Graphics Card

[Pam]

At the suggestion of MrsFlynn, I'm merging this thread with the graphics card sticky thread.  Thank you, MrsFlynn!

[shibamistress]

At one point, when I was trying to find out what graphics cards would work, I came across a page that listed which laptop graphics cards would work with the base game plus the various expansions.  Except I didn't bookmark the page, and have not been able to find it again. (It was on a Sims forum...possibly on the EA site?)  If anyone else comes across it, maybe we can link it here?  It was useful to me in eliminating a lot of possibilities (I'm just sad I can't find it again!). 

 I have found it kind of frustrating that the page that keeps getting referred to everywhere was the one that only includes graphics cards for desktops, and I'm sure there are a lot of people, like me, who were looking for info. on laptop graphics cards instead.  I wish I could find that other page again!

This site is great for evaluating graphics cards, and does have an option to check performance with specific games (though it only lists the base Sims 3) and was of great use to me, so it might be useful for someone else:  http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

[Sarabi]

The best thing to do when thinking about a computer to play graphics intense games like the Sims, is to build your own desktop. Laptops are not suited for heavy games usually (and if they are they are Alienware brand and cost 1,000 USD+).

Yes, Alienware is a popular brand for gaming rigs, but not the only one.  I recently chose an MSI over the Alienware, and have no regrets.

If you want to use a laptop for heavy gaming, you need to be extra-careful about heat buildup.  I happily ran TS3 (base game only) on an hp Pavilion laptop with medium-ish graphic settings, but it ran really hot, and eventually toasted the motherboard - halfway through an immortal dynasty, no less.     Lesson learned.

My new machine is bigger, heavier, and thicker, with more ventilation for heat dissipation.  It also has an extra fan that I can turn on when it gets warm.  In addition, I also use a lapstand with a cooling fan built into it - using a laptop sitting directly on your lap can obstruct the vents and cause the machine to overheat.  I haven't needed to use the cooling fan with my new machine, but I think it's a good idea to have one available.  They're pretty cheap relative to the cost of a new machine.  It's usually not an issue for desktop machines, as they are much bigger and naturally have more ventilation built-in.

[Shadowkeepernoir]

I'm looking at buying a new system for playing Sims 3 (WA, Ambitions, Generations, Pets, Seasons) SP's (High End Loft, Fast Lane), some store content, no mods/cheats, no CC. The system I'm leaning toward is a barebones from Tiger direct -

ASUS P8Z77-V LK Intel Z77 Motherboard - ATX, 4x DIMM, DDR3, Socket 1155, PCIe 3.0, Intel Z77 Chipset, SATA 6Gb/s, USB  3.0, HDMI, LAN, DVI, DisplayPort

Intel Core i5-3570K BX806237i53570K Processor - Quad Core, 6MB L3 Cache, 3.40GHz (3.80GHz Max Turbo), Socket H2 (LGA1155), 77W, Fan, Unlocked, Retail

2x Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM - PC10666, 1333MHz, 4096MB

EVGA GeForce GTX 650 01G-P4-2650-KR Video Card - 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0(x16), 1x Dual-link DVI-I, 1x Dual-link DVI-D, 1x Mini-HDMI, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot

LG GH24NS72B Internal 24X Multi Drive - SecurDisc Technology, 2MB Buffer, SATA

Kingwin ABT-650MM Maximum Series ATX Power Supply - 650W, 120mm Fan, Single +12V Rail

Cougar Solution Black Steel Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 1x120mm Cougar Turbine Hyper-Spin Bearing Fan, USB 3.0 port, Water Cooling Ready, Supports 320mm Long VGA Card, Air Filter Included

To this I will also be adding:

Corsair H60 Water cooling system

2 x 1TB Hard Drives (one for Programs, one for save data, documents, ect)

The Graphics card is supported according to The Sims 3 site, but I understand TS3 is a persnickety game that does not always cooperate even on supported cards.  I've only been running the game on a PC since December (my current system won't run with anything but the absolute lowest settings, everything turned off, the system is a 5 year old Dell, running Vista and on board nothing special graphics), I'd love any input, or advice on this decision. Putting out hundreds of dollars to not be able to play or for no improvement would be pointless and wasteful.

[Saltypaws]

It sounds like it would run sims fine.  Funny thing, I am on a budget and got a very inexpensive computer with an integrated Radeon graphics card.  I had always used Nvidia, but financially had to get this computer.  It runs great with every EP and SP installed.  Yours sounds great and there should be no problem.  I guess it also depends what else is running on a computer.  New computers run the game fine, but as we save and save, I believe that is where the issue lies and some seem to not have near the problems that others have.

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Shadowkeepernoir.

That looks like an excellent system - pretty close to the systems MrsFlynn and I are considering building (though we're looking at 16 GB total memory and a Core i7 3820 processor). Water cooling is really only needed if you're planning to overclock the system. Make sure the power supply can handle the components and any overclocking you want to do.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming.

Flynn

[Brandonfiasco]

Hello Everyone!

I've been a lurker of this place for a really long time, but I thought I would break the fourth wall so to speak and see if I could maybe get some help.

I am searching for a laptop that is capable of running the Sims 3 decently, I don't need super high settings, but I do like seeing at least my sims in pretty decent detail.

I just got my tax refund and am looking to spend under $600. This is the laptop I am looking at:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acer---15.6%22-Laptop---6GB-Memory---750GB-Hard-Drive---Gray/8050087.p?skuId=8050087&productCategoryId=pcmcat247400050000&id=1218863726380#tab=specifications

So...do you think i'm good to go? Or do I need to really keep hunting. And if I do need to keep hunting does anyone have some good ideas? I welcome any and all comments/concerns/etc.

Thanks a Bunch in Advance!

[Saltypaws]

Looks like a good system, just wondering about the 512 on the graphics card.  On my desktop, my Radeon is a little less than that one, mine is a 6410 HD and it runs the Sims fine, in fact, alot better than I would think.  Not sure if you have all of the games or not, but it should actually run the sims fine.

[Brandonfiasco]

Yeah, that's the only thing I'm worried about. I'm not sure if having 512mb dedicated is a good thing or not.

[oldspook]

I bought a new graphics card, GTX 660 ti. It works great in everything except TS3. I get huge lag when scrolling, worse that my old nvidia 8800 that died. From searching around the web I found that TS3 is not recognizing my card. There are a lot of very confusing ways to fix it but I was hoping there was an easier way.

Anyone know a way to get TS3 to recognize my GTX 660 ti card?

[Louise56]

Look at this link, I hope it help you. http://sims3.crinrict.com/en/2013/06/getting-the-game-to-recognize-your-card.html

[oldspook]

Thanks, I did that and it appears my card is now recognized. The DeviceConfig.log now shows that it is recognized but the performance is still not what I expected. The new card works fantastic in other games but don't improve TS3 much. I still get a lot of lag when scrolling, even after uninstalling everything and only installing basic TS3. When I scroll there is a lot of jerking and lagging.

I can minimize this by forcing vertical sync on in the nvidia control panel but this reduces FPS to 60. Any ideas on how to smooth out scrolling without vertical sync?

[Angélique]

Locking FPS to 60 is a good thing, as that will keep your graphics card from getting overheated. At least that's what I've been told. Actually there's no point in having more than 30 FPS since the human eye is unable to see anything above that anyway. So 60 FPS should be perfectly fine.
Before I turned Vertical sync on I was getting FPS between 200 - 300, if I remember correctly, and that's quite unnecessary, especially if it may damage your graphics card, and shorten its potential lifespan. Some people might think that the risk of that happening is small, or maybe even nonexistent, but I feel that "better safe than sorry" is the best policy in this case.

[oldspook]

I was getting fps around 240 with vertical sync off. Now with adaptive vertical sync on I get 60 fps than never changes.

Even with vertical sync I still get some jerky lagging while scrolling. Is there any way to smooth this out? Sim and taxi movement is fairly smooth.

I suspect the lagging while scrolling is caused by my hdd accessing new data but I'm not sure.

[Fluffy Puff]

Will this card work well with the Sims 3?