SleepyD2k Guides - Purchasing a Computer for The Sims 4

There are many people out there who want to purchase a decent computer for The Sims 4. I am only covering PCs because that is the current operating system required for The Sims 4. Below are some tips to help with that purchase and to help you get the best deal.

Basic Buying Tips

• Avoid integrated graphics cards at all costs. Integrated graphics cards are not proficient for 3D-gaming. This is because they don't have their own memory and they have to share memory with the system. Using an integrated graphics card would not allow you the best experience because you would have to use lower settings or experience more lag. Instead look for computers that offer dedicated/discrete graphics cards.
• Go for a custom build instead of store bought. Several websites offer custom built gaming PCs at the same cost as one would pay for a store bought gaming PC. The problem with store bought gaming PCs is they are more expensive sometimes because they are branded. The consumer is paying for the HP, Dell, Acer, etc. name. Also, they go for the cheapest hardware setup rather than one that will last. For example, a computer will come with a good gaming card but will have the minimum required fan/cooling system installed to support it.
• Know and understand the system specs before you buy. Don't just buy a computer because the guy at the store said it was the best on the market. Know and understand what the system specs are before you buy and what specs you want to play the game on. If you want to play the game on the minimum, then go for a computer that offers those specs. If you want to play on a higher setting, look for a computer that has higher specs. If you plan on adding expansion packs, stuff packs, DLC, or mods, got for a computer with higher specs. Do your own research.
• Get the computer for the job. If you know you want to play games, go for a gaming machine. Don't go for a computer that is sold and branded as a computer for home office work. Don't buy a netbook to play the game on. Don't let myths that you have to spend thousands of dollars for a gaming machine discourage you. You can buy a decent custom built gaming machine for The Sims 4 for under $500.
• Don't overbuy. Computers and their parts are always advancing and older hardware comes down in price so you don't need to think too far into the future. A processor might sell for over $200 but in a year, it may be $50 or $100 cheaper. When you buy, look for a computer that is compatible with the parts you want to upgrade too.

The Sims 4 Specs
Note: The minimum specs are the specs required to play the game at the lowest setting. If you wish to play the game at higher settings you will have to buy a computer with higher specs.
REQUIRED: Internet connection required for product activation.
OS: Windows XP (SP3), Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1), Windows 8, or Windows 8.1
PROCESSOR: 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core 4000+ or equivalent (For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-62 or equivalent)
MEMORY: At least 2 GB RAM
HARD DRIVE: At least 9 GB of free space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games
DVD-ROM: DVD ROM drive required for installation only
VIDEO CARD: 128 MB of Video RAM and support for Pixel Shader 3.0. Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better
SOUND CARD: DirectX 9.0c Compatible
DIRECTX: DirectX 9.0c compatible
INPUT: Keyboard and Mouse

What The Specs Mean
Note: This information is based off of the specs given. There are several factors that can impact game performance. These factors will be discussed in a different guide after the game is released. Please have your DxDiag handy while going over this part of the guide.

• Internet Connection: This means that you will have to install Origin and activate your game through Origin in order to play it.
• Operating System: Most people buying a new computer won't have this problem. The game will only run on a Windows operating system. The game will not run on Chrome, Linux, or OS X.
• Video Cards: For those who do not know, video cards and graphic cards are the same thing. There are two types of video cards, discrete/dedicated and integrated/mobile. Discrete/dedicated video cards are can be easily upgraded and have their own memory. Integrated/mobile video cards cannot be upgraded and they share the system's memory. Integrated/mobile video cards are usually present in cheap computers and laptops. Below is a video card hierarchy chart (July 2014):
  Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart
  GeForceRadeonIntel
  Discrete: GTX Titan ZDiscrete: R9 295X2
  Discrete: GTX 690Discrete: HD 7990
  Discrete: GTX 780 Ti, Titan Black
  Discrete: GTX 780, TitanDiscrete: R9 290, 290X
  Discrete: GTX 590, 680, 770Discrete: HD 6990, 7970 GHz Ed, R9 280X
  Discrete: GTX 670, 760Discrete: HD 5970, 7870 LE (XT), 7950, 280
  Discrete: GTX 580, 660, 660 TiDiscrete: HD 7870, R9 270, 270X
  Discrete: GTX 295, 480, 570, 650 Ti Boost, 750 Ti
  Go (mobile): 680MDiscrete: HD 4870 X2, 6970, 7850, R7 265
  Mobility: 7970M
  Discrete: GTX 470, 560 Ti, 560 Ti 448 Core Discrete: HD 4850 X2, 5870, 6950
  Mobility: 7950M
  Discrete: GTX 560, 650 Ti, 750
  Go (mobile): 580M, 675M Discrete: HD 5850, 6870, 7790, R7 260X
  Mobility: 6990M
  Discrete: 9800 GX2, 285, 460 256-bit, 465Discrete: HD 6850, 7770, R7 260
  Mobility: 6900M
  Discrete: GTX 260, 275, 280, 460 192-bit, 460 SE, 550 Ti, 560 SE, GT 650, GT 740 GDDR5
  Go (mobile): 570M, 670M Discrete: HD 4870, 5770, 4890, 5830, 6770, 6790, 7750 (GDDR5), R7 250 (GDDR5)
  Mobility: HD 5870, 6800M
  Discrete: 8800 Ultra, 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, GTS 250, GTS 450
  Go (mobile): 560M, 660M Discrete: HD 3870 X2, 4850, 5750, 6750, 7750 (DDR3), R7 250 (DDR3)
  Mobility: HD 4850, 5850, 7870M
  Discrete: 8800 GTX, 8800 GTS 512 MB, GT 545 (GDDR5), GT 730 64-bit GDDR5
  Go (mobile): GTX 280M, 285M, 555M (GDDR5)Discrete: HD 4770
  Mobility: HD 4860, 7770M, 7850M
  Discrete: 8800 GT 512 MB, 9800 GT, GT 545 (DDR3), GT 640 (DDR3), GT 740 DDR3
  Go (mobile): 9800M GTX, GTX 260M (112), GTS 360M (GDDR5), 555M (DDR3) Discrete: HD 4830, HD 5670, HD 6670 (GDDR5), HD 7730 (GDDR5)
  Mobility: HD 5770, HD 5750, 6600M/6700M (GDDR5), 7750M
  Discrete: 8800 GTS 640 MB, 9600 GT, GT 240 (GDDR5)
  Go (mobile): 9800M GTS, GTX 160M Discrete: HD 2900 XT, HD 3870, HD 5570 (GDDR5), HD 6570 (GDDR5)
  Mobility: 6500M (GDDR5), 6600M/6700M (DDR3), 7730M
  Discrete: 8800 GS, 9600 GSO, GT 240 (DDR3)
  Go (mobile): GTX 260M (96), GTS 150M, GTS 360M (DDR3) Discrete: HD 3850 512 MB, HD 4670, HD 5570 (DDR3), HD 6570 (DDR3), HD 6670 (DDR3), HD 7730 (DDR3), R7 240
  Mobility: HD 3870, HD 5730, HD 5650, 6500M (DDR3)
  Discrete: 8800 GT 256 MB, 8800 GTS 320 MB, GT 440 GDDR5, GT 630 GDDR5, GT 730 128-bit GDDR5
  Go (mobile): 8800M Discrete: HD 2900 PRO, HD 3850 256 MB, 5550 (GDDR5)
  Mobility: HD 3850
  Discrete: 7950 GX2, GT 440 DDR3, GT 630 DDR3, GT 730 128-bit DDR3 Discrete: X1950 XTX, HD 4650 (DDR3), 5550 (DDR3)
  Integrated: HD 7660D
  Discrete: 7800 GTX 512, 7900 GTO, 7900 GTX, GT 430, GT 530
  Go (mobile): 550M Discrete: X1900 XT, X1950 XT, X1900 XTX
  Discrete: 7800 GTX, 7900 GT, 7950 G, GT 220 (DDR3)
  Go (mobile): 525M, 540M Discrete: X1800 XT, X1900 AIW, X1900 GT, X1950 Pro, HD 2900 GT, HD 5550 (DDR2)
  Integrated: HD 7560D
  Discrete: 7800 GT, 7900 GS, 8600 GTS, 9500 GT (GDDR3), GT 220 (DDR2)
  Go (mobile): 7950 GTX Discrete: X1800 XL, X1950 GT, HD 4650 (DDR2), HD 6450, R5 230
  Mobility: X1800 XT, HD 4650, HD 5165, 6400M
  Integrated: HD 6620G, 6550D, 7540D
  Discrete: 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GS, 8600 GT (GDDR3), 9500 GT (DDR2)
  Go (mobile): 7800 GTX, 7900 GTX Discrete: X800 XT (& PE), X850 XT (& PE), X1650 XT, X1800 GTO, HD 2600 XT, HD 3650 (DDR3), HD 3670
  Mobility: X1900, 3670
  Integrated: 6520G, 6530D, 7480DIntegrated: Intel HD Graphics 4000
  Discrete: 6800 GT, 6800 GS (PCIe), 8600 GT (DDR2), GT 520
  Go (mobile): 7800, Go 7900 GS, 520M, 520MX Discrete: X800 XL, X800 GTO2/GTO16, HD 2600 Pro, HD 3650 (DDR2),
  Mobility: X800 XT, HD 2600 XT, 3650
  Integrated: 6410D, 6480G
  Discrete: 6800 GS (AGP)
  Go (mobile): 6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 8600M GT, 8700M GT, 410M Discrete: X800 GTO 256 MB, X800 PRO, X850 Pro, X1650 GT
  Mobility: HD 2600
  Integrated: 6370D, 6380G
  Discrete: 6800, 7300 GT GDDR3, 7600 GS, 8600M GS
  Go (mobile): 6800, 7700 Discrete: X800, X800 GTO 128 MB, X1600 XT, X1650 Pro
  Mobility: X1800, HD 5145, HD 5470 (GDDR5)
  Discrete: 6600 GT, 6800LE, 6800 XT, 7300 GT (DDR2), 8500 GT, 9400 GT
  Go (mobile): 7600 (128-bit)5450, HD 5430, 6300M
  Discrete: 9800 XT, X700 PRO, X800 GT, X800 SE, X1300 XT, X1600 PRO, HD 2400 XT, HD 4350, HD 4550, HD 5450
  Mobility: X800, 3470, HD 5470 (DDR3), HD Integrated: HD 6310, HD 6320Integrated: Intel HD Graphics 3000
  Discrete: FX 5900, FX 5900 Ultra, FX 5950 Ultra, 6600 (128-bit)
  Go (mobile): 6800 (128-bit)
  Integrated: 9300, 9400 Discrete: 9700, 9700 Pro, 9800, 9800 Pro, X700, X1300 Pro, X1550, HD 2400 Pro
  Mobility: X1450, X1600, X1700, 2400 XT, X2500, 3450
  Integrated: HD 3200, HD 3300, HD 4200, HD 4250, HD 4290, HD 6250, HD 6290
  Discrete: FX 5800 Ultra, FX 5900 XT
  Go (mobile): 6600, Go 7600 (64-bit) Discrete: 9500 Pro, 9600 XT, 9800 Pro (128-bit), X600 XT, X1050 (128-bit)
  Mobility: 9800, X700, X1350, X1400, X2300, HD 2400 Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i5-6x1), 2000
  Discrete: 4 Ti 4600, 4 Ti 4800, FX 5700 Ultra, 6200, 8300, 8400 G, G 210, G 310
  Go (mobile): 315M Discrete: 9600 PRO, 9800 LE, X600 PRO, HD 2300
  Mobility: 9700 (128-bit), X600, X1300
  Integrated: Xpress 1250 Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Core i3 5x0, Core i5-6x0)
  Discrete: 4 Ti4200, 4 Ti4400, 4 Ti4800 SE, FX 5600 Ultra, FX 5700, 6600 (64-bit), 7300 GS, 8400M GS, 9300M G, 9300M GS Discrete: 9500, 9550, 9600, X300, X1050 (64-bit)
  Mobility: 9600Integrated: Intel HD Graphics (Pentium G)
  Discrete: 3 Ti500, FX 5200 Ultra, FX 5600, FX 5700 LE, 6200 TC, 6600 LE, 7200 GS, 7300 LE
  Go (mobile): 5700, 8200M, 9200M GS, 9100
  Integrated: 8200, 8300 Discrete: 8500, 9100, 9000 PRO, 9600 LE, X300 SE, X1150
  Mobility: 9700 (64-bit)Integrated: GMA X4500
  Discrete: 3, 3 Ti200, FX 5200 (128-bit), FX 5500,
  Go (mobile): 5600, 6200, 6400, 7200, 7300, 7400 (64-bit) Discrete: 9000, 9200, 9250
  Mobility: 9600 (64-bit), X300
  Discrete: FX 5200 (64 bit)
  Go (mobile): 7200, 7400 (32-bit)
  Integrated: 6100, 6150, 7025, 7050 Discrete: 9200 SE
  Integrated: Xpress 200M, Xpress 1000, Xpress 1150 Integrated: GMA X3000, X3100, X3500
  Discrete: 2 GTS, 4 MX 440, 2 Ultra, 2 Ti, 2 Ti 200 Discrete: 7500 Integrated: GMA 3000, 3100
  Discrete: 256, 2 MX 200, 4 MX 420, 2 MX 400 Discrete: SDR, LE, DDR, 7000, 7200 Integrated: GMA 500, 900, 950
  Discrete: Nvidia TNT Discrete: Rage 128 Discrete: Intel 740
  • Teal: indicates the card is discrete/dedicated
  • Purple: Indicates the card is integrated/mobile
  • Red: Non-supported cards
  • Green: Supported
  • If you have an Intel video card, make sure the dedicated memory (Video RAM) is set to 128 MB or more. If this is set to less, you will need to change this setting in the bios. Some computer manufactures may not allow you to change this setting and you will have to contact them to get this setting changed.
  • Always go three tiers about when looking for better performance.
• Processor: For those who don't know the processor and the CPU are basically the same thing. Below is a gaming processor hierarchy chart (July 2014):
  IntelAMD
  Core i7-2600, -2600K, -2700K, -3770, -3770K, -3820, -3930K, -3960X, -3970X, -4770, -4770K, -4790K
  Core i7-965, -975 Extreme, -980X Extreme, -990X Extreme
  Core i5-4690K, 4670K, 4670, 4570, 4430, 3570K, -3570, -3550, -3470, -3450P, -3450, -3350P, -3330, 2550K, -2500K, -2500, -2450P, -2400, -2380P, -2320, -2310, -2300
  Core i7-980, -970, -960
  Core i7-870, -875K
  Core i3-3250, -3245, -3240, -3225, -3220, -3210, -2100, -2105, -2120, -2125, -2130FX-9590, 9370, 8350, 8320, 8150, 6350, 4350
  Phenom II X6 1100T BE, 1090T BE
  Phenom II X4 Black Edition 980, 975
  Core i7-860, -920, -930, -940, -950
  Core i5-3220T, -750, -760, -2405S, -2400S
  Core 2 Extreme QX9775, QX9770, QX9650
  Core 2 Quad Q9650FX-8120, 6200, 6300, 4170, 4300
  Phenom II X6 1075T
  Phenom II X4 Black Edition 970, 965, 955
  A10-6800K, 6790K, 6700, 5800K, -5700
  A8-3850, -3870K, -5600K, 6600K
  Athlon X4 651K, 645, 641, 640, 740, 750K
  Core 2 Extreme QX6850, QX6800
  Core 2 Quad Q9550, Q9450, Q9400
  Core i5-650, -655K, -660, -661, -670, -680
  Core i3-2100T, -2120TFX-6100, -4100, -4130
  Phenom II X6 1055T, 1045T
  Phenom II X4 945, 940, 920
  Phenom II X3 Black Edition 720, 740
  A8-5500, 6500
  A6-3650, -3670K
  Athlon II X4 635, 630
  Core 2 Extreme QX6700
  Core 2 Quad Q6700, Q9300, Q8400, Q6600, Q8300
  Core 2 Duo E8600, E8500, E8400, E7600
  Core i3 -530, -540, -550
  Pentium G3258, G3220, G3420, G3430, G2130, G2120, G2020, G2010, G870, G860, G850, G840, G645, G640, G630Phenom II X4 910, 910e, 810
  Athlon II X4 620, 631
  Athlon II X3 460
  Core 2 Extreme X6800
  Core 2 Quad Q8200
  Core 2 Duo E8300, E8200, E8190, E7500, E7400, E6850, E6750
  Pentium G620
  Celeron G1630, G1620, G1610, G555, G550, G540, G530Phenom II X4 905e, 805
  Phenom II X3 710, 705e
  Phenom II X2 565 BE, 560 BE, 555 BE, 550 BE, 545
  Phenom X4 9950
  Athlon II X3 455, 450, 445, 440, 435, 425
  Core 2 Duo E7200, E6550, E7300, E6540, E6700
  Pentium Dual-Core E5700, E5800, E6300, E6500, E6600, E6700
  Pentium G9650Phenom X4 9850, 9750, 9650, 9600
  Phenom X3 8850, 8750
  Athlon II X2 265, 260, 255, 370K
  A6-5500K
  A4-6400K, 6300, 5400K, 5300, 4400, 4000, 3400, 3300
  Athlon 64 X2 6400+
  Core 2 Duo E4700, E4600, E6600, E4500, E6420
  Pentium Dual-Core E5400, E5300, E5200, G620TPhenom X4 9500, 9550, 9450e, 9350e
  Phenom X3 8650, 8600, 8550, 8450e, 8450, 8400, 8250e
  Athlon II X2 240, 245, 250
  Athlon X2 7850, 7750
  Athlon 64 X2 6000+, 5600+
  Core 2 Duo E4400, E4300, E6400, E6320
  Celeron E3300Phenom X4 9150e, 9100e
  Athlon X2 7550, 7450, 5050e, 4850e/b
  Athlon 64 X2 5400+, 5200+, 5000+, 4800+
  Core 2 Duo E5500, E6300
  Pentium Dual-Core E2220, E2200, E2210
  Celeron E3200Athlon X2 6550, 6500, 4450e/b,
  Athlon X2 4600+, 4400+, 4200+, BE-2400
  Pentium Dual-Core E2180
  Celeron E1600, G440Athlon 64 X2 4000+, 3800+
  Athlon X2 4050e, BE-2300
  Pentium Dual-Core E2160, E2140
  Celeron E1500, E1400, E1200

• • Teal: indicates the card is discrete/dedicated only
  • Red: Non-supported cards
  • Green: Supported
  • This list does not have all the processors on the market. It focuses on gaming processors. To find out if your processor will run the game visit http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php
  • Always go three tiers about when looking for better performance.
• Memory: For those who don't know, memory is the same thing as RAM. The maximum amount of memory needed for the game is 4 GB.
• Hard Drive: For this type of game the type of hard drive you get isn't really important. Just make sure you have the space.
• DVD-ROM: Make sure the computer has a DVD-ROM drive if you plan on buying the retail version of the game. A lot of new computers don't come with DVD-ROM drives. If the computer has a Blu-Ray drive make sure it is compatible with DVD-ROM. If the computer doesn't you will either have to purchase a digital version of the game or you will have to buy a USB DVD-ROM drive.
• Sound Card: Most cards are DirectX 9.0c compatible. Just verify this when buying your computer.
• Input: Although the input is keyboard and mouse, I have tried the demo on a touchscreen monitor and it did work for the game.

Sources:
http://www.thesims.com/faq#what-are-the-PC-minimum-system-requirements
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

Thanks for the reminders. I keep trying to talk myself into investing in the items I'll need to build myself a computer specifically designed for playing TS4 when it's released (our home computer only has an integrated graphics card at this point and time)...but I've been thinking it would be neat to build a computer into a cube casing mainly to play Sims 4.

Wish I'd had you as a resource last year when I custom built mine for far too much money...especially since I'm already replacing the hard drive.

Thanks for the feedback. I will do a guide on custom building and upgrading a computer once the specs are out for the game.

Thanks for that, SleepyD2k I'll be looking forward to it!

Bump because I updated.

I really appreciate this info, SleepyD2k....I think I've decided to just add a video card to our home desktop computer and use it to play Sims 4. All the other specs are up to par...we just had to sell our video card to help us pay a bill a few years back. I'll be continuing my research on that avenue. Thanks again (this is really helpful info)

I found out on Can You Run It with the System Requirements Lab that my system just barely scooted by on the lowest settings. http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/requirements/the-sims-4/12305/?p=a
I'm pretty excited... that means that I can put money toward preordering the game itself first...and then invest in a new video card at a later point and time.