Author Topic: Buying a Desktop or Laptop for The Sims 3 (Read 290059 times)

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #375 on:** January 22, 2015, 03:26:56 PM »

Ah it's okay, you're not being a pain. I am not sure on the Dell Desktop you've linked to. As I can't find any information on it's video card.

The processor is good.

But just as important is the video card. It needs to be a dedicated video card with at least 2GB memory on board.

MrsFlynn

drache98 · « **Reply #376 on:** January 22, 2015, 03:45:57 PM »

I'm not? Yay!

This is so much more effort than I thought it would be though

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #377 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:01:12 PM »

Yeah Sims 3 is a beast that way. It takes a lot more processing and graphics power than what you think it would due to the game engine/how the game works and what it has to do.

Do you have a budget in mind? Maybe we can help find something that will work well enough. What settings would you like to play at?

MrsFlynn

drache98 · « **Reply #378 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:09:41 PM »

Well, If I save a bit of money til my birthday (March) I'll have £700, but the price for the game and all expansions etc. is £300 on top of that.. And I'm not keen on waiting til July! I'm bored of the console version! So Ideally £400 to £500 and it would be good if this could run all expansions and stuff packs, medium settings possibly? I'm seriously considering selling my old laptop to go towards a new one...

People here are so nice

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #379 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:33:03 PM »

It might be a good idea to sell your laptop to help with the cost of a desktop. Give me a little while on searching for a desktop. I've emailed Hubby with the info. So he can help find something as well.

Thank you for the compliment.

MrsFlynn

drache98 · « **Reply #380 on:** January 22, 2015, 04:38:23 PM »

It's no problem

A pleasure to be in such company

And A laptop would be best cause then I can take it to school, but that's just me wanting it to ~~waste time in lessons~~ for taking on holiday and so on

Thankyou again for helping

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #381 on:** January 22, 2015, 05:58:44 PM »

I think we were able to find something suitable to play Sims 3 on med-high settings within your price range!! Wha-hoo!!

Toshiba Satellite PRO C50-A-1EU Intel® 2400 MHz 500 GB 4096 MB GeForce GT 740M
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toshiba-Satellite-C50-A-1EU-Intel%C2%AE-GeForce/dp/B00GEUOSPI
Price: £493.46

It's on the higher end, but I think you'll be a little more pleased with it.

MrsFlynn

drache98 · « **Reply #382 on:** January 22, 2015, 06:05:30 PM »

Oooooooh! Shiny!

Will this have the space for all the expansions and stuff?

I guess I can go without the expansion packs for a bit, haha!

You guys are amazing

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #383 on:** January 22, 2015, 06:18:58 PM »

Yes it should have enough hard drive space. If you find that you're running out of space. You can upgrade the hard drive later.

Hubby mentioned too that you may want to consider upgrading the system memory to 8GB. To help the game run smoother. But that can be a later on purchase.

MrsFlynn

drache98 · « **Reply #384 on:** January 22, 2015, 06:27:09 PM »

Thankyou so much!

Just as a side note, how to I upgrade the memory?

MrsFlynn · « **Reply #385 on:** January 22, 2015, 07:41:16 PM »

How/where to install memory (and/or) harddrive?

Most laptops have an access port on the bottom to add more memory and replace the hard drive at the very least. Some panels are bigger than others, and some require you to remove the entire bottom panel. There are usually guides online. Also, the manual that comes with the laptop will usually have a maintenance section that will include updating memory and hard drives.

MrsFlynn

lovely6324 · « **Reply #386 on:** February 02, 2015, 11:31:08 PM »

Hi everyone! I guess im having the game problem everyone else is having when trying to find a good pc to run the sims 3 and all the expansion packs.

Can anyone tell me if this computer is any good?

http://www.amazon.com/CybertronPC-Patriot-GM1293B-Desktop-Black/dp/B00D1KWWEI/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i

Flynn Arrowstarr · « **Reply #387 on:** February 03, 2015, 12:05:03 AM »

Quote from: lovely6324 on February 02, 2015, 11:31:08 PM

Hi everyone! I guess im having the game problem everyone else is having when trying to find a good pc to run the sims 3 and all the expansion packs.

Can anyone tell me if this computer is any good?

http://www.amazon.com/CybertronPC-Patriot-GM1293B-Desktop-Black/dp/B00D1KWWEI/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_i

Hi, lovely6324.

This computer is almost there. However, there are a couple of things that make me hesitate to recommend it.

The graphics chip is not the best for running the game. The key factor is the D suffix on the model number -- Radeon HD 7480D. This shows that the graphics chip is built in to the processor of the computer. Because of that the system will draw graphics memory from the computer's memory which results in an overall slower experience when playing the game. In some cases the game may not run at all due to missing features (depending on the graphics processor).

Second, there is some confusion as to whether the power supply can handle a dedicated video card. One part of the description states the system comes with a 400w power supply, while another section states it has a 450w power supply. To make sure you have enough power to run everything in the system along with a dedicated graphics card, I would recommend a 500w power supply.

While computer components are easier to install than they used to be, I can understand if you're not comfortable installing things yourself. If you have a techie friend nearby that can help out, I can recommend both a video card and a power supply for about $200 total. If that's not something you want to do (and I completely understand if you don't), or you don't have a techie friend that can help you install, let us know what kind of budget you have and we'll see what we can find in your price range that can play the game well.

Hope this helps and happy Simming!

Flynn

lovely6324 · « **Reply #388 on:** February 03, 2015, 07:50:33 AM »

I would just rather have someone recommend me a PC. ☺ The most I'm willing to spend is 500. Maybe 520. But that's it.

Thanks in advance.

Flynn Arrowstarr · « **Reply #389 on:** February 03, 2015, 05:49:39 PM »

Quote from: lovely6324 on February 03, 2015, 07:50:33 AM

I would just rather have someone recommend me a PC. ☺ The most I'm willing to spend is 500. Maybe 520. But that's it. Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot in that price range that will run the game well out of the box. However, we did find this computer -- CyberpowerPC Gamer Ultra GUA880.

Sims 3 should run on low to low-medium settings out of the box. However, you need to be aware that the system does not have the best power supply. There are reports of blue screens caused by stressing the power supply. Replacing it with a 500w power supply will alleviate that problem and should cost less than $50. While you don't have to do that right when you buy the system, I would highly recommend making it a priority to replace the power supply sooner rather than later.

Beyond that, the graphics card that comes with it can eventually be replaced with something like an nVidia GTX 650 for around $110 to boost the game to high settings. While it is not a completely necessary upgrade, it should help run the game smoother and on higher settings and/or resolutions than the card that comes with the computer.

Hope this helps, and happy Simming!

Flynn

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