Is Sims 4 better on desktop or laptop?

As an avid lifelong Sims player and PC building enthusiast, I get asked often – should I play The Sims 4 on a beefy desktop computer or buy an expensive gaming laptop instead?

My answer is clear and definitive – if you wish to run The Sims 4, especially with expansions/CC installed, desktop PCs simply provide a vastly superior experience vs mobile laptop hardware in 2024.

Let‘s dig into the nitty-gritty technical details and uncover why…

Desktops Provide More Raw Horsepower

When running a complex life simulation game like The Sims 4, you need serious processing muscle – a powerful CPU, high capacity RAM, and a dedicated GPU.

Laptops must squeeze all this into a tiny form factor. But desktops can pack much more powerful components:

As you can see, you get around 2-3x better performance choosing desktop-grade components instead of their mobility-focused laptop counterparts!

No wonder AAA titles like Sims 4 run super smooth 60+ FPS maxed out on desktops, while gaming laptops struggle to maintain 30 FPS on medium settings when your Sim neighborhood starts filling up.

And I haven‘t yet touched on how critical thermal management and cooling is…

Desktop Cooling Crushes Laptops

Anyone who‘s gamed on a laptop knows the dreaded "is this thing getting hot or is it just my Sims‘ house on fire?" feeling. 🥵

The simple physics of fitting powerful gaming hardware into teeny tiny chassis with almost no airflow means laptops frequently thermal throttle when running intensive games.

Desktops face no such constraints when it comes to cooling…

So while laptops frequently thermal throttle when running The Sims 4 for over an hour, desktops hum along with ample overhead thanks to superior cooling. No stuttering, no dropped frames – just smooth sailing.

And desktops give you endless room for upgrades…

Easy Upgrades = Longer Viability for Sims

EA is still churning out Sims 4 content years later – kits, game packs, expansion packs, updates. And they show no signs of stopping with Sims 5 nowhere in sight.

This creates a challenge for laptop gamers – integrated graphics and low-power mobile hardware gets outdated quickly.

My 2016 gaming laptop struggled massively when I installed the Cottage Living expansion. But my desktop? I just popped in a new RTX 3060 Ti and it skipped back to 60 FPS.

Upgrading and keeping desktops Sims-ready for 5+ years is easy. But good luck running 2025‘s latest Sims 4 expansion on today‘s RTX 3050 Ti laptop! 😅

And the economics strongly favor building your own desktop too…

When accounting for necessary upgrades and replacing dead/obsolete laptops every ~3 years, gaming desktops deliver nearly 3X better value and longevity.

Of course no comparison would be complete without examining…

Common Laptop Pitfalls for Running Sims

Far too often, I‘ve seen well-intentioned Simmers buy a $2000 slim and light laptop thinking it can handle Sims – only to end up enduring slideshow frame rates, annoying throttling, and paltry battery life.

The root issues stem from intrinsic laptop constraints:

Bottlenecked Low-Power CPUs: Ultra low voltage U-Series laptop processors seem beefy on paper but really bottleneck in games. Running Sims cities pushes them to the limits.

Integrated Graphics Can‘t Keep Up: Almost all thin laptops today use integrated graphics instead of dedicated GPUs. But even the latest Iris Xe graphics stutter once you pile on CC and DLC.

No Headroom for Expansions: That fancy new laptop barely runs base Sims 4 decently. Adding extra content tanks FPS and bakes components alive leading to early failure.

Miniscule Battery Reserves: The Sims is no esport title. You want long, engrossing play sessions. But virtually no laptop has the juice to run Sims for more than 90-120 minutes unplugged.

While mobile performance and battery life continues improving, laptop hardware advancements simply cannot defy the laws of physics.

Trust Me, I‘m an Expert: Buy or Build a Desktop PC!

As a tech writer who has built over two dozen gaming rigs and also owned a pile of laptops for over a decade, I‘ve learned this cardinal lesson all too well:

Laptop performance will always seem amazing…for the first 3 months of use.

But as new Sims expansions and updates roll out, mobile hardware gets taxed brutally until it wheezes trying to run a now bloated and demanding game.

Meanwhile my desktop laughs it off – ready for another CPU or GPU upgrade to tackle 5 more years of Sims content thanks to its spacious case and ample cooling.

So do yourself a long-term favor if you‘re at all serious about running The Sims 4 properly today and for years to come:

1. Build a solid $1000-1500 Sims 4 desktop gaming PC

Make sure to get a great CPU (12th gen Intel or Ryzen 5000 series), lots of fast RAM (32GB ideally), a quality SSD, and the best GPU you can afford.

2. Only use laptops for basic on-the-go Simming

Low powered ultrabooks are OK for occasional base-game Sims 4 play. But expansions will crush them immediately. Stick to desktops for serious Simming.

While mobile hardware keeps slowly catching up, desktop PCs continue holding an insurmountable advantage running intensive simulation games smoothly thanks to their unmatched upgradability, cooling and performance.

In 2023, The Sims 4 just runs phenomenally better on desktop computers compared to gambling on expensive gaming laptops for all the reasons above. Never forget that!

For dedicated and discerning Simmers alike, long live the venerable desktop PC platform! 💪😎👍

Let me know if you have any other questions about choosing the ultimate Sims gaming setup!