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NameesaiLayy's avatar
4 years ago
Solved

Best laptop for sims 3

I am thinking of getting a new laptop specifically to playSims 3 and maybe sims 2. I ordered a new laptop recently and it hasGB ram and 556GB SSD. I only have Sims 3 and some custom content downloaded but it runs super slow and it takes so much just to get the game to play. What is the best laptop forSims 3 that I could use high graphics and a lot of custom content on?

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    4 years ago

    @NameesaiLayy  You're right about your current laptop: it's not going to run Sims 3 very well no matter what you do.  (It would probably run Sims 2 just fine though.)  The Omen, on the other hand, is overkill for Sims 3.  That's not a problem; I'm just saying you don't need to spend that much money if you don't want to.  If you want to see other suggestions, just ask.  On the other hand, if you like this laptop for other reasons, then go ahead and buy it.

    Once you have the laptop, this one or anything else similar, you'll need to take steps to limit your in-game framerates.  If you need help with this process, just ask.  But there's no point in discussing it until you have the laptop in front of you and can actually test.

7 Replies

  • @NameesaiLayy  First of all, let's make sure your current computer is the issue and there isn't anything else that might be causing Sims 3 to run badly.  Please run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

    https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

    In general, any modern gaming laptop, as in, one that has an Nvidia 1650 or 3050 or better or the AMD equivalent, should be able to run Sims 3 on mostly ultra graphics settings.  These graphics cards are always paired with a suitable processor and enough RAM, and they'll have enough drive space, almost always in SSD form.  It can be necessary to make some adjustments, but the hardware itself will be sufficient.  So the easy way to shop is to find a model with one of those GPUs, or something one tier up if you prefer, that's within your budget and meets your other needs.

    But like I said, before you spend any more money, let's see whether it should even be necessary.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    4 years ago

    @NameesaiLayy  You're right about your current laptop: it's not going to run Sims 3 very well no matter what you do.  (It would probably run Sims 2 just fine though.)  The Omen, on the other hand, is overkill for Sims 3.  That's not a problem; I'm just saying you don't need to spend that much money if you don't want to.  If you want to see other suggestions, just ask.  On the other hand, if you like this laptop for other reasons, then go ahead and buy it.

    Once you have the laptop, this one or anything else similar, you'll need to take steps to limit your in-game framerates.  If you need help with this process, just ask.  But there's no point in discussing it until you have the laptop in front of you and can actually test.

  • NameesaiLayy's avatar
    NameesaiLayy
    4 years ago

    I would love some other suggestions and the steps to limit in-game framerates. Thank you.

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    4 years ago

    @NameesaiLayy  Sorry I didn't get back to you this afternoon; I was kind of busy today.  At any rate, since you've already bought the Omen (which is an excellent gaming laptop, no criticism here), the only question is how to limit in-game framerates.

    The reason I said it was better to wait until you had the laptop and had installed Sims 3 was that you'll need to test in-game to see whether a given setting works.  Laptops with dual graphics, as this one has, may or may not respond to settings within the built-in Nvidia Control Panel, but that's the place to start.  Right-click on the desktop, select the Control Panel, choose Manage 3D Settings > Program settings, and choose ts3.exe (Origin install) or ts3w.exe (with the w, disc or Steam install).  Scroll down to Max Frame Rate and set it to the refresh rate of your laptop's screen.

    If you don't know the refresh rate, right-click on the desktop and select Display settings, then Advanced Display Settings, and you'll see the value listed in Hz (Hertz).  It's likely 60 or 144, perhaps 120; in any case, that's the limit you want to set.  You can also enable vertical sync in the same place as the max frame rate.  This only applies in fullscreen mode but does help prevent graphics glitches.

    Load the game, open the cheats console (crtl-shift-C) and enter "fps on" without quotes.  A number will appear in the upper-right corner of the screen, and it should never go above the limit you've set.  If it does, that means the Nvidia Control Panel settings aren't holding, so you'll need to use an outside tool.  If this is the case, let me know whether you play only in fullscreen mode, or you plan to play in windowed mode at least some of the time.

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