Source
r/Sims4•
IvGotSomthinToSay

PSA: Please, upgrade your computers with a SSD for faster loading times!

I just read a bunch of comments on this post, and there are people claiming load times pushing up to an hour. Other people are saying “upgrade your RAM” as a solution to bring 20 minute load times down under 5 minutes... 5 minute load times is not the benchmark you should be aiming for in 2020. This legitimately makes my head hurt to even think about.

Please, get an SSD to replace or supplement your HD. Even with all of the official expansions and tons of CC, there is no reason your game should load up in anything longer than 30 seconds to maybe a minute, max, if you otherwise meet or exceed the minimum system requirements.

Prioritize an SSD, and then consider RAM and other upgrades.

Eta: I felt it would be good to add that game performance once you’re in game will rely more on your other hardware (processor, RAM, video card, etc). The load times for launching the game, loading build mode, and traveling to other areas is like 95% directly tied to your hard drive speed, which is where SSD’s come into play. If your computer struggles with playing the game after it’s loaded, then other upgrades may be a higher priority.

Posted Jan 27, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC · edited

3923
SwiftlyGregory•

I spent five years arguing with my husband that my old brick of a laptop was just fine and there was no reason to upgrade to a solid state drive because all I'd use it for is sims anyway. He finally surprised me with a new gaming laptop with an SSD for Christmas last year, and I have never admitted I was wrong so quickly lol.

20
Lumiya•

Sound advice. Prior to upgrading my computer, I was using a 5-year-old laptop and yeah, the load times were slow and laggy. Took a full 3 minutes just to get from the opening intro videos to the game selection screen. Loading up build/buy mode took 30 seconds at times, and loading up a new save took far too long as well.

My new computer runs only on SSD and yes, the load times are phenomenally fast. I go from starting the game to choosing a save and loading into the first household in just over a minute max, and that's with mods and CC. The SSD is crucial.

11
Curiousity83•

I play my games from my external SSD, works like a charm too. So you do not have to replace your HD, just use an external SSD and install your games on there. Only downside is that you have to plug it in to play :)

Edit: And set it to a static station letter. I assigned :Z to my SSD.

7
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

Great point, thanks! And especially with an external hard drive where it’s not your primary storage, you have flexibility to go with any size that fits your budget and sims files. That should allow for most budgets to find something that will work for them. There are a lot of low-cost external SSD options.

5
showerbeerbuttchug•

Yes! It makes a huge difference. My game seems to load up faster than I can click the icon.

3
TheCupcakeScrub•

Even a faster HDD would help everyone should have a 7200rpm HDD if they cant afford an ssd

3
eevreen•

I think with all my CC installed, it takes about a minute, minute 30 to load with an SSD, and I have at least 20gb in CC, probably more. Second this!!!

3
WoundedPantherWalks•

I did not take the option to get the SSD. While I've heard they are fast, I read that they can also wear down at a faster rate than regular hard drives. Since my computer runs constantly, I didn't think it would be a good choice for me. :(

3
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

When they first came out as cutting edge options, that may have been true. I don’t believe that’s the expectation on them anymore. I just read this article that I think may be a good starting point at least if you want to look more into it.

2
WoundedPantherWalks•

Technology moves fast. I was hoping that this would be the case. At the time (little over a year ago) I needed to get a replacement quickly. I just didn't trust the tech yet. And I kind of shot myself in the foot by cheaping out on the choice of my fans. Good thing is though there is always upgradability.

2
gigabytestarship•

So if you could just help me out with this. I haven't had a laptop in 6 years and saving up for one now mainly for The Sims 4 (have it on PS4 with all the packs but it's better on PC.)

There are two I'm considering: https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-and-games/new-dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-3590-laptop/gnslk5crg302s or https://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-15-Horizon-Blue-Laptop-15-6-Full-HD-Display-AMD-Ryzen-5-3500U-AMD-Radeon-Vega-8-Graphic-8GB-SDRAM-1TB-HDD-128GB-SSD-15-cw1063wm/343980274

I can't afford something really expensive or I'd get like the most expensive gaming laptop I could but I can't. Thanks in advance.

2
polyglotpinko•

Not the OP, but get the Dell, imo. A 1050 GTX with 3GB memory will give you decent performance - 4 or 6GB would be better, but you should still get performance out of it that isn't going to make you tear your hair out. The Walmart model has an SSD, but that graphics card on it is just lousy. You can buy an external SSD later if you want to, but you can't replace a laptop's graphics card.

3
gigabytestarship•

Thank you! I've been racking my brain about this. I really wanted to get thr Dell but if the HP was good enough, I was going to get that. I'm hoping to purchase one by March. I've been working hard and saving up so I think I deserve it. :)

2
Xxeel•

I can't wait to upgrade my computer. I'm using a basic Dell Inspiron I got in 2015 and my load time is 25-30 minutes with start-up and save loading. Travelling and switching lots isn't too bad but it's still way longer than what it should be!

Thanks for the advice. I'd love to invest in a lower tier gaming computer with an SSD one day soon!

2
katespade•

Any in particular that you would recommend? We've come such a long way and I hate to complain about a 5 minute load time but...here I am.

2
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

I mean heck, that’s like 5 hours in your sims’ time! I’d say it’s complaint-worthy.

Anyway, as for recommendations - I don’t have any. I don’t keep up with all the varieties of brands and various metrics when I’m not actively looking to buy. I’d start on amazon or newegg and filter for your price range and then read the reviews.

2
katespade•

Going to pick one up right now.

​

​

Know that my wallet blames you for this.

2
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

Well if your wallet has something to say to me, let it know IvGotSomethinToSay too. ;)

1
starr_stitches•

Can I get a good one to use for my laptop or would it be cheaper to just get a new laptop altogether? My load takes between 10 and 20 minutes at this time.

2
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

Check out u/Curiousity83‘s comment. Basically, if a new computer isn’t in-budget (it’s not for me right now - computers are expensive), then maybe look into getting an external SSD. You should see load times go down drastically.

1
archerjenn•

I’m a mac and my 1’ish year old macbook pro takes about 1 to 2 minutes to load the game.

I have a ton of mods but very little cc.

I wish my computer was older so i could get a gaming laptop with an ssd and mega fans.

One thing that helps is using a cooling station to stop them from getting too hot.

2
0nlywithmy0xygen•

I’m on a MacBook Air and at the point of not playing anymore because my graphics are on low and it’s so laggy.

Looking into buying a PC lab top. Any suggestions?

2
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

Per my edit, in-game performance is not going to be as impacted by an SSD, only load times (including starting build mode). If you’re having performance issues, then something about your hardware likely needs to increase besides your storage.

Beyond that, I don’t have any recommendations or good advice for you. You might try other subreddits like https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/

1
sytyue•

My laptop has 512GB SSD Is that good enough for fast loading times?

1
IvGotSomthinToSayOP•

As long as it’s SSD, it will make for much faster loading compared to a traditional hard drive. The 512GB is just the size of the storage, and 512GB is reasonably large for most people. There are different SSDs that are a little faster or more reliable than other SSDs, but that distinction isn’t nearly as big or important as going from a HD to any SSD.

1