How To Make Sims 4 Run Faster On Your Laptop | Eliminate Lag

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How To Make Sims 4 Run Faster

You are probably enjoying playing Sims 4 on your laptop. But if you’ve been experiencing problems with the game running slowly, you’re not alone. In this blog post, I will share some tips I use myself, so you can learn how to make Sims 4 run faster on your laptop.

I also provide a few troubleshooting tips, in case these methods don’t work. I case you’re having trouble getting the game to start up at all. So without further ado, lets dive in.

How to Make Sims 4 Run Faster?

In order to improve performance and make Sims run faster on a laptop. Several steps should be taken. Firstly, ensure that the laptop meets the system requirements for running Sims 4. If these requirements are not met. The Sims 4 game may not run or experience lag.

See What Specs Does A Laptop Need For Sims 4

Additionally, check the in-game graphics settings and ensure they are not too high. High graphics settings can cause performance issues. It is also important to have the latest drivers installed, particularly those for the graphics card. Outdated drivers can lead to all sorts of performance issues.

Furthermore, ensure that the laptop is free of viruses and malware, as these can slow down the game or prevent it from running at all. For more detailed information and tips read on.

If you’re not sure read on as I will explain each step in much more detail. Plus, some other tips to help improve performance and you can learn how to make sims 4 run better on your laptop computer.

What Does The Sims 4 Need to Run Smoothly?

Good laptops for Sims 4 need to meet at least minimum system requirements. As long as it meets these specs, you can run the game without any problems. If your laptop computer falls below these requirements, you may experience lag or other performance issues. These specs are: 

COMPONENTMINIMUMRECOMMENDED
Operating SystemWindows 8Windows 10
Memory (RAM)4GB RAM8GB RAM
Storage Space18GB Free Space25GB Free Space (SSD)
Graphics PowerNVidia GTX 650NVidia GTX 1050 or Better
Processing Power1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
AMD Athlon 64 Dual-Core
4000+ or equivalent
Intel Core i5 8th Gen, or
AMD Ryzen 5 3000 Series
DirectX versionDirectX 9.0, 10, 11 CompatibleDirectX 9.0c Compatible
Table: Minimum and Recommended System Requirements to run The Sims 4

Clearly, you don’t need the best laptops for Sims 4 smoothly. You only need an NVidia GTX 650 GPU or higher. However, Sims 4 will also run fine with integrated graphics.

As for RAM, 4GB RAM is enough and so is 20GB of free storage space and you’ll find that most modern budget gaming laptops under 800 dollars would easily surpass these requirements.


How do you Make Sims 4 less laggy?

Before we dive into our tips to help make Sims 4 run faster, you must ensure your laptop is up to date. And Windows laptops can be a pain to keep updated. But not as painful as experiencing laggy Sims 4 gameplay. Besides, updates often include hugely important performance and security fixes.

Updating Windows

  • Click “Windows Key”, type “Updates”
  • Select “Check for Updates”
  • If needed, restart your laptop.
Windows Update Sheet

PRO TIP: Change Active Hours – Choose a more convenient time that will not interfere with your workflow. This will ensure that you are not interrupting your Sims gameplay with updates.

Update Your Hardware

For a smooth Sims 4 laptop experience, you must ensure that your hardware drivers (CPU, GPU, Audio etc) are up to date. You can either check with the manufacturers’ website for any available driver updates. If you have AMD hardware or Nvidia hardware installed you should also check them.

It is the same for your processor, check if it is up to date. If you haven’t already done so, you should download and install Intel’s Driver & Support Assistant. For an AMD processor, check the AMD Software.

How To Check Your Driver Versions

If you’re not sure which drivers are currently installed on your laptop you can follow the instructions below. You will find the following, the name, manufacturer, chip type, driver Version, and date of release.

  • Press Windows key + R 
  • Enter dxdiag and click OK
  • Switch to the Display tab

Update Drivers Through Windows

  1. Press Windows + R key to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type devmgmt.msc in the box and click OK.
  3. Click Display, and right-click on Graphics and Update Driver.
  4. Click Search Automatically for updated driver software to continue.
  5. Follow the instructions, then click Finish to complete the process.
  6. You will then need to reboot your laptop

Note: Windows does not always find the correct drivers

Updating Drivers Using Windows 1
Updating Drivers Using Windows Device Manager

PRO TIP: Use Driver Easy – If you have a Windows laptop the Driver Easy tool will scan your computer for outdated drivers. It will also update them automatically if you select that option.

Cleaning Up Your Laptop for Speed

Cleaning up redundant files and folders and deleting unnecessary programmes can have a huge impact on performance. Not to mention, can help free up much-needed storage space.

You can use a tool like CCleaner to scan your computer for temporary files and folders that you can remove. As well as any cache files from your web browser and operating system.

CCleaner is FREE to use

CCleaner for Windows

Once CCleaner has finished scanning your laptop. It will give you a list of all the items that can be safely removed. Simply tick the boxes next to each one and hit “Run Cleaner”. You can also use CCleaner to uninstall any unnecessary programs.

PRO TIP: Use Glary Soft UtilitiesThis is an all-in-one utility that can help clean up your hard drive, uninstall programs, and more that will help your laptop run smoother.

Clean Your Laptop Without Software

You don’t necessarily need to download software as there is another way to clean your laptop to make Sims 4 run faster. Windows actually has some pretty good built-in tools for this.

Click the “Windows Key + I” then select “System”. This will open up the settings page and then select “Storage”. From here, you can choose which files and apps you want to delete.

You can also use the Windows Disk Clean Up Tool to help delete temporary files, system error memory dumps, and previous Windows installations.

Windows Disk-Clean Up Tool

Find Disk Clean-up Tool

  • Click “Windows Key”, type “Disk Clean-Up”
  • Select “Clean up system files”

Simply tick the boxes next to each type of file and hit “OK”. The most important ones are “Temporary files” and “Recycle Bin”. But you can also select to delete any “Previous Windows installations”. As well as “System created restore points”.


Check Your Laptop for Virus or Malware

Security Software To Find Viruses

If your laptop is running slow, it could be because it is infected with a virus or malware. Malicious programmes can seriously hog your resources and slow your laptop down. We recommend using something like Avast or AVG, they are both free to download and use.

Once installed, run a full system scan to check your laptop. If it finds anything, click “Remove” and hopefully, it will get rid of the problem for you. However, Windows also has its own security feature, that can also highlight issues you might have.

  • Click “Windows Key”, type “Security”
  • Select the “Device Performance & Health” tab.

Fix Corrupted Sims 4 Game File

Corrupted game files can cause all sorts of problems, from crashes to visual glitches, and can also make your games lag. So make sure that your game files are not corrupted.

To do this, simply go to the “Sims” folder in your “Documents” folder. Then delete the “Cache” and “Config” folders. Once you have deleted these, restart your laptop and launch the game.

Corrupted Game Files

Your game files will now be re-generated, and your corrupted files will be fixed. But, if you’re still having problems, you can try deleting your “Options” file located in the “Sims 4” folder.

Once deleted, simply launch the game again, and this will generate a new file. But you may need to re-enter any custom settings. But will fix most game-breaking bugs.

Repair Files Using Steam or Origin

Weather you have downloaded The Sims through Origin or Steam there is a quick way to try and fix the game files without having to re-download the whole game again.

Origin

  1. Launch Origin, then click Game Library.
  2. Right-click on Sims, then select Repair.

Steam

  1. Launch Steam, then click Library.
  2. Right-click on Sims, then click Properties.
  3. Under the Local Files tab, click Verify integrity of game files.

Lower In-Game Settings

Another thing you can do to make Sims less laggy is to lower the graphics and other settings. Yet, doing this will make your games look less pretty, but it will run much smoother.

To do this;

  • Launch The Sims game
  • Click “Game Options”
  • Click on the “Graphics” tab.

Now, move the slider to Low or Medium for all graphics options.

The best settings to change are;

  • Sims
  • Objects
  • Lighting
  • Reflections
  • Visual Effects
  • Edge Smoothing
  • 3D Scene Resolution
  • View Distance

Then in the display section;

  • Change Display Type to Windowed Mode

Windowed mode would be best for laptops with integrated graphics. Also, if you have a low-end dedicated graphics card, this mode would also be a good choice. Especially if you’re experiencing stuttering in-game.

Save changes and exit.


Check for overheating

One of the main reasons why The Sims may start to lag is because your computer is overheating. So you must check for this and if necessary take measures to cool your laptop down. If your laptop does not have its own temperature monitoring software you can use tools like Core Temp or Open hardware monitor.

Another great way is to use a laptop cooling pad which will help to dissipate the heat away from your laptop. Also, check your vents are not blocked and that the fans are running properly.

Other things you can do to keep your laptop cool is to;

– Keep it away from direct sunlight

– Use in a well ventilated area

– Don’t use it on your lap for long periods


How Do You Improve Performance in Sims 4?

One of the best ways to improve performance is to install more RAM. This will not only give you more options it will also help your computer run more smoothly, as it will have more memory to work with. 

If you’re not sure how much RAM you need. We recommend making sure to have at least 8GB. But, if you want to multitask while playing Sims, then 16GB RAM is best, also known as the sweet spot.

Improve Performance for Sims 4

Another great way to how to improve gaming performance on a laptop is to ensure it is using your dedicated graphics card. So set up a gaming profile and then set it to maximum performance.

NVidia Control Panel Settings

First, right-click on your desktop and select NVidia Control Panel

  1. Click Manage 3D Settings
  2. Then, Programme Settings
  3. Select programme to customize: Find The Game
  4. Ensure the preferred graphics processor is set to High-Performance
  5. Look for power management mode (Specify the settings list): Select Prefer Max Performance.

Enable Game Mode & GPU Scheduling

Enabling Windows game mode will make Windows focus system resources on running your games. In turn, it will offer a more consistent and overall better laptop gaming experience.

Next, you should enable GPU Scheduling, and this will also help improve the performance and make The Sims 4 run faster on your laptop. It works by offloading most of the GPU scheduling to your dedicated GPU and will also reduce latency.

Just follow the steps below;

  • Press “Windows Key
  • Type “Turn on Game Mode” and press “Enter”
  • Ensure Game Mode is On

Stay On The Same Window;

  • Click “Graphics Setting”
  • Ensure “GPU Scheduling”
  • Restart your Laptop

Disable Background Applications

Another great way to improve Sims performance is to disable background applications. You may be surprised how many are eating away at your laptops resources. Disabling these will have an immediate impact on performance.

To do so;

  • Click the “Start Menu “
  • Click on “Settings “
  • Then click on “Privacy”

Then scroll down to background apps. Either tab off all apps or choose which apps you want to be active, when you are not using them. (sending notifications, receive info, and stay up to date)

Disable Start Up Programmes Task Manager

Remove Unnecessary Start up Programs

Like background applications. Start-up programs can also have a significant impact on the performance of The Sims. So, it is best to remove any unnecessary ones and this will free up resources.

To do this;

  • Click “Start Menu”
  • Then click on “Settings “
  • Then click on “Apps “

Under apps & features, select startup and disable. You can also remove them through your task manager. (Windows: CTRL+Shift+Esc, on a Mac: Command+Option+Esc).

Next, click the “Startup Tab” and go down the list. You should “Right-click” on the programme that you do not need to start up and then select “Disable”.


More Sims 4 Content: This is the same tip I shared when writing an article about how to fix Sims 4 won’t open on my laptop. For gamers who persistently have issues.

Edit Power Plan Settings

You can also try setting up a new power Windows laptop plan, and this will help boost Sims four performance. But it would be best to be plugged into an outlet. You will be amazed just how effective creating and adjusting your power plan settings can be.

To do this;

  • Press “Windows + X Key “
  • Click on “Power Options”
  • Then Select “Additional Power Settings”
  • Click On “Create Power Plan”
  • Select “High Performance” 
  • Name You Plan, and click “Next”
  • Well Done! You have now created a power plan.

Conclusion

That’s it from me, hopefully this blog post has helped you to learn how to make Sims 4 run faster on your laptop. If so that is great as that was my goal. If it did, please let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more great laptop tips like these.

If you have any further tips on how to make Sims run better? Please share the tips in the comments below. I would be more than happy to include them in this post with a personal mention to you. If you need a new laptop check out the best cheap laptops for Sims 4 that will deliver an optimal gaming experience, I am sure of that.

As always, thanks for reading, Cya in the next one:)

Have I got New For You? As soon as you get The Sims 4 to start running faster, come back here and check out the best Razer Blade 15 gaming accessories to further enhance your experience.

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