Graphics Card

[warr2098]

Can I just ask, is this graphics card ok for sims 3?
(I think this is what I have to put?)
Its a NVIDIA Geforce 8300 GS

Chip Type:  Geforce 8300 GS
DAC Type: Intergrated RAMDAC
Adapter String: Geforce 8300 GS

Note from Pam: Check out this link for a list of graphics cards and whether they support the game on Sims Wiki.

[HannahEloiseee]

You should check The sims 3 requirements on 'the system requirements lab'. It lets you know if your PC/laptop can run the game, and how fast or slow it'll be. You just have to download a 670KB file on your PC. When it's done you can remove it from your hardrive. It's a safe site I use it all the time. 

[loveSims]

simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_RequirementsYou can also look at this link.

[warr2098]

Yay I checked the system requirements lab and my computer easily passes every expansion

[Ricalynn]

While it's ok for every expansion, remember it may not handle all of the expansions together well.   

[warr2098]

hmm.. yeah.. thats what I was thinking, I have it on medium graphics but have all Ep's except showtime and no SP's so I wonder if I had them all it would run super slow...

[HannahEloiseee]

hmm.. yeah.. thats what I was thinking, I have it on medium graphics but have all Ep's except showtime and no SP's so I wonder if I had them all it would run super slow...

Do you have a laptop or a PC? If you have a PC I recommed getting a HD radeon 6000 or upwards. If you want the Geforce series, I recommed getting Geforce 8800. I know that runs all expansions and full graphics and does the HD radeon.

[warr2098]

I have a PC, and I'll check out the Geforce 8800 Thanks HannahEloise!

[HannahEloiseee]

I have a PC, and I'll check out the Geforce 8800 Thanks HannahEloise!

No problem

[Sims_Lover]

I am buying a new laptop because my old one a drink spilled:(

Is this a  good laptop to run TS3 and EP's? I am trying to find a not so high priced laptop.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-Black-15.6-IdeaPad-Z585-59345307-Laptop-PC-with-AMD-Dual-Core-A6-4400M-Processor-and-Windows-8-Operating-System/22081804

Lenovo 15.6" IdeaPad Z585 59345307 Laptop PC:

Key Features and Benefits:
AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M processor
2.70GHz, 1MB Cache

4GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory
Gives you the power to handle most power-hungry applications and tons of multimedia work

500GB SATA hard drive
Store 333,000 photos, 142,000 songs or 263 hours of HD video and more

Integrated DVD drive
Watch movies, and read and write CDs and DVDs in multiple formats

10/100Base-T Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Connect to a broadband modem with wired Ethernet or wirelessly connect to a WiFi signal or hotspot with the 802.11b/g/n connection built into your PC

15.6" HD LED display
AMD Radeon HD7520G integrated graphics

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Sims_Lover.

Unfortunately, no if you want to run the game at full detail. The graphics card on the laptop takes memory away from the system in order to provide memory for the graphics. Because nearly every computer comes with 64-bit Windows, taking memory away from the system is not a good thing for a game that can easily use up to 2 GB of memory just to run.

You may be able to run the game at 1024 x 768 with low to medium graphics, but it will struggle on anything past that. If you're like MrsFlynn and myself (every expansion/stuff pack + tons of store content), the game will run slow even at those settings.

Hope this helps.

Flynn

[shibamistress]

Hi, Sims_Lover.

Unfortunately, no if you want to run the game at full detail. The graphics card on the laptop takes memory away from the system in order to provide memory for the graphics. Because nearly every computer comes with 64-bit Windows, taking memory away from the system is not a good thing for a game that can easily use up to 2 GB of memory just to run.

You may be able to run the game at 1024 x 768 with low to medium graphics, but it will struggle on anything past that. If you're like MrsFlynn and myself (every expansion/stuff pack + tons of store content), the game will run slow even at those settings.

Hope this helps.

Flynn

What would you suggest for a good graphics card for running the game with LPs?   I did find a thread about the perfect gaming machine which I saw you'd answered some questions in (great thread!), but I realized that I'm not so familiar with non Mac stuff, and am also not clear on the graphics card issues, so I could still use some further information on that!

(In my case, I use a Mac, but am thinking of buying another, cheaper PC just for gaming, and I'm a bit at sea still!)

[Pam]

What would you suggest for a good graphics card for running the game with LPs?   I did find a thread about the perfect gaming machine which I saw you'd answered some questions in (great thread!), but I realized that I'm not so familiar with non Mac stuff, and am also not clear on the graphics card issues, so I could still use some further information on that!

(In my case, I use a Mac, but am thinking of buying another, cheaper PC just for gaming, and I'm a bit at sea still!)

I'm not the technical expert, but I can tell you that it can get complicated and expensive very quickly when you're trying to run a game like Sims 3.  When the game first came out, I had a brand new computer that cost me $1,200 for everything (including monitor and printer).  Yet, it wasn't enough to run Sims 3 properly.  I had to immediately upgrade my graphics card, which cost me probably $100.  Now with so many expansions, stuff packs, and store content (much like the Flynns), I'm upgrading my computer again.  This time, in order to get a good graphics card, I first have to upgrade the power supply.  Then I'm installing a secondary hard drive to store everything so that I only use my C: drive for the game.  And finally, I've got a nice graphics card on the way. 

So, what I'm saying is that Sims 3 and an expensive laptop aren't very compatible, in my opinion.  I've heard of some that really aren't bad, but the bigger the game gets, the harder it will be to run.

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

What would you suggest for a good graphics card for running the game with LPs?   I did find a thread about the perfect gaming machine which I saw you'd answered some questions in (great thread!), but I realized that I'm not so familiar with non Mac stuff, and am also not clear on the graphics card issues, so I could still use some further information on that!

(In my case, I use a Mac, but am thinking of buying another, cheaper PC just for gaming, and I'm a bit at sea still!)

I'm partial to the nVidia cards as (to me) it's a little easier to figure out what's a decent card versus their cheaper cards. In particular, cards such as the GeForce GTX 550 Ti, GTX 650 and such are good cards for The Sims 3. For a laptop, look for a system that has a GeForce GT 600 series (such as the GeForce GT 630M).

Things to look for in a desktop card:

• 512 MB or more of GDDR5 graphics memory (1 GB and 2 GB seem to be pretty common amounts of memory)
• For nVidia cards, the GTS and GTX cards are better than the GT cards

Overall, I recommend not spending more than about $150 on a graphics card as the performance to cost ratio drops pretty quickly from that point.

For laptops, you can find a decent system capable of running The Sims 3 for under $1,000. The most important things to look for are 8 GB of system memory and 1 GB or 2 GB of dedicated graphics memory (sometimes referred to as discrete memory). However, you will generally get better performance from a desktop system over a laptop for the same amount of money.

Hope this helps.

Flynn

[sadsim]

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+). Newegg.com usually has good prices, and here is a CPU teir guide and a graphics card teir guide:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html