"igazor;c-17865702" wrote:
By all means please bring your computer to a qualified/trusted service shop to have its interior cleaned properly. While there I would recommend asking if its cooling system can be checked.
A quick Google search has shown me that Best Buy does PC cleanings, so I may book an appointment someday to clean my PC and to ask about the cooling system.
However, all 11 EPs on a GT 730 is a tall order to fill. I'm afraid you will never get high-end or even medium performance out of a low-end graphics card. That doesn't mean the game can't be played, but the heaviest of the EPs (Pets, Seasons, IP, ITF) will likely be too much for it That card will never run the game at a consistently high fps; vertical sync isn't going to change that, it's going to prevent the card from running away with frame rates which this one isn't really strong enough to do.
Well, I once unchecked all the packs that I owned, and the same thing occurred. That tells me that I might have to really uninstall the packs and remove from the entire computer system, not just uncheck/disable the packs. If you uncheck/disable checks, the game would probably just run without the pack's elements.
I might have to downgrade to just the base game for the time being, until I save up enough funds for a computer upgrade (superior graphics card + PC cleaning + cooling system checking).
In the re-install of The Sims 3 base game, I think I am going to install through my disc instead downloading directly through Origin, because it gets a bit annoying that I always have to log into Origin in order to play The Sims 3.
And if the graphics is still choppy, then I might just have to downgrade to The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection . . . until I collect enough funds for a computer upgrade. The Sims 4 also runs pretty smoothly, most likely because of the fact that it has no open worlds, and I only own relatively few packs (Seasons, Get To Work, Laundry Day stuff, Perfect Patio stuff, Luxury Party stuff, that free Holiday stuff pack and the Bust the Dust kit). Though, because I only own relatively few packs for the Sims 4, there is not as much gameplay value. So, I might just downgrade to The Sims 2 UC and play that.
I might as well invest in some money for a computer upgrade so that I can play The Sims 3 in all its glory rather than investing in more The Sims 4 packs. If I were to invest in more Sims 4 packs, then I might still have to buy a computer upgrade somewhere down the line, and doing that for the Sims 4 doesn't seem to be worth it because the Sims 4 packs seem to be smaller in scope and more numerous than Sims 3 packs.
The minimum for higher end performance for all EPs within that series of cards on a desktop would be the GTX 750. There's a world of difference between the 730 and the 750 even if by series number they don't sound all that far apart. For higher Graphics Options settings and better performance, then at least a GTX 760.
I tried to search for GTX 750 or GTX 760 on the Best Buy website, but apparently, no such luck. Are these graphic cards still on the market, or do I have to buy used ones because the manufacturer doesn't produce these anymore?
Even the cheapest graphic cards on Best Buy seems to be about the price point of a gaming laptop.
Link: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavillion-16-1-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti-512gb-ssd-32gb-optane-shadow-black/6409145.p?skuId=6409145
HP
Pavillion 16.1" Gaming Laptop
Intel Core i5
8GB Memory
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
512GB SSD + 32GB Optane - Shadow Black
$900 upfront cost
I might as well just buy a dedicated gaming laptop like that one instead of a graphics card for my general-purpose desktop computer.
You cannot compare TS3 to TSM (which has at most one expansion) or TS2 (which was designed in 2003-04 when consumer hardware offerings were very different than five years later) in this regard. TS3 with its open world simulator is miles away more demanding on its hardware, by 2009 standards.
Yep, I got The Sims Medieval Deluxe edition, which included the Pirates & Noble expansion pack and bonus content. After purchase, the Sims Medieval and the expansion pack were starting to download, and once downloaded and installed to the computer, I opened the application and unlocked the bonus content, which included some kind of princess throne.
During the Sims 2 heyday, I pretty much played the Sims 2 on a subpar laptop. It did have a dedicated graphics card, but it was on the lower end of the spectrum. The base game was fine, but somehow I still managed to play The Sims 2 Best of Business collection and later, The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection, on it. LOL. Now, with this desktop computer, the graphics card may be on the lower end of the spectrum, but man, it runs the Sims 2 UC perfectly well on maxed-out settings. I can rotate and move the camera so incredibly fast too!
