For those planning on getting a laptop for this game, you should get a custom built (or pre-built) DESKTOP. Desktops have much bigger and better GPU's than the mobile versions found on laptops.
The Intel Core i7-6700HQ only has a base speed of something like 2.6Ghz. The i7 6700k has a base speed of a high 4Ghz speed and it's Intel's flagship processor according to Intel's official website. According to results from Windows 10 Task Manager, games are CPU intensive, not just GPU intensive. So you should look for a good CPU and GPU. I would also recommend something like 16GB system RAM too but you'll be able to play on low settings with 8GB system RAM. 16GB system RAM just helps future proof your system more than 8GB for a bit, especially when you have an OS running in the background.
Last year I got a new laptop with Intel Core i5-6200U, 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM, AMD R7 M360, and it struggles to play games. So this year I invested in a gaming desktop. Word of note, desktops are cheaper than gaming laptops. My new system has an i7 6700k and AMD R9 390 8GB GPU and 16GB DDR4 RAM, and it play this game on High settings 1080p with 29-50fps. Try to invest in a DESKTOP PC. You can custom build it and there are some companies which will even let you choose what you want in it, and build it for you. If you have a laptop, you can keep that for everyday needs and have a desktop for gaming.
I was so set on getting a gaming laptop too until others suggest it's cheaper and better to get a DESKTOP. I was about to buy a NZ$4,000 alienware laptop, I found a NZ$2,900 Dell desktop, but I went for a custom built desktop for NZ$2,500 which came with i7 6700k and AMD R9 390 from a special NZ company who custom builds PC's for you. Invest in a quad core (not dual core) CPU with a high clock speed preferably, like 3Ghz at least, and something like a GTX 970 or R9 390. That way you can enjoy the full flavour of this game when playing it, rather than worry about a laptop overheating, or lagging.
My primary gaming platforms are Xbox 360 and Xbox One too. Xbox 360 has only 512MB RAM so the i5-6300HQ and 960m is definitely better than the Xbox 360. It might be better than the Xbox One and PS4 too, since those system have low clock speed CPU's (PS4 has 1.6Ghz AMD Jaguar 8 core APU, Xbox One has 1.75Ghz AMD Jaguar 8 core APU) with only 8GB RAM.
PC games since 2015 seem to demand more higher hardware specs due to the demand of gamers wanting better looking and richer games.
I got this info off gamedebate.com. Though not official, it has some useful info:
"With that said, these system requirements are far more demanding than your typical tycoon game. That's probably because Planet Coaster isn't your typical game, and you can see from the various footage and screenshots released that it's packed with detail and has massive environments. As such, the minimum requirements are fairly steep for a management game, but compared to the AAA blockbusters out there they're a walk in the (theme park)."
"PC System Analysis for Planet Coaster
Based on an Alpha version of Planet Coaster, it will require a high end computer to run at high graphics settings. So for 1080p screen resolution you will need around an Intel i5 3570 processor to meet recommended CPU requirements, along with a Radeon R9 380 graphics card and 16 GB system memory. To reach the minimum requirement setting for Planet Coaster, where you can play it on low graphics settings you will still need a Intel i5 2300 or AMD FX 4300 processor along side 8GB RAM and a GTX 560 GPU or an AMD HD 7850. "
If you really want a laptop, try to get one with at least a GTX 980M or equivalent GPU. And a quad core i5 or i7 (or equivalent CPU) with a clock speed of at least 3Ghz preferably. Invest in a high end PC. Though the money will stretch your budget, when you do buy one, you can get to enjoying games rather than worrying if your PC will run this game. True, PC's both laptops and desktops are made in so many different configurations. I would recommend investing in a custom built desktop. As they're better at gaming.
The price I paid for my new desktop PC (NZ$2500) would be about 1200 British pounds approximately, since NZ$2 = around $1 British pound. That way you can have a PC which owns games rather than putting up with a game which is too hardcore for your laptop to handle.
Medium is somewhere between low and high game quality. I checked The Sims 4 GPU requirements on their official site, and the 960M meets the system requirements for that game. The AMD Radeon R9 390 can handle any 2015/2016 game on high settings 1080p. The R9 390 also has a bandwidth of 384GB/s I think the GTX 970 has a bandwidth of 220GB/s or something. PS4 even only has a bandwidth of 176GB/s.