Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3

[LadyX20]

Flynn Arrowstarr, could you please take a look at the following (Alienware 14): http://www.alienware.com/Landings/laptops.aspx

And please let me know if it has all the system requirements to run 'The Sims 3' smoothly. I've been told Alienware are the best ones for gaming.

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, LadyX20.

The series looks pretty decent and a $2000 model got a pretty decent review at LaptopMag.com.

I would recommend looking at the customization options. But even the $1200 model looks like it's more than capbible of playing The Sims 3 on decent settings with minimal lag from the system. Of course, there are a number of other factors (number of store items installed, mods, CC, etc.) that can cause the game to slog even with a powerful system, so keep that in mind.

Make sure you stick to your budget and don't get tempted to add too much "bling". I'd start with the $1200 system and maybe add the 1 GB GTX 750M graphics card option (but only if you can afford the extra $150). Make sure you buy a cooling mat before you start serious gaming on this (or any) laptop. Heat kills laptops and the review does mention these do run hot.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

[LadyX20]

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

Thank you, it does. What do you think of a MacBook Pro for playing it on. Specifically the one with the following specs.

Apple Macbook Pro 13.3 inch 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core Processor

Technical Specifications:

Battery:Up to 7 hours of battery life

Display:13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with edge-to-edge, uninterrupted glass (1280 x 800-pixel resolution)

Graphics:Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated graphics processor

Processor:2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor (3.1 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology,3 MB L3 cache)

RAM:4 GB installed RAM (1600 MHz DDR3, supports up to 8 GB)

Weight:4.5 pounds

HardDrive:500 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM)

Summary
Storage Capacity : 500 GB
Hard Disk : 500GB
Processor: 2.5 GHz

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

While I'm not as familiar with the Apple computers as I am with Windows systems, but I can't recommend this particular Mac. The reason is it only has the Intel HD 4000 on-chip graphics. The graphics chip is not suited for playing Sims on anything but lower settings. Also, you would want to update the memory to 8 GB (which is the most it will take). I don't know if that's a new system or an older configuration, but the Macbook Pro systems tend to be a little more expensive than a similar Windows system.

Spec-wise, the rest of the system should be fine. But without a dedicated graphics card, you're better off with the XPS system. However, as I said, I'm not as familiar with Macs, so someone on here that uses Macs may have better advice for you.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming.

Flynn

[LadyX20]

While I'm not as familiar with the Apple computers as I am with Windows systems, but I can't recommend this particular Mac. The reason is it only has the Intel HD 4000 on-chip graphics. The graphics chip is not suited for playing Sims on anything but lower settings. Also, you would want to update the memory to 8 GB (which is the most it will take).

This is all really helpful. What about the 15-inch Pro. It has a NVIDIA graphics card. I'm thinking of getting a MacBook because unfortunately, I can't buy an Alienware from Dell Online since (I have a US address) apparently I need a US-issued credit card as well. I live in the UAE, btw.

2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
256GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Spec-wise, that one looks pretty good. It should do well for playing Sims. I'm not certain about the performance of the game on a Mac versus a similar Windows PC, but if you have problems using Mac OS X (or you don't want to give up any other Windows software you may have) you can install Windows on a Mac using a program called BootCamp. However, I don't have much experience with Macs, so I don't know how easy or difficult it would be.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming.

Flynn

[LadyX20]

There's no need for BootCamp. My friend plays The Sims 3 on her MacBook Pro and she says the game runs perfectly with no lags whatsoever. Thank you, Flynn Arrowstarr (cool username, btw)


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[kikipetie]

I am getting my laptop completely refurbished. my question is- how can I avoid having to completely start over in the game? Will saving house and sims to the library work and if so, will I lose my additional home?

Thanx

[MrsFlynn]

Hi Kiki,

You can backup your whole Sims 3 folder if you'd like or just a few key folders and files. See this thread for more -

Saving folders/files to use on a different computer or to use as backup
http://www.carls-sims-3-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,16414.msg313134.html#msg313134

I hope this helps,

MrsFlynn
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I am getting my laptop completely refurbished. my question is- how can I avoid having to completely start over in the game? Will saving house and sims to the library work and if so, will I lose my additional home?

Thanx

[kikipetie]

Thanx so much for replying and the email that told me you did. I appreciate the info  so much

[kerrik100]

Thank you for this great forum and your excellent advice! Can you take a look at the following system for optimum Sims3 and beyond (Cyberpower Black Pearl)? Our daughter is an avid Sims player and we want a system that minimizes freezes/will last. Thanks! - Kerri
http://computers.toptenreviews.com/gaming/cyberpower/cyberpower-black-pearl-review.html

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, Kerri.

That particular configuration is a couple of years old, but otherwise pretty nice. A little overkill as I don't think Sims 3 is optimized for dual video cards. However, I did take a look at the current Black Pearl model, and it should be more than enough to handle the game.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

[simlover16]

For Christmas, I plan on asking for one of the more recent, if not the most, Mac computer (not a laptop) The Mac I'm playing on now is 6 years old and is running Mountain Lion. My computer is barely scraping the requirements so the game is not to what I want it to be. This computer will be for the Sims 3 & 4. I also plan on completing my Sims 3 collection (getting the rest of stuff packs, ect.) Does anyone play on a very recent Mac computer? Does it run well? Yes, I know it's common sense that a more recent computer will run the game a lot better. I'm not that familiar with all this tech stuff as much as my dad is. I trust that he will pick the best one out for Sims but I'm just asking what you guys think? More so, do any of you guys play on a more recent Mac computer and have a lot of trouble?

[Angélique]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a Mac computer is the best possible choice if your main goal is to play Sims 3 and 4, and maybe lots of other computer games too. From what I've heard and read on the subject, a good desktop PC with Windows 7 or 8, is much better for the job. But that's just my personal opinion, you should do what you want, of course.

[simlover16]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think a Mac computer is the best possible choice if your main goal is to play Sims 3 and 4, and maybe lots of other computer games too. From what I've heard and read on the subject, a good desktop PC with Windows 7 or 8, is much better for the job. But that's just my personal opinion, you should do what you want, of course.

Thanks you.
 Yeah, I've come to realize that Windows computers are a lot better for gaming. As much as I hate it, I just don't like Windows computers (I've used them before) and I can't really talk myself into it. Yes, I'm a little on the stubborn side, but it's who I am. Lol. I don't know maybe I can talk myself into it. But thank you for your time.