sims 4 budget laptop

[Sandman]

My wife and I are looking for a budget laptop that can run Sims 4. We were looking at this one...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-laptop-amd-e1-series-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black/9925379.p?id=1219450405453&skuId=9925379

Will it run?

[Chromatix]

The Sims is traditionally quite a lightweight game, and it looks like the fourth version doesn't change that. AMD's E-series APUs also have relatively good built-in graphics, given that it's a low-end model, and are roughly as efficient as a pair of Athlon XPs at the same clock speed (which isn't brilliant performance, but it's normally adequate). So I was inclined to say yes...

...until I double-checked the detailed specs of the CPU in that machine. It runs at 1.0 GHz, without any "turbo mode" that might take advantage of thermal headroom. That simply isn't enough. You need to find one that can do 2.0 GHz (as long as it isn't a Pentium 4).

[Sandman]

Thanks. We are still shopping around and we don't want to break the bank on a laptop.

[Chromatix]

I suspect that particular model uses a low-speed chip to save power - cynically, to minimise the size of the battery they could get away with fitting.

You could look for another laptop with an AMD E2-series (rather than E1-series) or A-series APU. The A-series is much more powerful than the E-series, and likely to be very nearly as inexpensive.

[Sandman]

thanks! Ever since I got out of a previous employer my hardware knowledge has gone downhill.