched from PowerPC to Intel Processors the gap seems to be narrowing these days. It does kinda depend on the type of games you'd be looking for mind you. EA seem pretty happy to release their games as cross-platform but Sims 3 was a cider-wrapped installation meaning that basically the Mac was running an emulated version of the Windows version which caused performance issues for some people. Sims 4 on the other hand runs natively on Mac so doesn't have this particular issue.

ConverseShoes

Thanks for all your help! I'll be checking out those links you posted. It appears that Mac is significantly more expensive than their windows equivalents.

Tremayne4260

Yes, Macs are more expensive than Windows PCs. But in my opinion they last much longer. You should be able to run the game fine however.

Figwit

One thing to check too is a refurbished Mac through the Apple store. They are often several hundred $ cheaper than their brand new equivalents and you may be able to get the most recent model as well. They are covered by warranties and I believe are re-cased so as good as new anyway.

Lunder89

I would like to make one correction to nerdowl42's comment. There is no need to go for the dedicated graphics version of the Macbook Pro. I have played The sims 4, on a Mac with only the Intel Iris Pro Graphics, and it runs at 1280x800 resolution, in high graphics settings. And it crunches out a good 40-45 fps.

If you hold out until september-october, you might be able to get the current model, as an old model, at a cheaper price (like a sale) since a new is being rumored for a release at either mid september or mid october.

When buying a Mac, you do pay for the design, but consider that you don't have to pay for the software updates. Future macOS updates are free, plus you get iMovie, Garageband, Pages, Numbers and Keynote for free, and with updates. If you can use video- and audio editing software for something useful. Pages, Numbers and Keynote is Apples competition for Microsoft Office.

ConverseShoes

Thanks for all your help, thinking of looking back at Windows however as the Mac prices are really steep. Thanks again.

Edit: Curious, would this run TS4 on high?: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-13-Inch-MacBook-Graphics-Yosemite/dp/B008BEYEL8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1471697433&sr=8-4&keywords=macbook+pro

BluebellFlora

ConverseShoes wrote: »

Curious, would this run TS4 on high?: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-13-Inch-MacBook-Graphics-Yosemite/dp/B008BEYEL8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1471697433&sr=8-4&keywords=macbook+pro

No. You would have to play on medium at best but probably low to medium.

ConverseShoes

Okay, thanks for the help.

hybridace101

Hello! I am able to run Sims 4 on an old Macbook 2010 (white) with a 2.54 Ghz processor. However, I am thinking about getting a new Macbook to run the Sims on. One of the options I am thinking about is a Macbook Air (13 inch) starting at 1.6 Ghz i5. Assuming that I use an SSD on my 2010 Macbook, how much faster will loading times be on the Macbook Air for the Sims 4? Will the graphics be alright?

Tremayne4260

The Macbook Air is not meant for gaming of any type. And you would be downgrading your processor from 2.54 Gz to 1.6 Gz which can run Sims 4 but not very efficiently. Your graphics setting would have to be set on low and you'd probably have to buy a cooling pad to keep it from overheating.

hybridace101

Would a Macbook pro with retina (13 inches) be a reasonable replacement?

Lunder89

Tremayne4260 wrote: »

The Macbook Air is not meant for gaming of any type. And you would be downgrading your processor from 2.54 Gz to 1.6 Gz which can run Sims 4 but not very efficiently. Your graphics setting would have to be set on low and you'd probably have to buy a cooling pad to keep it from overheating.

You are short selling it quite a bit, if you read the specs it says "Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz". And even if we take that out of the equation, 5 years of development, means a lot more power per Hz. (Take a history tour to Intel vs. PowerPC G3, G4 and G5 used in pre 2006 Macs) You will see that back then Macs with half the Hz could run up to twice as fast as an Intel. You simply can't compare it like that.

The MacBook Air should be able to run the game at medium settings at a resolution of 1280x800. But it will run hot, very hot. It can handle it, but it can over time diminish lifespan.

Tremayne4260

I was trying to be realistic in that MacBook Airs aren't meant to be gaming laptops. I will be honest in that I don't own a laptop at all and my Mac is a 27" iMac.

If people inquire about Mac laptops for gaming, I would always recommend the regular MacBooks. Granted they are more expensive, but if they are looking to run games it is a more reasonable choice.

hybridace101

When you say 'regular' MacBooks, does that mean the MacBook Pro line?

Tremayne4260

Yes, anything that isn't a MacBook Air. While the MacBook Airs are nice, I will again state that they are not meant to be gaming laptops. Yes, the MacBook Air can run Sims 4, but you will find it will tend to run hot due to the demands of the game and with it running hot it can lead to ruining the computer and shorten it's lifespan.