Genuine question, how precise do you need the time to be? Maybe you actually need precise readings for something. I figured that “on the 5 min marker”, “slightly before/behind the 5 min marker” and “in the middle of two 5 min markers” is precise enough for me. And I see a hand at these positions faster than reading numbers.
I think for precise readings (eg. entering the time I start working), the speed is the same for me, but obviously I didn’t test this.
I also think looking at the time but still not knowing what time it is a few seconds later happens less on an analog clock.
I don’t know how much personal preference influences this though.
I have installed all of those Sims games at one point. It works fine. Mods work without any problems as well.
Lutris will help you for the most part.
I think for Sims 3, I specifically had to use Lutris 7.2 as the runner (IIRC, I have to check again). It didn’t work with other versions. I will verify this when I’m home.
I did the most setup for Sims 3 (there is a whole guide for performance). I don’t remember details too well, but it’s still set up I think, so you can go ahaed and ask questions
Minecraft runs native, for Steam games you can see protondb.com
I’d be worried a bit about the Nvidia GPU. But since I have no experience with them, someone else should give you advice on this.