Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3

[taeyun]

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

Thank you so much!!!! It really help me to chose the laptop I want ^^

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

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!

No problem. Let us know how things go with it.

Flynn

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Thank you so much!!!! It really help me to chose the laptop I want ^^

No problem.

We have an older version of this LG USB External DVD Burner and it works quite well.

Flynn

[MsComplAKAted]

I am so glad I found this thread! You have no idea I have been trying to decide what kind of laptop to get. I have a Dell which I've had for years and I need a new one. I've been looking at this laptop. A Lenovo IdeaPad something or other. Here are the specs(sorry I'm on my phone typing this) System Components
4th Generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Windows 8.1 64
NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
15.6" FHD LED AntiGlare with integrated camera (1920x1080)
1TB 5400 RPM + 24GB SSD
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion
Intel 7260 b/g/n Wireless (2x2 BGN)


Is this good enough to use with Sims 3 and all the expansion packs?

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi, MsComplAKAted.

The specs are very similar to the system Soramea was looking at above. It should play the game pretty well.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

I am so glad I found this thread! You have no idea I have been trying to decide what kind of laptop to get. I have a Dell which I've had for years and I need a new one. I've been looking at this laptop. A Lenovo IdeaPad something or other. Here are the specs(sorry I'm on my phone typing this) System Components
4th Generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
Windows 8.1 64
NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
15.6" FHD LED AntiGlare with integrated camera (1920x1080)
1TB 5400 RPM + 24GB SSD
DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion
Intel 7260 b/g/n Wireless (2x2 BGN)


Is this good enough to use with Sims 3 and all the expansion packs?

[MsComplAKAted]

Very true indeed! Thanks so much for the quick response and help!

Hi, MsComplAKAted.

The specs are very similar to the system Soramea was looking at above. It should play the game pretty well.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

[Soramea]

Hi again! Ran into some problems with buying my new laptop x.x Just realised I was using the USA site and now I cant buy the computer :/ just wondering if I could have some help navigating for a new one (that ships to Australia?)

[izzie89]

Hi!
Recently I bought a laptop. The specs are:

Acer E1-472G 14-Inch
Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz
4 GB DDR3L Memory
1000 GB HDD
NVIDIA GeForce 820M with 2GB dedicated VRAM
64-bit Operating System, x64-based processor

Can this laptop play Sims 2 or Sims 3?
Please help me... I love The Sims!

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Should have no problems with Sims 2. For Sims 3, the only thing I'm a little concerned on is the processor. I'm not as familiar with the U line of the Core I series processors. I know the U designation is for ultra low voltage processors and the clock speed is pretty close to the minimum required for Sims 3. It should work okay for medium settings, but may perform sluggish on high settings, even though the graphics card is above specs for the game.

I would see about increasing the laptop's memory to 8 GB as soon as you can as it will also help improve the performance of the system.

Hope this helps and happy Simming!

Flynn

[angelcat621]

Hi! Long time no see everyone! I'm considering replacing my old computer for a rig that'll run Sims 3 on High settings.
I've got my eye on this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pavilion-desktop-8gb-memory-2tb-hard-drive/3199341.p?id=1219088675337&skuId=3199341&st=categoryid

HP - Pavilion Desktop - 8GB Memory - 2TB Hard Drive
Windows 8.1
AMD Radeon HD 8570D
3.5GHz processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM

I quite like HP computers, as I've used them for years with no difficulty. However, I would like a second opinion from the Simming experts. I'm most concerned with the graphics. My current 5 year old desktop computer only has a grossly underpowered integrated chipset (ugh!) and is currently choking on Sims 3, so I don't want to make that mistake again. I have all expansions, Stuff Packs, and quite a bit of Store Content.

If anyone has any other opinions on a good Sims computer at a decent price (under $700), please point me in the right direction. I much appreciate it. Thank you!

[Flynn Arrowstarr]

Hi! Long time no see everyone! I'm considering replacing my old computer for a rig that'll run Sims 3 on High settings.
I've got my eye on this one: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/pavilion-desktop-8gb-memory-2tb-hard-drive/3199341.p?id=1219088675337&skuId=3199341&st=categoryid

HP - Pavilion Desktop - 8GB Memory - 2TB Hard Drive
Windows 8.1
AMD Radeon HD 8570D
3.5GHz processor
8GB DDR3 SDRAM

I quite like HP computers, as I've used them for years with no difficulty. However, I would like a second opinion from the Simming experts. I'm most concerned with the graphics. My current 5 year old desktop computer only has a grossly underpowered integrated chipset (ugh!) and is currently choking on Sims 3, so I don't want to make that mistake again. I have all expansions, Stuff Packs, and quite a bit of Store Content.

If anyone has any other opinions on a good Sims computer at a decent price (under $700), please point me in the right direction. I much appreciate it. Thank you!

Hi, angelcat621.

The computer itself is fine, but the graphics card is severely lacking. It doesn't have any dedicated memory of its own, so it can take up to half the system's memory for graphics, up to a 1/2 GB for operating system use, and 2 GB for the game. Leaving you with about 1 1/2 GB for the system to do it's thing in the background. There are some other issues with the integrated graphics as well -- full details can be found at NotebookCheck.net's article on the Radeon HD 8570D.

It could be possible to update the system to run Sims 3 on full settings, but I think it would end up running you over your $700 budget as you'd be looking at a graphics card and likely replacing the power supply as well. We used to have Dell systems where we did that, and the power supplies didn't seat properly due to Dell using a non-standard case mount. We were able to make it work, but it was definitely not something I'd recommend if you're not into computer tinkering.

I'll take a look at other desktops over the next couple of days to see what I can find in your price range.

Hope this helps and happy Simming!

Flynn

[angelcat621]

Thank you Flynn! I'm happy to say, I did end up choosing that computer but I had 8 more Gigs of memory installed to help the card.
And the computer was discounted by another $20 in store, so that was nice. It was definitely worth the 40-50 miles to Best Buy.
My aunt and I had fun looking around town while the Geek Squad set up everything. Quite pleased with the service.
Crossing my fingers the game will run better than it did on my old computer. Then again, that one couldn't really get much worse! 

Ah, now to reinstall everything...21 discs and 7 patches. Plus, in addition to Sims, I need to install Microsoft Office 2013 (it's a code, and I'm not familiar with using digital download) and hook up my old printer and pray the drivers are fully updated- but that's another story, for another forum.

I find this site very helpful. It has saved me lots of Sims headaches in the past. It will certainly ease the change to a new unfamiliar computer.

Happy Simming!

[Angélique]

angelcat621, was doubling the amount of memory the only thing you had them change before you bought the computer in your link?

I really hope you will come back here after you've installed the game and played it, and tell us all about how it works on your new computer, if you're satisfied with the performance and so on.

Good luck and happy simming! Hope to hear from you again soon.

[angelcat621]

Hi Angelique, yes, the only thing I altered with the computer was the RAM. I installed and patched all 21 games yesterday and moved all my old Store stuff (DC Cache, etc.) and saves back in. Everything works beautifully so far. When I first booted up the game, it told me I had an unrecognized graphics card (running it with the latest drivers). I turned up nearly all of the settings on High and there's no lag, no issues with the graphics. I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. Like, wow, I felt like I was seeing the game for the first time.  If I run into any issues in the future, I'll be sure to enlighten the good folks on this forum.

[Angélique]

Hi Angelique, yes, the only thing I altered with the computer was the RAM. I installed and patched all 21 games yesterday and moved all my old Store stuff (DC Cache, etc.) and saves back in. Everything works beautifully so far. When I first booted up the game, it told me I had an unrecognized graphics card (running it with the latest drivers). I turned up nearly all of the settings on High and there's no lag, no issues with the graphics. I was pleasantly surprised by the picture quality. Like, wow, I felt like I was seeing the game for the first time.  If I run into any issues in the future, I'll be sure to enlighten the good folks on this forum.

Wow, that sounds fantastic, angelcat! I'm really pleased for you that it worked so well, I mean after all that time and effort it took you to reinstall all your 21 games, and patching too. Hopefully it will stay that way. Keep all your fingers (and toes!) crossed!

And yes, I'm not at all surprised that you got a small popup window that told you that your graphics card is not recognized. I got exactly the same when I started the game for the first time. It's because neither your card nor mine is on the list, GraphicsCards.sgr.

Some people seem to think that it is of the utmost importance that you manually take the necessary steps to make your graphics card recognized by the game, but I'm not sure if it makes any difference or not. Some say it does, others say that it doesn't.

More info about this can be found here.