Is this a good pc for sims 3?

Can you share a link to the actual PC?

That cpu should do well enough, but I'd opt for a separate graphics card (gtx 1050 or higher), not an integrated one, and at least 16 gb of ram. I'd also go for a tower rather than a laptop but this should be a laptop right? At least I think so with that cpu.

Anywho, we need to see all the specs (and with a laptop, especially, cooling) to give you any worthwhile advice :) already asking @chesterbigbird if she can help out.

Simply put, no. The U-series processors (anything with a "U" at the end of the model number) are for ultra-low power consumption and are designed to conserve power (battery/electricity) to prolong typical user sessions between charges. They are not designed for running intensive programs like sims games.

But what you have provided is a stock description of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), not a computer. There has to be more to it than just this. Is there a link to the rest of the item to share or are you really just looking at a CPU at the moment?


Edit: Whoops, got ninja'd there. @SimTrippy - Chester is awesome, but I haven't seen her post on these forums for over a year now... :/

"igazor;c-17422027" wrote:
Simply put, no. The U-series processors (anything with a "U" at the end of the model number) are for ultra-low power consumption and are designed to conserve power (battery/electricity) to prolong typical user sessions between charges. They are not designed for running intensive programs like sims games.

But what you have provided is a stock description of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), not a computer. There has to be more to it than just this. Is there a link to the rest of the item to share or are you really just looking at a CPU at the moment?

Ah okay so this is not like the HQ versions, this is lower than that? Good to know, could have googled xD I'll let @igazor take over, should be far more knowledgeable than me anyway about this.

Good luck finding a good PC!

@SimTrippy and @igazor thanks for your answers. I don't understand anything about computers :blush: This is my laptop atm. I intend to buy a better one. One where i'll be able to play sims 3. My laptop atm is an Asus intel core i7 8th generation, i78550u 1.8ghz to 4.0 ghz, 8gb ram, 64bits.
I can see now it's no good :( what would be the specs i should look for, considering i can't buy a top notch pc...?
Edit: it also says Nvidia Geforce (i don't know what it means...)

@telmarina - If you wish to have a full assessment (of sorts) of how far one should be expected to push TS3 on your current laptop, if you could please provide a dxdiag report by sending it up to Pastebin.com and supplying a link so we can read it. Different players will have different experiences with the lower to middle range laptops but we can at least provide what the usual expectations should be.

How to run one: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information

So far what we know is that your processor is not the best design for gaming, you have 8 GB of RAM (this is fine). and apparently some sort of Nvidia graphics card in addition to the Intel integrated but we don't know which one. The dxdiag will tell us all of that and more. Regardless, we know from what we can see already that the game will run on this laptop, as you probably know if you are successfully playing it, but all EPs and more than low or medium graphics settings in Game Options, long-running neverending games in larger and highly populated worlds, etc. might be out of the question.

Before we get to the specs question for a new computer, what is your country, realistic budget, and must this new purchase, if there is to be one. be a laptop or are desktops also under consideration. (I'm admittedly stalling here in part because there are others who hang out on this forum section with a better evolved shopping online gene set than I have)

https://pastebin.com/62U1Tfvs

@igazor first of all many thanks for your help!
Above is the dxdiag report link.
I have the base game + World Adventures, ambitions, generations, seasons, late night and university.
I live in Portugal and my budget rounds 800 - 1000 euros. I would prefer a laptop but a desktop is not out of question.

@telmarina Your laptop has dual graphics, so the first thing to do is to check whether or not it's using the dedicated graphics card when you're playing Sims 3.

I'd like to see your DeviceConfig.log, so if you could copy and upload it to Pastebin, and put the link in your post here it would be good.

"igazor;c-17422062" wrote:
(I'm admittedly stalling here in part because there are others who hang out on this forum section with a better evolved shopping online gene set than I have)

No idea who you're talking about; those must be pretty weird people. I for one hate shopping and avoid it if at all possible.

@telmarina As far as laptops go, there are a number of Portuguese stores currently offering the same Asus with the same specs (processor, graphics card, RAM, hard drive, screen) for €750. The GPU is an Nvidia 1650, capable of running all packs together on ultra settings; the other hardware is all at least good enough. A few examples:

https://www.chiptec.net/pcs-e-mobilidade/portateis/asus-x571gt-59b15pl1.html
https://www.pcdiga.com/portatil-asus-x571-15-6-x571gt-59b15pl1
https://www.novoatalho.pt/pt-PT/produto/38128/Portatil-Asus-X571GT-59B15PL1/90NB0NL1-M03320.html

The catch is the laptop comes with a free OS, but you could of course wipe it and install Windows instead. It looks like a Windows 10 key currently costs €130, although I got one on Amazon for $108 (U.S.) a year ago because it came with an obsolete install medium. (I didn't care because I just needed a product key.) Either way, all you'd need to install Windows, aside from the key, would be your existing laptop and a USB stick (at least 8 GB storage) you don't mind erasing. The Windows install process should be straightforward; you'd then need to install all the relevant drivers from the Asus website, which should be simple as well.

If you didn't want to go through all that yourself, I did see a few options that come with Windows pre-installed. These have a slightly weaker processor but otherwise the same hardware; the weaker CPU should still be fine for TS3.

https://www.globaldata.pt/computadores/portateis/portatil-asus-tuf-156-fx505dt-r5-8gb-512gb-gtx-1650-120hz-w10-fx505dt-r5b15pb1
https://www.novoatalho.pt/pt-PT/produto/40609/Portatil-Asus-TUF-FX505DT-R5B15PB1/90NR02D2-M07350.html

I only went up to 900€, since you shouldn't have to spend more than that even including the Windows key.

If you don't like this particular Asus, just wait a bit; something different will probably go on sale sooner or later. And if you'd prefer a desktop, I could find some good options too, but a decent laptop would be just fine for TS3.

As far as you current laptop goes, your GPU drivers are out of date and much older than your Windows build. You can update both from the Lenovo site. But if you're not having any issues with crashing, graphics glitches, etc., it's usually not necessary, especially with an older game that wouldn't be getting any updates of its own.

https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/300-series/320s-15ikb-type-81bq/81bq/downloads/driver-list/component?name=Display%20and%20Video%20Graphics

This particular laptop would likely struggle with Pets and Seasons—in particular, long-haired pets and rain, snow, and hail are especially demanding on a graphics card. Island Paradise and Into the Future are the next most stressful packs, and multiple people with the same or similar cards to yours find they can't run any of these four EPs with anything resembling decent framerates. It's likely others do play with some of these packs, on lower graphics settings; every computer is a bit different, as is each player's standard for acceptable performance.

But again, if you're not seeing any signs of graphics issues, there's no reason to worry. You just might want to wait until you get a new computer to add more expansions. And be sure to let this laptop cool properly while you play: use a laptop tray, or put books or something under the corners, or get a cooling pad.

@puzzlezaddict thank you very much!!
@SuzyCue72 https://pastebin.com/62U1Tfvs

@puzzlezaddict do you think i should update the GPU drivers in my laptop? Is it straighforward? Downloading and following simple instructions? (i will give my laptop to my daughter when i buy the new one).

I've been looking the pc's you recommended. I'm super happy that you found this pc's that are on my budget. I really thought that with my budget i wouldn't! Thank you Thank you Thank you!