Hello, I am back with some more questions. I haven't gotten a computer yet, but I've been talking to my mom about a new desktop because we need a new one anyways. So I was wondering what kind of specs and stuff the computer would need to play the sims 3 plus most expansion packs?
Well, you'll need a decent amount of space on the harddrive but these days that tends to be a given. I highly, highly recommend getting an N-Vidia graphics card. I have an AMD and it's quite troublesome to deal with driver updates. For other names that are good to stick with would probably be Intel.
I have an i7 Core processor and it's pretty great. You'll want plenty of ram, 8 gigs + is my recommendation. Try to not go lower than 6 gb of ram otherwise your game with fight for the ram with your actual operating system which would cause your game to run slowly or lag quite a bit.
Obviously, everything I've stated comes from my personal experience and opinions (especially the brand favoritism), however I can say from experience that AMD is meant more for videos/basic computing and isn't a very good gaming graphics card. They are very good and efficient, but not what a gamer is looking for when putting graphics cards into a computer.
Make sure you have a decent power supply as well. I know that's not something often brought up when talking about gaming specs. The Power Supply in your computer can make all the difference sometimes, and my power supply was made specifically for my graphics card (an AMD - so you can get a feel for what I'm talking about). Because AMD is known for efficiency and not necessarily for high-detail graphics my power supply is smaller than the recommended power supply and sometimes I struggle with how long it takes my computer to boot up as well as game functionality in general. The power supply is what gives the computer it's kick and prevents it (as best as it possibly can) from power surges. So just make sure that if you're buying from a store you ask all the questions you can about specs in the computer, and if they can't answer you clearly and directly, think a bit before buying (my parents and I have been swindled before because of that! I ended up with a laptop that had great everything expect it had a phone processor in it! It could barely run windows!)
Anyways, I do ramble a bit. Key words to look for: Processor (when talking about how many cores, the higher the number, usually the better it is, like a i7core is better than a i4 core); Ram (no less than 6gb for smooth play, you can play on less but your operating system may fight for power with the game at that point, yet again, higher numbers equals better); Graphics Card (there are several available, but I highly recommend N-Vidia as they are tailored to playing games. AMD is still pretty good, but it's a bit fussy when it comes to driver updates and you'll need to be careful); hard drive (you'll want plenty of space to download and install the Sims, however I don't feel this is something you'll need to pay THAT close attention to as most computers these days come with a fair amount of space - mine has 911 gb of usable space - A LOT - and I didn't have to pay extra for it at all); and lastly, don't overlook the Power Supply. Make sure it's at about 600 watts? I believe it's measured in watts. Mine is at 570 and from my knowledge and what others have told me I was skimped out on in the power-supply area.
If you had to make a choice over which is more important to allcolate your monetary expenses: Processor and Ram should always come first as they are good for the overall life of your computer. A high-end graphics card can be expensive, and work really well, but if it doesn't have the ram or the processor to back it up it won't work nearly as well.
Hopefully my wall of text makes some sense, and hopefully I'm not totally in the wrong on somethings.
To repeat: this is opinion on all brands/names mentioned. As I said before, I'm a lover of HP and they've been great to me and let me really get involved and pick the parts that I want to see in my computer on my budget. I know some people prefer to go to stores to buy computers, and if that's the case be sure to write down some questions and grill the person selling the computer! Don't be afraid to ask questions! Ask about the ram, ask about the graphics power and what they would recommend for certain tasks. Give them your budget and let them know what you'd like to see out of your computer spec-wise.
I'd like to be informed of your decision when it comes down to it, if you don't mind posting.
Best of luck, computer hunting/buying can be very stressful!
