I know this subject has been discussed before many times! But I am wracking my brain deciding on a new desktop. And I know what ever I decide will be the wrong decision 
. I am looking at a I5 pc with a GeForce 620 card(cost 599.) or a AMD A8-5500 pc with a AMD Radeon HD 7560D card(cost 479.). Both are HP computers. I didn't want to bore anyone with the full specs. The memory and hard drive are pretty sufficent. I thought this info would be enough.
Hi, Breerents.
The AMD processor looks pretty good spec-wise. If you happen to know the model number of the Core i5 processor or the model number of the two computers you're looking at, I can give a little more informed advice. Given what you've posted, here's my thoughts.
Either system should be fine processor-wise to run The Sims 3 and it's expansions/stuff packs. However, you will want to replace the graphics card in either system. The ATi Radeon HD 7650D graphics chip in the AMD system is actually built in to the processor. Like the Intel HD series on the Core i3, i5 and i7 chips, it will not run Sims very well. The Core i5 system has an nVidia GeForce GT 620 card, and will also have an Intel HD 3000 or HD 4000 graphics chip on the processor. Neither chip will play Sims 3 on anything past low to medium settings.
For a graphics card, I would recommend either an nVidia GTS or GTX card with GDDR5 memory, or an ATi Radeon 7700 series or better - also with GDDR5 memory. Preferably with 1 GB of dedicated memory. The cards can be pricey (usually around $100 US and up), but Sims runs well with those at high settings, and most modern games run great as well. I do not recommend spending more than about $150 US on a graphics card as there is less overall improvement vs. cost. Popular choices include the nVidia GTX 550 Ti, the nVidia GTX 650 and the ATi Radeon HD 7850.
Hope this helps.
Flynn
