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Which Mac/MacBook will run the Sims 4 best, or at least meet the requirements?

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  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    [My kids play sims 4 on MB air. Quality of the game is bad, I would not recommend it. They don't have all available game stuff and it's bad already.

    Which model MacBook Air? How old is it?

    @mypalsim1 it's your high graphics settings which are causing it to get hot. Intel graphics are integrated so aren't really powerful enough to support high rendering. All laptops will get hot because of their design but you're elevating it which is good. Either lower the settings or upgrade to a 15" MacBook Pro with a dedicated AMD graphics card. High detail/poly CC will also cause it to over exert itself.
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  • mypalsim1mypalsim1 Posts: 4,282 Member
    Thanks, @BluebellFlora . Yeah.... I kinda figured that was the case. Oh, I'd LOVE to upgrade to a 15"! Wanna pay for it? LOL j/k, of course.
    Nah. My next big purchase is a good DSLR, a few lenses, etc, then I want the big daddy desk Mac. (that's what I call it) This'll hopefully be my laptop for a while yet.
  • LyouflnLyoufln Posts: 10,861 Member
    edited September 2017
    mypalsim1 wrote: »
    I have the MBP early 2015
    2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
    Memory 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
    Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

    Runs fine. I have the graphics turned up to the max, but it gets HOT. I typically do not play for very long stretches of time, just to get the bits I need for my story (which is why it's turned up--good pics is my priority). I also typically have Safari running in the background. I have played all day before quite a number of times, too, and it did fine. I kept it elevated, and I have a great case that ventilates.

    If anyone has any advice as to how I could cool down my computer (sometimes I do turn off Safari) and yet keep the graphics the same, that'd be great. I'm going to play with the resolution settings to see just how "bad" it can get because I always have that thing my step-father(IBM genius) says in the back of my head, "the hotter they are, the quicker they die." Just like I said, I want good pics.

    Hey @mypalsim1 I have the same Mac computer as you. How can you run it with high graphics? :o My game uses the recommended specs (all low except for reflections and distance view, laptop mode on). I don't play in windowed mode and I have no other programs running when I play (maybe except for Finder because I can't completely exit that). It runs pretty smoothly. I only have the base game plus parenthood but I know that I'll buy a pack or two in the future (probably eco living stuff, Get Together or possible Seasons, maybe toddler OR kids stuff). I throughly enjoy my game as it is, but it'd be nice to be able to see my sim's freckles. I tried upping the graphics once and within 10 minutes the game crashed! How can your computer run so nicely?

    P.S. Mine gets hot too. I elevate it above the table/desk I sit at and I take a break every now and then when I play. I tend to play for longer stretches but I might take a 20-30 minute break sometimes to give the laptop some time to cool down. I know I need to vacuum the vents in front of the screen. I will be doing that soon.
  • BethanyShoneBethanyShone Posts: 310 Member
    I'm not sure whether you're only considering laptops, nor am I an expert with specs but:

    I bought a 21.5 inch iMac about 2 months ago, it's the late 2015 model and it runs beautifully. My graphics are all on medium except my sims and lighting which are on high (they probably can go higher but I don't want to slow the game down and I think it looks great anyway). I have every EP, GP and all bar 2 of the SPs and haven't had any issues. I would definitely recommend it!

    I used to play on the late 2015 MacBook Air and although it played really well (I would say it loaded quicker than my iMac does), I wouldn't recommend an Air because when playing the fans are so loud and the laptop itself gets so hot even with a cooling pad. I got the iMac mainly because I was scared of breaking the Air :(

    Sorry I'm not much help, but that's from my experience :smile:
  • BethanyShoneBethanyShone Posts: 310 Member
    mypalsim1 wrote: »
    I have the MBP early 2015
    2.7 GHz Intel Core i5
    Memory 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3
    Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB

    Runs fine. I have the graphics turned up to the max, but it gets HOT. I typically do not play for very long stretches of time, just to get the bits I need for my story (which is why it's turned up--good pics is my priority). I also typically have Safari running in the background. I have played all day before quite a number of times, too, and it did fine. I kept it elevated, and I have a great case that ventilates.

    If anyone has any advice as to how I could cool down my computer (sometimes I do turn off Safari) and yet keep the graphics the same, that'd be great. I'm going to play with the resolution settings to see just how "bad" it can get because I always have that thing my step-father(IBM genius) says in the back of my head, "the hotter they are, the quicker they die." Just like I said, I want good pics.

    You may have already done this but if not it might be worth investing in a cooling pad. I got one for my MacBook air and it really did help keep the heat down, I don't think they're too expensive. I got mine for £15 :smile:
  • mypalsim1mypalsim1 Posts: 4,282 Member
    @Lyoufln After I wrote that, I realized I already HAD my Mac at the lowest setting. (I was so bummed out because I wanted it to run better :( .) I thought about going higher since I said screenshots were my top priority, but I'm too afraid to do it. So, I have become more dedicated to upping the look of them with Photoshop--or just being happy I can play. My desktop is a monster that can kick out top graphics and not break a sweat, but it's a Windows computer, and lately, Windows does nothing but get more and more on my nerves. Plus, my MacBook is readily available. And honestly, if I play on my desktop, I'm going to load up S3 because I quickly gave up on that with my MacBook.

    @BethanyShone That's a great idea. I live in the US, but I'm sure there's a product I can find on Amazon. I used to have a thing for my old laptop to sit on that would plug into a USB port and run a fan to further eliminate the heat produced, so I know the effectiveness it can have.
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    @mypalsim1

    I've tried various different cooling pads now but the one that seems to work the best is just raising my MBP an inch off the surface so air can really circulate underneath. Different Mac laptops have different logic board designs so the graphics card and CPU, which are the hottest components, can be in different places. Therefore sometimes a cooling pad with fan isn't always the best option because the fan may be positioned in completely the wrong place. The aluminium casing is designed to dissipate the heat efficiently and the operating system will throttle power if the components are struggling to keep up.
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  • miyamykemiyamyke Posts: 2 New Member
    Will my Macbook run the Sims 4?
    Macbook 13 inch, late 2009
    OS X El Capitan 10.11.6
    2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB memory 1067 MHz DDR3, graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
    my storage 227.72 GB free or 249.2 GB?
  • danamarie_79danamarie_79 Posts: 2 New Member
    > @BethanyShone said:
    > I'm not sure whether you're only considering laptops, nor am I an expert with specs but:
    >
    > I bought a 21.5 inch iMac about 2 months ago, it's the late 2015 model and it runs beautifully. My graphics are all on medium except my sims and lighting which are on high (they probably can go higher but I don't want to slow the game down and I think it looks great anyway). I have every EP, GP and all bar 2 of the SPs and haven't had any issues. I would definitely recommend it!
    >
    > I used to play on the late 2015 MacBook Air and although it played really well (I would say it loaded quicker than my iMac does), I wouldn't recommend an Air because when playing the fans are so loud and the laptop itself gets so hot even with a cooling pad. I got the iMac mainly because I was scared of breaking the Air :(
    >
    > Sorry I'm not much help, but that's from my experience :smile:

    Hello! Thanks for sharing. I'm considering buying the following iMac. Thoughts on whether this desktop and its graphics card will work for Sims 4? I can't seem to find this specific graphics card listed.


    21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display
    3.4GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
    16GB 2400MHz DDR4
    256GB SSD
    **Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB video memory
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    > @BethanyShone said:
    > I'm not sure whether you're only considering laptops, nor am I an expert with specs but:
    >
    > I bought a 21.5 inch iMac about 2 months ago, it's the late 2015 model and it runs beautifully. My graphics are all on medium except my sims and lighting which are on high (they probably can go higher but I don't want to slow the game down and I think it looks great anyway). I have every EP, GP and all bar 2 of the SPs and haven't had any issues. I would definitely recommend it!
    >
    > I used to play on the late 2015 MacBook Air and although it played really well (I would say it loaded quicker than my iMac does), I wouldn't recommend an Air because when playing the fans are so loud and the laptop itself gets so hot even with a cooling pad. I got the iMac mainly because I was scared of breaking the Air :(
    >
    > Sorry I'm not much help, but that's from my experience :smile:

    Hello! Thanks for sharing. I'm considering buying the following iMac. Thoughts on whether this desktop and its graphics card will work for Sims 4? I can't seem to find this specific graphics card listed.


    21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K display
    3.4GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
    16GB 2400MHz DDR4
    256GB SSD
    **Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB video memory

    It will play really well. I have the same GPU in my MacBook Pro :)

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  • oopsdaiesoopsdaies Posts: 37 Member
    Hello! I was wondering if my MacBook - which has Get to Work, Get Together, and Parenthood - could also run City Living, Outdoor Retreat, and Vampires.

    Here are the specs:

    MacBook Pro, 13-inch, Mid 2012

    Processor: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7

    Memory: 8 GB

    Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
  • oopsdaiesoopsdaies Posts: 37 Member
    ^version 10.12.6
  • momoitomomoito Posts: 43 Member
    I play on an older macbook pro with 8gb ram and integrated graphics and it works perfectly fine.
  • mma00000000mma00000000 Posts: 4 New Member
    It's been awhile since I've played and used to play on a PC. Now I'm looking to use my old macbook pro to potentially play but unsure if/how well it will work especially after reading some comments in these threads. I've read the minimum system requirements but computer specs isn't really my language. This what I have:
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)
    OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.6
    Processor 2.3GHz Intel Core i5
    Memory 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
    Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000 384MB

    If it makes a difference, I do plan on restoring my computer back to factory setting first. Thank you!!
  • Tremayne4260Tremayne4260 Posts: 3,126 Member
    If you can, upgrade to at least 8GB of RAM. It will help you run the game better.
    Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning.
  • CheesySimsLoverCheesySimsLover Posts: 258 Member
    I have a MacBook Air 2015 version, and it plays better than my sister's Windows laptop. I play on Medium-High settings with no lag, and few glitches. The only glitches I've had seem to be related to the installation of Cats and Dogs. I have City Living, Cats and Dogs, Dine Out, and Bowling Stuff currently. My MacBook was originally purchased for work/writing, so I don't want to clog it up too much therefore likely won't install the full game on it. I want to purchase a PC desktop at somepoint in the future, but my Mac works beautifully right now. It does get hot while playing, so I got a cooling fan.
  • CreatedtragedyCreatedtragedy Posts: 9 New Member
    Do all of you play the sims 3 and/or 4 in bootcamp with windows, or do ya'll play it on mac osx?
  • Tremayne4260Tremayne4260 Posts: 3,126 Member
    @Createdtragedy, Sims 4 was ported properly to work natively on the Mac OS where was Sims 3 was simply... well shall we say a mess. If you need help with Sims 3, there is a whole section in the Sims Legacy games section related to Macs and how to get Sims 3 to run.
    Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning.
  • LivlovlaLivlovla Posts: 1 New Member
    Hi ! I hope I’m not too late to the discussion. I’ve been playing sims for a couple of years on and off. I usually just play on the laptop I currently have. I stopped playing about 6 months ago because my computer just completely crashed, I figured it was because I downloaded way too many mods and cc. I also bought almost all of the sims 4 packs. I’m planning on buying a Mac this week for school and I also want it to withstand the sims gameplay with everything on high and a couple of mods and cc. I have no idea where to begin or what to buy, I’d really appreciate some help. Thank you !
  • Tremayne4260Tremayne4260 Posts: 3,126 Member
    Simsocity wrote: »
    :: Mac System Requirements ::
    **Please note that these are not definite. Everyone's computers are different, meaning you may have the same computer as someone else but it may run better/worse because of the apps and/or settings installed on each computer!**

    MINIMUM SPECIFICATION

    OS: Mac OS® X 10.7.5 (Lion)
    PROCESSOR: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz Processor or better
    VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce 320M, 9600M, 9400M,ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro or better. Video RAM of 256MB or better.
    MEMORY: 4GB RAM
    HARD DRIVE: 10 GB of Hard Drive space

    RECOMMENDED SPECIFICATION

    OS: Mac OS® X 10.9 or later
    PROCESSOR: Intel Core i5 or better
    VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 650 or better
    MEMORY: 8GB RAM
    HARD DRIVE: 10 GB of Hard Drive space

    Here are the minimum requirements as listed by EA when the game was first released. Please take into account that this is only to run the Base Game and that current versions of the Mac OS run the game just fine. You do need 8GB of RAM or more to run the game without any hiccups and with some CC. Please beware that MacBooks don't like tons and tons of CC, so pick what only is necessary for you. The more EPs/GPs/SPs you add will require more RAM to run the game smoothly. 8GB seems to run the game so far with all content well.
    Second Star to the Right and Straight on 'til Morning.
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