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    Laptop recommendations for The Sims?

    chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
    edited January 2015 in PC - Technical Discussions
    I'm really excited about this because I've always played The Sims on laptops/notebooks that are not at all intended for gaming and I've always dealt with lag and had to play on the lowest settings...well the time has finally come for me to get a new laptop. Can anyone give me some recommendations?

    I'm looking for:
    -a windows laptop
    -probably around $1000 to $1200, no higher than $1500
    -I'm used to getting Dell and HP laptops but maybe those are all crappy; I'm willing to get a different brand
    -Practical for college (not TOO huge, not one of those gaming laptops with flashing lights and stuff, I need it for writing papers and doing programming projects)
    -idk if this is relevant but I also like to watch videos and play around in semi-graphics-intensive programs like photoshop and 3d animation programs like blender
    -something that will decently run sims 3 and sims 4, not necessarily on the highest settings (tho would be great) but at least medium-high

    -basically what I'm asking for is a basic laptop that's practical for school usage BUT ALSO has decent graphic/gaming capabilities and is midrange in cost.

    I don't know much about specs, but from what I understand I've always had laptops with shared graphics chipsets and it would be nice to have a dedicated graphics card for once.

    So sorry for all the rambling, I'm sure you get the gist by this point. SO any laptop recommendations? Specs recs and/or links to suggested laptops would be nice. Thanks!

    Comments

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      cauliflowerscauliflowers Posts: 5,782 Member
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100025325 4023&IsNodeId=1&name=$1000 - $1250

      avoid bestbuy or futureshop
      TL8ZBmw.gif
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      jonilla1jonilla1 Posts: 1,120 Member
      edited January 2015
      http://www.amazon.com/N550JK-DS71T-Full-HD-Touchscreen-Laptop-Aluminum-Body/dp/B00IAA5BSS/ref=pd_sim_pc_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FYZ2CQTADGMQHJN91V1

      I found this, its powerful enough to run Sims 4 with high graphics and some other games will run very well,it looks nice and simple, no extra honkytonky dingeldangel on it :D
      Oh! And it has a touch screen too as an icing on the cake :D

      EDIT:// http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGK7GHG/ref=psdc_565108_t2_B00IAA5BSS
      Here is a same looking computer with almost same specs but without a touch screen and is very cheap
      Origin EA ID: Xaldin257 Friend requests are welcome.

      Some of my creations in the gallery use CC so remember to enable them in the gallery's options to see them all.
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      chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
      ^ hey thanks for the great suggestions! I love the look of the first one and how it doesn't look like a hardcore gaming comp but still has good specs. The reviews are great too. It's probably the best option I've come across so far, my only concern is its large display (15.6 inches) is a bit large for carrying to class every day, I was hoping for under 15. I'll keep looking, but that is a good possibility.
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      jonilla1jonilla1 Posts: 1,120 Member
      edited January 2015
      Hope those helped.
      Btw it's really hard to find a good laptop for gaming that is under 15 inches, because most of the time smaller laptop doesn't have a dvd drive or a dedicated GPU. And smaller laptops that are also suitable for gaming aren't very cheap.
      Origin EA ID: Xaldin257 Friend requests are welcome.

      Some of my creations in the gallery use CC so remember to enable them in the gallery's options to see them all.
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      CodySimsteinCodySimstein Posts: 1,466 Member
      Hello,

      For your budget, you can get a pretty decent gaming laptop, however I am aware you're not looking for a gaming laptop per se, and the laptops with beefy graphics in this price range tend to be quite thick and heavy. The following link is for an open box laptop which is pretty light, and can handle The Sims 3/4 at the highest of settings, as well as any other demanding media-based programs (i.e. Photoshop)

      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834233022R

      I hope this helps and keep simming,

      Cody
      Member of the Tech Responders team.


      Ask me about custom-built PCs!

      Need to upgrade? - $400 for high settings in Sims 4 --> http://pcpartpicker.com/p/LtphdC
    • Options
      KatryinKatryin Posts: 125 Member
      I would recommend the Venomx Gigabyte P34GV2
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      chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
      ^ thanks for the suggestions!

      So far I've been looking around more and learning about what I want, and I found this laptop, it's decently practical for carrying around at school (14" screen, long battery life, 4 pounds, nice brand) but also seems to have decent specs and is in my price range:

      What do you think, does this compiter have good specs for gaming and playing Sims? (I'm a bit nooby about specs)

      http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=34-231-805

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      JoxerTM22JoxerTM22 Posts: 5,323 Member
      edited January 2015
      This?
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834231805&Tpk=34-231-805

      Running any recent game on it will be a drag. That CPU is... IMO strictly for business. Why is it inside that laptop paired with nVidia, I'm clueless.
      Besides 14 inches screen is too small for proper PC games. Seem not too much different from 15 inches, but trust me, it's simply not "it". Max resolution is 1366 x 768, that's worse than on Lenovo S820T smartphone.

      Try to find, if it has to be ASUS, similar to this (should be similar price to this model you've shown, but newegg doesn't have this exact model):
      http://www.notebookcheck.net/Asus-X75VB-TY045.102932.0.html
      Achievements? Achievements! | Junkbarbarian's guide: Killing with anger |
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      chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
      Thanks for the tips. I thought i5 was a decent CPU. It was listed as a gaming computer on newegg...can you tell me what it is about the CPU that's bad? Or what I should be looking for in terms of CPU specs

      It doesn't have to be ASUS but I like that they make decent gaming computers while not being a brand name that screams gaming

      I was looking for 13-14" display because I thought 15 inches would be too big to use in class (but maybe it's not, if I start looking at larger displays I would have a whole lot more options)
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      JoxerTM22JoxerTM22 Posts: 5,323 Member
      edited January 2015
      It's dual core and too slow. Yes, it's decent CPU - for Facebook games. ;)
      Honestly I'm unsure why they paired it with separate graphics card. I don't see a purpose of that machine there, but I just can't recommend it for gaming. Now I see it's the only Asus i5 "gaming" model on newegg, perhaps because noone wants to buy that garbage? ;)

      If you don't want 17 inches screen, but 15 is enough, this one is a similar price to the model you shown (only 10 bucks more!), but outshines it in every way - faster CPU that has 4 cores not just two, bigger resolution, better GPU (GTX and not GT), double HDD size:
      http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232132
      Achievements? Achievements! | Junkbarbarian's guide: Killing with anger |
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      chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
      Wow, I just looked to see how laege my current laptop is, which I've taken to class before and which I think is a decent size for school, and its 15.5ish inches, I thought it would be like 13....guess I had a misconception of how small that is. I see what you guys were saying about how small that is now lol. I think I'll be looking in the 15-17 in range now
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      chloeazule91chloeazule91 Posts: 105 Member
      Just thought I'd update that after doing A LOT of research, I'm 95% sure I'm going with @jonilla1‌ 's suggestion of the asus with touchscreen:

      http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IAA5BSS?vs=1

      Good specs and I guess decent portability and I like the brand

      I'm excited to finally get my hands on a computer that will run games nicely :D
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      ThorburnThorburn Posts: 28 New Member
      edited January 2015
      I've tested it on an i5-4200U and GeForce GT 820M as per that ASUS you linked, it was pretty good at 1366x768 High Detail or 1920x1080 Medium Detail. You can see a video of it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4m7bcFb8PY

      The N550JK should be very nice though, GT 850M is a big step up in performance.
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      jonilla1jonilla1 Posts: 1,120 Member
      @chloeazule91
      I hope you enjoy your new computer :)
      I'm little jealous, if i got the money i would buy that computer myself too!
      Origin EA ID: Xaldin257 Friend requests are welcome.

      Some of my creations in the gallery use CC so remember to enable them in the gallery's options to see them all.
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