Looking for a Laptop for My Sister to Play Sims 4

Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 13:43
Last edited 04/04/2019 - 14:03

Hi Ozbargain,

So my sister has asked me to find her a laptop so that she can play Sims 4 smoothly. Although she didn't ask me to, I'd like to also help future-proof her purchase by getting her the best available laptop within her budget.

Her budget is around 1500 dollars, although she is willing to go over budget if she feels that the purchase is worth the extra money.

As for her daily uses of her laptop, she normally uses it for browsing the internet, watching YouTube and playing Sims 4. She is also planning to use a bit of business data software (sorry I don't know the details about that).

Size-wise she isn't planning to carry it anywhere and mainly using it at home, using a monitor that she has in her room. Regarding ports, she'd like at least 2 USB ports and a standard HDMI port at the minimum. She'd also like a SSD if possible.

A few laptops that I've looked at are the Dell New Inspiron 13 7830, the Asus Vivobook S15 S510UQ, and the Yoga 730. They were all the 16GB RAM model, with 256-512 SSD. However when I used this site (https://tech-guru.io/software/requirements/2620/The%20Sims%2…) the GPU was often holding the laptop back from running even Sims 4 smoothly.

She appreciated the aesthetic of the Dell laptop and also the Vivobook, so a laptop with a similar appearance would be awesome.

I'd really love it if I could get some advice on which laptop to get!

TLDR: Sister wants a laptop to play Sims 4, with budget being $1500. Needs 2 USB ports and HDMI. SSD if possible. Design is also a key concern.

EDIT: Added details about aesthetics

Computing Computer Electronic Arts Laptop Video Game

Comments

  • spackbace on 04/04/2019 - 13:46
    +1

    Size-wise she isn't planning to carry it anywhere and mainly using it at home, using a monitor that she has in her room.

    Hasn't considered a PC…?

    Otherwise maybe see what these guys can do?

    Here's an Alienware beast from the Dell Outlet. Looks like it should run it fine

    • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 13:53

      She still wants the possibility to carry it around the house, and also outside if the situation calls for it but not frequently enough to warrant getting a more slimmer/lighter laptop.

      Thanks for suggesting a store as well! I've taken a brief look but it seems that it is a bit out of her price range.

      • spackbace on 04/04/2019 - 13:55

        Only $169 over budget, and will serve her for a while rather than just suiting right now

        Performance Rating 7989
        CPU - Intel Core i7-8750H Processor - Above Recommended
        GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile 6 GB - Above Recommended
        RAM - 16 GB - Above Recommended
        OS - Windows - Compatible

        • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 13:58

          Sorry I didn't see your the link to the Alienware Laptop, and I was referring to the store link you provided.

          It definitely looks awesome price-wise and spec-wise I'm just a bit worried that she won't like the aesthetic of the laptop.

          • scrimshaw on 04/04/2019 - 14:03

            @Eccend: Gaming laptops tend to have very aggressive looks. RGB lighting and gamer-ish logos are usually the norm for most budget gaming laptops.

            Premium gaming laptops such as Razer Blade 15, MSI GS65 Stealth, Gigabyte Aero 15 will look nicer, but you are also paying extra for the workmanship / engineering that goes into making them thin and light.

            the Dell G3 15 has a much more understated look (in fact it looks quite boring) and its the kind of laptop that doesn't offend when brought into the office. But it will play games as it has a GTX 1050 / 1060 and has an 8th gen quad core CPU.

            https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/dell-g3-15

            Kong computers will also sell you whitebox laptops, they are based on taiwanese-based Clevo OEM (I think) and should have a variety of chassis styles to choose from.

            • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 14:09

              @scrimshaw: Hey scrimshaw, thanks for the info!

              I'll definitely look into the Dell G3 15, and also look into the laptops at Kong computers.

              Cheers!

              • spackbace on 04/04/2019 - 14:16
                +1

                @Eccend: G3 15
                Inspiron 15

                The G3 is probably the better one for her, better design. Also has a backlit keyboard which is always handy :)

                • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 14:19

                  @spackbace: Spackbace, these look amazing! I'll definitely ask her opinion on these ones!

                  Refurbished laptops are normally pretty good right?

                  • spackbace on 04/04/2019 - 14:20

                    @Eccend: Yeah Dell Outlet gets good reviews around here.

                    That G3 has a performance rating of 7408 for Sims 4, so will certainly do the job. Same CPU as the Alienware I posted before, and at about $240 under budget :)

        • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 14:04
          +1

          My sister got back to me and said she didn't like the look of it :(

          It looks like an absolute beast of a laptop and I'd definitely buy it if I had the money.

          Thanks for taking the time to suggest something though!

          • [Deactivated] on 04/04/2019 - 14:14
            +2

            @Eccend: I've got a sister. I'm going to suggest she tells you which ones she likes the look of and this community can suggest the best of those. This will save a lot of wasted time.

            • Eccend on 04/04/2019 - 14:16

              @[Deactivated]: Yup, I've edited the original post to try and reflect this, "She appreciated the aesthetic of the Dell laptop and also the Vivobook, so a laptop with a similar appearance would be awesome."

              Thanks for the advice!

  • scotty on 04/04/2019 - 14:35
    +1

    You might also want to look at Aftershock PC Apex 15 Lite with i7-8750H & GTX1050ti at less than 1.9kg in weight & 19mm in thickness. May still be able to keep it under $1500 budget after upgrading a few components (& source cheap Windows somewhere).

  • sugarfree on 04/04/2019 - 16:07
    +5

    I feel like this is for you and you’re just too embarrassed to admit you want to play sims 4 haha

    • AlienC on 13/04/2019 - 21:31

      "my sister likes to play those girly games like the one with the hot guy and anorexic looking girl barbie or whatever omygosh like skinny much"

      "Also my sister will be using it to photoshop her pictures and hook up with cute guys on some website"

  • blonky on 04/04/2019 - 16:45

    Dell XPS 15 with the i5 8gb + gtx1050 4gb would be ideal; the i7 8gb 1050ti 4gb also drops to around $1500 during Dell's ebay sales. All versions come standard with an SSD.

    Has 2x USB3, 1x USBC and a full sized HDMI ports

  • Banana on 04/04/2019 - 22:13

    I play The Sims 4 on my MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 2GB graphics card. It doesn't lag but the laptop gets incredibly hot. I wonder whether this is a sign that the game is still too demanding for my machine?

    (RIP The Sims 3 that killed all the PCs I had)

    • scrimshaw on 04/04/2019 - 22:59

      Laptops cool the CPU and GPU by way of a copper heatpipe transferring heat from the CPU/GPU die to a heatsink, and a fan blows air past the heatsink to wick the heat away.

      If your laptop has tiny little wimpy heatsinks with a small surface area then the heat generated by the CPU/GPU can't be removed as fast, causing thermal throttling and reduced performance. The bigger the heatsink the better the cooling performance, but laptops with good cooling tend to be much thicker.

      the more powerful your hardware the more heat you'll have to contend with, that's why fast laptops tend to be rather bulky

  • FireRunner on 06/04/2019 - 15:19

    Perhaps the ASUS FX503VM (i5-7300HQ, GTX1060, 8GB, 256GB SSD), its been a really good price from Computer Alliance in the past. Its currently sold out but it might be worth messaging them to see if they plan to restock it.

  • N1NJ4W4RR10R on 15/04/2019 - 10:57

    https://www.metabox.com.au/store/b243/Metabox-Alpha-N850EP-L…

    This should be able to manage it. Would advise going 16gb of RAM and getting more storage. It'll come in slightly over, but it shouldn't be by much.

    If you want a review, Jarrod's Tech may have done one for it on YT. Take the model number (N850EP) and put it into YT with his name and it should pop up.

  • AlienC on 22/04/2019 - 19:44

    If you are still looking OP check this guys classified out.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/440766

    Brand New HP Omen Laptop GeForce 1070 & Extended Warranty 1000+ Discount (OMEN by HP - 17-An062tx (Part Number: 2JQ43PA)

    If I had the money I would buy it.

    Good value imho.

    Stepping up to a GTX 1080 laptop is easily another $1200 AUD minimum maybe half that if you are lucky on gumtree/ebay/facebook marketplaces.

    Good luck OP and good luck to your sister ;)

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