Author Topic: Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3 (Read 289977 times)

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #420 on:** May 26, 2015, 12:53:03 PM »

Hi SimsMom,

Hubby and I found a desktop in your price range that should work well for both Sims 3 and Sims 4. And that should last a long while.

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA390 Desktop (Blue/Black)
= Price: $619.00
http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Gamer-Ultra-GUA390-Desktop/dp/B009O7LZXQ

AMD FX-Series FX-4100 3.60 GHz
8GB SDRAM DDR3
2048 GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
AMD Radeon HD 7750
Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system

It should play the game well on med-high settings to high settings. And, if you want to add a better graphics card later on, it hopefully shouldn't need an updated power supply to do it.

Hope this helps,

MrsFlynn

SimsMom80 · « **Reply #421 on:** May 26, 2015, 03:23:29 PM »

Thank you so much MrsFlynn!

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #422 on:** May 26, 2015, 03:35:16 PM »

You're welcome!! I'd like to add Hubby looked into the above computer some more, and was able to find that it has an 500 watt power supply, which is plenty powerful enough to add a new video card if you want later on.

MrsFlynn

ANGEL02 · « **Reply #423 on:** June 01, 2015, 09:01:14 PM »

I'm looking for a good DESKTOP to play The Sims 3 on (and potentially TS4) I have one stuff pack and all expansion packs except for Supernatural and Into the Future with a good amount of store content. Can anyone please tell me if these choices are good? Thanks in advance!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-refurbished-desktop-2gb-memory-80gb-hard-drive-black-silver/2896991.p?id=1219082023241&skuId=2896991

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9704281&CatId=2628

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-aspire-xc-603-desktop-computer-intel-pentium-j2900-2-41-ghz-black/1312051094.p?id=mp1312051094&skuId=1312051094

Flynn Arrowstarr · « **Reply #424 on:** June 01, 2015, 10:19:11 PM »

Quote from: ANGEL02 on June 01, 2015, 09:01:14 PM

I'm looking for a good DESKTOP to play The Sims 3 on (and potentially TS4) I have one stuff pack and all expansion packs except for Supernatural and Into the Future with a good amount of store content. Can anyone please tell me if these choices are good? Thanks in advance!

Hi, Angel02.

I'm afraid none of these as is will work well for The Sims 3 or The Sims 4.The operative words here are 'as is' as it is possible to get at least one of these systems up to snuff if you're willing to put a little effort and money into it. I'll give you a brief explanation for each system below.

Quote from: ANGEL02

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-refurbished-desktop-2gb-memory-80gb-hard-drive-black-silver/2896991.p?id=1219082023241&skuId=2896991

I'm completely ruling out this system as it would be a little more expensive to make this system work than it's worth. As it is, it has a very small hard drive and not very much memory. It is also a small form factor system which makes finding a graphics card for it a little more difficult. The processor is adequate for the game.

Quote from: ANGEL02

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9704281&CatId=2628

This system has the right amount of memory and a decent sized hard drive, but the processor does not meet the minimum requirements for the game.

Quote from: ANGEL02

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/acer-aspire-xc-603-desktop-computer-intel-pentium-j2900-2-41-ghz-black/1312051094.p?id=mp1312051094&skuId=1312051094

This system won't play the game very well out of the box. But with updating the memory to 8 GB, an updated graphics card and (most likely) an updated power supply and it should play the game decently at mostly high settings.

If you would like to, let us know what country you're in and what budget you have to work with and we'll see what we can find.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

ANGEL02 · « **Reply #425 on:** June 01, 2015, 10:26:58 PM »

Thanks for responding Flynn!

I am in North America and I was hoping to keep my budget under $350. I'm only 19 and I doubt my parents will be willing to help me out because they think The Sims is a big time waster lol.

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #426 on:** June 02, 2015, 05:59:14 PM »

Hi Angel,

I sent you a PM reply with this information. But thought I'd post it in the thread, just in case others might find the information helpful.

I got an email from Hubby with his recommendations from the list I sent him.

MrsFlynn

==========
Here's what he has to say:

I've narrowed it down to these four, with the Lenovo at the top being the overall best. - Low to medium settings out of the box. However all of these will need a dedicated video card, and more than likely an upgrade power supply to run Sims 3 and 4 well enough.

Video card and power supply recommendations:

EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti = Price: $134.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IDG3IDO

EVGA 500W Power Supply 100-W1-0500-KR = Price: $44.99
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-80PLUS-Certified-ATX12V-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU

==================
Lenovo Black H50 Tower Desktop PC with AMD A-Series A8-6500 Quad-Core Processor
$314.46
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lenovo-H50-90bg001lus-Desktop-Computer-Amd-A-series-A8-6500-3.50-Ghz-Tower-8-Gb-Ram-1-Tb-Hdd-Amd-Radeon-Hd-8570d-Windows-8.1-64-bit-Wire/43620957

AMD A-Series A8-6500 Quad-Core processor 4.10GHz, 4MB Cache
8GB DDR3 SDRAM
AMD Radeon HD 8570D Graphics With DDR3 SDRAM graphics memory

==================
Off Lease REFURBISHED Dell Optiplex 760
$249.99
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Off-Lease-REFURBISHED-Dell-Optiplex-760-3.0GHz-C2D-8GB-1TB-DVD-Win-7-Pro64-Mini-Tower-Computer-PC/44999724

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.00 GHz
8 GB Memory
Integrated video

==================
Off Lease REFURBISHED HP Compaq 8000 Elite
$239.99
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Off-Lease-REFURBISHED-HP-Compaq-8000-Elite-3.0GHz-8GB-1TB-DVD-Win-7-Pro-Mini-Tower-Computer-PC/41053686

Intel Core 2 Duo 3.00 GHz
8 GB Memory
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500

==================
Dell Refurbished Black 780 Desktop PC with Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 8GB Memory
$238.99
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dell-Refurbished-Black-780-Desktop-PC-with-Intel-Core-2-Duo-Processor-8GB-Memory-2TB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-7-Professional-Monitor-Not-Included/37535459

Intel Core 2 Duo processor 3.0GHz
8GB DDR2 SDRAM
Integrated Intel GMA 4500 Graphics
==================

porcheasloan · « **Reply #427 on:** June 05, 2015, 04:40:44 PM »

Hello,

I currently have an HP laptop that is around 5 or 6 years old and now all the expansion packs I have for sims 3 have like bogged my computer down. My game is constantly freezing or crashing on me when I try to play. I am looking to get a new laptop but I have no idea which one to get. I want something sleek and reasonable in pricing, but I still want to be sure I have at least an 8GB memory and other key components. My budget is no more than $600 on a laptop, I wish I could get one of the cheap $300 ones but I'm sure it will be worth just the amount I paid and still will cause issues when loading all of my expansion packs. I seen this one http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy-2-in-1-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-natural-silver-black/3008063.p?id=1219567191151&skuId=3008063

Which is kind of what I want then there is this DELL
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-silver/2606028.p?id=1219550858261&skuId=2606028

I know lenovo is one of the better brands but I have no idea which one will fit my needs and price range. Can someone give me some advice please ?!?

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #428 on:** June 05, 2015, 10:41:56 PM »

Hi Porcheasloan,

The better of the two that you mentioned would be the Dell. As it's processor (3.0 ghz) exceeds the minimum requirements. You may be able to get up to medium settings at a resolution of 1366x768.

However you may still experience game problems such as crashing, slow loading and lag due to the poor-rated graphics. Graphic cards in laptops cannot be upgraded.

I've tried searching for laptops within your budget of $600. and wasn't able to find anything that has better specifications than the Dell above.

MrsFlynn

cortneysims3 · « **Reply #429 on:** June 07, 2015, 01:21:04 PM »

What are your thoughts on the Dell Inspiron 23 5000 Series

I want to use this for playing the sims 3 games only. I know basically nothing about computers

. I have all expansion packs and 2 stuff packs. No CC or mods. The price is about $900, its an all in one desktop. Would you recommend this for my game play? And thanks for your help, its hard trying to figure this stuff out when you know literally nothing about the techs and specs of computers!

Processor
4th Generation Intel Core i5-4460S Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz)

Operating System
Windows 8.1 (64Bit) English

Memory
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz (4GBx2)

Hard Drive
1TB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive

Video Card
23 inch LED Backlit Touch Display with FHD resolution (1920 x 1080) with Intel® HD Graphics

Optical Drive
Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD)

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #430 on:** June 07, 2015, 04:04:31 PM »

Hi Cortneysims3,

In general, I would steer clear of all-in-one systems as they are usually the equivalent of a low-end laptop embedded in a larger monitor. They usually don't meet the minimum requirements for Sims 3 or Sims 4. And if they do, it's usually a low-grade video card. The video cards in the All-in-One computers are not upgradeable.

While the one you pointed out does meet the requirements, the video card is a low-grade video card that may be able to play at medium settings at best but you may experience problems in the way of crashes, lag and slow loading, due to the low-grade video card.

However, here's a desktop to consider.

CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA390 Desktop (Blue/Black)
= Price: $619.00
http://www.amazon.com/CyberpowerPC-Gamer-Ultra-GUA390-Desktop/dp/B009O7LZXQ

AMD FX-Series FX-4100 3.60 GHz
8GB SDRAM DDR3
2048 GB 7200 rpm Hard Drive
AMD Radeon HD 7750
Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system

It should play the game well on med-high settings to high settings and would have a better overall gaming experience. And, if you want to add a better graphics card later on you can as it has a 500 watt power supply.

Here's a recommendation for a video card:

EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti = Price: $134.99
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Dual-Link-Graphics-02G-P4-3751-KR/dp/B00IDG3PRI

Hope this helps,

MrsFlynn

cortneysims3 · « **Reply #431 on:** June 07, 2015, 06:29:47 PM »

Mrs. Flynn,

Thank you for your quick response and your helpful tips and suggestions! I really appreciate it!

-cortneysims3

cortneysims3 · « **Reply #432 on:** June 07, 2015, 06:50:58 PM »

Mrs. Flynn,

I apologize for my many messages in this forum, I was wondering about whether the ViewSonic VX2252MH 22-Inch LED-Lit LCD Monitor, Full HD 1080p, 2ms, 50M:1 DCR, Game Mode, HDMI/DVI/VGA, VESA would be a good purchase and compatible with the CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA390 Desktop I plan on purchasing?

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #433 on:** June 07, 2015, 07:20:14 PM »

Yes the ViewSonic monitor should go nicely with the computer. It's okay about multiple post. You're asking important questions. So all is good.

MrsFlynn

porcheasloan · « **Reply #434 on:** June 08, 2015, 10:28:38 AM »

Is it better to get like an portable all in one desktop that way I still get the portability of an laptop?

I saw this one from Dell that seems like an reasonable price.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-19-5-portable-touch-screen-all-in-one-intel-pentium-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-black/9204101.p?id=1219399591555&skuId=9204101

It doesn't seem to have that much memory only 4 GB though ..

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