Laptop Requirements for Sims 3 Expansions
Hello, I used to have Sims 3 with expansions on my laptop and I vaguely remember it crashing or lagging back in 2013/2014. I am going to replace the hard drive as it crashed sometime between then a...
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@jenn_sims1 Honestly, that laptop might not handle much of Sims all that well. The base game could be fine, along with all stuff packs and the first three expansions (World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night). Once you get past that though, the packs become more demanding, and the laptop's integrated graphics card might not be able to keep up. Everyone has a slightly different experience, depending in part on their standards for acceptable gameplay quality, and in part on how their machines are built, which includes some element of randomness. But your laptop is unlikely to handle the most demanding packs—Pets, Seasons, then Isla Paradiso and Into the Future—very well, and it might barely be able to run them at all.
There's not much harm in trying though. If you already own the game and you registered it in Origin, you can download it for free. It's probably a good idea to install just the base game first, see how it runs, then add packs one at a time until you start to notice performance issues. Longer-running saves, busier lots, and larger worlds (both in terms of physical size and population) will be more taxing, so don't judge entirely on performance in a new save.
And definitely make sure the laptop can cool itself properly whie you play. Elevate it—put books under the corners, or use a laptop tray—or get a cooling pad. Excessive heat will cause the hardware to throttle and drag down performance on any system.
@puzzlezaddict That makes sense because I had Pets, Seasons, and Island Paradise on that laptop before and that is when the crashing started. Unfortunately I don’t have any of the Sims 3 games because I originally borrowed them from a friend so this time around I will buy them.
Do you know what the best specs would be to play with all expansions?
I also have a desktop Mac and can find the specs for it later today, but I like the portability of a laptop and being able to play where ever.Thanks so much!
@jenn_sims1 The Mac version of Sims 3 doesn't run nearly as well as the Windows version, for a number of reasons. If you were willing to Bootcamp your Mac, i.e. partition the hard drive and install Windows on one side, that might be a workable solution, depending on the specs of your Mac. But if you'd prefer a Windows laptop, that's easy enough.
I could list all the specs you'd need, but the most important component is the graphics card. An Nvidia 1650 is fast enough to run all packs together on uttra settings, as is the older 1050 ti. Most processors you'd see in laptops with those GPUs are also fine, although avoid any with a U in their model name (e.g. i5-9300H is fine, Ryzen 5 2500U might not be). In the U.S., I can usually find something suitable on sale for around $700; prices are higher in other countries. If you have more demanding apps in mind, you might want stronger hardware, and the price will go up accordingly.
If you're interested in seeing some good options, I'd be happy to look. Just let me know your budget and country, as well as any other details that matter to you, like the amount of storage, other apps you might want to run, that kind of thing.
- @puzzlezaddict you are so kind, thank you so much!!
I’m not sure what my exact budget is yet, but I’ll probably buy used if I can. Definitely on the lower side of price if possible.
I live in the U.S.
As for other specs, as long as it can run the game smoothly they don’t matter as much. I really just want something for the Sims, not looking to use it for much else.
I really appreciate your help, thank you!
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