Would this Dell computer run Sims 3 with most EPs and store cc? (2020)

That laptop should be over the top capable of running the entire game (meaning all EPs) with as much store content as you want.

With a 256 GB SSD though, you will need to decide if you want the game installed on that and your user Documents folder, and hence your TS3 user game folder, on the SSD or on the much larger regular hard drive. The game benefits from being on an SSD but it will run fine either way; some players can work with 256 GB but others find it too restrictive after a while, keeping in mind that it's best to reserve at least 35 GB of free space for Windows to work with on the volume from which the operating system is running. Larger SSDs are available, but they do tend to drive the price up significantly.

@havanesefluff - The game with a few EPs should run pretty well on that one on medium to lower graphics settings in game options, but what would be holding things back is that it does not have a dedicated graphics card. The heaviest of the EPs (Pets and Seasons) may be too much for it; players' expectations vs. experiences will vary on mid-range laptops and it can be difficult to predict them.

Generations should be okay, it's one of the lighter ones on impact. Roaring Heights is a store world, not an Expansion Pack, and should be fine.

@havanesefluff - Between a MacBook Air having much weaker hardware (they are meant to be lightweight and portable, not really for heavy game programs) and the Mac version of the game being crippled as it can only utilize 2 GB of RAM unlike its Windows counterpart that can use almost twice that, you're already looking way ahead of where you are now and the Inspiron linked to will provide a much better experience.

Laptops with dedicated cards of sufficient strength will run higher, but your budget should allow for something better than integrated graphics only. Calling in someone with more finely tuned shopping skills. :)
@puzzlezaddict

@havanesefluff Are you committed to getting a Dell? Most Dell gaming laptops in your price range only come with a small 256 GB hard drive. While that's enough for Sims 3, your user data, and plenty of small apps like browsers, it might not be enough if you decide to install other large games too, or store a large amount of data like a music or photo collection. Of course, those kinds of files can go on an external hard drive, but you'd want games on the internal drive, and regardless, it's more of a hassle to deal with an external drive in addition to the laptop.

If 256 GB is enough, then this $700 laptop would do well—its Nvidia 1650 should run all Sims 3 content on ultra graphics settings, minus the two (water and high detail lots) that the game engine itself doesn't handle well.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-laptops/new-dell-g3-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-3500-laptop/gn3500edfrs

This one ($860) is the same laptop except with a significantly faster graphics card (a 1660 ti). That wouldn't make any difference to Sims 3, but it would help if you planned to play other more demanding games in the future.

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/gaming-laptops/new-dell-g5-15-gaming-laptop/spd/g-series-15-5500-laptop/gn5500eejvs

This may actually be a better deal than the one above, with a graphics card (an AMD 5600M) that's a bit slower than the 1660 ti but still much faster than the 1650. It also only has a 256 GB SSD, but for $750, you'd have plenty left over to ask Best Buy to upgrade the hard drive, if you wanted, and maybe the memory while they were at it, although you could do that yourself too. The processor is also significantly stronger than the one in the other two models, which won't matter to Sims 4 either but does help with CPU-heavy games, for example Cities Skylines, Planet Zoo, or Anno 1800.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g5-15-6-gaming-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-memory-amd-radeon-rx-5600m-256gb-solid-state-drive-red-print-grey/6409419.p?skuId=6409419

This laptop is $900 and has a 1660 ti. Its processor is a bit weaker than the one in the first two laptops but still good enough for Sims 3. It also has a 512 GB SSD.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g3-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660ti-max-q-512gb-solid-state-drive-black/6350872.p?skuId=6350872

There aren't a lot of websites out there selling current-generation Dell gaming laptops; the only other options I could find in this price range were older models on Amazon from third-party sellers. If you're willing to look at other vendors though, there are plenty of good options out there. Just as an example, this Lenovo is $800 and has a 1650 ti, which is a bit faster than the regular 1650; and a 512 GB SSD.

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-gaming-laptops/IdeaPad-Gaming-3i-15%E2%80%9D/p/81Y4001JUS

If you'd like to see other options as well, let me know what details matter to you, and what other manufacturers' laptops you'd be interested in buying. Dell makes high quality laptops for the price, but so do a few other companies.

@havanesefluff The single most important component in determining how well a given computer will run Sims 3 (as with most games) is the graphics card. Although the processor matters too, the GPU will be the limiting factor here. And the Inspiron doesn't have a dedicated card at all. Its integrated chip could certainly run the first few expansions, including Late Night and probably Generations, on lower graphics settings. But if you ever wanted to add a more demanding pack, not just Pets but maybe Seasons, or Island Paradise, or possibly even something in the middle like Supernatural or University Life, the Inspiron might have serious trouble handling it. And if you're planning to keep this laptop for several years, it wouldn't hurt to futureproof for what you might want to do down the road.

The other consideration is the cooling. While modern laptops of any strength should be capable of cooling themselves properly when possible (i.e. if you're not playing in bed with the laptop swaddled in the blankets), models like the Inspiron don't usually have the kind of cooling that would support even moderate gaming. What hardware does when it starts to overheat is it downclocks to lighten the load and reduce temperatures, throttling performance in the process. I don't know how good the Inspiron's cooling is relative to other laptops in its class. But it could easily run hot enough while you're playing that its performance wouldn't even match the best case scenario for its hardware. That's often what happens when people try to play Sims 3 on this kind of laptop, although others manage don't see significant side effects and can still play well on lower settings.

If you had less money to spend, I'd say get a laptop like the Inspiron—the same hardware can cost below $500 from other manufacturers—and see how it goes and which packs you can run reasonably well. But for $900, the G3 is a much better choice. It may last longer too, since you won't be subjecting it to loads it's not designed to handle.

By the way, Late Night isn't exactly corrupted in macOS, it just doesn't install correctly. This isn't a difficult problem to fix, but your new computer will make it a moot point. Besides, the best solution is playing in Windows instead, where all the issues related to trying to play in macOS just disappear.

@havanesefluff I do think the G3 is significantly better, yes. I looked again, just to make sure I didn't miss any other good options, and I saw one more laptop that's similar; maybe it dropped in price for the weekend:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g5-15-6-gaming-laptop-144hz-amd-ryzen-7-8gb-memory-amd-radeon-rx-5600m-512gb-solid-state-drive-grey/6409421.p?skuId=6409421

But it's $50 more for a slightly slower graphics card and a significantly faster processor (plus the 512 GB hard drive). Since you don't care about extra processor power, the G3 from before is still the better option for you.

Dell has a few lines of gaming laptops, but the G series (G3/G5/G7) is the only one with what might be considered normal pricing; Alienware and XPS are much more expensive for the same hardware. So that's the category where you'll find the good options, and from everything I saw, the G3 from before is the best choice, followed by the one above.

Thank you so much for all the information, I’m going on Best Buy and ordering the G3 right now! :)

Hi, sorry again. I'm very indecisive and decided to sleep on it. This morning i went on Best Buy's website and saw this computer. It cost more than I wanted to spend, but it does have 1TB SSD and is 2-in-1 with a touchscreen which I like. It looks like a higher end Inspiron but it doesn't have the integrated graphics, it looks like it has discrete. Do you think it's worth the money? or should I stick with the G3? Also, Best Buy has an open box G3 available 10 miles from my house and is $90 cheaper, if I got the G3 should I get the open box version or should I not risk it and buy it brand new. It does say that it's in excellent condition and is Geek Squad Certified but I still feel a little weird about that. Here's the link to the computer: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-2-in-1-15-6-4k-ultrahd-touch-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-ram-1tb-ssd-32gb-intel-optane-nvidia-mx330-black/6409060.p?skuId=6409060&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&ds_rl=1260576&gclid=CjwKCAjwsO_4BRBBEiwAyagRTdy_GrmvgS8md-6ANBMS546MI9lVefLL7HS6k7HGcL59XkfImeQR7hoC8DEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

@havanesefluff You don't need to apologize for being indecisive. After all, it's a lot of money to spend. The more expensive Inspiron is still an Inspiron, with some of the limitations (especially cooling) of the others. Its dedicated graphics card would help, for sure. But an MX330 is really about the slowest dedicated card of the current generation. A 1650 is something like 300% faster in gaming. A 1050 ti mobile, which was released three years ago and has during that time been the de facto minimum requirement for running all Sims 3 packs together on ultra settings, is over 200% faster.

The question, when running Sims 3 on a lower-end graphics card or chip, is whether lowering the settings will be enough to compensate for the slower card. From what I've seen, there's not a lot of data on the MX330 specifically, but slightly older MX cards have definitely struggled to handle the game, even with only a few expansions installed. But there are probably also people who run some EPs, or maybe most of them, well enough to not complain.

I know this isn't the definitive answer you're looking for, but the thing is, you never really know for sure how well a given computer will perform until it's in your hands and you can test. There will always be a bit of variation from one machine to the next, even within the same product line, and more fluctuation when you start to factor in drivers and other internal settings that can affect how the hardware performs. Especially with hardware that's already borderline (or lower) for what you want to do, it's really difficult to predict exactly where the system will fall on the spectrum.

Additionally, individual players have different tolerances for low framerates and general mediocre performance. Some find 30 fps and choppiness when moving the camera to be a slight inconvenience; others find the game much less enjoyable; some get headaches and can't really play at all like that. That's something no one else can predict; the only way to find out is to play for yourself.

For people who already have a weaker system, of course it's fine to try out the game and see if they can make it playable. But you're in a situation where you can get a much stronger laptop, one where as long as the product itself isn't defective, you shouldn't run into any issues with Sims 3. On the other hand, maybe the other features of the Inspiron are worth the risk that you won't be able to play TS3 the way you want. That's your call; I can only tell you what might happen either way. And for all I know, this particular Inspiron would run the game perfectly fine for your needs. But you won't find out whether that's true until you've already spent your money.

As for the open-box model, I wouldn't normally get a laptop that wasn't new. But since this one is certified (not to mention still under warranty), and backed up by a physical store that would presumably accept returns if the product was immediately defective, it's much less of a risk. For $90, it's definitely worth considering. I'd say it's a close call, although if the money isn't critically important, I personally would still go with the new option.

@m16857 - The Mac version of the game works on suitable hardware provided one's operating system is Mojave or lower; we're all waiting for the new update EA is still working on that will make it work on Catalina to see what it does for us. But "works" and "works well" are two very different things and the current version is still held back by its draconian 2 GB RAM usage limitation that was overcome on Windows many years ago with Patch 1.17.

The PC specs you have listed are way over the top for what TS3 can possibly use and the entire game (all EPs) should run fine, or as fine as it's ever going to, on it. I'm not familiar with Planet Coaster, it does have higher basic requirements than either Sims game, but looks to me like that should be more than fine as well.