Forum Discussion

2 years ago

Solved

Which desktop will run the sims 3 better?

Hello! My workplace is closing down and since they no longer need their equipment they've offered me one of their desktop computers. I've always wanted a desktop to play the Sims 3 on, however I'm no...

technical issues

puzzlezaddict
2 years ago
@clairea732 The second option is clearly better than the first in the ways that matter. The first one is more upgradable in theory, but in practice, case size and proprietary hardware mean that's not a sure thing for any given component with the exception of the processor, which is the only one that's completely fine. The second one is about as upgradable as a laptop, which is to say not much, but it doesn't really need an upgrade to run Sims 3 reasonably well.

The limiting factor with either computer would be the GPU. The graphics chip in the i7-1165G7 is much faster than the R5 340 even though the latter is a dedicated card; integrated chips have come a long way in the last few years. And you're right that iGPUs don't actually have their own memory, just a bit they reserve within main memory, but they can borrow more as necessary, and the speed will be fast enough, for the most part, for your purposes.

I've heard from a few people who play Sims 3 on this processor and graphics chip and the next one down, and they've said they can run all packs with a mix of high and ultra settings. So at worst, you might need to play on high rather than ultra, and I wouldn't play at a higher resolution than 1920x1080 (or 1200) even if the screen supports it, as that would increase the demands of the game by a significant amount. But you should be fine running the packs you own, even if Pets and Seasons are the most demanding of the expansions.

If it matters, the second computer would also get you a higher selling price should you choose to flip it.

puzzlezaddict

Hero+

2 years ago

@clairea732 The second option is clearly better than the first in the ways that matter. The first one is more upgradable in theory, but in practice, case size and proprietary hardware mean that's not a sure thing for any given component with the exception of the processor, which is the only one that's completely fine. The second one is about as upgradable as a laptop, which is to say not much, but it doesn't really need an upgrade to run Sims 3 reasonably well.

The limiting factor with either computer would be the GPU. The graphics chip in the i7-1165G7 is much faster than the R5 340 even though the latter is a dedicated card; integrated chips have come a long way in the last few years. And you're right that iGPUs don't actually have their own memory, just a bit they reserve within main memory, but they can borrow more as necessary, and the speed will be fast enough, for the most part, for your purposes.

I've heard from a few people who play Sims 3 on this processor and graphics chip and the next one down, and they've said they can run all packs with a mix of high and ultra settings. So at worst, you might need to play on high rather than ultra, and I wouldn't play at a higher resolution than 1920x1080 (or 1200) even if the screen supports it, as that would increase the demands of the game by a significant amount. But you should be fine running the packs you own, even if Pets and Seasons are the most demanding of the expansions.

If it matters, the second computer would also get you a higher selling price should you choose to flip it.

clairea732
2 years ago
Thank you so much! I really just wanted to get an opinion from someone who actually knows about this stuff way more than I do and your answer has been super helpful, especially cause I couldn't find much info on the Radeon GPU. And since you're here I'll actually also say that while i was researching and reading other threads on here, I saw your answers to other people pop up quite a lot and I have to say you're an absolute legend, almost everything I've been trying to figure out has been answered by you somewhere on this site, so thank you for your indirect help as well!