Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3

[bunnehsrawr]

I've been looking at buying a laptop for the sims 3 but im not much of a tech person so I don't know what would work smoothly. i'd prefer for it to run on high settings and I want to stay under $400 (I know this might be impossible). I wanted to ask if any of these will work:

1. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Asus-Refurbished-Black-15.6-R503U-RH21-Laptop-PC-with-AMD-E2-1800-Dual-Core-Processor-4GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-64-Bit/26609315

2. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Hot+Pink/9230091.p?id=1219007767591&skuId=9230091

3. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+IdeaPad+15.6%26%2334%3B+Refurbished+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+320GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/8976098.p?id=1219013503692&skuId=8976098

4. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-+15.6%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive/9130065.p?id=1218990135826&skuId=9130065#tab=specifications

if more than one will work, which one is best? thanks so much in advance

[Tanky]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Packard-Bell-Easynote-TJ71-RB-055UK-DVD-SuperMulti/dp/B003830YI4
This is my laptop that I've had for a few years now. I have all the expansions and now it has stopped lading at the very end of the world loading screen.

[joostbosmans]

Can I play TS3 on full detail?

-CPU: AMD PhenomII X4-945 Quad-Core 3ghz 
-Optical: Samsung Dual Layer DVD/CD brander 24x RAM sata
-Grafisch: Nvidia Geforce GTX650-1Gb DDR5 HDMI VGA DVi PCI-E
-Power:  12Cm ActivePFC 500W
-HDD: 1000Gb 32Mb 7200Rpm harddisk
-Memory: Elixir 8Gb DDR3 1600mhz 
Mobo: ASROCK AM3+ Nvidia Nforce FX chipset met:
6x USB 2.0 (2x USB2.0 Lan 10/100, 5.1 Digital Sound HD audio / 4x Sata300 (raid)
1x PCiE 16x 2.0, 1x PCi, 1x Com, 2x PS2

[soupydoom]

I'm looking to buy a new desktop pc and being able to play Sims 3 and all the expansion packs is my highest priority (obviously, ha).My current desktop is years old and will only play the base game and will crash if I have too many sims (4 in a household max).

The Lenovo IdeaCentre K430 is what I'm on the verge of purchasing. Will this be enough to get the most out of the Sims 3 and expansions?

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you 

[pepperspray10]

wasson i'm lookin to buy a custom desktop for my uni course and TS3 is the only game i play so because of this i'm useless when it comes to the graphics side of things, i've read so much on different cards over the past few months that i have an idea of what i might need but i'd really appreciate a hand, i'm looking to play on the highest settings overall


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
XFX Pro Series 650W 80+ Bronze PSU
1 x 1TB (1000GB) Sata III Hard Drive
Nvidia Geforce GTX 670 2GB Graphics Card
3.4GHz Intel Core i5 3570K 4-Core Ivy Bridge CPU
16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz Gaming RAM

thanks

[Angélique]

wasson i'm lookin to buy a custom desktop for my uni course and TS3 is the only game i play so because of this i'm useless when it comes to the graphics side of things, i've read so much on different cards over the past few months that i have an idea of what i might need but i'd really appreciate a hand, i'm looking to play on the highest settings overall


Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
XFX Pro Series 650W 80+ Bronze PSU
1 x 1TB (1000GB) Sata III Hard Drive
Nvidia Geforce GTX 670 2GB Graphics Card
3.4GHz Intel Core i5 3570K 4-Core Ivy Bridge CPU
16GB Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz Gaming RAM

thanks

Both the graphics card, and also the amount and speed of RAM are very good, and should be able to run Sims 3 and many other games with ease. The hard drive is of the regular type, and the processor is medium fast, so if you could add a super fast SSD (Solid State Disk) of 128 GB size to shorten load times, and upgrade to an Intel core i7-2600 or better processor, you would have a really fantastic computer that could do almost everything, including make lots of people envious!

Good luck with your new computer whichever one you choose!

[obligatorysimpun]

Hi, I hope it's ok that I'm replying to this, it's in a stickied post, so I assume I'm supposed to use this existing thread rather than starting a new one.

I notice that hard drives aren't on the information list for desktops. One of the Sims' biggest problems, even on higher-end machines, is that the file sizes get so big (especially if you're playing a dynasty or something like that), so using a hybrid or solid-state drive is something I'd recommend because of how much it cuts load times. I noticed a huge difference with my hybrid drive on loading Union Cove, and they're not considerably more expensive than a typical HDD.

[JessieJJJ]

Hi there,

I've got lots of the expansion packs and stuff from the store, and I'm wondering what sort of modifications will help it run smoother. Also, I was wondering what is a good sims 3 computer (Christmas is coming!) ?

Jessie

[MrsFlynn]

Hi Jessie,

It really depends on what you're looking for. Desktop or laptop and what price range do you have in mind.

A desktop will run Sims 3 over all the best and maybe cheaper. A laptop will run Sims 3 fairly well, except may not offer the power the game needs to run at max settings, and maybe more expensive, however will offer portability.

If you're unsure as to which you want, read the first post to help with finding which one you may want.

Topic: Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3
http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,14827.0.html

MrsFlynn

==========
==========

Hi there,
I've got lots of the expansion packs and stuff from the store, and I'm wondering what sort of modifications will help it run smoother. Also, I was wondering what is a good sims 3 computer (Christmas is coming!) ?
Jessie

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, everyone.

I updated the first post to add in a section on system storage and tweak a few bits of information. Let us know if you have any questions.

Happy Simming!

Flynn

[taeyun]

Hi, I just recently discovered this good forums, it has so much info that I needed for buying a new laptop for sims 3!!!
After few days of searching, I've came out with two laptops, just wondering can anyone give me some advise for which one is better?
by the way, my budget is around 500-600.

Acer E1-472G-6844 14-Inch Laptop $599
Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6 GHz (3 MB Cache)
8 GB DDR3L SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
14-Inch Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GT 820M
http://goo.gl/1n3x6Z

Acer Aspire V3-571G-6602 15.6-Inch Laptop
http://goo.gl/KqKM94

Intel Core_i5_2450M Processor 3.1GHz (3MB Cache)
4 GB SDRAM RAM
500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
Windows 7

Thank ahead, All advise is appreciate!!!!

[Soramea]

Hi just wondering if you could tell me whether this would meet the requirements for Sims3?


Processor: 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Operating system: Windows 8.1 64
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB
Memory: 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
Display: 14.0" HD Glossy with integrated camera (1366x768)
Pointing device: Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad
Hard Drive: 1TB 5400 RPM
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
Battery: 6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion
Network Card: Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, I just recently discovered this good forums, it has so much info that I needed for buying a new laptop for sims 3!!!
After few days of searching, I've came out with two laptops, just wondering can anyone give me some advise for which one is better?
by the way, my budget is around 500-600.

Acer E1-472G-6844 14-Inch Laptop $599
Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6 GHz (3 MB Cache)
8 GB DDR3L SDRAM
500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
14-Inch Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GT 820M
http://goo.gl/1n3x6Z

Acer Aspire V3-571G-6602 15.6-Inch Laptop
http://goo.gl/KqKM94

Intel Core_i5_2450M Processor 3.1GHz (3MB Cache)
4 GB SDRAM RAM
500GB 5400rpm Hard Drive
15.6-Inch Screen, NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M
Windows 7

Thank ahead, All advise is appreciate!!!!

Hi, taeyun.

Either laptop should work, but I'd edge more tword the E1 model as it's using a newer generation processor, you won't need to add memory to it, and the graphics card is pretty decent with 2 gb dedicated graphics RAM. You will need an external DVD drive if your games are on disc, but you should be able to get one fairly inexpensively. I would guess the games will run fine on either medium or high graphics settings above 30 frames per second.

Hope this helps and happy Simming!

Flynn

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi just wondering if you could tell me whether this would meet the requirements for Sims3?


Processor: 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Operating system: Windows 8.1 64
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB
Memory: 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
Display: 14.0" HD Glossy with integrated camera (1366x768)
Pointing device: Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad
Hard Drive: 1TB 5400 RPM
Optical Drive: DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
Battery: 6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion
Network Card: Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230

Hi, Soramea.

I don't know what model that is, but spec-wise it looks pretty good. You should be able to run Sims 3 with medium to high settings.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

[Soramea]

Thank you!!! I've been going nuts trying to find something that might be able to play Sims without spending too much xD Happy Simming to you too!