Choosing a Laptop - Laptops and TS3

[Saltypaws]

The graphics card is going to be your biggest hurdle in a laptop.  Just make sure to check the specs, because if it is not the right graphics card when you buy it, your sims will not run like you want them too.  I know here in the states, you can build your own and actually have the graphic card of choice and hard drive and ram put in to it, so you know what you are getting because you built it yourself.  Good luck.

[malteser60]

I have an Acer Aspire 7735G. It's a bit of a monstor of a laptop. Has dual core, 4B ram, 17" screen, full size keyboard, etc. Not quite as portable as a laptop should be but it runs the sims ok, although I can't run it on high graphics as it lags. With all laptops it is the graphics card that will hold you back. My graphics card uses on board memory, so with 4gb its not too bad. And I can easily switch between the sims and desktop and have programs running in the background at the same time.

There are two options you can take. Firstly I would seriously consider re-furbished laptops. You get a fair amount of money off with them and they're as good as new. Mine's refurbished because it had a small scratch on the case! Knocked off £200. Secondly, if you can get a laptop that will allows to to replace the graphics card at a later date. Laptop graphics cards are more expensive than desktop ones, but it'll be worth it for when you have that extra money and want to play the sims on full graphics.

[VampirePlasma]

I have an Acer Aspire 7735G.

That's the one my Sister has!

[pallyndrome]

Mine is an Acere 5750G
The graphics (which we specifically looked for) are: NVIDIA Geforge GT 540M, Up to 1760 MB TurboCache.
Dad said not to get anything that says 'dedicated graphics' as it's not good graphics.
It also has 8GB Ram and a blue ray disc drive...

EDIT: I meant an Acer Aspire 5750G

[Pam]

I'm merging this with the topic Chronic linked so we can try to keep similar information together.  It will also be on the Technical Help board, which is a better place.

[WOTRUSTUPID]

Thanks everyone. At the mo I have ATI mobility radeon HD 4300 graphics card, is nvidia better? What about Intel graphics?

Also I'd rather not buy from PC World/Currys.

But not really sure of any other good places to buy from?

Also can anyone explain the quad core thing and whether it is a good thing or bad thing to have for sims

[TheChronicR]

I know for a fact that Nvidia is better, mine's Nvidia GeForce and at high settings the graphics are rather satisfying. I don't put my settings on high, because it's lagging - another reason to have a large RAM. I have 1Gb but it's not good enough.

[WOTRUSTUPID]

I cant seem to find many nvidia ones.. but what about any of these?

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-dv6-3100sa-15-6-refurbished-laptop-red-09734807-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-dv6-3182ea-15-6-laptop-black-cherry-08702342-pdt.html

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/hp-pavilion-dv6-6001sa-15-6-laptop-white-09797915-pdt.html
The specs are wrong I think on the product details section so i dont know what the graphics is... but on ask an owner the owner says WOW works fine.

http://www.comet.co.uk/p/Laptops/buy-ACER-AS5552-Laptop/698016

http://www.acerdirect.co.uk/ACER_Aspire_5750G_Core_i3-2310M_Windows_7_Laptop__LX.RAZ02.136/version.asp?refsource=adfroogle
Thats the acer aspire 5750 with nvidia.
I'm guessing that'll probably be best! Any ideas?

lol im struggling as you can see! 

[TheChronicR]

I have just discovered my notebook's statistics. It's Acer Extensa 4230. Extensa series are designed for pro users and business (i.e. they are rather light). While Aspire series are designed for home users (i.e. they are usually a bit heavy to carry). At 15.6" screen, the one you like is rather normal (mine is 14.1" and it's pretty light, around 1.8 kilos).

Also... Just checked my video card statistics. Turns out I was wrong. The Nvidia one was on my old PC, this one (the laptop) has Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family. Nvidia is a lot better, anyways. Judging by this review here, I can say that I am impressed by the one you like.

EDIT: Be sure to check out this thing to know the specifics of your laptops/desktops everyone. It gives you all the info you need to know about your graphics card.

[WOTRUSTUPID]

I have just discovered my notebook's statistics. It's Acer Extensa 4230. Extensa series are designed for pro users and business (i.e. they are rather light). While Aspire series are designed for home users (i.e. they are usually a bit heavy to carry). At 15.6" screen, the one you like is rather normal (mine is 14.1" and it's pretty light, around 1.8 kilos).

Also... Just checked my video card statistics. Turns out I was wrong. The Nvidia one was on my old PC, this one (the laptop) has Mobile Intel(R) 4 Series Express Chipset Family. Nvidia is a lot better, anyways. Judging by this review here, I can say that I am impressed by the one you like.

EDIT: Be sure to check out this thing to know the specifics of your laptops/desktops everyone. It gives you all the info you need to know about your graphics card.

Oh thats good I'll probably be going for this one then Thanks for all your help!

Oh one other thing.. is the processor any good (Intel Core i3-2310M 2nd Gen (2.1GHz/3MB Cache)) I have no idea what it means and wasnt sure about it because it doesnt say dual core or anything :S

[TheChronicR]

Oh thats good I'll probably be going for this one then Thanks for all your help!

Oh one other thing.. is the processor any good (Intel Core i3-2310M 2nd Gen (2.1GHz/3MB Cache)) I have no idea what it means and wasnt sure about it because it doesnt say dual core or anything :S

I believe the processor is good, but I'll let someone else answer that question, lol. I'll go do a Google-search anyways.

[MoonsAreBlue]

I have a Samsung QX410-S02 (currently being fixed, I think I broke the charging mechanism). I also got it when it was new, not refurbished.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Samsung+-+Factory-Refurbished+Laptop+/+Intel%26%23174%3B+Core%26%23153%3B+i5+Processor+/+14%22+Display+-+Silver/2480444.p?id=1218329496762&skuId=2480444

It has 4 GB of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce 310M Hybrid video card with 512 MB. The thing is, it has almost no lag, but I can only run it on low/medium graphics before it crashes to the desktop and a pop up on my screen says the video card "crashed then recovered." This is verrry frustrating. I should be more than capable to run TS3 on high, if not maximum graphics. In fact, I got this laptop because of the video card and the 7 hour battery life. NVIDIA's website even says specifically that this card is great for TS3.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_310m_us.html

What's even more confusing is that it runs Medieval on very high graphics with no crashing or lag at all, along with a few other high-end games. I would highly recommend this laptop if not for the crashing. I've searched and searched, but I can't seem to find a way to fix the crashing in TS3.

[WOTRUSTUPID]

Turns out Dell arn't going to replace my laptop so need to get all of that sorted before I can get my new one!   But thanks for everyones help! Will probably get that Acer if I ever get a refund!

[TheChronicR]

Turns out Dell arn't going to replace my laptop so need to get all of that sorted before I can get my new one!   But thanks for everyones help! Will probably get that Acer if I ever get a refund!

Gah, that sucks, Wotr! If you need any help, be sure to check back!

[WOTRUSTUPID]

Gah, that sucks, Wotr! If you need any help, be sure to check back!

Finally managed to get an exchange so will have to be getting one from PC World/Currys But its better than nothing I suppose. Just trying to find one on there now!