The Best Laptop for The Sims 3 in 2021 | Best Picks + Buyers Guide
PC gaming is becoming more and more accessible each and every day. With tons of gamers now upgrading to gaming desktops and laptops instead of sticking to their consoles. And since PC gaming is so accessible to so many gamers now, there are tons of games out there that everyone can enjoy. One of those games is The Sims 3. A game that has been around for a long time now and once that’s gathered a large following. It’s a game that almost anyone can enjoy, provided they have the hardware to run it. To learn more, check out our Best Laptop for The Sims 3 Guide.
Best Laptop for The Sims 3 Guide
Fortunately for us, The Sims 3 has been out for a long time now. In fact, it’s been over 11 years since it came out all the way back in 2009. So you won’t need to be breaking the bank in order to get a machine that can run it. But there’s still a lot of choices out there and if you want to be gaming on a laptop, there are a ton of things to consider. This is why we’ve put together a list of some of the best laptops that you can get right now!
Lenovo IdeaPad 3 14″
- Resolution – 14” 1920 x 1080
- Memory – 8GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 3500U
- Graphics Card – AMD Radeon Vega 8 Graphics
- Battery Life – Around 4-6 hours
Starting things off on this list we’ve got a laptop that is a great option for all of the gamers on a budget. We’ve gone for this laptop from Lenovo for its affordability and smart design. Now at first glance, you’ll probably notice how simple this laptop looks. It has the trademark style of Lenovo which puts simplicity above all else. Which makes this a perfect laptop for both work and play. So if you’re looking for something that you can be used at your place of work this is a fantastic choice.
Taking a closer look under the hood here we can see that it isn’t just simple on the outside. We haven’t got anything fancy in terms of performance here and that means that if you’re a hardcore gamer, this laptop won’t be for you. But let’s see what we have here. First, the screen is a large 14” 1080p display that looks crisp and colorful. Then we have the 8GB of RAM that will allow your laptop to run smoothly when there’s a lot going on. The CPU is a mid-range Ryzen processor that is built with mid-range laptops in mind. So it’ll do the job just fine. Just don’t expect to be doing any heavy tasks on this laptop without it struggling. The GPU is an integrated card, which is to be expected. This particular GPU is built for notebooks but it should be able to handle The Sims 3 just fine. Though don’t expect to be doing modern gaming on this laptop. If you’re looking for something affordable and accessible then this is the laptop for you. For the casual gamer, this is all you really need.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Nice Screen
- Decent Battery Life
Cons:
- Not Very Powerful
- Not for Modern Gaming
ASUS TUF Gaming A15
- Resolution – 15.6” 1920 x 1080
- Memory – 8GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor – AMD Ryzen 5 4600H
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA Geforce GTX1650
- Battery Life – Around 5 hours
Next up, we’ve got a laptop that is definitely going to appeal to the more hardcore gamers out there. We’ve gone for this gaming laptop from ASUS for its fantastic performance at an affordable price. If you’re a little bit more serious with gaming then you might be looking for something like this. Aesthetically speaking, this laptop is a fantastic mix between a professional style and a more gamer-centric look. Which makes it perfect for both taking to your job and gaming on the go. No matter where you decide to use it, it’ll be a good fit.
But let’s take a deeper look at the laptop now and see what it can really do. Starting off with the screen, we’ve got a 15.6”, 1080p display here that looks great and has a refresh rate of 144Hz. The large size will make navigating the laptop much easier. Of course, this also makes the laptop bigger and heavier so take that into consideration. It has 8GB of RAM which is a good amount to ensure that your laptop runs smoothly. But if you tend to do a lot of tasks at once, keep an eye out for a laptop with more memory. The processor is an AMD Ryzen 5 4600H which is a fairly good CPU. Designed for laptops but able to still give out some pretty decent performance. This time we’ve got a dedicated GPU in the form of the GTX 1650. This is a pretty good mid-range card that can give you pretty good performance in most games. Though more modern games might struggle to hit 60fps. But if your only goal is to play The Sims 3, this is a fantastic laptop to do just that.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Large Screen
- Decent Battery Life
Cons:
- Modern Games Might Struggle
- Not Very Portable
Acer Predator Helios 300
- Resolution – 15.6” 1920 x 1080
- Memory – 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor – Intel i7-10750H
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2060
- Battery Life – Around 6 hours
Next up we’ve got a laptop that offers more power for those gamers that want great performance from their laptops. We’ve gone for this laptop from Acer for its great performance and aesthetics. For those of you that want a laptop that both acts and looks like a gaming machine, this is the one for you. Right away you should notice the RGB backlit keyboard that allows you to add a ton of color to your laptop. The back of the display also has these cool LEDs that add that extra bit of color that every gamer needs. Plus the laptop has an angular sort of look that adds a lot to the style here.
Let’s take a closer look at what this laptop can do now and you get a lot of bang for your buck. The screen here is a 15.6”, 1080p display that has a 144Hz refresh rate. This screen looks fantastic and does a great job of keeping the action looking smooth. We’ve got 16GB of RAM here which is really what you want for a higher-end laptop. This will make sure that your laptop doesn’t chug when it’s performing a lot of tasks at once. The processor is an Intel i7-10750H which is a really good CPU that sits on the higher end. This CPU should help those more intense gaming moments stay nice and smooth. The GPU here is an RTX 2060 which is a fantastic GPU that will run most modern games effortlessly. And if you’re buying this laptop for playing The Sims 3, it isn’t going to struggle at all. This is a great laptop to go for, but if you think that you still want something with a little more power, check out our other options.
Pros:
- Great Aesthetics
- Large Screen
- Great Specs
Cons:
- A Little Expensive
- Not Very Portable
MSI GL65 Leopard
- Resolution – 15.6” 1920 x 1080
- Memory – 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor – Intel i7-10750H
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2070
- Battery Life – Around 5 hours
Next up we’ve got a laptop that offers a ton of performance for those in need of it. We’ve gone for this gaming laptop from MSI for its fantastic performance and its few handy features. Again the first thing you’re likely to notice here is the RGB backlit keyboard and it looks fantastic. Giving the laptop a ton of color and vibrance which it needs considering how plain it is elsewhere. This is another laptop that toes the line between being more of a gaming machine and more of a work device. Which is perfect if you’re someone that wants a laptop for both work and play.
In terms of performance and the specs, we’ve got a great laptop. Starting off with the screen which is a 15.6”, 1080p display that offers a ton of detail and vibrancy. It also has a 144Hz refresh rate which means that you’ll get snappy response times in the moments where you’ll need to be alert. It has 16GB of RAM which is a great amount of memory to avoid your laptop from choking up. The CPU is once again the Intel i7-10750H which is a really good high-end CPU. It’ll make your laptop run smoothly when it counts and avoid stuttering during heavier moments. And finally, the GPU in this laptop is the RTX 2070. A fantastic graphics card that will let you crank up the graphics on most games all the way up. Plus with ray tracing becoming more and more popular, it’s good to get on the RTX train sooner rather than later. So while this laptop may be a little overkill for The Sims 3, it’s a great choice for those who are serious about gaming in all of its forms.
Pros:
- Great Aesthetics
- Large Screen
- Fantastic Specs
Cons:
- A Little Expensive
- Not Very Portable
Razer Blade 15
- Resolution – 15.6” 1920 x 1080
- Memory – 16GB DDR4 RAM
- Processor – Intel i7-9750H
- Graphics Card – NVIDIA Geforce RTX 2060
- Battery Life – Around 5 hours
For our final option on this list we’ve gone for a laptop that combines a lot of different elements. We’ve gone for this gaming laptop from Razer for its great specs and simple design. And if you want to talk about simple looking laptops, this is one of the best. It has a slim, clean feeling that a lot of laptops struggle to make look interesting. It also has an RGB backlit keyboard which adds that bit of colour that’s desperately needed. Overall this is a gaming laptop that is the perfect mix between work and play.
Something you might have noticed straight away is that this laptop seems to be less powerful than our other option. And that is correct, but this is the laptop you want for raw performance. The benefit of this laptop is portability and lightweight use. But this is still a powerhouse of a laptop. So let’s take a closer look at what it can do. It has a 15.6”, 1080p screen that has a 144Hz refresh rate. The laptop looks great, providing a vibrant and crisp way to view the action. It has 16GB of RAM which is the perfect amount for a gaming laptop in order to make your laptop run smoothly. The CPU is an Intel i7-9750H which is a really good processor that sits on the high end. So it’ll easily be able to keep up with your more intense gaming moments. The GPU is the RTX 2060 which is a fantastic graphics card. Able to give you some really high fidelity gaming at 60fps. So if you want a laptop that really packs a punch while still being in a slim, light package, this is the one for you.
Pros:
- Great Aesthetics
- Large Screen
- Great Specs
Cons:
- Expensive
- Trades Performance for Portability
See Also: The Best Laptop for Final Fantasy 14
Best Laptop for The Sims 3 Buying Guide
If you’ve come this far down the list and you still aren’t sure which laptop you should buy, don’t worry! In this section, we’ll be giving you some helpful tips and extra advice to assist you with your purchase.
What you need to run The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is a pretty old game at this point. Since its release in 2009, there have been massive leaps in technology, and the components needed to run the game are cheaper than ever. The Sims 3 wasn’t even very cutting edge when it came out and realistically a lot of people were able to run it without having great gaming PCs. So it goes without saying that the requirements these days really aren’t taxing to your system at all. Here are the minimum system requirements for The Sims 3:
Minimum System Requirements
- 4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
- 5 GB RAM
- 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
- Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1
- At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games
So as you can see you really don’t need anything special to be able to run this game. The most important aspects here are that you make sure your laptop has a decent GPU and more than 2GB of RAM. That way you can ensure that you’ll have a smooth experience playing The Sims 3.
Pick a laptop that fits in with your lifestyle
One of the most important aspects when deciding to buy a new laptop, or any bit of tech really, is how it’ll fit in with your day-to-day. Spending your hard-earned cash on something that’s actually making your life harder is a little bit backward really, isn’t it? So you need to pay careful consideration to whether a new laptop will fit in with what you do. For instance, if you travel a lot and use a laptop on the go, you don’t want anything big and bulky. You want to aim to get a laptop that is light and portable with a good bit of battery life. But if you need a machine to work from home but don’t want to be stuck at a desk with a PC you can be a little freer with your choice. Aim to get a laptop that packs a lot of power and don’t be afraid to get something with a bigger screen. Battery life is less of an issue here if you’ll be home since you can charge it anytime.
Tips:
- Even though you won’t need it really, it’s strongly recommended that you buy a mouse to play games on your laptop. Playing PC games with a laptop trackpad is never a fun experience and it’s almost always better to go with a decent mouse.
- If you’re completely new to The Sims 3, check out guides and introduction videos on YouTube so that you have some knowledge going in
- If you’re going to be mainly using the laptop at home, make sure you get a laptop with a big screen. The bigger the screen the easier the game will be to play. But if you’re looking for something that is more easily portable, aim to get a smaller laptop that still has a good screen.
- If all you plan on playing is The Sims 3, don’t go all out on the most expensive laptop you can find. Find a laptop that can fit in with your daily lifestyle and only get what you need.
Verdict
That’s our list for ‘The Best Laptop for The Sims 3. If it helped you out at all please don’t hesitate to let us know! Thanks for reading.
