Computer Help

[Willow]

Hi, I have been wanting to get the sims 3 for a long time now and I am going to try an save up for a computer. I don't know anything about computers though, so that makes it a bit of a problem for me. I'd want it to be able to play all the expansion packs, even though I probably won't get them all. The ones I really want to get are: Late Night, Generations, Pets and seasons, and possibly ambitions. I don't care if it is a laptop or a desktop, as long as it would be able to run the games smoothly and on high graphics. I'd also like to to be under like $800. I was also wondering if its a good idea to buy used computers or is that not a very good idea?  Also, I am sorry if this is the wrong spot to ask.

[JSBrantner]

There is a thread in the sticky's here on the Technical Help board called "Ultimate Computer Specs". I would start there looking for information. I recently helped a friend of mine in her search and she found a Dell laptop with 6gb memory and 750 gb hard drive that seems to be working well for her, though she only has the base game. She bought hers for about $498.00.

[Pam]

Here's the link to the Ultimate Computer Specs.

[Willow]

I just read it and it helped a little bit. I am really wondering if it is a good idea or not to buy a used computer? And I was also wondering what brands or types of computers are good at playing sims 3 and expansion packs. I know it depends more on the specs the computer has, but I don't really understand that stuff, or know a lot about it    I've been researching for quite a while, but haven't really had a lot of luck on what I was looking for, so I joined this so I could ask the questions, and because this seem like a nice forum community.

[Pam]

Thank you for the compliments.  I'm glad you decided to join us.

It really is all about the specifications of the computer.  I think a used computer would be more likely to be outdated because technology moves so fast.  My computer is about four years old and runs the game, but I'm about to upgrade it so it will run even smoother.  The brand probably doesn't matter much as long as you get one from a reputable company. 

We have lots of technical members who will be able to help you better than I can and I'm sure they'll be along shortly. 

[Willow]

Okay, thanks Pam. 

[Willow]

Can somebody, or more than one person please help me out? I've been researching for a long time, but everything I've read is from one or 2 years ago, so the stuff that I've already may not work as well.

[LivvieLove]

Let's see what I can do to help. It all depends on preference: me, I'm a desktop girl. I feel my game runs a lot more reliably on a desktop, but laptops have advantages too.
The specs you are looking for would be around 8 gigs of ram (or 6, but 8 almost ensures the game runs smoothly with multiple additions), a recognized graphics card (for references, PassMark does benchmarks like so: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/mid_range_gpus.html that compare different graphics cards and what they can handle), a hard drive with plenty of space (though I don't know what hard drive doesn't these days...) and a brand you trust as the logo.

PERSONALLY, I love the HP brand as you can build your desktop to your specifications within your price range so you know what you're getting. They are a brand I personally trust and haven't had issues with. Just to clarify on what some things are: ram will help the game run, the more of it you have the smoother it runs, so more ram can never hurt. Graphics cards are the iffy part that I never thought I would understand... the two top brands I know of off the top of my head are AMD and Intel (also known for their processors as well, which you might want to give a look into). If given the choice, Intel is more reliable and easier to understand for updates and works amazingly on both processor and graphics. AMD is a little less reliable but they can also be a bit cheaper. Shop around, is my best advice.
HP would be my first recommendation to start because you can go there and customize the optimal computer for you, look at the price and then go back and compare what you WANT with what you can afford and put together a computer you will enjoy for a while.

[Willow]

Thanks LivvieLove. Yeah, I don't really care if it is a laptop or desktop. I just might prefer a laptop a bit more, because than I can bring it places. But then I heard that you can't update them that good or something like that. Thank you for telling me what ram was too, because I was getting confused with that, because I would read stuff that would say like 8 gigs of something, and then another would say like 750, I knew they were both different things, I just wasn't sure which was which. I'll tell my mom about customizing one. 
                                                         

[Willow]

It would also help me out to if you tell me what type of computer you have and how much it cost, and if it runs smoothly and with no lag. My mom and I will hopefully talk to a computer guy that lives near us, so I would like to ask him about certain computers, and other things that you tell me on here.

[JSBrantner]

I use an HP G60 Notebook PC. I have 3 gigabytes of memory, a 250 gigabyte hard drive and an Intel Celeron processor. I bought it on sale at Walmart for about $250.00 about 3 years ago. I can run the game, but I do have some lag every now and then, especially on my Dynasty games where I have all of my store content installed. I created a different user name for challenge files that only has items from the base game, expansion packs, and stuff packs, with a few items from the store like clothing and such. I have less lag time on those game files, but the larger the house and the more sims in the house the more I lag. If you are eventually wanting to have all the expansion packs and stuff packs installed you really need at least 6 gigabytes of memory, 8 would be better, as LivvieLove has said. Anything less than that and you are pretty much guaranteed to lag to some degree.

My advice if you still aren't sure what you will need and want to keep the cost under a certain price point, would be to go into an electronics store like Best Buy, or someplace similar (or the computer guy that lives near you). Tell them you are looking to purchase a gaming computer, but don't want to spend more than what your limit is. They should know from that what the minimum specs are that you need. They can also give you expert advice on graphics cards and computer brands.

[Willow]

Thank you! Anyone else who reads this please tell me your suggestions for what I am looking for. I really appreciate it.  

[Willow]

Any more advice is very appreciated! 

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Willow.

Laptops can work pretty well for running The Sims 3. Here's a few things to look for:

• 1 GB or 2 GB dedicated graphics (sometimes called discrete) - nVidia's GT 630M or GT 640M work very well. If the laptop doesn't mention this on the sticker or ad then move to the next one.
• Intel Core i5 or Core i7 quad core processor, or a Core i5 dual core processor. 2.5 GHz or better.
• A screen you can see comfortably.
• 8 GB system memory. Minimum.

Laptops that can run graphics-intensive games like The Sims 3 can be expensive, but you don't have to buy an Alienware $1500 special in order to play at top settings. Laptops do tend to run hot when playing games, so make sure the laptop has decent cooling - use a cooler mat for example.

Hope this helps, and happy Simmming.

Flynn

[Willow]

Thanks Flynn Arrowstarr. Do those things work with more than the base game, like would it work with expansion packs too? Or is that good for only playing the base game. Sorry if that doesn't make sense.