Desktop for The Sims 3 - Need an opinion, please!

[Simemory]

Hey, Simers! 

First, thank you so much for helping people with their technical issues related to Sims games. It means a lot!

So, I'm here to read your thoughts on this desktop I'm ready to buy so I can play The Sims 3 with (almost) every expansion pack. I know nothing about desktops, so I read your suggestions and I think this desktop would be good. Please, tell me what you think, because it is expensive and I don't want to make a mistake buying a bad desktop. Here it is:


MSI Nightblade Gaming MI

OS = Windows 10 Home
Processor = Intel Core i5-4460S (2.9GHz)
Graphics Card = NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB GDDR5
System RAM = 8GB DDR3
Storage = 1TB
Cooling System = It's something called "Silent Storm Cooling" 

So, is this desktop decent to play The Sims 3 smoothly with a lot of expansion packs and medium-high settings?

[MrsFlynn]

This desktop has great specs and will run Sims 3 on med/high settings, but when I went to search on it, a few of the sites that came up states that it comes with a 350W power supply. That's a weak power supply.

Here's one of the links I found:
https://us.msi.com/product/barebone/Nightblade-MI2.html#hero-overview

It is very strongly recommended to buy a better power supply as the supplies that come with most budget gaming pcs are under powered for actual gaming. This can cause damage to the system due to over-stressing the power supply.

The power supply I'd normally recommend may not fit this tiny case and may be proprietary. These cannot be upgraded due to that. So I'll need to do a little more research and post back later.

There seems to be a lot of these MSI Nightblade systems. If you've got a model number. We can search that out to see if the one your looking at has a better power supply.

If not, give us what country you live in and your budget we'll see what we can find for you.

[Simemory]

This desktop has great specs and will run Sims 3 on med/high settings, but when I went to search on it, a few of the sites that came up states that it comes with a 350W power supply. That's a weak power supply.

Here's one of the links I found:
https://us.msi.com/product/barebone/Nightblade-MI2.html#hero-overview

It is very strongly recommended to buy a better power supply as the supplies that come with most budget gaming pcs are under powered for actual gaming. This can cause damage to the system due to over-stressing the power supply.

The power supply I'd normally recommend may not fit this tiny case and may be proprietary. These cannot be upgraded due to that. So I'll need to do a little more research and post back later.

There seems to be a lot of these MSI Nightblade systems. If you've got a model number. We can search that out to see if the one your looking at has a better power supply.

If not, give us what country you live in and your budget we'll see what we can find for you.

Thank you so much. The model number is "Nightblade-MI-017EU". I just found out you're right... it does have a 350W power supply. I'm so disappointed... This is the only desktop I've found that seemed to be perfect for the game and also my budget, that goes up to 900€ (I think it's around $950). I live in Portugal, by the way.

There's also the model "Nightblade MI2-026ES" available... but it's more expensive and the graphics card is an NVIDIA GTX 950 2GD5T OC GDDR5, isn't it weaker?

The store where these desktops are available is a computer technician's store and they can build a desktop with the components I choose... but although I may know which graphics card is the best, there's a lot I don't know, like which motherboard or box are better... so I'm scared to ask them to build me one. If none of these two desktops are good enough, do you think it's possible for you to describe me or give me a list of the "good-enough" components a desktop needs (from scratch, that is) so I could give them to the technicians to build me the desktop?

I could ask them which desktop is better to play the Sims 3, but here's why I don't want to: many people (the ones who never played The Sims) think the Sims is a weak, simple and "light" kind of game that doesn't need a powerful computer... so they can point me a desktop they think is good enough and it may not be.

[MrsFlynn]

We can put a list of components together. But not sure how the price difference would be? So the parts might be more expensive where you live.

I would definitely -not- ask them to build a desktop to run the game. As you said, they don't understand what gaming rigs need to play the games well.

I don't know if the 950 is weaker. It has some weaker points, but some better points.
https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/GTX-950-2GD5T-OC.html#hero-specification

Here's the 960 if you want to compare the two.
https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/GTX-960-2GD5T-OC.html#hero-specification

But I don't trust that the 950 states that it only requires a 350w power supply. As you need power to both power the card, and the rest of the system. That's why we recommend at minimum 600W - 700w power supply.

Need to do some research on parts. I'll post back later.

[MrsFlynn]

This parts list is based off of a computer we just recently built. It's overkill for Simming, but will give you room to expand without needing to replace power supply or other components, should you want to play more modern games.

Minus the video card, which we didn't need at the time, the total cost was about $730 USD. With graphics card it comes to about $850 USD. The memory card reader is optional but handy for using with various cameras or transferring files.

Here's the full list:

Computer Parts List
===================

CPU
---
Intel Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor, Socket LGA 1151, 6MB Cache BX80662I56500
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010T6CWI2/

Motherboard
-----------
MSI Pro Solution Intel Z170A LGA 1151 DDR4 USB 3.1 ATX Motherboard (Z170A PC Mate)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0131GA4VE/

Memory
------
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz (PC4-25600) C16 Memory Kit - Black
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0143UM4TC/

Graphics Card
-------------
EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 SC GAMING, 2GB GDDR5, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC) (02G-P4-6152-KR)
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-GAMING-Support-02G-P4-6152-KR/dp/B01M64G435/

Power Supply
------------
EVGA 600 B1, 80+ BRONZE 600W, 3 Year Warranty, Includes FREE Power On Self Tester, Power Supply 100-B1-0600-KR
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EON40CS/
(Can be dropped to a 500w version, but I wouldn't go lower than that)

Solid State Drive
-----------------
Crucial MX300 525GB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive - CT525MX300SSD1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IAGSD68/

SSD Mounting Bracket
--------------------
Sabrent 2.5 Inch to 3.5 Inch Internal Hard Disk Drive Mounting Kit (BK-HDDH)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G57BN1M/

Optical Drive /DVD Drive
-------------
LG Electronics Internal Super Multi Drive Optical Drives GH24NSC0B
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MOUBYDQ/

Memory Card Reader
------------------
Rosewill USB 2.0 75 In 1 Internal Card Reader with 3 Ports/eSATA (RCR-IM5001)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WLZNH4/

Case
----
Corsair Carbide Series 100R Silent Edition Quiet Mid Tower Case
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RORBQSW/
(No frills design, but very quiet due to sound dampening)

We left off the cables as this build only requires two SATA cables. All other cables are included in their various packaging.

[Simemory]

We can put a list of components together. But not sure how the price difference would be? So the parts might be more expensive where you live.

I would definitely -not- ask them to build a desktop to run the game. As you said, they don't understand what gaming rigs need to play the games well.

I don't know if the 950 is weaker. It has some weaker points, but some better points.
https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/GTX-950-2GD5T-OC.html#hero-specification

Here's the 960 if you want to compare the two.
https://us.msi.com/Graphics-card/GTX-960-2GD5T-OC.html#hero-specification

But I don't trust that the 950 states that it only requires a 350w power supply. As you need power to both power the card, and the rest of the system. That's why we recommend at minimum 600W - 700w power supply.

Need to do some research on parts. I'll post back later.

Thank you so much for your patience!

I've been checking out more expensive desktops of this store and they all seem to have the same power supply (350W). Fortunately, I found another store that seems to have more options. They have a few desktops built by them with the components they've chosen (they say the only components I can ask them to change is Memory and Storage). There are three desktops that seem good enough... but I would really appreciate if you could confirm this. They're basically the same, but there are a few differences and I don't know which would be better. Here they are:

Desktop Nº1
Case = Nox Hummer ZX (NXHUMMERZX)
Processor = Intel® Core™ i5-6400 Quad-Core, 2.7 GHz with Turbo up to 3.3 GHz, 6 MB Cache
Motherboard = MSI B150M BAZOOKA
Graphics Card = Intel® HD Graphics 530 + MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4G OC
System RAM = Gskill Ripjaws V DDR4-2133MHz 2x4GB (F4-2133C15D-8GVR)
Storage = SSD Samsung 2.5" 850 Evo 250GB
Power Supply = Seasonic S12II 520W (SS-520GB)
Optical Drive = LG 24X DVD-RW Sata Bulk (GH24NSCO)

Desktop Nº2
Case = Nox Hummer ZX (NXHUMMERZX)
Processor = Intel® Core™ i5-6400 Quad-Core, 2.7 GHz with Turbo up to 3.3 GHz, 6 MB Cache
Motherboard = MSI B150M BAZOOKA
Graphics Card = Intel® HD Graphics 530 + MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GT OC
System RAM = Gskill Ripjaws V DDR4-2133MHz 2x4GB (F4-2133C15D-8GVR)
Storage = SSD Samsung 2.5" 850 Evo 250GB
Power Supply = Seasonic S12II 520W (SS-520GB)
Optical Drive = LG 24X DVD-RW Sata Bulk (GH24NSCO)

Desktop Nº3
Case = Corsair Carbide 100R with window (CC-9011075-WW)
Processor = Intel® Core™ i5-6400 Quad-Core, 2.7 GHz with Turbo up to 3.3 GHz, 6 MB Cache
Motherboard = Asus EX-B150M-V3/C/SI Bulk
Graphics Card = Intel® HD Graphics 530 + Asus GeForce GTX 1060 Dual 3GB
System RAM = Kingston HyperX Fury DDR4-2133MHz 2x4GB (HX421C14FBK2/8)
Storage = SSD Samsung 2.5" 850 Evo 250GB
Power Supply = Corsair Builder CX500W (CP-9020047-EU)
Optical Drive = Asus DVD-RW 24X Bulk (DRW-24D5MT/BLK/B/AS)

Thank you!

[MrsFlynn]

Thank you for letting us help!!

Our personal preference would likely be system #1. It has a good power supply and while the 1050Ti is not as "good" as the 1060 it has slightly more video memory. But all three are so close in performance that any of the three would play the Sims well.

[Simemory]

Thank you for letting us help!!

Our personal preference would likely be system #1. It has a good power supply and while the 1050Ti is not as "good" as the 1060 it has slightly more video memory. But all three are so close in performance that any of the three would play the Sims well.

Thank you so much. I'm going to get desktop #1 really soon.
Out of curiosity, is this desktop better than the first one I mentioned (Nightblade MI)?

[MrsFlynn]

Yes, DT#1 has better processor, graphics and power supply.  It may have a smaller hard drive, but it shouldn't take much to install 1-TB drive for extra storage.

[Simemory]

Yes, DT#1 has better processor, graphics and power supply.  It may have a smaller hard drive, but it shouldn't take much to install 1-TB drive for extra storage.

Thank you! I mean it! You've been a great help! Thank you so much!   

[MrsFlynn]

You're welcome!!  Thank you for letting us help!!

[Simemory]

You're welcome!!  Thank you for letting us help!!

Hello again!

Just wanted to say I don't have the desktop yet, because they are sold out for the next few weeks, so I'm still waiting. Anyway... I was wondering about another desktop that is available at the moment in the same store. Doesn't seem to be as good as Desktop#1 (the one I'm waiting for), but if it's still a good desktop for the Sims, I would rather buy this one instead. Could you please tell me what you think about this one? Is it a good choice, is it still powerfull enough... or should I wait for Desktop#1 to be available?

Desktop #4
Case = Corsair Carbide 100R with window (CC-9011075-WW)
Processor = Intel® Core™ i3-6100 Dual-Core, 3.70 GHz, 3 MB Cache
Motherboard = Asus EX-B150M-V3/C/SI Bulk (90MB0Q30-M0UBY0)
Graphics Card = Intel® HD Graphics 530 (Integrated) + Asus GeForce GTX 1050 Expedition 2GB OC
System RAM = HyperX Fury 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4-2133MHz CL14 (HX421C14FBK2/8)
Storage = SSD 2.5" Samsung 850 Evo 250GB TLC SATA (MZ-75E250B/EU)
Power Supply = Corsair Builder CX500W (CP-9020047-EU)
Optical Drive = Asus DVD-RW 24X Preta Bulk (DRW-24D5MT/BLK/B/AS)

Thank you!

[MrsFlynn]

Desktop #4 isn't good because of it's processor.  Intel® Core™ i3 isn't made for gaming. It's best to wait for #1 to come back in stock, look into maybe getting Desktop #2 if it's still available, or see if you can find something of equal specs as #1.

[Simemory]

Desktop #4 isn't good because of it's processor.  Intel® Core™ i3 isn't made for gaming. It's best to wait for #1 to come back in stock, look into maybe getting Desktop #2 if it's still available, or see if you can find something of equal specs as #1.

Thank you so much for your opinion!

Desktop #1 just became available again today and they didn't change any parts, so it's exactly like I posted here. I'll be getting it soon. 

[MrsFlynn]

Congrats on the new computer!!