Anyway, we're planning on cashing in on my Warranty, but I'm uncertain if I should even bother continuing to play Sims on my laptop or if I should focus on getting a good desktop. Here are some of the ones that I'm looking at. If there is one that you would recommend that I don't mention (that's under $1000 US including any extra stuff needed), please let me know!
Computers:
1. HP - Pavilion Desktop - AMD A8-Series - 8GB Memory - 2TB Hard Drive w/ 3.5 GHz Processor Speed. Cache Memory 4MD on die Level 2. System Memory (RAM) 8 GB expandable to 32 GB. Type of Memory (RAM): DDR3 SDRAM. Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 8570D. Available Expansion Slots (I'm not sure how this one works): 3 PCl Express x1, 1 PCl Express x16. Operating System: Windows 8.1 with 64-bit. Drive Capacity: 2TB. Hard Drive Type: SATA (7200 rpm).
2. Acer - Aspire TC Series Desktop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive. 3.1 GHz w/ Turbo boost up to 3.3 GHz. Cache Memory; 6 GB. System Memory: 8 GB expandable to 16 GB. Memory Type: DDR3. Graphics: Intel HD. Expansion Slots: 1 PCl Express x 1, 1 PCL Express x 15. Windows 8.1 w/ 64-bit. Hard Drive Type: SATA III (7200 rpm)
3. Asus - Desktop - Intel Core i7 - 16GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive. 3.5 GHz w/ Turbo Boost up to 3.9 GHz. System Memory (RAM): 16 GB expandable to 32 GB. Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 620. Video Memory: 2 GB dedicated. Windows 8. Hard Drive Type: SATA (7200 rpm)
4. CyberPowerPC - Gamer Ultra Desktop - AMD FX-Series - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive. AMD FX-Series. 3.5 GHz with Turbo CORE up to 4.1 GHz. Cache Memory: 6 GB on die Level 2. System Memory (RAM): 9 GB expandable to 16 GB. Type of Memory: DDR3 SDRAM. Graphics: AMD Radeon R7 250. Video Memory: 2 GB dedicated. Available Expansion Slots: 1 PCl Express x 1, 1 PCl. Windows 8.1 with 64-bit. Graphics Chip: AMD/ATI. Hard Drive Type: SATA III (7200 rpm)
There are probably more that I can add to this list, but I figured that this was a decent start, and I am definitely considering any of them to some degree because of the price range added to my minimal knowledge of computers.
Note: If at all possible, I think I would like to do some youtubing in regards to Lets Plays, so a computer capable of that should I upgrade my computer would be absolutely wonderful.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this regretfully painfully long post.
Hi Ginny,
If you are in the US, I really recommend this model that I just bought last Monday and received on Friday. I ordered from the site below:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1004758-REG/asus_m51ad_us002s_intel_i5_4440_8gb_1tb_7200_gtx760_windows_8.html3.1GHz Intel Core i5-4440 Haswell CPU (4th generation)
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (there are 3 more DIMMs to upgrade to 32GB total)
1TB 7200rpm Hard Drive
Dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX760 Graphics (192-bit OEM model with 3GB GDDR5 RAM)
24X SuperMulti DVD Burner
16-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader
3 x USB 2.0 / 2 x USB 3.0 Ports
802.11ac Wi-Fi & Gigabit Ethernet
Included USB Keyboard and Mouse
Windows 8 (64-bit) -- it's actually Windows 8.1
Some things I found out after doing extensive research this month:
Intel CPU processors are better than AMD if you can afford them. I didn't do much research into specific AMD chips, but the 4th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 chips have L3 memory caches, which is faster than Level 2.
The quad-core Core i5 is basically the same as the quad-core Core i7, and the ONLY real difference is that the i5 has hyperthreading disabled. You only need hyperthreading if you are doing intensive video, photo, or 3D CAD editing and rendering. If you are a casual user of those applications or don't do those things, the 4th generation i5 is actually recommended for gaming (make sure the model starts with i5-4xxx for 4th generation and is a quad-core processor). If you really need or want the i7, Asus has the same model with the same graphics card for $265 more ($985 including rebate).
8GB of RAM is also plenty if you don't do things like video editing because all current day games utilize 4GB at most (and your graphics card will do most anyway) and your OS will use 1-2GB. So if you don't use programs that take advantage of extra RAM, anything over 8GB is not being used anyway. I can run the full Sims 3 on 1920x1080p and alt-tab back and forth to the Windows desktop and run things like Excel, play music, and surf the internet at the same time and all of those load instantly.
The Nvidia cards are significantly better than the AMD for gaming. It's the second number in the graphics card line that matters the most. For example, the 20 above is MUCH cheaper than a 50 or 60 (a $55 card vs. a $150 or $250 card) and will be much more expensive to upgrade, assuming the computer you buy has the appropriate power supply for the 50's and 60's. The Asus I bought comes with a GTX 760 OEM model, which is working amazingly well.
I was overly conservative in my boot time above, it loads in 5 seconds or less (literally, the desktop window is open by the time I hit the power button on my desktop and monitor and sit down) after I added a solid state drive. Out of the box, it still booted in 30 seconds or so.
This same model is available on Amazon and Best Buy. B&H and Amazon both offer an $80 manufacturer's warranty for computers purchased in June, and B&H had free 3 day shipping and no sales tax if you don't live in NY. Best Buy didn't show the rebate online, but I'm not sure if that's because they were unaware of it. It cost me $720 for the actual desktop, which only excluded the monitor and speakers. I already had my own that I used instead. I added a 250GB Samsung 840 EVO solid state drive for $135. If anyone is interested in the actual steps to add a SSD, PM me.
As I mentioned above, I own basically the entire Sims 3 series including most store content, and the game now boots up in under 2 minutes and saves are under 30 seconds. I looked all over in many places and couldn't find anywhere to buy the same configuration with the CPU, GPU, RAM, and ability to upgrade to a SSD for any cheaper. It runs much better than machines I've paid over $1500 for in the past, all for $855.
I hope this helps someone.
