Running sims on Macbook pro

[kattiq]

Hey guys,

So I am thinking about upgrading and buying a Macbook pro before I go to Nursing school. I was wondering if those who have a macbook pro (or those who are familar with all this!) can tell me what their specs are and if they can actually play on a decent setting without lag!

Here's the computer specs for the one I am considering:

13-inch: 2.4GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB memory
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
250GB hard drive1

Or I was thinking about even upping that to 2.66 GHz with a 320GB hard drive and everything else is the same. But it also cost $200 dollars more, so if I could save that money and still be able to play Sims 3 decently on the 2.4 GHz machine that would be great!

I am by far no techie so anyone who has anymore advice about this please help me!
And I know a desktop is better for the Sims but for my lifestyle I absolutely have to have a laptop.

Right now I have the '08 version of the regular macbook and I have to play it on the lowest setting possible and even then I still get a lot lag. Like I can't even use hot tubs because it makes my game jerky

[lvrugger]

I'm running on an 08 MacBookPro with lower specs. I do have the 15" screen, though. Runs well, sometimes laggy with bigger save files. Here's a hint for you: I have created 3 different users for playing (my regular one, a "Dynasty Stories" and a "Tournament Challenge"). First one for when I want to run a modded game, second one with presets for Dynasty settings, and third one with tournament settings. This way I don't have to juggle the mods folder, change age lengths, or anything.

[Metropolis Man]

Here's a hint for you: I have created 3 different users for playing (my regular one, a "Dynasty Stories" and a "Tournament Challenge"). First one for when I want to run a modded game, second one with presets for Dynasty settings, and third one with tournament settings. This way I don't have to juggle the mods folder, change age lengths, or anything.

That's a really creative suggestion. But, can all 3 user accounts pull from just one installation? I would think you'd have to have 3 separate installs.

[kattiq]

I'm running on an 08 MacBookPro with lower specs. I do have the 15" screen, though. Runs well, sometimes laggy with bigger save files. Here's a hint for you: I have created 3 different users for playing (my regular one, a "Dynasty Stories" and a "Tournament Challenge"). First one for when I want to run a modded game, second one with presets for Dynasty settings, and third one with tournament settings. This way I don't have to juggle the mods folder, change age lengths, or anything.

Thanks for your help! Making separate users is a great idea! I finally got all of my files transferred so I'm about to go play!

EDIT: Sims works like a dream on my pro! I have most of my settings on medium/high for right now but when I have more time I'm going to test out all on high and see what type of performance I get. This is SO much better than my previous mac where I'd have everything on low settings and still get major lag!

[lvrugger]

That's a really creative suggestion. But, can all 3 user accounts pull from just one installation? I would think you'd have to have 3 separate installs.

Yeah, I can use the same install just fine. Each user has a separate document folder but access to all the applications. The way mods are added are through the documents folder so they are only accessible to the one user. The downfall is that all downloads from the store have to be reinstalled for each user.