Best Laptops For Sims 4 in 2020 – UPDATED

Sims 4 is one of the best and most popular games even in 2020, Sims is fun and exciting to play. The game has come a long way since it started in 2000. Sims 4 was launched for Windows in 2014 and a year later for Mac. Unlike the Sims 3 game which was only developed for Windows. The latest version of the game is Sims 4 which allows creating your own characters, building your houses and developing relationships between characters. In here we are going to see what are the best laptops for Sims 4 in 2020.

Laptop configurations with Intel Core i9 CPUs, nvidia geforce RTX 2080 graphics card, and as much as 64GB of RAM sure seem very appealing. But when you find out how much they cost, your budget quickly brings you down to earth.

Do you need to spend several grand on a gaming laptop for something as undemanding as the game? Certainly not.

You may ask, can you get Sims 4 on a gaming laptop without any performance issue? If so, what to buy then?

If this is the question that bothers you, then our roundup of the best laptops for sims 4 to play the game may be able to help you!

Picking the correct one

First off, let’s try to understand what you need to pay attention to when picking the best laptop to play Sims 4.

In this guide, we won’t dive too deep into the technical stuff and will just overview two main things to keep in mind – system requirements and your needs other than playing the Sims 4. And when over-viewing the selected best laptops for sims 4 , we will focus around on these two criteria more.

System requirements

The sims 4 laptop requirements are as follows.

Minimum:

OS: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1, or Windows 10.

Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1, or Windows 10. CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 4000+.

Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 4000+. RAM: 4 GB

4 GB Free space: 9 GB for the base Sims 4 and an additional 1 GB for saves and expansion packs.

9 GB for the base Sims 4 and an additional 1 GB for saves and expansion packs. GPU: nvidia geforc e 6600 or better, AMD Radeon X1300 or better. 128 MB VRAM and Shader 3.0 support required.

6600 or better, AMD Radeon X1300 or better. 128 MB VRAM and Shader 3.0 support required. DirectX 9.0c.

Recommended:

OS: 64-bit Windows 7, 8/8.1, or 10.

64-bit Windows 7, 8/8.1, or 10. CPU: Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon X4.

Intel Core i5 or AMD Athlon X4. RAM: 8 GB

8 GB Free space: 9 GB for the base Sims 4 game and an additional 1 GB for saves and expansion packs.

9 GB for the base Sims 4 game and an additional 1 GB for saves and expansion packs. GPU: nvidia geforce GTX 650.

GTX 650. DirectX 9.0c.

You can run sims 4 even on a potato computer if we are speaking modern computer capabilities. A PC that would easily manage The game maxed out wouldn’t cost a fortune. If you want to play only The Sims 4 and won’t do any resource-intensive jobs like rendering or video editing, you won’t need a monster of a computer.

Your other needs

Don’t forget to consider your other needs as well. If you want to play other games, have a look at their system requirements. Ideally, you would want to go for the recommended specs of the most demanding game.

Also, if you do any kind of graphical or other work, you may want to get a little more powerful gaming laptop. Pay special attention to the RAM and CPU of the computer, as well as the GPU for graphic-intensive tasks. Again, aim at the system requirements of the most demanding software you will be using.

Detailed Configuration Analysis

If you are only run the game Sims 4 as a game and do other office work on your gaming laptop, you may consider the below configuration for your Laptop for sims 4.

CPU:

In the current Laptop market, you will rarely see processor less than Intel Core i3. So go for a minimum of Intel Core i3 processor. If you can afford Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 will be better options to run the game smoothly.

RAM:

For the Sims 4 laptop, you should buy a minimum of 4 GB Ram. But you will have a smooth gaming experience if you can go for an 8 GB Ram. That will be good enough for your day to day office work.

GPU:

GPU takes all the responsibilities of the graphical processing of the gaming laptops. And graphics are a crucial part of computer games like Sims 4. So it is necessary to have a dedicated graphics card if you play games on your Laptop. Otherwise, your CPU and RAM will be used heavily for graphical processing, reducing the overall performance of your Laptop. So if you are getting a dedicated GPU go for a minimum of Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 series GPU for the Laptop, you will play the Sims 4.

Hard Disk

The Sims 4 only requires 10 GB of storage. But with the expansion packs, you will need more space. The system and other generic applications also require around 100 GB storage. So if you only play the Sims 4 as a game, having a 250 GB storage is enough for your Hard disk drive for the game and the expansion packs. But if you are playing other computer games, select at least 1 TB hard disk drive.

SSD (Solid State Drive) is the latest technology in the hard disk industry of personal laptops. It will give you a significant performance boost. SSDs are comparatively super fast than the regular hard disk drives. Even your Windows boot-up time will reduce significantly when you are using an SSD. And your SSD will make a more smooth gaming experience for you as it reduces the reading and writing times for the storage.

OS

Do you have a Mac computer? It will not be a problem for the Sims 4. Developers have developed the Sims 4 for both Windows and Mac OS versions. But make sure you have a Mac book which manufactured after 2015.

Network Connectivity

You do not necessarily need an internet connection for playing the Sims 4. But it would be necessary if you had the internet connectivity to activate the game initially. So, at least when activation, your Laptop should have internet connectivity.

Now Lets see what laptop works best with Sims 4 from below section.

Our top picks for Best laptops for Sims 4 in 2020

MSI Gaming Laptop

If you want a high-performance laptop that isn’t too over the top, then the MSI GL62M might be the most suitable laptop to play the Sims 4 for you. In fact, this laptop can do much more than this.

Equipped with a 7th gen Intel Core i7 -7700HQ 2.8-3.8GHz 4-core intel core CPU and nvidia geforce GTX 1050Ti 4GB graphics card, this laptop is quite the powerhouse. As claimed by MSI, the configuration of this laptop allows it to deliver 58 fps in Battlefield 1, 73 fps in Overwatch, and around 60 fps in a few other FPS games on ultra settings. If you do love to play FPS sometimes, then this laptop is a solid choice with a nvidia geforce graphics card.

Storage is also great in the MSI GL62M laptop – this thing is equipped with a 1TB HDD, as well as a 128 GB SSD. The former is great for long-term file storage, while the latter allows for very quick system startup and game loading.

The RAM is decent in this laptop – 8 GB DDR4, which is more than enough for our game and should be sufficient for most applications, whether gaming or not.

MSI has also equipped this laptop with a red-backlit gaming keyboard, which should be excellent for gaming. It also should be very comfortable for typing, especially since it has a dedicated numpad.

The display in this laptop is sized at 15.6 inches and has a Full HD resolution, which is solid for the size. 15.6 inches are likely going to be enough for game, but it perhaps won’t be the right choice for FPS games.

In the end, the MSI GL62M laptop is a solid choice for people who aren’t going to limit themselves to just The Sims 4. This isn’t the most powerful laptop on our list, but it does deliver solid performance that should be sufficient for the years to come.

Pros:

High performance with intel core i7 processor.

Super graphics with nvidia geforce GTX 1050Ti GPU

GTX 1050Ti GPU Super-fast M.2 storage.

1TB of HDD storage space.

Red backlit gaming keyboard with a numpad.

Cons:

Pricey

Better Life is not the best

Dell Inspiron 7000 i7559

The Dell Inspiron 7000 i7559 laptop is a cheaper and less powerful alternative to the MSI GL62M laptop, but it still has a few things to boast.

This laptop has an older Intel Core i7-6700HQ 2.6-3.5GHz 4-core CPU and a laptop nvidia geforce GTX 960M 4GB graphics card. This is not slow hardware by any means, but the MSI laptop is going to be just a tad faster.

On the other hand, the Dell laptop has the edge in terms of memory – it’s got 16 GB of RAM, twice as much as the MSI laptop, albeit the RAM is DDR3 and thus may perform a bit slower.

The display in this laptop is particularly remarkable – it has a resolution of 4K and also has touch capacity. It delivers a beautiful and sharp image for the eyes to behold, but to be fair, we think that this laptop should have had Full HD resolution instead. The resolution difference won’t be noticeable with the 15.6-inch screen size, and the 4K resolution may also be taxing on the GPU while gaming.

Dell employed an interesting storage solution in this laptop – an SSHD, which is a hybrid of an HDD and an SSD. You get 1TB of HDD and 8GB of SSD storage in the included storage device. But while 8GB of SSD storage is nice, it won’t be enough for a Windows system.

Since fast system startup is one of the reasons people opt for an SSD in the first place, you may want to upgrade in the future, unless you simply don’t need it.

Overall, this laptop is quite a powerful piece of equipment, and it’s great for The Sims 4 and many other demanding games. With that being said, keep in mind that it’s a fairly old model, and it won’t be the correct buy in the long run.

Pros:

1TB of SSHD storage space.

4K touchscreen.

16 GB of RAM.

Backlit keyboard with a numpad.

Decent battery life

4 GB nvidia geforce GTX 960M GPU

Cons:

Just 8GB of SSD storage space.

Relatively slow DDR3 RAM.

The 4K display resolution is overkill for the size.

ASUS ROG Strix Scar II

Behold the most powerful and the most expensive laptop on our list! The ASUS ROG Strix Scar II laptop is an excellent option if you are looking for a gaming notebook for the years to come.

In fact, this laptop is particularly suitable for FPS games.

The centerpiece of this laptop is its 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate. Thanks to such a high refresh rate, the display is going to show more fps, which can provide you with a noticeable advantage in games where reaction is key.

The Strix Scar II laptop is powered by an 8th gen Intel Core i7-8750H 2.2-4.1GHz 6-core CPU and a nvidia geforce RTX 2070 GPU, which is the latest addition to nvidia geforce ’s gaming GPU line. This GPU isn’t the most powerful in the world, but it’s pretty up there. Not only that, but it supports ray tracing, and while this feature is yet supported in just a handful of games, expect more titles with this eye candy to come out in the future.

ASUS has also equipped this Asus Rog laptop with an extra-fast 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD, so system startup and game loading will only take seconds. However, keep in mind that 512GB isn’t too much nowadays.

The ASUS ROG Strix Scar II laptop also has an RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad. It hence is excellent for gaming and should be solid for writing.

In conclusion, this Asus Rog laptop can not only be the best laptop for Sims 4 but also be the right one for many other games and applications.

Pros:

144Hz refresh rate.

nvidia geforce RTX 2070 GPU with ray tracing support.

RTX 2070 GPU with ray tracing support. 16 GB of DDR4 memory.

Super-fast 512GB M.2 SSD.

RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad.

Decent battery life for a gaming laptop

Cons:

Very expensive.

Absolutely overkill if you don’t play demanding games.

512GB of total storage capacity.

HP Pavilion 15-cx0020nr

The HP Pavilion 15-cx0020nr isn’t a too cheap laptop, but it’s a solid bang for the buck.

HP has equipped this laptop with a high-performance Intel Core i5-8300H 2.3-4.0GHz 4-core CPU along with a nvidia geforce GTX 1050Ti 4GB graphics card. Combine this with the 8GB ram, and you get a great notebook that can also manage many other games and tasks.

The display in this notebook is nothing over-the-top, but it’s solid – it relies on a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS panel which is going to satisfy the majority of people.

HP has used a little bit different storage device setup in this laptop – it has paired a 1TB HDD with a 16 GB Intel Optane storage device, which is Intel’s take on SSD-like drives. Optane storage devices have very low latency and excellent drive speed, often exceeding that of some SSDs.

With that being said, the 16 GB of storage available in the Optane drive may not be sufficient for Windows operating systems, thus not allowing you to enjoy fast system startup times.

What we also don’t like in this laptop is that its 8GB RAM are not upgradable, which makes the Pavilion 15-cx0020nr not the correct choice for memory-intensive tasks.

But for lighter gaming and, of course, The Sims 4, this computer is going to be more than enough.

Pros:

Not too pricey.

Solid gaming performance.

Backlit keyboard with a numpad.

1TB of HDD storage space.

Average battery life

Cons:

Just 16GB of Intel Optane SSD storage.

The 8GB RAM is not upgradable.

ASUS VivoBook 15 X510UQ

The ASUS VivoBook 15 X510UQ laptop, unlike all the laptops overviewed previously, isn’t too overkill for The Sims 4. In fact, one could even say that it’s just right for it.

This laptop has a Intel Core i7-7500U 2.7-3.5GHz 2-core CPU paired with the nvidia geforce gtx 940MX mobile GPU, which delivers performance quite enough to run the game on high. The GPU in this laptop is a little weaker than the recommended nvidia geforce GTX 650, but the powerful CPU should allow you to comfortably play with the graphics settings maxed out.

The 8GB of DDR4 RAM also make this laptop suitable for other not too demanding games, as well as for not too resource-intensive non-gaming applications.

ASUS also boasts the 15.6-inch Full HD display with 178% viewing angles, which should make this laptop great for movie watching from a variety of angles.

For storage, the VivoBook 15 X510UQ laptop has a 1TB HDD, which is decent for what this laptop delivers. Unfortunately, ASUS doesn’t equip this laptop with an SSD, so it won’t be the right one in terms of program or system startup times.

This laptop also lacks keyboard lightning and a numpad, which means that it laptop won’t be as comfortable for writing as others.

With that being said, this laptop still is an excellent option since it’s not too overkill when it comes to performance. It should also have no problems with many other not too demanding games!

Pros:

Not too overkill for the game.

1TB of hard drive storage.

Wide viewing angles.

Sleek design.

Decent battery life

Cons:

Relatively weak GPU.

Non-backlit keyboard.

No SSD storage.

Acer Aspire E 15 E5

You could say that the Acer Aspire E15 E5-575G-57D4 laptop is just right for The Sims 4. If you intend to play nothing more demanding than The Sims 4, then this may be that perfect notebook for you.

The GPU in this laptop is the same as in the ASUS VivoBook 15, and it should be enough to manage the game on high settings. It is the NVIDIA GeForce gtx 940MX with 2GB Video Memory. The CPU, however, is a weaker 2.5-3.1GHz 2-core Intel Core i5-7200U, which should be just right for the game.

The amount of RAM here is the same though – 8 GB DDR4 – which is more than enough. In many applications, 8 GB is going to be pretty sufficient, let alone for playing the sims 4.

If you are also planning to do some writing on your laptop, then you will be glad to hear that the Acer Aspire E15 has a backlit keyboard with a numpad. Plus, it has a solid 15.6-inch Full HD LED display.

It’s also great that this laptop comes with 256GB of SSD storage space, allowing you to enjoy quick startup and file transfer. With that being said, there are no hard disk drives in this laptop, so you will be limited to those 256GB, which is not much.

In the end, if you aren’t planning to play anything other than The Sims 4, this is one of the best laptops to play the game.

Pros:

Just right for our game.

256GB SSD storage.

Backlit keyboard with numpad.

Good battery life

2 GB NVIDIA GeForce 940MX GPU

Cons:

Only 256GB of storage space.

Relatively weak GPU.

In below section we have reviewed budget laptop for Sims 4 if you are in a strict budget.

Cheap laptop for Sims 4

HP Notebook 15

Laptops with dedicated graphics card can be pretty expensive. Thus, if you are looking for a budget laptop for sims 4, look for one with integrated graphics card, just like the HP Notebook 15-ay011nr laptop.

With the Intel HD 520 GPU built into the Intel Core i5-6200U 2-core 2.3-2.8GHz processor, this laptop offers quieter and cooler performance – that’s because GPUs significantly add to the heat output and cooling requirements in any computer.

Of course, the tradeoff of this is performance – this laptop probably won’t be able to run the sims 4 on high, though it should be enough for comfortable playing on lower settings.

In spite of its inexpensiveness, this laptop comes with 1TB of hard drive storage space, but it includes no SSD drives. Its 8GB RAM is also decent, but it will be slower than modern DDR4 memory sticks.

With that being said, this laptop still packs a punch. It won’t be able to run too demanding programs or games, but it will probably do well if you aren’t the most avid gamer in the world. Plus, its keyboard with a numpad makes writing fairly comfortable, albeit the keyboard doesn’t have any illumination.

Pros:

Inexpensive

1TB hard drive storage space.

Lower operating temperatures.

A bit quieter operation.

Numpad

Cons:

No dedicated GPU.

No SSD drives.

Slower DDR3 memory.

Non-backlit keyboard.

Average battery life for a gaming

Acer Aspire ES 15

In terms of performance, this is the weakest laptop on our roundup of the best laptops for Sims 4. However, it may still be an excellent option for you.

The Acer Aspire ES 15 has the same Intel HD 520 inbuilt graphics card as HP Notebook 15-ay011nr, but the CPU is weaker – it’s an Intel Core i3-6100U 2-core 2.3GHz CPU. In terms of CPU performance, this thing will lag behind the HP laptop.

As for the GPU, things may actually be better – that’s because the 15.6-inch LED display in this laptop has a resolution of just 1366×768, while the HP laptop’s display was Full HD. Resolution is very taxing on GPU performance, so the lower resolution in the ES 15 laptop should even things out a bit.

The memory may be quite a weak spot though – 4GB of DDR3 RAM is very little nowadays, and while it will run the Sims 4 no problem, it may become a limiting factor in other applications. If you go for this laptop, consider a RAM upgrade.

On the other hand, storage capacity in this laptop is the same decent 1TB in an hard drive.

Overall, this is a very solid option of a budget Sims 4 laptop, but keep in mind that it may need some upgrades and that it won’t go into the future well since it’s already an old model.

Pros:

Very inexpensive.

1TB HDD storage space.

Lower temperatures.

Quieter operation.

Intel Core i3 processor will good enough

Battery life is decent

Cons:

No dedicated graphics card.

No SSD.

Non-backlit keyboard.

Only 4GB of DDR3 RAM.

Finally, we have ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH55, a budget alternative to the HP Pavilion 15-cx0020nr. The specs in these two machines are very similar, but the ASUS laptop is better in some and worse in other aspects.

Of course, not having a dedicated graphics card, this laptop is going to be significantly less powerful than the HP Pavilion notebook. The ASUS laptop has the familiar Intel HD 520 GPU which runs cool but doesn’t deliver high performance.

The CPU in the ASUS laptop is again a bit weaker since it has a lower TurboBoost clock of 3.4GHz (the HP laptop had 4.0GHz), but the core count is the same (4).

In terms of storage space though, the ASUS laptop is slightly better since it has a 128GB SSD in addition to its 1TB HDD. Not only that, but it a very handy safety feature – a fingerprint reader.

As for writing, the HP laptop is the clear winner – it has a backlit keyboard with a numpad, while the ASUS laptop has a simple keyboard with no illumination or a number pad.

In the end, the ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH55 laptop delivers very solid performance for the money. The absence of a dedicated graphics card implies its limits, but it also allows this laptop to run smoothly quieter and cooler.

Pros:

Attractive price.

8GB DDR4 RAM.

HDD + SSD storage.

Fingerprint reader.

Rather quiet and cool operation.

Good battery life for average use

Inbuilt intel hd graphics card

Cons:

No dedicated graphics card.

Non-backlit keyboard.

Conclusion

The Sims 4 doesn’t demand too high performance, but you need to be careful when trying to choose the right laptop. A laptop is a big investment, and you do want to make a buy that will perform well in the long run smoothly.

We’d suggest that you don’t go for too cheap computers since they are going to quickly show their limits in performance. We recommend you to go for a better laptop with dedicated GPU. Nvidia geforce series is recommended. It would make more sense to go for a newer and more powerful gaming laptop since it would pass the test of time much better. Technology advances fast, and what seems excellent today may become outdated tomorrow.

In the end, to get that best laptop for Sims 4 in 2020, pay attention to your needs, consider saving money for a better laptop, and do in-depth research to understand all those PC terms!

Related Questions

How to get Sims 4 on Laptop?

Getting The Sims 4 on your Laptop is not much hard. You have two options. You can either go for your local computer game shop, buy the Sims 4 DVD with a valid licence, and install it on your Laptop. Or you can purchase it online and download it to your gaming laptop through the Internet. You can select best laptops for sims 4 from our post above.

Do not install a pirated or cracked version of The Sims 4. It is illegal and a punishable offense, and it can cause severe damages to your computer and your sensitive data like your bank accounts, Credit Cards, and your social media and email account.

Can you play sims 4 on a Laptop?

Sims 4 is a game designed for both computers and consoles. It does not depend on the fact that your computer is a Desktop or a Laptop. What matters only is the performance of your computer. Even if your Desktop is an aged and low end one, you won’t be able to play The Sims 4 on your Desktop. But if you have a high-end laptop, you can run the Sims 4 smoothly. So you can play Sims 4 on a Laptop if the Laptop meets the minimum required configurations as mentioned by the developers.

What devices can you play sims 4 on?

Developers designed The Sims 4 for computers, mobiles and gaming consoles. As computers, the game can play on both Desktop and gaming laptops if they meet the minimum requirements. You can play it even on Mac computers. When considering the gaming consoles, it supports PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Now the developers have released the mobile version of The Sims 4 for both Android and iOS devices. You can enjoy the mobile version of the game on your handheld device.

Categorised in: Budget Gaming Laptops, Games