Would this laptop be okay for what I need? «12...Next Go

PolluxSims

Whooo okay, I know I've made this post a few times before I have some money saved up this time so after I get paid in a few days, I should be able to get it. This is the laptop here.

In terms of using it for Sims, I'd really love to be able to play quite a few packs with it, as well as have a good amount of CC/mods (no more than 1gb of it, probably a lot less, I can't really say for sure though tbh.) Right now I have City Living and Get To Work, but I'd also like to get Cats & Dogs and Jungle Living, and maybe some Stuff Packs like Dine Out or Bowling Stuff. I don't intend to buy/play every pack.

In terms of other games, I really wanna play things like Stardew Valley and My Time At Portia, which I know don't take a lot of power. But I also really wanna play Planet Coaster, which I know does, I'll post the specs for that game below:

Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 (SP1+)/8.1/10 64bit
Processor: Intel i5-2300/AMD FX-4300
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 560 (2GB)/AMD Radeon 7850 (2GB)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 8 GB available space

Recommended:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 (SP1+)/8.1/10 64bit
Processor: Intel i7-4770/AMD FX-8350
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: nVidia GTX 980 (4GB)/AMD R9 380 (4GB)
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 8 GB available space

So yeah, I'd love some opinions! Would this computer work for me? Also, another general question: I've heard people say before that streaming (either for Youtube or Twitch) is harder on laptops, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if that was true? Or if that's true with this laptop per say? Thanks!

Goldmoldar

I would say yes looking at the specs. If you do decide to get it use the hard drive to install Sims 4 being the 128 SSD is too small. However if you wish you can swap out that SSD for an bigger SSD.

phoebebebe13

That laptop is more than fine for streaming videos. It meets recommended requirements to play the sims. it has a small 128 gb ssd hard drive for booting windows quicker. It's too small to game on. You would have to custom install your games to the second 1 tb hard drive. I would worry more about planet coaster. It's always good to look at recommended requirements over minimum, The requirements listed are always for desktop hardware not laptop. I can't say how that laptop would run that game since the specs are below recommended requirements. You can ask @chesterbigbird she may know or ask on steam if anyone is playing the game on a laptop with those specs.

phoebebebe13

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I would say yes looking at the specs. If you do decide to get it use the hard drive to install Sims 4 being the 128 SSD is too small. However if you wish you can swap out that SSD for an bigger SSD.

@Goldmoldar Asus will not let you switch out hardware while under warranty . If OP wants a larger SSD , I would suggest going custom should they want a 500gb ssd or more.

Do you play Planet Coaster? Chester told me that game is really powerful and it's unstable on top of it. I have no idea if they have fixed that game

Goldmoldar

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

phoebebebe13

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

Go back and read it, you left that part out

Asus does offer extended warranty past the one year automatic warranty a new laptop comes with. many do choose to take that extra warranty.

it's really not worth it to get a larger ssd down the line and have to reinstall windows etc in a laptop.. If someone wants to game on an SSD , they really need 500 gb or more. it would be best to go custom laptop and have that larger SSD installed from the beginning.

SSD is much easier to switch out or add if you have a desktop. I know you know this, I'm just stating this so OP knows

PolluxSims

@phoebebebe13 @Goldmoldar thank you guys for your replies! I know a desktop would be better to game on (especially for games like Planet Coaster), but long story short my dogs aren't allowed upstairs in my house so if I get a desktop, I won't be able to sit with them on my days off work, or watch TV while I game... So I mainly need a laptop for portability more than anything.

I know SSDs are better for gaming on, and I agree a bigger one would probably be better, but I think it's out of my budget right now to get one unfortunately. I did ask on Steam once if laptops could handle Planet Coaster, and one person told me as long as it has good v-ram or something like that, it should be okay. This was a few months ago though, so I could try asking about this specific laptop instead. I'm wondering what parts of it are under requirement to play the game?

phoebebebe13

SSD are not always better to game on. It depends on the game and if it will take advantage of an SSD. Not all games run better on SSD

I don't play Planet Coaster. I have just been told it is optimized poorly . I don't know how it will run on that laptop. That laptop falls somewhere in between minimum and recommended requirements for Planet Coaster. @chesterbigbird is a computer build expert and knows more about Planet Coaster and how it may run on that laptop. Planet Coaster has much higher specs than the sims games.

That 1060 card only has 3 gb Vram ( video card ram) Minimum is 2gb vram and recommended is 4 gb vram. you may need a higher video card with more Vram because laptop hardware is weaker than desktop hardware. Chester would be best to answer you on this subject since i believe she has played Planet Coaster

PolluxSims

@phoebebebe13 thank you again for your reply! When I'm looking at computer specs, how do I tell how much v-ram it has? In all honesty, I've had my eye on an MSI for a while now, but it's about $1800 and while the specs are better, I'm kind of an impatient person and really just want something to game on now. Not playing Planet Coaster isn't exactly a deal breaker, it's just something I've always wanted to play, so hopefully Chester can help when they have a moment to spare.

I haven't been able to play Sims in about a year now though, and I'm so bored without it, mostly I just want a computer that can play it on high settings lol. Basically all the games I've stated in my first post are mostly what I want to play, I'm not really a big PC gamer, which is why I'm trying to take everyone's opinions into consideration before I decide what to do.

phoebebebe13

Chester is on a different time zone , She will be on the forum later.

Under features on your best buy link if you page down to video card GTX 1060 it states 3 gb vram . I also just noticed this laptop is 120 hz refresh rate which could be an issue too. 60 hz refresh rate might be better. Again chester needs to help you with this

PolluxSims

@phoebebebe13 with Planet Coaster aside though, would it run Sims well if I were to get it? That's my main concern lol.

phoebebebe13

Yes it will run the sims, but again you might have an issue with 120 hz refresh rate monitor and would be better off with 60 hz refresh rate monitor. why i was double checking with chester. I understand your impatient but buying a computer is an investment. Make sure you buy the correct one for your needs

PolluxSims

@phoebebebe13 I thought 120hz was better though? Or is it different for laptops? Shows how much I know about this stuff lol!

Goldmoldar

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

Go back and read it, you left that part out

Asus does offer extended warranty past the one year automatic warranty a new laptop comes with. many do choose to take that extra warranty.

it's really not worth it to get a larger ssd down the line and have to reinstall windows etc in a laptop.. If someone wants to game on an SSD , they really need 500 gb or more. it would be best to go custom laptop and have that larger SSD installed from the beginning.

SSD is much easier to switch out or add if you have a desktop. I know you know this, I'm just stating this so OP knows

Yeah I changed it

Goldmoldar

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

Go back and read it, you left that part out

Asus does offer extended warranty past the one year automatic warranty a new laptop comes with. many do choose to take that extra warranty.

it's really not worth it to get a larger ssd down the line and have to reinstall windows etc in a laptop.. If someone wants to game on an SSD , they really need 500 gb or more. it would be best to go custom laptop and have that larger SSD installed from the beginning.

SSD is much easier to switch out or add if you have a desktop. I know you know this, I'm just stating this so OP knows

I definitely took that when I brought mine which I normally do not get with desktops because I always go in and change systems.

phoebebebe13

Goldmoldar wrote: »

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

Go back and read it, you left that part out

Asus does offer extended warranty past the one year automatic warranty a new laptop comes with. many do choose to take that extra warranty.

it's really not worth it to get a larger ssd down the line and have to reinstall windows etc in a laptop.. If someone wants to game on an SSD , they really need 500 gb or more. it would be best to go custom laptop and have that larger SSD installed from the beginning.

SSD is much easier to switch out or add if you have a desktop. I know you know this, I'm just stating this so OP knows

I definitely took that when I brought mine which I normally do not get with desktops because I always go in and change systems.

Desktop it is so much easier. My desktop is no longer under warranty but while it was, I could have easily added an extra hard drive and removed it should I have had an issue under warranty. Laptop is a pain to switch out hard drives.

Goldmoldar

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

Goldmoldar wrote: »

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

Goldmoldar wrote: »

I am aware of that and should have implied after the warranty expired.

Go back and read it, you left that part out

Asus does offer extended warranty past the one year automatic warranty a new laptop comes with. many do choose to take that extra warranty.

it's really not worth it to get a larger ssd down the line and have to reinstall windows etc in a laptop.. If someone wants to game on an SSD , they really need 500 gb or more. it would be best to go custom laptop and have that larger SSD installed from the beginning.

SSD is much easier to switch out or add if you have a desktop. I know you know this, I'm just stating this so OP knows

I definitely took that when I brought mine which I normally do not get with desktops because I always go in and change systems.

Desktop it is so much easier. My desktop is no longer under warranty but while it was, I could have easily added an extra hard drive and removed it should I have had an issue under warranty. Laptop is a pain to switch out hard drives.

I know what you mean I have a Dell that I was trying to switch out an hard drive for an SSD and I would have to take apart the whole thing I just gave up that thought, I too love desktops.

chesterbigbird

That laptop is more then fine for the sims, However do not expect to play planet coaster on high settings.
The problem with that game is, The bigger your park gets the more power it needs from your pc.
Now those big parks you see on trailers and on steam/youtube letsplays they do not play well even on a high end desktop. (my GTX 1080 struggles)
If your fine playing with a small park and on medium settings then it might be ok. (some settings you will need to turn down or off)
I would also highly recomend investing in a laptop cooler if you intend on playing planet coaster, that game will definitely tax the Asus cooling system.

PolluxSims

chesterbigbird wrote: »

That laptop is more then fine for the sims, However do not expect to play planet coaster on high settings.
The problem with that game is, The bigger your park gets the more power it needs from your pc.
Now those big parks you see on trailers and on steam/youtube letsplays they do not play well even on a high end desktop. (my GTX 1080 struggles)
If your fine playing with a small park and on medium settings then it might be ok. (some settings you will need to turn down or off)
I would also highly recomend investing in a laptop cooler if you intend on playing planet coaster, that game will definitely tax the Asus cooling system.

Thanks so much for replying! I knew the game took power, but the fact that even 1080's struggle with it... I wouldn't mind playing smaller parks, but for the price of the game, maybe I'll just wait. As long as it's fine for Sims, I might go ahead and get it.

Thanks to everyone who helped!

chesterbigbird

PolluxSims wrote: »

chesterbigbird wrote: »

That laptop is more then fine for the sims, However do not expect to play planet coaster on high settings.
The problem with that game is, The bigger your park gets the more power it needs from your pc.
Now those big parks you see on trailers and on steam/youtube letsplays they do not play well even on a high end desktop. (my GTX 1080 struggles)
If your fine playing with a small park and on medium settings then it might be ok. (some settings you will need to turn down or off)
I would also highly recomend investing in a laptop cooler if you intend on playing planet coaster, that game will definitely tax the Asus cooling system.

Thanks so much for replying! I knew the game took power, but the fact that even 1080's struggle with it... I wouldn't mind playing smaller parks, but for the price of the game, maybe I'll just wait. As long as it's fine for Sims, I might go ahead and get it.

Thanks to everyone who helped!

Your Welcome, It's fine for the sims

PolluxSims

@chesterbigbird just to ask, would it be okay for My Time At Portia as well? This is the recommended requirements for that game:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64 bit
Processor: Intel i7 Processor
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX960+
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 10 GB available space

chesterbigbird

PolluxSims wrote: »

@chesterbigbird just to ask, would it be okay for My Time At Portia as well? This is the recommended requirements for that game:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64 bit
Processor: Intel i7 Processor
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX960+
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 10 GB available space

That does not look like a very intensive game (although looks can be deceiving LOL) I think you should be ok with that game.

PolluxSims

@chesterbigbird thanks again! I ended up buying the laptop, I'll post how everything goes once I get Sims up and running. Now I gotta save up for Cats and Dogs ;D

@phoebebebe13 I haven't turned it on yet, but how do I go about making sure I'm installing things on the 1tb hard drive instead of the ssd card? Will it ask me when I install things where to install it to? Does it matter what I install on the ssd card?

Sorry for all the questions, my old laptop didn't have an SSD card so idk how it works lol.

Simtan16

> @PolluxSims said:
> Whooo okay, I know I've made this post a few times before I have some money saved up this time so after I get paid in a few days, I should be able to get it. This is the laptop here.
>
> In terms of using it for Sims, I'd really love to be able to play quite a few packs with it, as well as have a good amount of CC/mods (no more than 1gb of it, probably a lot less, I can't really say for sure though tbh.) Right now I have City Living and Get To Work, but I'd also like to get Cats & Dogs and Jungle Living, and maybe some Stuff Packs like Dine Out or Bowling Stuff. I don't intend to buy/play every pack.
>
> In terms of other games, I really wanna play things like Stardew Valley and My Time At Portia, which I know don't take a lot of power. But I also really wanna play Planet Coaster, which I know does, I'll post the specs for that game below:
>
> Minimum:
> Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
> OS: Windows 7 (SP1+)/8.1/10 64bit
> Processor: Intel i5-2300/AMD FX-4300
> Memory: 8 GB RAM
> Graphics: nVidia GTX 560 (2GB)/AMD Radeon 7850 (2GB)
> DirectX: Version 11
> Storage: 8 GB available space
>
> Recommended:
> Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
> OS: Windows 7 (SP1+)/8.1/10 64bit
> Processor: Intel i7-4770/AMD FX-8350
> Memory: 12 GB RAM
> Graphics: nVidia GTX 980 (4GB)/AMD R9 380 (4GB)
> DirectX: Version 11
> Storage: 8 GB available space
>
> So yeah, I'd love some opinions! Would this computer work for me? Also, another general question: I've heard people say before that streaming (either for Youtube or Twitch) is harder on laptops, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if that was true? Or if that's true with this laptop per say? Thanks!

I think this would be a great laptop, so good choice!

phoebebebe13

PolluxSims wrote: »

@chesterbigbird thanks again! I ended up buying the laptop, I'll post how everything goes once I get Sims up and running. Now I gotta save up for Cats and Dogs ;D

@phoebebebe13 I haven't turned it on yet, but how do I go about making sure I'm installing things on the 1tb hard drive instead of the ssd card? Will it ask me when I install things where to install it to? Does it matter what I install on the ssd card?

Sorry for all the questions, my old laptop didn't have an SSD card so idk how it works lol.

Sorry I did not see this. @rosemow and @Dekay can help you set up your laptop and how to install the game on your 1 tb hard drive

rosemow

Hello @PolluxSims
You need to first make a folder on the 1Tb hard drive where you want to install the game.

Then to change where the sims 4 game is installed , go to Application settings in Origin , and the setting will be under "Installs and Saves "

Navigate/browse to the folder that you made and put that as the installation location.

You will need to move your Documents folder to the hard drive
This explains how to move your documents folder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYfNmGnbxNw