Laptop help?

[jaybird]

Hi all,

I'm sure this question gets asked a lot here, but I'm hoping to get the most up-to-date answer possible.  I'm in the market for a new laptop and want to make sure it will be able to run the Sims 3, as well as some expansion packs, smoothly.  I'm pretty clueless when it comes to this stuff, so I'm looking for some recommendations.

The Sims 3 is likely the only game I'd be running on it.  Otherwise, I just need the laptop for very basic functions like some light Internet use, iTunes, and document editing.  It wouldn't be my main computer, so I don't need anything with a lot of bells and whistles.  Budget-wise, I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible (I know I can't go TOO cheap if I want to run the Sims smoothly, but the lower the better.  Is there anything acceptable out there for under $800?).

Specifically, can anyone tell me if this one would be able to handle the Sims? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215663

Hopefully there are some laptop-savvy readers out there willing to help!

Thanks!

J

[shibamistress]

I'm by no means an expert, but I was just in the market for a laptop to play the games myself, and did look at a very similar one.  I think it would run the Sims, but I decided against it, because I wanted a better graphics card.  That particular graphics card is called low middle range on this site, which breaks down graphics cards for you:  http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

Also, if I were to get that computer, I would for sure add more RAM to it if you're going to play the base game plus expansion packs.    But adding RAM is usually pretty easy.

Anway, someone may come along with more info, but that's why I ended up not getting a very similar laptop.

edited to add that there is another thread on a similar topic and someone who knows far more than me has said a similar graphics card is probably ok, so it probably is!   

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

To add to shibamistress' post, the processor on the system is considered pretty weak as well. According to the NotebookCheck.com review of the processor:

The CPU cores are based on a reworked Bulldozer architecture, called Piledriver. Although marketed as a quad-core processor, the A8-4500M includes only two modules with four integer-cores and two floating-point cores total. As a result, the CPU is not a true quad-core processor.

The graphics chip isn't as bad as it sounds. It should run Sims 3 at medium-high settings in the laptop's native 1366x768 resolution (720p) and still run at a decent clip. It may run slower on max settings. NotebookCheck.com's review suggests it's performance is on par or slightly above the GeForce GT 630M card from nVidia.

Should you decide to purchase the laptop, I would highly recommend adding another 4 GB of memory to it. You can get a memory stick from Newegg.com for about $20. A better option may be this laptop (also from Newegg.com, which features a better processor and graphics card, and twice the graphics memory to boot. It can also handle up to 8 GB memory, and the memory stick I linked to above should work in it as well.

Hope this helps.

Flynn

[shibamistress]

That second one is very very similar to what I ended up buying, even in price!  Just a different brand--I got a Lenovo instead.  Glad to hear it is a decent one for the game!

[LivvieLove]

Flynn is really good with computer stuff but I want to give you my word of warning: Laptops are by no means the best way to play Sims. I got a Laptop and it had some of the best specs it could offer (it was a lenovo) I found out later they shortchanged me and my processor was actually a phone processor so Sims wouldn't perform well on it... it could barely open the internet sometimes!

I have found customizing the build of my computers assures best quality, but that's my opinion. Just looking at it, it looks pretty good. Be sure to look up reviews for that model and see if anyone has complaints about it but otherwise if Flynn gives it a pass it should be set to go.

[shibamistress]

Flynn is really good with computer stuff but I want to give you my word of warning: Laptops are by no means the best way to play Sims. I got a Laptop and it had some of the best specs it could offer (it was a lenovo) I found out later they shortchanged me and my processor was actually a phone processor so Sims wouldn't perform well on it... it could barely open the internet sometimes!

I have found customizing the build of my computers assures best quality, but that's my opinion. Just looking at it, it looks pretty good. Be sure to look up reviews for that model and see if anyone has complaints about it but otherwise if Flynn gives it a pass it should be set to go.

Thanks--I know that a lot of people have said that a desktop is the way to go, and people have mentioned to me, too, that I should have one built, but I suspect for a lot of people, that's not really an option.  I simply don't have the space for a desktop, and I also discovered, as I was making comparisons, that it wasn't necessarily less expensive to get a desktop--there are a lot of refurbished notebooks around at good prices, for example, or a lot of notebooks that have prices cut this time of year, but that doesn't appear to be so true of desktops.  So I looked at desktops for awhile too (though I kept running up against the space issue) and then finally decided against it.

So yeah, probably good advice overall, but I do think a lot of people play on laptops, too, for a lot of different reasons.

[LivvieLove]

Oh yes, laptops are a great source of movable computing. My only argument against them is that once you buy one it is hard to keep it up to date. If you buy a desktop it is easy to have someone add more ram or a better card with the years coming. The reason I am so against laptops was because I paid just slightly less than my brand new desktop for a piece of junk that sits in my closet with no use because it can barely run Windows. My laptop could play Sims yes, but not very well. That was my word of warning. Any laptop you pick will be fine, I'm sure, but once Sims ups its graphics or ram qualifications it's harder to get more of those things into a laptop rather than a desktop. HP also has good discounts for the beginning of the school year, that's usually when desktops are priced lower.

I won't argue that though, people play on laptops and enjoy it for different reasons, I have my reasons why I prefer my good ol' desktop.