By Robin Owens 5 days ago, Hardware
What is the best cheap laptop for Sims?
Probably the majority is familiar with The Sims. This life simulator game allows users to control characters without restrictions and rules. The best part is that you don’t need to use the most powerful laptop to run the game, as a device with good performance will cope with it perfectly.
In this article, I will tell you more about the best laptops for playing Sims 4 to make your gameplay more enjoyable.
It might be difficult to choose the best laptop for Sims, as there are a lot of models on the market nowadays. I recommend first deciding on your budget and needs. You need to pay attention to the GPU, which is important for smooth gameplay without any distortions.
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 17.3-inch | Weight: 5.0 pound
⊕ Anti-reflection display
⊕ Graphics looks realistic
⊕ Bios recovery and protection
⊕ 4-zone backlit keypad
⊖ Poor battery
The HP OMEN is a flagship laptop for Sims that comes with excellent hardware specifications. The laptop has an attractive design and delivers excellent performance, which makes it a powerful gaming device. Powerful performance is achieved thanks to an integrated 9th Gen Intel Core i7-9750h processor with 6 cores and a base frequency of 2.6 GHz, which can be increased to 4.5 GHz.
The Omen has a 17.3-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate that produces crisp images. Thanks to Nvidia’s G-Sync technology, the image quality is perfect. The display has an anti-reflective surface and wide viewing angles for an even better gaming experience. The 4-zone RGB backlit keyboard is a pleasant bonus especially for gamers who prefer playing at night.
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.39 pound
⊕ Portability
⊕ Per-key RGB
⊕ Type-C charging
⊕ Long-lasting battery
⊖ Lacks a touchscreen
The ROG Zephyrus M is a decent laptop for Sims 4 equipped with a 15.6-inch Full HD display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time, which accounts for a smooth gaming experience. Besides, the integrated Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 GPU is great for high frame rate gaming but barely enough for demanding games at maximum settings.
The keyboard has per-key backlighting, which will add a thrill. You can customize colors and lighting effects using incorporated software. Thanks to the ROG Intelligent Cooling system with 2 fans and an anti-dust option, your laptop is protected from dirt and overheating.
CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 5.07 pound
⊕ Display with thin bezels
⊕ Cooling technology
⊕ Per-key RGB backlighting
⊕ An integrated webcam
⊖ Lacks a Thunderbolt 3 port
The MSI GL65 is a 15.6-inch laptop for Sims 3 that comes with the 10th generation Intel i7-10750H processor. Plus, the laptop has stunning RTX 2070 graphics, 16 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. Due to the thin bezels, the display looks even larger. With a 144Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution, you get a competitive device that delivers an unforgettable gaming experience.
Vibrant and rich colors, an IPS display with wide viewing angles and an anti-reflective surface will make you fall in love with this model. The per-key backlit keyboard was designed in partnership with peripheral manufacturer SteelSeries. The MSI GL65 comes with an integrated 720p webcam, which can do quite well in good lighting conditions.
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 256 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.74 pound
⊕ Future-oriented design
⊕ Great display
⊕ Chroma RGB backlight
⊕ Biometric security
⊖ Expensive
The Razer Blade 15 is a gaming laptop for Sims 4 fitted with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU. Due to the latest 6-core Intel Core i7 processor, it delivers a powerful performance. The model has a 15.6-inch matte sRGB display with a 240Hz refresh rate. The model comes with a built-in webcam, IR sensor and Windows Hello face recognition technology.
The keyboard has per-key backlighting and about 16 million colors that can be customized. The laptop supports USB 3.1 and allows you to connect up to 3 external displays via Thunderbolt 3, MiniDisplayPort and HDMI.
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 | RAM: 32 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.9 pound
⊕ Slim design
⊕ A great touchpad
⊕ Long-lasting battery
⊕ Decent keyboard
⊖ Doesn’t support USB-C charging
The MSI P65 Creator meets all Sims 4 requirements with an Intel Core i7-9750H CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 GPU. The 15.6-inch laptop has an anti-glare UHD display that delivers crisp and vivid images. With MSI True Color utility, you can switch and adjust sRGB to minimize blue light emissions.
You can choose presets for designers, office workers, gamers, etc. The MSI P65 Creator comes with three USB 3.1 ports, a mini-DisplayPort, HDMI, Ethernet and Thunderbolt ports. The touchpad has a fingerprint sensor compatible with Windows Hello.
CPU: Intel Core i7-10510U | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce MX250 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 13.3-inch | Weight: 2.83 pound
⊕ Thin design
⊕ The latest ScreenPad
⊕ Integrated IR camera
⊕ Wide connectivity
⊖ No Thunderbolt 3 port
The Asus ZenBook 13 comes with a discrete GeForce MX250 graphics chip that does a great job of keeping up with the demands of the Sims. The new model comes with an interactive secondary 5.65-inch touchscreen.
The Included ErgoLift hinge accounts for the improved typing experience and allows more airflow for faster cooling. The ZenBook 13 is equipped with an upgraded IR camera with night mode. You can easily access your device by using the Windows Hello face recognition technology.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 4800H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX2060 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 5.07 pound
⊕ An IPS panel with thin bezels
⊕ RGB backlit keyboard
⊕ Self-cleaning dual fans
⊕ Two speakers
⊖ No fingerprint scanner
The ASUS TUF Gaming A15 is one of the most powerful laptops that can run Sims 4 and other modern games thanks to its impressive specs. The incorporated GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card supports many games at maximum settings.
With 16 GB of DDR4 RAM, you can cope with any task faster. The laptop comes with a 1 TB solid-state drive, which facilitates the fast launching of applications and games. The laptop was designed with a 6-row RGB backlit chiclet keyboard.
CPU: Intel Core i7-10750H | GPU: Nvidia Geforce RTX 2070 | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 1 TB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 4.65 pound
⊕ Light and compact
⊕ Powerful performance
⊕ Great display
⊕ Enhanced keypad
⊖ No SD card reader
The Alienware M15 features technology that minimizes blue light emissions. The laptop has a 15.6-inch FHD display that delivers high-quality images and has fast response times.
The keyboard features 4-zone RGB N-Key rollover and anti-ghosting technology. The model comes with a special cooling option that allows the laptop to operate better and deliver faster performance.
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H | GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX1660Ti | RAM: 16 GB | Storage: 512 GB | Display: 15.6-inch | Weight: 5.0 pound
⊕ UHD AMOLED panel
⊕ Backlit keyboard
⊕ Webcam cover
⊕ Integrated fingerprint scanner
⊖ Cooling fans are noisy
The Gigabyte AERO 15 comes with an integrated fingerprint sensor compatible with Windows Hello. Its 15.6-inch Samsung UHD AMOLED display is X-RITE Pantone certified and delivers accurate colors. The backlit keyboard is very responsive. A ControlCenter utility helps you configure settings right from your desktop.
With it, you can control the CPU, GPU, memory and drive usage, as well as adjust the screen brightness. Besides, ControlCenter gives you quick access to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and keyboard backlighting settings.
| Image | Name | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
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HP OMEN
Our Choice |
CHECK PRICE→ | |
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ROG Zephyrus M
Portable |
CHECK PRICE → | |
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MSI GL65
Affordable |
CHECK PRICE → |
You need to buy a laptop with recommended specifications to enjoy an immersive gaming experience. To choose a model that meets the Sims 4 requirements, pay attention to its processor, GPU and RAM.
If you are looking for laptops for playing Sims 4, pay attention to the models that feature processors with a large number of cores. To make it easier for you to identify them, quad-core processors are marked with HQ, and dual-core ones are marked with U. To play at maximum settings, you need to use a quad-core processor, like i5-7300HQ, i5-6300HQ, i7-6500 HQ. Otherwise, you can use a dual-core processor, such as i3-5010U, i3-5020U, i5-5200U, i5-6200U, i3-7100U, i5-7200U, etc. If you aren’t on a budget, I recommend considering HQ processors for Sims 4.
The Sims is a very GPU demanding game, and therefore you should buy at least an Intel GMA X4500, ATI Radeon X1300 or NVIDIA GeForce 6600. You will need at least 128 MB of VRAM and Pixel Shader 3.0. While a dedicated graphics card isn’t necessary, it will deliver a more immersive gaming experience. If you’re on a budget, even a simple video card will greatly improve your gaming experience.
When you play at low settings, be prepared for low-quality visuals, which is especially noticeable on a large screen laptop. Besides, you won’t be able to get the most out of the expansion packs. When playing at low settings, the frame rate drops, which is especially noticeable in the areas with high activity. It also affects buildings and distant objects that seem to be a bit hazy.
The laptops that can run Sims 4 have a lot of RAM. Since the game is memory intensive, I recommend considering a device with at least 8 GB of RAM to avoid any delays. The more memory, the better your gaming experience will be. Don’t expect that you will see noticeable changes when you use 16 GB or more, but you will notice that other processes run faster.
If you are playing the first version of The Sims, any good laptop will work for you as the game is not demanding. If you’re considering updated versions, like Sims 3 and Sims 4, you’ll need a more advanced device with at least 2 GB of RAM, Windows XP +, 128 MB of dedicated video RAM and at least 10 GB of free space.
Windows 10 is a great option for launching The Sims 4, as it is the latest Microsoft OS with regular updates. Windows 10 delivers enhanced graphics performance that no other OS can offer, plus it’s one of the safest solutions out there.
Unfortunately, Chromebooks do not support The Sims 4 as the game requires either macOS or Windows. An alternative option is a console version for Xbox 1 and PS4. The Chrome OS is not compatible with The Sims.
Perhaps, your device does not have enough power, and the game requirements are too high for it. Besides, it might be made from a material that is prone to overheating. When you play heavy games, it is normal for a computer to overheat. You can fix this by installing special cooling fans.
