Can you play sims 4

Depends on which Mac Mini you get. The Core Duo machines are incompatible with Sims 4; those only work up to Sims 3. As a baseline, you need a Core 2 Duo. Since you need a compatible GPU (9400M or better or an equivalent AMD card) or X3100 graphics, this rules out a cheap machine - you’ll need something with more cable graphics.

If you are dead set on a Mac Mini, you will need a somewhat modern one from 2010 (GeForce 320M 256MB/Core 2 Duo) if you are okay with the older CPU and a actual GPU and will limit your drive options due to a SATA II cap (9400M/MCP79 limitation). The other option is the 2012 (HD Graphics/Core i series), but it relies on the Intel UMA (onboard) graphics. However, it is also much newer and will support SATA III drives - something the 9400M (MCP79) Mini doesn't. I am changing my recommendation to the 2012 unless you cannot afford it since non-Metal Macs are being dropped by EA.

As long as it can allocate 256MB or more of system RAM to the GPU (or it has a GPU with dedicated VRAM), you’re good to go - I’d put 8-16GB in to ensure it’ll dedicate that and then some (Sims 3 is picky as it is; see my comment about low end hardware). The 2012 is the (somewhat expensive) sweet spot; it supports Mojave and Catalina sans patching and will run Sims 4 like it’s nothing.

The Sims is pretty content to run on lower end hardware overall, but you need to beware of the games past Sims 2. Sims 4 will probably require enabling Laptop Mode, based on my findings with the Origin release of 3. It just doesn’t run right on some onboard video chipsets, so Sims 4 is probably going to be worse.

The GPU Mini *may* reduce the pain points, but you also can’t get a modern 2.5” drive unless SATA II is explicitly on the spec sheet. I had trouble with Sims 3 on my (retired due to a power supply failure and subsequent replacement cost) s3200n (Athlon 64 X2 W/ nForce integrated video) which ran with 2GB of RAM (it came with 1GB when I got it) using Vista (Vista has less issues then XP at this point, so I’d rather have Vista on properly capable machines). It barely worked right at all on that machine, but Sims 3 runs fine on my 2011 MBP 13”. The HP BARELY met the requirements and it shown in the overall performance. I have run Sims 2 (with patched graphics rules files to force the higher resolutions) on a Pentium M nc6000 and it ran nearly as well as if I didn't patch the files. Just keep that in mind when you pick the Mac Mini you want…

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