Laptop for the the sims 3

larrylove12

Hi I'm in the market for a new laptop and I honestly know nothing about computers or anything like that, and this was the computer I was thinking about and I need to know if it's a good idea or not. I'd be using all Eps and sps, and store content and maybe some mods and cc

Here's a link to the laptop

https://m.costco.com/HP-Pavilion-15-cc023cl-Touchscreen-Laptop---intel-Core-i5.product.100358110.html

Any help is appreciated, and if this laptop isn't good enough could you point me in the right direction if possible, thank you!

Kylieb191

ignore this :P igazor is definitely a pro at this ^_^

igazor

Sorry, but that laptop would not be recommended. "Integrated Intel 620 Graphics" is not a dedicated graphics card, it is an integrated chip and will struggle with the game. Now to be fair, this line of integrated chips is stronger than in years past but it's still integrated and Pets, Seasons, possibly IP, and ITF might prove to be too much for it, as would playing on the higher graphics settings in Game Options.

For a laptop, you really want to look for:

Processor - Quad core i5 or i7, at least 2.4 GHz (most of them are these days, there could be some exceptions)

RAM - 6 GB, but 8 GB or more would be better

Hard Drive - At least 256 GB to work with, but 512 GB or more would be better. Solid State Drives (SSDs) would be ideal over standard Hard Disk Drvies (HDDs), but those add a lot to the pricetag.

Graphics Card - Dedicated Nvidia 960M or higher, 1050Ti or higher if in that series, or the AMD Radeon equivalents. Not Intel integrated, those really aren't meant for gaming.

Maybe @phoebebebe13 could suggest some exact models given a budget to work with, but usually for laptops to carry the entire game with all EPs we are talking about $950 (US Dollars) and up with occasional sales and specials that can help save costs. Desktops run cheaper and don't require all of the components to be quite as strong as laptops do.

phoebebebe13

Newegg charges no tax outside CA, TN and NJ $759 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154594&cm_re=gtx_960m-_-34-154-594-_-Product

marstinson

FWIW, Father's Day brought me an HP Envy 17": i7-7500U CPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD (significantly slower than an SSD, but significantly cheaper), GeForce 940MX with 4GB DDR3 VRAM. About $850 with taxes and e-waste fees. It does not run TS3 anywhere near as well as my desktop rig, but it handles the whole boatload of official content (no KPST because KPST) along with a heapin' helpin' of mods, CC, and Store stuff pretty well. Load and save times are seriously uncool after being spoiled by my desktop, but tolerable. Gameplay is generally smooth with some occasional stuttering and lagginess, but nothing game-breaking. On the whole, it handles TS3 much better than I expected it would. I should also note that TS3 is the only major game that I run on it (Solitaire and such don't count), so I could not comment on performance with something more demanding like Witcher 3, DA Inquisition, or ME Andromeda.

igazor

marstinson wrote: »

FWIW, Father's Day brought me an HP Envy 17": i7-7500U CPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD (significantly slower than an SSD, but significantly cheaper), GeForce 940MX with 4GB DDR3 VRAM. About $850 with taxes and e-waste fees. It does not run TS3 anywhere near as well as my desktop rig, but it handles the whole boatload of official content (no KPST because KPST) along with a heapin' helpin' of mods, CC, and Store stuff pretty well. Load and save times are seriously uncool after being spoiled by my desktop, but tolerable. Gameplay is generally smooth with some occasional stuttering and lagginess, but nothing game-breaking. On the whole, it handles TS3 much better than I expected it would. I should also note that TS3 is the only major game that I run on it (Solitaire and such don't count), so I could not comment on performance with something more demanding like Witcher 3, DA Inquisition, or ME Andromeda.

Happy Father's Day.

I'm afraid that I would never recommend a GeForce 940MX card for TS3. That's going to be the one weak spot (besides the lack of SSD, but those are truly optional) on that lappie. It just doesn't have the throughput that the 960M and higher cards do.

larrylove12

@igazor
Would something more like this laptop be better?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-12gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-hp-finish-in-jet-black/5884828.p?skuId=5884828

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing

igazor

larrylove12 wrote: »

@igazor
Would something more like this laptop be better?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-12gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-hp-finish-in-jet-black/5884828.p?skuId=5884828

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing

That one has the same integrated graphics chip that the first one did. You aren't going to find a new laptop that can run the entire game for under $700 US Dollars. I like the one that @phoebebebe13 found, that's a real bargain (how does she find these, anyway) and NewEgg is a highly regarded online retailer.

You could buy one of these cheaper ones with the Intel HD chip. The game should run, possibly not with the heavier EPs, and you will have to struggle with lower graphics options, longer ongoing games might be too much of a challenge for it, you may need a cooling pad to prevent overheating over time. Different players will have different experiences with that range of laptops.

JENNIFERZ77

I hate to highjack your thread but I am still a new member and I can't create my own. What specs do you suggest for a desktop?

phoebebebe13

JENNIFERZ77 wrote: »

I hate to highjack your thread but I am still a new member and I can't create my own. What specs do you suggest for a desktop?

are you in the USA ? Again Newegg charges no tax outside CA, TN and NJ. If you have a higher budget I can recommend something better but this is $699 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230091&cm_re=gtx_1050_ti_cyberpower-_-83-230-091-_-Product

If your in another country, what country?

phoebebebe13

larrylove12 wrote: »

@igazor
Would something more like this laptop be better?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-12gb-memory-1tb-hard-drive-hp-finish-in-jet-black/5884828.p?skuId=5884828

I honestly have no idea what I'm doing

There is a reason @igazor called me into the thread. As he stated the laptop I posted for you off of newegg is a bargain. You will not find anything in the $500 atnge or the $600 range to run this whole game . Especially on laptop. They are more expensive than desktop and weaker. Desktop your looking at at least $700 . To find a laptop for $769 is a bargain

igazor

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

There is a reason @igazor called me into the thread.

Yeah, I'm lazy and my ability to shop shrewdly for bargains across various venues typically doesn't extend much past grocery stores.

Dusty_Boots

igazor wrote: »

...I like the one that @phoebebebe13 found, that's a real bargain (how does she find these, anyway)...

A very good question! Ain't she simply amazing with finding these gems? I enjoy reading her posts just to watch how smoothly she finds these diamonds in the rough

marstinson

igazor wrote: »

Happy Father's Day.

I'm afraid that I would never recommend a GeForce 940MX card for TS3. That's going to be the one weak spot (besides the lack of SSD, but those are truly optional) on that lappie. It just doesn't have the throughput that the 960M and higher cards do.

Thanks for the good wishes and I agree on the graphics card. The new laptop was intended as a platform for a statistics program that I use in my grad seminars along with the usual office-type apps. That app is very CPU and memory intensive and my old i5 was seriously straining under the load when crunching large datasets. TS3 was playable, but the experience was far from pleasant. The fact that TS3 runs reasonably well on the new one was a consideration, but subordinate to its primary purpose. If I was using it as a gaming rig, I'd have gone with a beefier MSI or Alienware model, but I still prefer my desktop for gaming and the extra thousand or two wasn't worth it.

igazor

@marstinson - Figured that was the case, or something like that. Similarly (kind of), I've had brilliant although very short TS3 experiences on my new(ish) MacBook Pro while testing out if the crippled Mac version of the game can even run on Intel Iris Pro graphics in order to help other players out. Brilliant, that is, if you can stand playing with the fans that otherwise for me never make any noise going full blast the entire time. I never had any intention of simming on that laptop, that's not at all what I selected it for.

But neither of these should be considered glowing endorsements for those considering purchases, so I had just wanted to clarify that for others reading this.

EmilyLouise95

Hi, I don't know much about laptops either but i do use a laptop instead of a computer. I have a ASUS X501A. I would suggest something with a better graphics card because sometimes my sims 3 can lag... I am thinking about getting a new laptop which the sims 3 will run smoothly on but there not cheap!!

KatNip

Got myself the HP Omen X Laptop. It does wonders. I've never seen a sim so detailed in my own game. I have over 3,000 files of CC and mods and the game runs like a charm.

laurenpk

Hi! Sorry to be another thread highjacker :/

I haven't earned the right to start new threads yet so hopefully someone will see this here (I will post in one or two other relevant posts just in case), but I solely play Sims 3 (I have all expansions, stuff packs [except for Katy Perry Sweet Treats, Movie Stuff and Into the Future] and own a lot of the store items and worlds) and am looking to buy a new laptop. Is this a good option: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-6-laptop-intel-core-i5-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1050-1tb-8gb-hybrid-hard-drive-red/5744102.p?skuId=5744102

In case you cannot open here are the specs:
Dell - Inspiron 15.6" Laptop - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 - 1TB + 8GB Hybrid Hard Drive - Red

Key Specs
Hard Drive Capacity1008 gigabytes
Hard Drive Type Other
Operating System Windows 10
Processor Model Intel 7th Generation Core i5
System Memory (RAM) 8 gigabytes
Graphics CardNVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050
Screen Size 5.6 inches
Touch Screen No

igazor

@laurenpk - Really a very close call. Ordinarily I wouldn't recommend Dell Inspirons for simming, but that one is a good deal. Its graphics card is a GTX 1050 though, and we really try to push players who want the entire game (or almost) to the 1050Ti when we are looking within that series. I know that looks almost the same, but there is a big difference in the performance between the two on laptops in particular. Desktops can get away with not quite as strong components.

Let's see what our resident shopping and config expert has to say. @phoebebebe13

By the way, when you post the same question in multiple places on the TS3 side, we end up with multiple conversations and can forget whom we've already responded to. It's not really recommended unless you get no response at all the first time.

laurenpk

@igazor thanks!! i look forward to @phoebebebe13's response :)

I will keep that in mind about the double posting - thank you for letting me know!

phoebebebe13

@laurenpk @igazor I answered in tech section

therealsunsetvalley

I would recomend Dell Precision dedicated for high quality renderings :-)

igazor

therealsunsetvalley wrote: »

I would recomend Dell Precision dedicated for high quality renderings :-)

I would recommend Dell professional class workstations for a lot of things, heck I manage a network full of them (not at that level, we don't have any graphics design talent in-house). But not specifically for playing TS3. Their strengths lie in other areas. I'm pretty sure the OP and those who followed here don't want or need to pay over $3,000 USD for what they will end up using as a simming and personal use laptop.