Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3

[KhaineGB]

The thing is, it's a desktop, so putting a new card in later is always an option.

From looking at the M32BF on the ASUS website... it's pretty much a case of it "should" do the job. But the graphics cards it may come with are... not great. They're absolutely low end, which should run Sims 3, but probably not with all the pretty options turned on.

Either computer will run it. Either computer should run it with all the EP's as well, just don't expect to turn everything up to high. Medium is probably going to be your best bet.

[Anoe]

Also found one more which is seem really nice, what do u think about this model?

Acer Aspire 17.3":

2.6 GHz iCore 5
RAM 8GB DDR3L
Hard drive size 1TB
Nvidia GeForce 850M 2GB

LINK

Guys what do u think about this one? What r the chances that Sims 3 with almost all the expansion packs will run good on this one? I really need help, thanks

[KhaineGB]

Let me give you my laptop specs...

Acer Aspire 7750G (17.3")
2.3Ghz Core i5
6GB DDR3 RAM
120SSD + 1TB HDD
Radeon 6650M GPU (2GB)

The CPU and GFX card in that laptop are better than mine, and I can run ALL the EP's, SP's and a good chunk of store content. I have my textures set to high, Shadows at medium, High Detail lots at 3 and draw distance at low. The game looks good and runs very well. The only one I have problems with is Isla Paradiso, but that's down to routing issues which I'm slowly sorting out.

So that new one you've found will be absolutely fine.

EDIT: Oh, I'm usually running Steam, Chrome, Notepad and VLC media player all at the same time as Sims 3 as well.

[sims96fan]

The third laptop is better than the second, as also reflected by the price.

Keep in mind that the mobile Core i5 is a dual core processor, not a quad-core like the desktop version though.

Most laptops come with 5400RPM HDs off the shelf, which is quite slow (though I just replaced the dead drive in my laptop with a 7200RPM WD Black that was priced the same for 50% more capacity, so go figure).

The Nvidia 850M card is better than the 820M.

The most important thing of all is you'll need a laptop cooling pad if you're going to play the Sims 3 for extended periods on a laptop.  And even with a cooling pad, my laptop overheated regularly so playing the Sims or any intensive games on a laptop may significantly shorten its lifespan.

[KhaineGB]

You can get away without a laptop cooling stand... but I personally think it's a VERY good idea.

[Anoe]

KhaineGB, sims96fan

Thank u so much guys for all the advices, guess I finally made my decision  I'll definitely buy a cooling pad and also I've read that it'd be good for the laptop to install sims 3 FPS limiter.

I'm buying a laptop cuz I temporary live in another country and I miss Sims so much, back at home I have a really good desktop one.

[KhaineGB]

I personally don't use the FPS limiter.

I just go into the options and set Vsync on. That limits the game to 60fps anyway.

EDIT: And I play a lot on my laptop because I have back issues. Sometimes having the laptop in bed is just less painful than sitting at my desktop PC. That's why I'm upgrading my desktop to be an awesome game-streaming machine.

[sims96fan]

I personally don't use the FPS limiter.

I just go into the options and set Vsync on. That limits the game to 60fps anyway.

EDIT: And I play a lot on my laptop because I have back issues. Sometimes having the laptop in bed is just less painful than sitting at my desktop PC. That's why I'm upgrading my desktop to be an awesome game-streaming machine.

I'm embarrassed to say I just discovered this, so thanks for the tip!  I just forced vertical sync and triple buffering on via the Nvidia control panel, and it's a world of difference.  Desktop to save literally loaded in under a minute, and I don't hear ANY fan noise at all any more.  It wasn't loud before, but it was noticeable.  I hope I haven't damaged my card in the week or two I've been using it unchecked.

[KhaineGB]

You wont have.

Everyone worries because the game makes your card work harder, and OMGZ heat can kill your GPUz!!11!!1.

Graphics cards have thermal throttling. They have set temperatures and the card ramps up to cool down. If it hits the absolute maximum the card can take (usually somewhere around 90 or 100C), your PC will just shut down to prevent damage.

On my desktop, I usually just slap the GFX card on 75% fan and that keeps it under 70C when playing the sims (I have an old card, so it gets rather hot... Wolfenstein absolutely HAMMERS it).

[Sims4lifexx]

Hi I'm wanting to get a laptop to play sims on but I'm not sure which one. I want to get most of the eps and sps on it but I'm not sure if it'll be enough. Please could you take a look at it and tell me what you think? Here's the link:
http://www.very.co.uk/hp-pavilion-15-n253sa-touchsmart-intelreg-coretrade-i3-8gb-ram-1tb-hard-drive-wi-fi-156-inch-touchscreen-laptop-purple/1403393253.prd

[KhaineGB]

1.7ghz dual core CPU and an Intel hd4400...

Honestly, I think you'll struggle. Do you have a budget in mind? I can look for something for you when I get home (at a music festival ATM)

[Anoe]

So while I was trying to choose the right laptop my perfect one is already gone and amazon has no idea when they will have it again. So I'm desperately need help and a good advice which laptop should I buy, so it will run Sims 3 perfectly and hopefully The Sims 4 too later.

What I'm looking for:
Nvidia graphic card or good dedicated Radeon
8 GB of RAM
17"3 inch would b great, but I guess 15"6 is fine too
The price range is between 650-750$

Hope to hear from someone soon, can't wait to play again

[KhaineGB]

I'll go do some digging for you and see what I can find.

Any retailers you like or absolutely want to avoid?

[KhaineGB]

Okay, this has an older graphics card in it... but I've picked the laptop for a good reason.

http://www.amazon.com/Republic-Gamers-G53SX-AH71-15-6-Inch-Gaming/dp/B005UUS6BU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1405483163&sr=1-3&keywords=laptop

1) It's ASUS Republic of Gamers. They make VERY good stuff (the motherboard in my desktop is an ROG motherboard and it still runs like brand new after 5 years!)
2) Good CPU (Core i7, 2.2Ghz quad core)
3) 8GB RAM
4) Windows 7... trust me... from the very, very limited experience I have with Windows 8 (watched a friend load it on his laptop and went NOPE! Do. Not. Want.) and all the feedback I've seen from people, Windows 7 seems a lot better for gaming.
5) Good graphics card. Ok, the GTX560M is an older card, but it's still a VERY good one... and it has 2GB RAM.

The downside is it appears to be a refurbished laptop, but I'd personally jump all over that myself. I shall keep digging for "new" ones as well. For the record, this is the link to the amazon search I've done, so maybe that will help you too.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_price-asc-rank?keywords=laptop&qid=1405483153&rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A565108%2Ck%3Alaptop%2Cp_n_size_browse-bin%3A2423841011%2Cp_n_feature_five_browse-bin%3A7817224011%2Cp_computer_cpu_speed-bin%3A2+to+2.9+GHz%2Cp_n_feature_seven_browse-bin%3A3012497011&sort=price-asc-rank

[Angélique]

4) Windows 7... trust me... from the very, very limited experience I have with Windows 8 (watched a friend load it on his laptop and went NOPE! Do. Not. Want.) and all the feedback I've seen from people, Windows 7 seems a lot better for gaming.

Unfortunately I think you are right. Aside from having a messy and awkward user interface, Windows 8 also doesn't seem to be optimized for games.

I am currently playing Sims 3 on a brand new gaming laptop (ASUS ROG G750JM with Windows 8.1) and 12GB RAM, and I still get these stupid little popup windows telling me that I have to "Close programs to prevent loss of information. Your computer is low on memory. Save your files and close these programs: Sims 3".

I have 2 other computers with Windows 7 Home Premium, and I have never gotten this message when I play Sims 3 on them, which I have been doing for several years now.

I have searched for information about this strange phenomenon, and I found something about it here.