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All expansion packs, stuff packs, the entire store, and tons of TSR cc
MMitchell93
Posts: 108 Member
For those of you that have all the Sims 3 expansion packs, stuff packs, the entire store, and loads of TSR cc: What type of desktop (not laptop), do you have?
I've got all expansion and stuff packs, half of the store (so far), and am working my way through the TSR cc right now on a rather old desktop. I'm worried that at some point, it will get laggy or worse, stop working altogether. I'm saving up for a desktop that I will use to only play the Sims. I've never been great with computer stuff in general (ex. bought a brand new laptop a couple of months ago only to find it couldn't handle the Sims 3 at all...).
So if anyone who meets the above mentioned criteria, plays on a desktop, and it all runs beautifully, if you could share exactly what you have or at least, the specs(?) or other computery stuff I would need, I'd be super grateful. I'm open to ordering a custom desktop, I just need to know what I'd need.
Hope this is in the right subsection of the forum. If not, I apologize.
I've got all expansion and stuff packs, half of the store (so far), and am working my way through the TSR cc right now on a rather old desktop. I'm worried that at some point, it will get laggy or worse, stop working altogether. I'm saving up for a desktop that I will use to only play the Sims. I've never been great with computer stuff in general (ex. bought a brand new laptop a couple of months ago only to find it couldn't handle the Sims 3 at all...).
So if anyone who meets the above mentioned criteria, plays on a desktop, and it all runs beautifully, if you could share exactly what you have or at least, the specs(?) or other computery stuff I would need, I'd be super grateful. I'm open to ordering a custom desktop, I just need to know what I'd need.
Hope this is in the right subsection of the forum. If not, I apologize.
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Graphics: ASUS ROG STRIX Radeon Rx 470 4GB
Processor: Intel Core i3-6100 3.70 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS H110M-K (Micro ATX, DDR4)
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 8GB DDR4 2400 MT/s
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB (7200 RPM)
Power Supply: EVGA B1 500 Watts (80+ Bronze)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-01 Mid Tower (ATX)
OR
Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB GDDR5)
Processor: Intel Core i5 6500 (3.20 GHz, Quad Core)
Motherboard: Asus H170-PRO (ATX, DDR4)
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 8GB DDR4 2400 MT/s
Hard Drive: WD Blue 1TB (7200 RPM)
SSD: Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow UV400
Power Supply: EVGA GQ 650 Watts (Semi Modular, 80+ Gold)
Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-01 (Mid-Tower, ATX)
OR
Graphics: ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 Dual-Fan OC (8GB GDDR5, VR-Ready)
CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K (3.50 GHz, Quad Core, 6MB Cache)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-A (ATX, DDR4, SLI)
RAM: Ballistix Sport LT 16GB (DDR4, 2 x 8GB, 2400 MT/s)
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB (7200 RPM, 64MB Cache)
SSD: Crucial MX300 275GB
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G1 750 Watts (80+ Gold, Fully Modular)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (ATX, Mid-Tower, White)
OR
Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW (ACX 3.0, 8GB GDDR5)
CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K (4.00 GHz, Quad Core)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO (DDR4, Z170, SLI)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 850 Watts (80+ GOLD, Fully Modular)
Case: Corsair Obsidian Series 750D Airflow Edition (Full Tower ATX)
#RagsToRiches
These are all fine but honestly I think the third and fourth are overkill. On a desktop, a GTX 1050 would be great for TS3, and 1060 as good as it's probably going get. When you go higher, you are putting in more graphics power than TS3 could possibly use (especially on the 1080!) but perhaps you have other game or other uses in mind for this machine beyond TS3.
The Solid State Drive (SSD) on the second one is too small to hold much more than Windows, TS3 would have to be installed on the regular Hard Drvie (HDD). Also, I would prefer at least 16 GB of RAM generally not because TS3 can use that much (it can't) but so that I would be less likely to have to upgrade the RAM for some other unforeseen reason a few years later. For most users, for most purposes today, 8 GB is still plenty though.
But yes, do wait for confirmation from the resident experts if you could to make sure you aren't mixing and matching parts that won't work well together or have insufficient power and cooling provided for.
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The last one is similar to mine.. if you have the funds then i would choose that.. although is overkill.
16GB hyper X fury
MSI GTX 1080
MSI gaming M5 mobo
Evga 750 supernova
Corsair hydro h110i GT
Corsair obsidian 750D
500GB SSD
6TB Seagate Barracuda Pro
LG 34" ultra wide
You would be fine with a 1060 card if only playing the sims. 1070 or 1080 is overkill unless you heavy game. That goes also with the i5 verses the i7 with heavier gaming. If you only play the sims i5 is fine.
The second and third choices would totally work for this game, EXCEPT I would recommend at least a 500GB SSD because you want to load the game and it's content on that drive so that it loads and saves more quickly. I keep my downloaded CC and other files on my second drive but the game and My Documents with the user TS3 files are all on my SSD. If you can afford that fourth one, then I'd agree you should go for it. It should 'future proof' you for a while, which is why I also ordered the best components that I could afford at the price I was willing to spend.
Where are we going, and why am I in this hand basket?!
GTX 950, GTX 960, GTX 1050, GTX 1050ti, or GTX 1060 is just fine for simming.
8GB of ram is enough for most unless you tend to run a lot in the background.
SSD (solid state drive) will not only make Windows load faster but most games will benefit from it too.. this includes Sims 3. You will want a secondary drive for storage. A 1TB HDD (hard disk drive) suits most for storage + anything else.
My own specs are i7 7700K • 16GB • GTX 1070 • x2 250GB SSDs • 2TB SSHD I play other game more demanding than sims. OS and games split between the two SSDs and I use the SSHD (solid state hybrid drive) as storage. I put save files not in use, archived 90% of the store, and archived almost 5GB worth of CC+mods on the storage drive. All packs owned.
All save files have a separate folder and I only install store content + CC/mods as needed because it's tied to the folders. I pull from storage archive if I need something. In return the launcher starts up almost instantly. Load time from menu to save is average 2-4 minutes depending on the size of the save file.
S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
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Win 7 Home Premium 64-Bit
NZXT Technologies Phantom 240 Mid Tower Chassis Case
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155
Intel Core i7 3770K @ 3.5 GHz
EVGA 80+ Bronze 600 W
EVGA SuperClocked NVidia Geforce GTX 660
G. SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB Memory
Seagate Constellation 1 TB HDD
Samsung DVD Burner Writer
Not only did I pick out everything, I built this myself. It cost just under $1,000. Here is the performance according to the Windows Experience Index.
Current Game Graphic Settings. I usually play with fullscreen enabled but in order to take this screenshot is why.
Graphics.
Gameplay.
Not the best gaming system but I'm not really a PC gamer so The Sims take up a large portion of what I do play on PC and that is what that build was in reference to. The game plays well as I expected it should minus EA's glitches and poor optimization, so I'm very happy.
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter”
We can't really recommend used systems, but @phoebebebe13 I am sure could price out some new ones for comparison purposes. What is your budget and which country are you in?
Also, which model Mac do you have (from About This Mac on the Apple Menu) and is Bootcamping Windows onto it an option for you, if the Mac is still in service?
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iMac late 2009
Version 10.11.6 (15G31)
Processor 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce 9400 2400 256 MB
How tasking would boot camp be on the mac?
Graphics card: Sapphire Nitro Radeon RX 480 4gb
Memory: 8gb DDR4
Storage: 120gb PNY SSD (sims 3 is in here, want to transfer it to my Samsung SSD) + 500gb Samsung SSD
I don't suffer from empty-lot syndrome or lag.
But for TS3 this graphics card is going to hold you back on either system. It was great for other things eight years ago, but I wouldn't expect more than the base game and maybe around 2 of the earliest EPs to run well, if at all. If your iMac were at least a couple of years newer and had a stronger card and processor, Bootcamping for TS3 in particular might be a more viable option. Unfortunately, the graphics cards in iMacs cannot be upgraded.
I am sure that @phoebebebe13 can provide some better choices for a new computer in your price range. She's really busy with real life stuff and I think like me has to prepare for around 18 inches of snow tomorrow, so it may take her some time to catch up with the forum boards.
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@stillsimming3 is in the US and under $900. They asked for a used laptop at first, but let's talk them out of the "used" part and perhaps throw in a desktop for comparison purposes?
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Yes agree no used , refurbished or open box laptop. Hardware would be expensive to replace. You want a new laptop with a warranty.
This is a pretty good deal. Comes with a 500 gb ssd and the sims loads much quicker on ssd https://www.amazon.com/i5-6300HQ-keyboard-Microsoft-signature-Anti-Glare/dp/B01LXCBXQO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489447999&sr=8-2&keywords=gtx+960m
If they decide on a desktop instead which is much better for gaming let me know. Some people insist on having laptop.
@igazor thanks again you for your help
Well if I had every expansion, a good chunk of store content, and a medium size cc and with sims 4 with all dlc, and a good amount of cc what computer would be the best?
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Dell Inspiron 7779 17.3" FHD 2-in-1 Touch i7-7500U (3.50 GHz), 16GB, 512GB SSD, nVidia 940MX
And again, this is assuming you were planning to play the game on it as well as everything else.
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@igazor you can get away with a 1050 ti on laptop. The new 1000 series are much better than the 900 series http://gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-960M-vs-GeForce-GTX-1050-Ti
The intel processor is only dual core that is what the U means. On laptop you would need a stronger laptop i5 or i7 processor quad core which will end in HQ or MQ
The video card GTX 940m is DDR3 vram and a weak card. You want a video card that is DDR 5 vram. You need a GTX 960m or GTX 1050 ti or better on laptop.
The first number is the series for Nvidia 900, 1000 etc. The 1000 series is better and newer than the 900
The second number , the higher the second number the better the card 50, 60, 70, 80. On laptop in the 900 series I would not go under 60 but over is fine. With the 1000 series on laptop you can go 1050 ti and up
8gb of computer ram is fine
hard drive at least 500 gb but 1tb would be better if your using this laptop for other things besides the game