What is the best laptop to play Sims 4, Sims 3, and Minecraft on?

KittyKatGaming

Estimable
Aug 3, 2015
1
0
4,510
Hi there!
I am looking for a gaming laptop that will be able to run Sims 4, Sims 3, and Minecraft smoothly, as well as other downloadable PC games.
I would prefer if it was under $500, but if its a bit over thats ok.
Thank you!
 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


For the sims 3 and 4 with all eps you need to look at recommended requirements. Minimum requirements are for base game only and they are for desktop not laptop. Both games require a mid range gaming desktop or higher end gaming laptop. You wont find a laptop in the $500. You might be able to find a desktop. Gaming Laptops are more expensive than desktop and desktops are better for gaming
 

Karen_3

Estimable
Oct 6, 2015
1
0
4,510


 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


Unfortunately with EA minimum requirements on sims games are base game only . One needs to look at recommended requirements if you want to survive the whole game as patches, eps and packs get added. The game will become more and more demanding. Also The games recommended requirements are mid range gaming desktop not laptop and laptops are weaker than desktop so one needs higher end gaming laptop to equal that of a mid range gaming desktop. I help in the EA tech threads. There are several people that can no longer play this game on cheap laptops

That acer aspire you posted has integrated graphics. This game does require a dedicated video card

 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


You quoted my post without commenting. Are you looking for something to run the sims 3 and 4? If your in the USA something like this will work on desktop. Gaming laptops and custom desktops/laptops are more expensive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227507&cm_re=gtx_950-_-83-227-507-_-Product
 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


The games requirements are for desktop not laptop . Desktop you need GTX 650 or better, and i5 or amd fx processor and a computer with 8gb ram.

For laptop you really need a GTX 960m or better, and i7 HQ or MQ processor and 8gb ram
 
See link below for Sims 4 benchmarks performed by Notebookcheck.net. At 1920x1080 resolution using "high preset" graphics the nVidia 940m can get on average 38.75 FPS from all the laptops they have tested the Sims 4 with.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Sims-4-Benchmarked.125840.0.html?sort=b_293_822&deskornote=0&or=&search=&month=&benchmark_values=&gpubenchmarks=0&professional=0&archive=0&dx=0&multiplegpus=0&showClassDescription=0&condensed=0&showCount=0&showBars=0&showPercent=0&gpu_fullname=1&codename=0&architecture=0&pixelshaders=0&vertexshaders=0&corespeed=0&shaderspeed=0&boostspeed=0&memoryspeed=0&memorybus=0&memorytype=0&directx=0&opengl=0&technology=0&daysold=0

The following link is to Notebookcheck.net's benchmark page for the nVdia 940m. Sims 4 has only been tested on two laptops with the 940m. The 35.7 FPS is from a Lenovo ThinkPad T450s with a Core i5-5200u. The 41.8 FPS is from an Acer Aspire E5-573G-5785 with the same CPU. Click the FPS results to see the specs.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-940M.138027.0.html
 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


Just advice never use notebook check with sims games. Its not accurate, it does not calculate adding patches, eps, game packs etc. Like I sad I help in the EA tech threads and know what is needed to run this game. ALWAYS look at recommended specs when it comes to the sims games. This will insure you can run eps, packs and patches as more and more gets added

I play the sims 3 on a GTX 770m i7 16gb ram , SSD hard drive

This is what you look at for desktop on the sims 3

http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements
 



That's nice. But I have seen someone play the Sims 3 and several of the EPs on a laptop with an Intel HD 3000 at 1366x768 resolution and low graphics. It looked "ok" when I asked how's the performance, the guy basically stated "pretty decent" considering the EPs he installed and the fact it was only an Intel HD 3000 graphic core. It looked like about 20 FPS - 25 FPS to the naked eye. Not everyone can afford a gaming laptop / desktop so I am pretty sure some people are just happy to be able to play a game with decent enough performance given a very low budget.

Regarding the Sims 4 and the nVidia 940m... If adding new EPs severely lowers the average FPS of 38 - 39 at 1080p resolution and high settings, then people can always lower the resolution and / or graphic settings. Not everyone can afford or want to spend $900 - $1,200 for a "gaming laptop".
 

Phoebebebe13

Estimable
Jul 24, 2015
22
0
4,570


Yes there are those few lucky that can somehow run the sims 3 on integrated graphics but I would not advise it. Not everyone is lucky so the game may not run. Especially on newer hardware. We have seen people blow their computers up gaming on something they should not. Pets is the most demanding ep it could be a game all by itself. Island Paradise , Into The Future and seasons not far behind pets.

To be honest the sims 4 is optimized really poorly . Just the base game on some very high end machines with vertical sync will go from 60 to 40 fps. There was a patch around July that made the fps worse. We are seeing r9 280 and 970, 980 desktop cards dropping into the teens on fps. There is no fix at the moment.. My 770m because of the patch I cant get higher than 40 fps on the sims 4. The sims 3 plays no problem at solid 60 fps.

I do understand not everyone can afford $1000 but since your on here Im sure you know gaming is an expensive hobby . You also cant change a laptop unlike a desktop . My advice is for people to save and get a good gaming laptop if they must game on laptop . if not go for desktop

I cant say the 940m will run all the sims 3 well and I cant say the 940m will survive the whole sims 4 game. The 900 series cards both laptop and desktop are better than previous nvidia series . A 960m is about equal to my 770m ,
 

Shel130

Estimable
Dec 3, 2015
2
0
4,510


 

Shel130

Estimable
Dec 3, 2015
2
0
4,510
I searched & searched for a laptop that had the Recommended Requirements & ended up buying a Lenovo Y50-70 Touch. I did pay around $1,000 for it in March of 2015.

It is 64-bit i7 HQ 2.60 GHZ 8GB with an NVIDIA GTX 860M.

We play the Sims 4 with no issues. I have installed 3 of the 9 packs availavle. It still runs very smooth.
 

fattycheeks1

Commendable
Aug 11, 2016
2
0
1,510
Would you then recommend a 2016 mac mini for sims 3 and/or 4 and minecraft then? I know it has enough ram and the fusion hd but it has iris graphics and I am not sure what that means? TYIA, as I am also stuck on what to buy for my daughter for her gaming needs.
 
Based on the following article, the 2016 version of the Mac Mini has not been released yet. It was published yesterday by Macworld. The article merely speculates on when it will be released and what the specs could be.

http://www.macworld.co.uk/news/mac/new-mac-mini-2016-release-date-rumours-uk-new-mac-mini-specs-new-features-3472956/#toc-2


The one that is currently available is from 2014 and it uses a 4th generation (Haswell) Intel Core i5/i7 CPU. Intel is currently up to the 6th generation (Skylake) with the 7th generation (Kaby Lake) to be released later this year. The 2016 Mac Mini is speculated to use a 7th generation Intel CPU.

The "Iris Graphics" likely refers to the Intel Iris Graphics 5100. It should be fine for the Sims 3 since it is a pretty old game. It should be good enough for Minecraft, but installing Optifine would boost performance. As for the Sims 4, it should be adequate, but new expansions generally increases the graphics requirements of the game... and we are talking about graphics core that will soon be 3 generations old. And the fact that integrated graphics is rather weak for playing games, but they can provide adequate performance in most non demanding games.

Dedicated graphics (GPU) is generally recommended for playing games even a relatively weak one will perform better than integrated graphics. Would you be willing to consider a Windows based laptop?
 

fattycheeks1

Commendable
Aug 11, 2016
2
0
1,510
I got those specs when I went to apple.com and just did a few upgrades. But I can see that you know way more than I do about this stuff. I wouldn't even purchase a mac mini until late 2016 anyway but I am glad to get your info before I would've made a rash purchase.

Do you think I should wait for the mac mini to be released, as a mac guy myself, or go with windows and either get a pre built or custom desktop? Thanks for the info it is greatly appreciated.

 
From a gaming perspective i recommend a windows laptop because you can purchase one with a dedicated graphics chip for a relatively low price. If you prefer a Mac then wait for the new Mac Mnii to be released or perhaps purchase a laptop since i will be portable. For example, if you go on vacation your daughter can play those games on the laptop whereas the Mac Mini you would need to connect a keyboard / mouse and a display to it,

If you go with a MacBook, then just be aware that it will be relying on integrated graphics for games so overall the performance will be lower compared to Windows laptop with a dedicated GPU. One thing to also keep in mind is build quality. Macs usually have good build quality because there is really only one player, Apple. You can buy a relatively inexpensive Windows laptop with a dedicated GPU, but the build quality would not be as good as a Macbook; though more expansive laptops do generally have better build quality.