I was often wondering if there is a computer which could run all The Sims 3 content without lag, so all expansion/stuff packs, all store content and a lot of CC? :smiley: I heard of some laptops which are only made for playing games, but is there a "standard" looking laptop that can do very similar as those gaming laptops?

What do you mean by standard looking? For a laptop to run everything you've said, I think you'd almost need to go with a gaming one; however @phoebebebe13 would be a good person to consult with?

Gaming laptops like alienware are thicker and have much better cooling. Alienware is overpriced. They do make better laptops. They do have thinner laptops with gaming hardware but their cooling won't be great. Cooling is just as important as the hardware inside the computer. If your laptop (or any computer) gets heat damage would ruin the computer.

No one actually needs an Alienware though there will be those who really want one. Nothing wrong with that if they can withstand the added expense for the brand name.I don't usually go around quoting myself, but if you want to look at the specs a laptop should have to carry the entire game well, or at least have a fighting chance, and compare across models, then the following from a different thread might be helpful. Desktops can withstand components not quite as strong and will run cheaper."igazor;c-15690419" wrote:For a laptop running Windows, the following would be recommended for TS3 and all EPs. The game can run on less, but then we are talking about cutting corners. On graphics cards, the game with all EPs may not work well or at all on weaker ones.Processor: Quad core i5, i7, or the AMD equivalent. On processor speed, at least 2.4 GHz but for the most part all of these processors would already be running faster than that in their modern iterations.Graphics Card: Nvidia 960M, 1050Ti, or higher, or the AMD equivalents (RX 460, etc.). Older model cards are fine too if they are strong enough and TS3 can't really use all of the video memory that the newest cards provide, but new laptops won't have older cards in them. Any of these cards would need their frame rates (fps) limited for TS3 once you install the game, but that's usually a one-time pain.RAM: 6 GB minimum, but at least 8 GB would be better.Hard Drive: At least 256 GB to work with, though that would be really tight and 512 GB would be better. A 512 GB or larger SSD (Solid State Drive as opposed to Hard Disk Drive/HDD), large enough to handle the entire game install and its user game folder in Documents, would be ideal if you can withstand the added expense but that's not a requirement.Price Tag: Varies by country and what's on sale, but for a laptop expect $950 and up in the US. Desktops run cheaper for stronger components.

@igazor just to note they don't put higher end AMD in laptops that I have seen anymore. All the better laptops are intel/Nvidia. I would not recommend AMD for a laptop. Desktop is fine

"igazor;c-15724307" wrote:"phoebebebe13;c-15724143" wrote:@igazor just to note they don't put higher end AMD in laptops that I have seen anymore. All the better laptops are intel/Nvidia. I would not recommend AMD for a laptop. Desktop is fine Apple does. I know that the two high end 15" MacBook Pros together with the option of running Windows in Bootcamp and then TS3 for Windows on one of those is kind of way out there for general purchasers to be considering, and certainly not the most economical way to be going about this unless a Mac is wanted/needed for other purposes, but technically there is thus one vendor who does this. :) On Mac they use AMD laptop cards. According to BlueBellFlora and a conversation I had with her, Mac seems to work better with AMD while laptop Nvidia/Intel is better and the laptops stay cooler. AMD heats up more and their laptop hardware overall is not as powerful as Nvidia/Intel.

Computer for all The Sims 3 content

64 Replies

igazor
8 years ago
@KIERSI - These are US dollars and do you require a monitor? Afraid you might have to up the ante a bit there though, as $500 is not enough to find a new desktop in the product classes high enough to have and properly support a decent graphics card. Can you possibly go as high as the mid-$700s?

Some of those HP dv6s by the way were powerhouses. The one you had been playing on might have been pretty strong, but laptops tend to not last more than 3-5 years, depending on usage patterns and how well they were constructed.

SPs and store content do not really add anything significant to the game's overhead, it's the base game and EPs that do and the options, resolution, etc. that the player plays on. Mods and CC might, but it depends on the kind of mods and CC. Simple furniture redesigns not so much, high poly count hairs, high def skin replacements, and super intrusive mods that reprogram the game's story progression certainly would. NRaas offers a balance of mods, including several that are designed to improve the game's performance, not make it run harder.

Basic requirements are still as stated earlier on in this thread last year. Today's models will come with the 1000-series Nvidia cards, so that would be a GTX 1050 as a minimum (or the AMD equivalents, the product numbers run differently). At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.
ScottDemon
8 years ago
"igazor;c-16532380" wrote:
At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.

The current I3 8350k is pretty much last generations I5 7600k retooled and a little more powerful and just a little below an I7 7700k. And the I3 8100, 8300, 8400 are not so bad either. With the 8400 beating both the I5 7600 and I7 7700.
kierstynichole1
8 years ago
> @igazor said:
> @KIERSI - These are US dollars and do you require a monitor? Afraid you might have to up the ante a bit there though, as $500 is not enough to find a new desktop in the product classes high enough to have and properly support a decent graphics card. Can you possibly go as high as the mid-$700s?
>
> Some of those HP dv6s by the way were powerhouses. The one you had been playing on might have been pretty strong, but laptops tend to not last more than 3-5 years, depending on usage patterns and how well they were constructed.
>
> SPs and store content do not really add anything significant to the game's overhead, it's the base game and EPs that do and the options, resolution, etc. that the player plays on. Mods and CC might, but it depends on the kind of mods and CC. Simple furniture redesigns not so much, high poly count hairs, high def skin replacements, and super intrusive mods that reprogram the game's story progression certainly would. NRaas offers a balance of mods, including several that are designed to improve the game's performance, not make it run harder.
>
> Basic requirements are still as stated earlier on in this thread last year. Today's models will come with the 1000-series Nvidia cards, so that would be a GTX 1050 as a minimum (or the AMD equivalents, the product numbers run differently). At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.

If the computer will last me then yes I can spend a little more. I have absolutely no idea what any of those numbers mean, but I can try and play a matching game while looking haha. Is there a particular brand you would recommend?
igazor
8 years ago
"KIERSI;c-16533204" wrote:
If the computer will last me then yes I can spend a little more. I have absolutely no idea what any of those numbers mean, but I can try and play a matching game while looking haha. Is there a particular brand you would recommend?

Just wanted to make sure we were in the right ballpark. You haven't mentioned a monitor, do you already have one to use or would that be required as well? And again, are you in the US? Dollars can mean Canadian, Australian, etc., prices are very different in other countries and currencies.

Perhaps our resident shopping expert will take over? :)
@phoebebebe13
kierstynichole1
8 years ago
@igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!
igazor
8 years ago
"KIERSI;c-16533256" wrote:
@igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!

Looks fine to me, and the just under $700 price tag I'm seeing looks good too. Let's give Phoebe a chance to get on the forums and catch up, if she has any comments on it.
kierstynichole1
8 years ago
@igazor okay! Perfect!
BGH22
8 years ago
"KIERSI;c-16533256" wrote:
@igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!

You might have heating issues with this. AMD heats up and if it comes with a stock CPU cooler that could be a problem @chesterbigbird is the desktop expert
chesterbigbird
8 years ago
"KIERSI;c-16533256" wrote:
@igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!

It's not going to be easy to upgrade like other proper gaming desktops and it's not going to keep as cool either.
What's going to be your max spending limit?
kierstynichole1
8 years ago
@chesterbigbird my max is probably 700 (which I know isn't a lot at all) because my tuition at my college just raised. Honestly, I'm really just looking for something that I just can buy, plug in, and use. Like I said, I know absolutely nothing about computers other than how to turn them on so there's no chance I'll be upgrading it lol.

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Computer for all The Sims 3 content

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