you would only need a massive hard drive if you play with boat loads of CC. Otherwise an average one should cut it just fine. You would be more interested in getting a good graphics card, cpu, and a decent amount of RAM.
There's a lot more to buying a computer than hard drive and graphic card (GPU). You have to take into consideration if it's a laptop or desktop, processor, graphic card, RAM, Hard drive (hdd and ssd), and your power supply, along with the case (desktop) and certain brands to avoid (HP, DELL, etc). There are lots of people that will help you pick the right computer for your budget and country if you post over in the Tech section and say you are looking to buy a computer (laptop or desktop. Desktop is better, TBH), budget and country.
First step, avoid Dell. Dell is terrible. Likewise avoid laptops for the very same reasons.
Second step, @DivieOwl has already provided solid advice. There's a number of factors going into a good computer. GHz, processing cores, graphics card and RAM are probably the safe go-to items on the list you wanna make sure you have, but things such as HDD can certainly help.
Hello
It is exciting that you are planning on getting a new computer!
It would be beneficial for you to start a thread in the Sims 4 Techical section of the forums, and simmers there will help to assist you in buying a new computer that will be best in running Sims 4. They will offer advice and help. http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/the-sims-4-technical-discussions
First step, avoid Dell. Dell is terrible. Likewise avoid laptops for the very same reasons.
Second step, @DivieOwl has already provided solid advice. There's a number of factors going into a good computer. GHz, processing cores, graphics card and RAM are probably the safe go-to items on the list you wanna make sure you have, but things such as HDD can certainly help.
Why avoid Dell? Just replaced my 6 year old Alienware, that never gave me any trouble, just outdated, with a brand new Alienware. Sweet.
I was very close to just getting an Alienware, but chose an MSI instead. My friend who also plays Sims as much as I do had an Alienware only about 2 years old till it crashed. Then her boyfriend's much heavier duty Alienware crashed not long after.
From what a lot of people tell me, you are paying for a name and a look with Alienware. They look AWESOME and I was so tempted to buy it based on the colors alone, lol.
I only played for a little bit on my new MSI yesterday (but did have about 300 CC items already) and it ran so good. I was shocked.
DELL had a bit of a bad reputation in the past, one they have been trying to get rid of over the years. They have improved a lot over the years and definitely improved since they bought Alienware. Alienware machines do have a bumped up price tag but no more than their competitors in the area of gaming rigs.
Laptops have also come a long way, Razer Blade, Alienware, MSI Gaming laptops are all more than capable of running TS4.
When buying a new machine for TS4, check the Origin store page for The Sims 4 and look at the Recommended Specs. Make sure whatever you buy passes those specifications in every area. So you'll want an Intel i5 or Intel i7, if you get the latter you'll likely get more than the recommended specs in all other areas by default but just check before clicking the buy button
There's really nothing wrong with Dell to be honest, its a stigma they're still trying to live down I think. Used to be that the price of them was way high for the hardware that was used within which was a problem, but from what I understand the prices are down and the hardware is up these days (if that makes any sense). Typically, I build my own because I find that I can build a much better machine for way less and pick the hardware that goes in so I know it is of good quality. Like rosemow suggests though, some of the awesome simmers in the tech forum would probably be able to send you in a direction that will work for you better.
Loving yourself is the most simple and complicated thing you can do for you.
I, personally, don't recommend Dell or HP because they generally don't have good air flow and arent great at keeping your rig cool, and whether laptop or desktop, leeping components cool is key to the longevity of your pc. As for alienware, I don't classify them as Dell, regardless that Dell now makes them. They are Alienware, they're pricey, but imo they are gaming rigs, designed to game on and if a person doesn't mind paying extra for a name, who am I to preach that they are overpriced? It's not my money, it's theirs, and they can spend it how they chose.
Lots of things to consider -- first, do you want portability or are you okay with a desktop?
I personally recommend desktops for gaming, simply because they last longer and offer a far better experience. I also recommend building them, but for new people, it can be overwhelming. Still more rewarding than buying a prebuilt/company manufactured PC, so that's something you'll have to decide yourself.
Personally not a fan of Alienware. Poor quality and overpriced for a brand which really doesn't warrant such things. If I didn't feel like building a PC, I'd probably go with Asus or something. Certainly not HP, Dell, or Lenovo.
Look at the game's requirements and then get a computer that matches or (preferably) exceeds those requirements.
Look at graphics card, CPU, RAM and operating system requirements. An SSD will make it less faster than if you used a hard drive. I wouldn't get a computer capable of playing only one game, I'd get one that can handle multiple (well, I'd build but that's not what you're after) multiple games, including demanding ones as good as it can
Lots of things to consider -- first, do you want portability or are you okay with a desktop?
I personally recommend desktops for gaming, simply because they last longer and offer a far better experience. I also recommend building them, but for new people, it can be overwhelming. Still more rewarding than buying a prebuilt/company manufactured PC, so that's something you'll have to decide yourself.
Personally not a fan of Alienware. Poor quality and overpriced for a brand which really doesn't warrant such things. If I didn't feel like building a PC, I'd probably go with Asus or something. Certainly not HP, Dell, or Lenovo.
You can also upgrade a desktop and pound/performance they're better than the equivalent laptop
Look at the game's requirements and then get a computer that matches or (preferably) exceeds those requirements.
Look at graphics card, CPU, RAM and operating system requirements. An SSD will make it less faster than if you used a hard drive. I wouldn't get a computer capable of playing only one game, I'd get one that can handle multiple (well, I'd build but that's not what you're after) multiple games, including demanding ones as good as it can
Actually, your backwards there. An SSD is faster than an HDD. But Sims 4 doesn't really benefit from an SSD. Other games and OS do.
I might be in the same boat soon, so will keep an eye on this thread
TS4 runs fine on my 5 yo Lenovo, low-end with integrated vid card and no extra. Game is a tiny bit choppy at times, but normally just fine. I make videos though, so I think I should get a better pc for that.
> @DeservedCriticism said: > First step, avoid Dell. Dell is terrible. Likewise avoid laptops for the very same reasons. >
I don't agree with avoiding laptops. I've been a Simmer for 20 years and been a laptop user for the last 10. When I say a "laptop user", I mean having a laptop as my main PC i.e. a desktop replacement. When choosing computer (desktop or laptop), you need to check your proposed CPU and GPU on the following lookup tables:
CPU - https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php GPU - https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/GPU_mega_page.html
The CPU is the lesser of the 2 evils, but try and aim for a Passmark of 6000 or more. My previous laptop had an i7-4720HQ (Passmark=7990) and my current laptop has an i7-9750H (Passmark=13596).
The GPU is the greater of the 2 evils. My previous laptop had a GTX 960M. That had a Passmark of 2374 and could run Sims 4 on high settings. My current laptop has a GTX 1660 Ti which is actually a desktop card. That has a Passmark of 11577 and the Sims 4 flies on it on the top settings.
Both laptops are Levnovo.
You'll also want your hard drive to be an SSD. I recommend 512GB. Allocate the first 150GB as drive C: for Windows/games and the rest as drive D: for your personal data / Sims backups.
Remember, when moving the Sims to a new PC, you'll need to backup C:\Users\[yourusername]\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4.
Inside the Sims 4 folder:
Tray - this contains My Library (households, CAS) Mods - all mods, plus CC e.g. hair Saves - your save files
Comments
you would only need a massive hard drive if you play with boat loads of CC. Otherwise an average one should cut it just fine. You would be more interested in getting a good graphics card, cpu, and a decent amount of RAM.
Second step, @DivieOwl has already provided solid advice. There's a number of factors going into a good computer. GHz, processing cores, graphics card and RAM are probably the safe go-to items on the list you wanna make sure you have, but things such as HDD can certainly help.
It is exciting that you are planning on getting a new computer!
It would be beneficial for you to start a thread in the Sims 4 Techical section of the forums, and simmers there will help to assist you in buying a new computer that will be best in running Sims 4. They will offer advice and help.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/the-sims-4-technical-discussions
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
http://tinyurl.com/rosemow
My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
Why avoid Dell? Just replaced my 6 year old Alienware, that never gave me any trouble, just outdated, with a brand new Alienware. Sweet.
From what a lot of people tell me, you are paying for a name and a look with Alienware. They look AWESOME and I was so tempted to buy it based on the colors alone, lol.
I only played for a little bit on my new MSI yesterday (but did have about 300 CC items already) and it ran so good. I was shocked.
I don't agree that dell is a bad brand. I'd choose dell over anything else any day.
Laptops have also come a long way, Razer Blade, Alienware, MSI Gaming laptops are all more than capable of running TS4.
When buying a new machine for TS4, check the Origin store page for The Sims 4 and look at the Recommended Specs. Make sure whatever you buy passes those specifications in every area. So you'll want an Intel i5 or Intel i7, if you get the latter you'll likely get more than the recommended specs in all other areas by default but just check before clicking the buy button
That's what I did years ago when it came to sims 3...
I surely must need an upgrade hehe...must start saving
I personally recommend desktops for gaming, simply because they last longer and offer a far better experience. I also recommend building them, but for new people, it can be overwhelming. Still more rewarding than buying a prebuilt/company manufactured PC, so that's something you'll have to decide yourself.
Personally not a fan of Alienware. Poor quality and overpriced for a brand which really doesn't warrant such things. If I didn't feel like building a PC, I'd probably go with Asus or something. Certainly not HP, Dell, or Lenovo.
Look at graphics card, CPU, RAM and operating system requirements. An SSD will make it less faster than if you used a hard drive. I wouldn't get a computer capable of playing only one game, I'd get one that can handle multiple (well, I'd build but that's not what you're after) multiple games, including demanding ones as good as it can
You can also upgrade a desktop and pound/performance they're better than the equivalent laptop
Actually, your backwards there. An SSD is faster than an HDD. But Sims 4 doesn't really benefit from an SSD. Other games and OS do.
TS4 runs fine on my 5 yo Lenovo, low-end with integrated vid card and no extra. Game is a tiny bit choppy at times, but normally just fine. I make videos though, so I think I should get a better pc for that.
> First step, avoid Dell. Dell is terrible. Likewise avoid laptops for the very same reasons.
>
I don't agree with avoiding laptops. I've been a Simmer for 20 years and been a laptop user for the last 10. When I say a "laptop user", I mean having a laptop as my main PC i.e. a desktop replacement. When choosing computer (desktop or laptop), you need to check your proposed CPU and GPU on the following lookup tables:
CPU - https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
GPU - https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/GPU_mega_page.html
The CPU is the lesser of the 2 evils, but try and aim for a Passmark of 6000 or more. My previous laptop had an i7-4720HQ (Passmark=7990) and my current laptop has an i7-9750H (Passmark=13596).
The GPU is the greater of the 2 evils. My previous laptop had a GTX 960M. That had a Passmark of 2374 and could run Sims 4 on high settings. My current laptop has a GTX 1660 Ti which is actually a desktop card. That has a Passmark of 11577 and the Sims 4 flies on it on the top settings.
Both laptops are Levnovo.
You'll also want your hard drive to be an SSD. I recommend 512GB. Allocate the first 150GB as drive C: for Windows/games and the rest as drive D: for your personal data / Sims backups.
Remember, when moving the Sims to a new PC, you'll need to backup C:\Users\[yourusername]\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4.
Inside the Sims 4 folder:
Tray - this contains My Library (households, CAS)
Mods - all mods, plus CC e.g. hair
Saves - your save files