Finally decided to buy a proper PC to play S3, but what should I buy?

I want Pets
Dogs
Birds
small animal collecting
Unicorns, raccoons, etc.

I don't want Pets
Cats
computer lag
Cats
Cats
(I'm not into horses either, but it isn't really a negative)

I play on a Lenovo i5 quad core 8 gig ram 1 tb hard drive. My hubby upgraded my ram i think i have 12 now not sure oh and this is a laptop. I run all packs except for Island paradise and Into the future. I have those just decided when i reloaded sims 3 i didn't want them this go around. I have loads of cc also. The game runs fine on my pc i have had this laptop for 2 years now i bought it on Amazon for 540.00.

"MadDoctor61;c-16451326" wrote:
I want Pets
Dogs
Birds
small animal collecting
Unicorns, raccoons, etc.

I don't want Pets
Cats
computer lag
Cats
Cats
(I'm not into horses either, but it isn't really a negative)

The breeds of animals you choose to play with in your game doesn't matter so much, up to a point (of course a household with some humans and a high number of dogs and/or cats is going to play differently than one without). But I was talking about Pets as an EP. It's great if you can get it and the Seasons EP to work on that computer along with the other EPs that you require, not everyone will be able to.

"kimieswildroses;c-16451633" wrote:
I play on a Lenovo i5 quad core 8 gig ram 1 tb hard drive. My hubby upgraded my ram i think i have 12 now not sure oh and this is a laptop. I run all packs except for Island paradise and Into the future. I have those just decided when i reloaded sims 3 i didn't want them this go around. I have loads of cc also. The game runs fine on my pc i have had this laptop for 2 years now i bought it on Amazon for 540.00.

What does it have for a graphics card? That's the piece of the prior post's Ideapad that would potentially be holding it back.

Lenovo is "just" a brand name. The company makes lower end, middle, and top of the line models for both laptops and desktops like most other major computer manufacturers. We can't really give a system credit or take much away for having a certain brand name or not when assessing expected game performance and of course some players will find that their games perform better than expected, some not as well.

It's not entirely typical for a $540 laptop plus the cost of the RAM upgrade to be able to run all (or almost all) EPs quite that well, so I would have to say you have been fortunate with that one. And, of course, different players have different play styles and expectations within the game so no two of us really put our computers under the same load as each other even though we are all playing the same game here.

It has an Intel HD graphic's 5500. with 256 allotted memory.

"kimieswildroses;c-16452348" wrote:
It has an Intel HD graphic's 5500. with 256 allotted memory.

That is not a dedicated graphics card and is generally not considered strong enough to carry the heavier hitting EPs. Again, sounds like you have been very fortunate with that one thus far.

I've got some money and am thinking of getting a new laptop. I am getting antsy for 'Pets' and maybe later 'Island Paradise'. I can't/don't want to spend a fortune on a top-of-the-line model. I'd like to keep it down to $500 or so and since I'm in no hurry, I can stretch if further by watching for sales. What should I be looking for if I want a computer capable of running those packs, along with WA/Gen/UL/NL?

"MadDoctor61;c-16503562" wrote:
I've got some money and am thinking of getting a new laptop. I am getting antsy for 'Pets' and maybe later 'Island Paradise'. I can't/don't want to spend a fortune on a top-of-the-line model. I'd like to keep it down to $500 or so and since I'm in no hurry, I can stretch if further by watching for sales. What should I be looking for if I want a computer capable of running those packs, along with WA/Gen/UL/NL?

I think you're going to have to up the ante there a bit. Laptops capable of running and expected to carry all TS3 EPs begin at around $900 USD, prices will be higher in other countries. Desktops run cheaper and you get stronger components for less money. There will be sales at times, but not quite as low as you are planning for on laptops.

Processor: At least 2.4 GHz, most i5 or i7 or the AMD equivalents will be fine but it's best to avoid the U-series processors on laptops as they usually aren't strong enough and aren't made for the kinds of stress we put our systems through while playing.

RAM: At least 8 GB, but more would be better especially if one wants to run anything else (e.g., a web browser) alongside the game.

Graphics Card: At least a GTX 1050 mobile in the current series or the AMD equivalent. Older cards are fine too if they are strong enough within their own series, but they don't make or at least it would be unusual to see new laptops with the older cards anymore.

Drive Space: At least 500 GB. SSDs are great, but they drive the price tag up and don't do any good if they are too small (256 GB or under) on which to install and work with the game and its tools and content.

Case/Cooling: Under-specced and lower range laptops are not meant for gaming and will tend to not have sufficient cooling systems, which can lead to all kinds of performance issues and overheating.