Help choosing specs for dedicated Sims 3 PC!!!

@dianaxfreire  This is definitley overkill for Sims 3, which is not a problem, but I would say that it's a bit imbalanced.  A 7900X can drive any graphics card out there, and a 3060 is not in its league, although more than capable of handling Sims 3 of course.  That's not to say you need to adjust the specs, only that it's worth considering what you want here and where to put your money.  Even without budget constraints, some configurations make more sense than others.

The 7800X3D is actually better for gaming than the 7900X, if that's a consideration; the 7900X3D is a bit better but not as much as its higher product number would suggest.  On the other hand, the prices are similar, so the 7900X3D might be the best option.

An RTX 3060 will run Sims 3 on ultra graphics settings at a 2560x1440 resolution, at above 144 fps under ideal conditions, without maxing itself out.  The game will have fps drops on any GPU, and while faster ones will have somewhat higher lows, there's only so much even the best hardware can do about the issue.  So if Sims 3 is truly the most demanding game you'll play, going above a 3060 isn't worth the price.  However, if you're ever going to play games like Hogwarts Legacy or Baldur's Gate 3, a faster GPU would be well worth the price.

More to the point, in the U.S. at least, the 4060 is basically the same price as the 3060.  It's not a great product in terms of the 40-series overall, but it's a lot faster than a 3060, fast enough to make a significant difference in newer games.

For the memory, you didn't mention specs, AMD CPUs love fast RAM.  However, above about 5500 MHz, tighter timings matter more than the absolute speed.  So look for something around 5500-6000 MHz with a low first-word latency.  A site like PCPartPicker will list that along with the other details so you don't have to do the math.  Memory is extremely cheap right now, and quality RAM is easy to make, so don't overthink this or spend a lot of extra money to get something that appears special.

I would also suggest having more SSD storage and skipping the HDD altogether.  SSD storage is also very cheap right now, and it's much more convenient to have all your data on a single drive.  You could of course add more drives later if that becomes necessary.  I would strongly suggest spending extra on a quality SSD though.  There are a lot of low-end options out there, even from known brands, and a dead system drive would be a tragedy and a massive pain to address.  Samsung is still the gold standard, recent issues notwithstanding, and Crucial is a good substitute if the price works for you.

Corsair is the gold standard in power supplies, and 850W is enough for a much faster GPU should you want to add one later.

You didn't mention motherboards, and we can talk about that too if you want.

Finally, if you want to talk about a monitor, feel free to ask whatever questions you have.  It's the component you'll interact with the most, and a quality screen can make a huge difference in how much you enjoy games and using the computer overall.

Wow! You are literally out here doing God's work! Thank you so so much!

I checked out PCPartPicker and Corsair 32 GB seems to fit the criteria, what do you think of that one?

I am absolutely clueless regarding motherboards and monitors, so if you have anything you can recommend, I'd be more than happy to hear it!

@dianaxfreire  Corsair makes excellent RAM, and 32 GB is reasonably cheap right now.  But the important details are the speed and timings; Corsair makes memory at pretty much every available speed and many with tighter timings than standard.  You'll also need DDR5 memory, which you're probably looking at considering how much slower DDR4 is, but double-check anyway.  So it would be best to link the product page for the exact model you're considering.

For the motherboard, if you don't need a lot of extra slots for expansion, you don't need to get fancy.  You also don't need an X-series model, e.g. X670; a B650 will do just fine.  These are the categories of boards, denoting the socket and generation, not exact models.  X670 means more slots for SSDs and other add-in cards, and also better support for manual overclocking, but it's not worth the price premium if you're only going to install 2-3 SSDs and maybe a sound card.

I would recommend going with an ATX board if this is your first time building a computer.  This is the largest board that will fit in a standard case, and it makes building a lot easier to have the extra room to maneuver.  I would avoid Asus boards for now because this generation started out with serious voltage issues that fried some users' processors, and while the problem has apparently been addressed, I wouldn't take the chance at the moment.  MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock are all fine choices, with

For the CPU cooler, I would go with a tower cooler at the very least, perhaps all-in-one liquid cooling if you go with a 7900X or 7900X3D CPU and/or live in a hotter climate without good air conditioning.  A Noctua air cooler would also be fine.  Let me know what processor you're going to buy and whether your system needs extra cooling.

For the monitor, I would strongly recommend an IPS panel (the highest quality in terms of color and viewing angle) with at least 300 nits peak brightness, more if you want a bright colorful screen and don't mind spending a little extra.  I would also suggest a 2560x1440 resolution and a refresh rate above 100 Hz.  The higher resolution will make everything look more crisp and clear, but 3840x2160 (4k) is a lot more work for the graphics card and for Sims 3's outdated game engine.  The refresh rate makes using the computer, in-game and otherwise, feel more smooth and responsive.

Other than that, think about what size you want the monitor to be as well as what kind of look you want, if that matters.  After all, you're going to be looking at the monitor a lot, and you might have a strong preference that has nothing to do with specs.

Thank you once again for the great information!

I think I will be going with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D CPU. Do you think it would need extra cooling? Do you have any specific product recs? I’m a total noob at understanding what kind of product it really is based on the name alone. 

As for the RAM, I can’t link the product (I’m ordering it built for me), but it’s the Corsair Vengeance DDR 5 5600MHz 2x16GB.

I found two mainboards that fit your recs: Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0) and Gigabyte B650M DS3H (mATX, AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0). Is there a big difference between these (besides price?)

I also decided to up the Samsung M.2 SSD to 2TB and get another regular 1TB SSD from Samsung. I will be keeping the GeForce GTX 3060 for now even though the price is similar and maybe upgrade in the future. I also reduced the power supply to Corsair 750 W, it’s probably still enough from what you’ve said before!

@dianaxfreire  If you're ordering a custom build, that actually makes the process a lot easier, it cuts down on the available options, and it of course also changes the prices.  It would be simpler for me to look over the site and list what I think are the best options, so please link it here.

The same goes for monitors: if you're buying from somewhere specific, please link it, and list the specs that matter to you.  But you of course don't need to buy the monitor at the same place since compatibility is not an issue.

You are fantastic.

I want to order on pcspecialist.ch because I live in Switzerland, but they also have a UK page pcspecialist.co.uk!

I am not sure as for the monitor yet, so if you have specific products you recommend, I’m all ears!

Okay, so I went back and changed some of my choices, including the GPU - but now the website is telling me I can't order a GPU support bracket because the 4060 is too small for that bracket size (and they don't have alternative sizes). Is a bracket necessary? My Google search left me feeling confused, some seem to say it's completely necessary, some say it's not necessary at all.

I also have another question: Windows 11 is the standard OS, but lots of people seem to be saying (on Reddit) it would be better to buy an older pc with Windows 7 or 10 on it. Is Windows 11 really impossible to play Sims 3 (or Sims 2) with, even if using those optimisation mods I read about? I also read it should be possible to "downgrade" to Windows 10 using the "media creation tool", is that something you'd recommend for smooth playing?

Finally, I am probably going to buy/order the monitor on https://mediamarkt.ch! If you're still not totally fed up with me and my questions, I'd be happy if you helped me pick out something that's nice (and not curved!)

And do you have a Ko-fi account or something else I could send you a little token of appreciation through?

@dianaxfreire  The 4060 ti doesn't need a support bracket.  Some of the heavier cards do benefit from one, but those are the models with faster chips and physically larger coolers.  If you do notice some sag in the GPU, and I wouldn't expect it but it's always worth checking, there are plenty of stores that sell brackets, or, frankly, you could just put something small in the case to prop up the card.  But I really don't think this would be even a minor problem.  The only exception is if you're moving houses, in which case just take out the GPU and reinstall it when the computer is in its new home.

Windows 11 runs Sims 3 as well as Windows 10, at least at this moment.  And yes, it would be simple to reinstall Windows once you received the PC, which would mean you could choose between 11 and 10.  I would absolutely not install Windows 7 because your hardware doesn't even have official support for it.  Most of the drivers would probably work, but you could run into all sorts of sneaky issues that could be difficult to diagnose and might not be fixable without an OS upgrade.  If you want to use 10 for now, that's reasonable, but keep in mind it's losing support sometime relatively soon, apparently in October 2025 but that could get pushed back.  So you'd want or need to upgrade before too long anyway.

The one thing I strongly suggest is avoiding OneDrive entirely.  That means either setting up Windows while offline, so Microsoft doesn't require you to enter an email address and automatically tie in OneDrive; or creating a local admin Windows account after the initial setup and using that account instead.  I can help with this once you have the computer in hand.

For the monitor, I'm a little surprised at the relatively sparse selection from MediaMarkt, but the site does have a couple of very good options.  This one is the best combination of price and specs: bright, great colors, high resolution, high refresh rate, from a company that's been making quality monitors for a long time.

https://www.mediamarkt.ch/de/product/_asus-tuf-gaming-vg27wq-1979381.html

This is an alternative if you want to save some money.  It's a little dimmer but still bright enough, with otherwise equal specs.  AOC makes panels for other better-known sellers and keeps a few of its own, so the quality of the screen is still high.

https://www.mediamarkt.ch/de/product/_aoc-q27g2s-eu-2197779.html

If you're not thrilled about the prices, I can look elsewhere for better deals; just let me know.

As for a token of appreciation, you're very sweet to offer, but I do this for fun and because I enjoy helping.  And picking out hardware for a new computer is always fun.

Perfect! I think I have my built all set up and I'll probably be ordering in a few weeks - I'll definitely let you know once it's here!

If you rethink the whole ko-fi thing, please please let me know! I don't think I could ever thank you enough for coming to the rescue, you are an absolute angel!