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What laptop do you play on?

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Brd709Brd709 Posts: 2,032 Member
After having to send back my new Strix G15 on day one after finding dead pixels, I’m lost on where to go next. This is the second laptop this year I’ve had to send back.

I’m curious to know those who play on a laptop what one you play on. Can a “non gaming” laptop run the sims 4 on ultra settings?
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Comments

  • LynnPlayz1LynnPlayz1 Posts: 548 Member
    I'd go look up what my laptop is, but it barely runs Sims 4 on the lowest settings so I don't think it would be much help.
  • AstroAstro Posts: 6,651 Member
    Unless you absolutely need a laptop, do yourself a favor and buy a desktop instead. More power for less money, at the sake of not being portable of course.
  • stilljustme2stilljustme2 Posts: 25,082 Member
    I really don't have the space for a desktop system, so I play on a laptop.

    I have the Lenovo Legion; bought it in January when my old ASUS ROG bit the dust. Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz (12 CPUs), ~2.6GHz, 24GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 1660 Ti graphics card, 17in monitor (decided I wanted the bigger real estate). Runs the game like a dream; I was having some issues with crashing after the Cottage Living patch, but the folks at AHQ helped me with updating my graphics drivers (had some old ones in there) and haven't had a problem since.
    Check out my Gallery! Origin ID: justme22
    Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
  • catmando830catmando830 Posts: 9,117 Member
    I have 2 Alienware laptops, one that is 12 years old and still works great, and a brand new Alienware laptop that I just got a month ago.
    Love them both.
  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    So, I do have a gaming laptop now, but you don't have to have one in my opinion. I didn't prior and it worked just fine, but I haven't had simulation lag since I upgraded in January. Sims 4 is a fair size, but it is still seven years old. Ultra settings means you just need the parts to handle that, gaming or non gaming whatever labels matters less.

    I used to play on a Best Buy bought Asus laptop that still had a physical disk drive in it and less than 500 GB storage. I now have a custom Sager with Intel i7-10700K CPU 3.80 GHz and 32 GB RAM and a 4 TB SSD.

    You obviously don't need specs this high, but I'd recommend Xotic PC if you want custom specs and do not want to build it yourself. I had good customer service, you pick the parts you want (and you can get a dead pixel warranty), several brands to choose from, and they do more than gaming laptops. Worst case scenario, you can get an expert opinion on what you would need to run Sims 4 on ultra.
  • SheriSim57SheriSim57 Posts: 6,934 Member
    edited September 2021
    I bought a new asus gaming laptop 3 years ago. It’s an i7 with 1070 graphics. 16gb ram. And it’s not an ssd, but a hybrid. And it doesn’t just have cooling vents in the bottom but the back and sides as well. My cheap HP couldn’t keep up. I own all the packs snd kits ( but no CC or mods ) and it seems to be keeping up well so far.

    If I was to buy today, I would get one with all SSD, but they didn’t have them when I got mine, at that time they only had partial SSD
  • AngelEb95AngelEb95 Posts: 1,538 Member
    edited September 2021
    I have an Acer Aspire 5. I bought it in 2018 and it's still holding up pretty well, especially after a few hardware upgrades.
    It runs well on medium settings with 11gb worth of mods. I've never played sims on ultra settings, but I imagine it'd make my laptop overheat.
    attack-on-titan-attack-on-titan-s4.gif
  • Brd709Brd709 Posts: 2,032 Member
    Calico45 wrote: »
    So, I do have a gaming laptop now, but you don't have to have one in my opinion.

    Would yourself or anyone be able to recommend something that I can play the Sims 4 on but doesn’t fall in to the gamer category? My minimum specs would be 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD, a 10th gen or 11th gen processor. Have integrated graphics improved a lot or is it still necessary to have a dedicated graphics card for most games these days?
  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,808 Member
    I play on a Macbook Pro from 2019. I've never tried the ultra graphics settings. The game runs well, no lag that I've noticed, loading screens take 10-15 seconds at most.
    gen3-banner.png
  • PlumbeebPlumbeeb Posts: 619 Member
    Brd709 wrote: »
    Would yourself or anyone be able to recommend something that I can play the Sims 4 on but doesn’t fall in to the gamer category? My minimum specs would be 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD, a 10th gen or 11th gen processor. Have integrated graphics improved a lot or is it still necessary to have a dedicated graphics card for most games these days?


    A few things to consider are:
    • Resolution - What kind of resolution would you like to play at? If you're happy with 1080p then integrated graphics can sometimes be the better and more affordable option. Just keep in mind that low settings and 30 FPS is likely to be your standard if you choose this option. If you want to run the game on higher settings and at a higher frame rate, then I would recommend a standalone graphics card. I had a GTX 1050 Ti that ran the game on ultra settings at 1080p, so that's the baseline. I believe the 'updated' version of this card is the GTX 1650 Super.
    • DLC, Mods and CC - Will you be playing with just the base game? Or do you have a few DLC packs, or maybe even have them all? It's possible for the performance to take a hit if you have a lot of packs installed, and the same can be said for mods and custom content too. Personally, I feel that the Sims 4 is getting really bloated, and is poorly optimised these days, so that's just something to keep in mind.
    • Portability - Is a laptop a must have? I can understand if you need it for portability, but if that's not a problem and you have the space, then I would recommend a desktop PC over a laptop. They're easier to upgrade, easier to clean and maintain, and usually cost a little less.
    • Other Games - Are you planning to just play the Sims? Do you have other video games in mind that you'd likely play? If so, it's a good idea to look at the minimum system requirements, as that will give you an idea of what configuration is necessary for your needs.
    • Budget - Lastly, what kind of budget do you have in mind? As I mentioned in the portability bullet point, you get more bang for your buck with a desktop than you will with a laptop. If a laptop is your only option though, then the price could range from anywhere between £600 - £1000 (or the equivalent in your local currency) and given that you need 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, then it's likely to be in the higher price bracket.

    I hope this is helpful. I'll do my best to answer any questions if you have any!
    Sims 4 Wish List:
    • > Option to toggle on/off random townie generation.
    • > Turn vacation worlds into residential worlds.
    • > Option to purchase separate worlds or a world pack.
    • > Sleepwear kit.
    • > Atomic age kit.
  • Brd709Brd709 Posts: 2,032 Member
    edited September 2021
    I have been leaning towards a desktop however as i travel locally daily so in this instance a laptop is more convenient me.

    Desktop wise, I’ve been looking at those mini gaming towers but so far I’ve only found MSi and Zotac ones but the Zotac ones are barebone.
  • PlumbeebPlumbeeb Posts: 619 Member
    I've done some looking around, and here's some suggestions:

    Laptops

    Small Form Factor Desktop PC's

    I tried to include some variety, in terms of price and productivity.

    Something to note when I was looking, is that most of these suggestions either have your requested SSD or RAM, but not both in the same configuration. However, NVMe SSD's and RAM modules are relatively easy to upgrade for laptops, and often have some sort of panel that you can open on the back for ease of access - so that could be an option if you're unable to find a laptop that has both requirements.

    Also, most of the mini desktop PC's I found were customisable ones. Custom built PC's and laptops can be a good way to get all of the hardware components that you need, but can cost more because it's configured to order, labour costs, and the stress testing they do before they ship it to you. A custom build is what I went with when I first got into gaming PC's.
    Sims 4 Wish List:
    • > Option to toggle on/off random townie generation.
    • > Turn vacation worlds into residential worlds.
    • > Option to purchase separate worlds or a world pack.
    • > Sleepwear kit.
    • > Atomic age kit.
  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Brd709 wrote: »
    Calico45 wrote: »
    So, I do have a gaming laptop now, but you don't have to have one in my opinion.

    Would yourself or anyone be able to recommend something that I can play the Sims 4 on but doesn’t fall in to the gamer category? My minimum specs would be 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD, a 10th gen or 11th gen processor. Have integrated graphics improved a lot or is it still necessary to have a dedicated graphics card for most games these days?

    If you don't mind me asking, what is it about the "gaming" label that puts you off? The price or the sometimes gaudy look? Maybe the size or power consumption? (Mine is pretty big and requires two chargers, but I consider it as portable as any other laptop.) Most of my experience when determining what to upgrade to had me picking a gaming laptop for parts that usually come with it and making upgrades where I needed more (like my SSD).

    Anyway, knowing that would make it easier to recommend something.
  • Brd709Brd709 Posts: 2,032 Member
    edited September 2021
    I
    Calico45 wrote: »
    Brd709 wrote: »
    Calico45 wrote: »
    So, I do have a gaming laptop now, but you don't have to have one in my opinion.

    Would yourself or anyone be able to recommend something that I can play the Sims 4 on but doesn’t fall in to the gamer category? My minimum specs would be 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD, a 10th gen or 11th gen processor. Have integrated graphics improved a lot or is it still necessary to have a dedicated graphics card for most games these days?

    If you don't mind me asking, what is it about the "gaming" label that puts you off? The price or the sometimes gaudy look? Maybe the size or power consumption? (Mine is pretty big and requires two chargers, but I consider it as portable as any other laptop.) Most of my experience when determining what to upgrade to had me picking a gaming laptop for parts that usually come with it and making upgrades where I needed more (like my SSD).

    Anyway, knowing that would make it easier to recommend something.


    The ‘gaming’ label doesn’t put me off but at the moment my confidence in buying another ‘gaming laptop’ is very low. I had to send a Legion 5 2060 rtx back in June this year because the screen failed after two months use and when the repaired device came back to me with the replacement LCD it wouldn’t even come on or be detected by HDMI. Then that laptop had to be sent back to Lenovo’s repair centre again where they ended up replacing a perfectly good motherboard with another one. That unit went back to Lenovo twice in a month and both repair tickets took three weeks due to lack of parts. By the end of May, what was a brand new laptop ended up being a totally refurbished one and I wasn’t confident in using it so it went back by June.

    I bought an Asus ROG Strix G15 3060 rtx 300hz screen two weeks ago and on day one out of the box I found dead pixels on the screen straight away, I hadn’t even got as far as downloading The Sims 4 and I ended up returning that one the next day and I was literally heart broken that I had to send another laptop back.

    By non gaming I meant are there any ‘standard’ laptops that could run The Sims 4 and handle a bit of audio editing for my job without having to splash out thousands on one. Truthfully, the pretty colour changing lights on the keyboard and around the sides don’t really bother me. I just want something that runs good enough to play this amazing game on.

  • Calico45Calico45 Posts: 2,038 Member
    edited September 2021
    I wouldn't necessarily recommend something like my old Asus, then, which was an all purpose laptop. I kept it for a long time, but the internal disk drive was faulty when I got it. I had to send it off three times for repairs before they would finally replace it (wiping everything each time). From then on it was fine, but over its lifespan it picked up some... Odd quirks. Like how it didn't go into sleep mode properly. Good luck turning it back on, especially if you didn't want to forcefully shut it down because you would lose something. It then stopped shutting down properly. It was hard to get it to turn off properly.

    And this is just my trouble with one store bought laptop (which ran 4 and many other games just fine, I might add). I've known others to have a lot of trouble with store bought standards as well, and if I had to guess you have in these last two cases. (You bought those models as is rather than reconfiguring anything, right?)

    Since it is a confidence thing, I'd want a really good warranty/the seller to test my laptop before sending it to me. I'll bring up Xotic PC again just because it is what I and my brother used and we both had a good experience. They have standard configurations starting around $800 from what I remember, so nothing extra like mine required. I understand why it would be undesirable, though, so I am also going to recommend Trustpilot, a review website, and to pick a seller with reviews that makes you feel confident.
  • ACruelButLovingGodACruelButLovingGod Posts: 708 Member
    edited September 2021
    On Ultra? No.

    But my potato of a travel laptop (an Acer made in 2016 that I paid $500 for new) will run it on low to medium, enough to make it playable when I'm in a hotel on the road.
    (he/him)
    And remember this above all. Our Roman gods are watching. Make sure they are not ashamed!
    My NBA site, Pace and Space
  • akaniki0akaniki0 Posts: 470 Member
    Asus Rog Zephyrus S17
  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,808 Member
    Can confirm that the 2019 Macbook Pro can handle audio editing- I do that on this machine from time to time in connection with my RL job.

    gen3-banner.png
  • mcruddmcrudd Posts: 11,696 Member
    edited September 2021
    I have been playing on my alienware 15 R4 for a few years now and its brilliant, no lags or issues. My son uses it to play his VR games as well and it has more than enough space for future packs, I have sims 2, 3 and 4 and both sims medievals on it, unfortunately not sims 1 as the laptop does not have a disk drive.
    Post edited by mcrudd on
  • PjcpPPjcpP Posts: 27 Member
    edited September 2021
    Omen Laptop 015. I love it! It has no problems running my game.
  • KimmerKimmer Posts: 2,370 Member
    edited September 2021
    Gaming laptop, HP Omen from 2017.
    I've never played on Ultra, although I tried it when I bought my laptop but it was laggy, so I played on high graphics at first. I had to change it to medium when it started lagging on high too. Now it's laggy on medium also, but I refuse to put it on low, I just deal with the lag. It's not bad, there is just a delay when I click something. Also Windenburg and San Myshuno are making the lag worse when my Sims travel or live in one of them.
    I guess I'm going to have to change it on laptop mode if it gets any more laggy.

    I had a non-gaming laptop before I bought this current one and I had to play on laptop mode and medium graphics first. It got so laggy later that I had to lower it to low graphics on laptop mode, which was hideous to look at. It was still laggy, so when Cats & Dogs expansion came out I was forced to get a new laptop.
  • RouensimsRouensims Posts: 4,858 Member
    edited September 2021
    Mid-2015 MacBook Pro with 512GB storage and 2GB graphics memory (the upgraded version). It’s fabulous.
    Ooh Be Gah!! Whipna Choba-Dog? Whipna Choba-Dog!! :smiley:
  • Brd709Brd709 Posts: 2,032 Member
    I’ve been doing a lot of looking around the past few days and the Acer Predator Helios 300 keeps grabbing my eye again. I think they’re releasing a new version of that with 11th gen processors soon.
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