Will my laptop run sims 3? «12...Next Go

Prettypixie5286

Hi! This is the first time I have EVER posted on any of the forums! Please excuse me if i'm not doing it correctly. LOL! Ok so I have just purchased a new laptop and I wanted some reassurance that sims 3 & EP's will run on it. I have always used a desktop and it has NEVER ran the sims 3 it lags and is sooooooooo slow that I just don't bother playing as I get so frustrated. I have purchased a laptop with system requirements in mind but now i'm doubting my tech knowledge! My new spec is as follows:-

•Intel Pentium dual core.
•2.6GHz processor speed.
•6GB RAM.
•1000GB hard drive.
•Intel HD Graphics.
Windows 8.

If someone could just put my mind at rest i'd be eternally grateful! :-) Thanks fellow simmers! xxxx

Decrain

Prettypixie5286 wrote:

Hi! This is the first time I have EVER posted on any of the forums! Please excuse me if i'm not doing it correctly. LOL! Ok so I have just purchased a new laptop and I wanted some reassurance that sims 3 & EP's will run on it. I have always used a desktop and it has NEVER ran the sims 3 it lags and is sooooooooo slow that I just don't bother playing as I get so frustrated. I have purchased a laptop with system requirements in mind but now i'm doubting my tech knowledge! My new spec is as follows:-

•Intel Pentium dual core.
•2.6GHz processor speed.
•6GB RAM.
•1000GB hard drive.
•Intel HD Graphics.
Windows 8.

If someone could just put my mind at rest i'd be eternally grateful! :-) Thanks fellow simmers! xxxx

Intel HD graphics is never a good choice for Sims 3

Depending on the exact model of the graphics card you will be able to play base game with low settings, or - with higher models maybe one or two expansion packs. Most trouble you will have with Pets, Seasons, Isla Paradiso, as they need powerful graphics card.

Darstan64

Prettypixie5286,

Hi! I have a macbook pro with only 4g ram which I'm bringing in to upgrade to 8g so the sims3 runs more smoothly. I don't know much about graphics cards/video cards and stuff but I also have an Intel Graphics HD which is built in and also NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and my game runs fine with 7 expansion packs installed. The graphics are great, in fact I changed the setting in options to 1440x900(16:10). I was told from someone else on this forum that has helped me out to set it at 1024x768(4:3) but I didn't like the way it looked. I hope my resolution setting is ok.

It sounds like your laptop is better than mine. My specs are - 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, memory is 4gb (1067 MHz DDR3) which i'm upgrading to 8 gb. Anyone here can correct me if I'm wrong

My game runs well and I have pets, seasons, generations, ambitions, late night, supernatural and university life installed.

Hope I helped

Decrain

Darstan64 wrote:

Prettypixie5286,

Hi! I have a macbook pro with only 4g ram which I'm bringing in to upgrade to 8g so the sims3 runs more smoothly. I don't know much about graphics cards/video cards and stuff but I also have an Intel Graphics HD which is built in and also NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M and my game runs fine with 7 expansion packs installed. The graphics are great, in fact I changed the setting in options to 1440x900(16:10). I was told from someone else on this forum that has helped me out to set it at 1024x768(4:3) but I didn't like the way it looked. I hope my resolution setting is ok.

It sounds like your laptop is better than mine. My specs are - 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, memory is 4gb (1067 MHz DDR3) which i'm upgrading to 8 gb. Anyone here can correct me if I'm wrong

My game runs well and I have pets, seasons, generations, ambitions, late night, supernatural and university life installed.

Hope I helped

i5 is newer than dual-core processor. And you have a dedicated graphics as well as onboard. From the first post in this thread it looks like the OP has only integrated graphics. Integrated graphics are no good for Sims.

IF the OP has dual graphics, then that changes everything. But it's not in the first post.

chesterbigbird

Prettypixie5286 wrote:

Hi! This is the first time I have EVER posted on any of the forums! Please excuse me if i'm not doing it correctly. LOL! Ok so I have just purchased a new laptop and I wanted some reassurance that sims 3 & EP's will run on it. I have always used a desktop and it has NEVER ran the sims 3 it lags and is sooooooooo slow that I just don't bother playing as I get so frustrated. I have purchased a laptop with system requirements in mind but now i'm doubting my tech knowledge! My new spec is as follows:-

•Intel Pentium dual core.
•2.6GHz processor speed.
•6GB RAM.
•1000GB hard drive.
•Intel HD Graphics.
Windows 8.

If someone could just put my mind at rest i'd be eternally grateful! :-) Thanks fellow simmers! xxxx

Hi
Sorry think that buying that laptop was maybe a mistake
Intel hd Graphics are not meant for any gaming at all.. they are on board graphics which are used for basic operations.. not gaming.
Also the processor is not very strong at all either.. pentium dual core is a little old.
You should of really been looking for something with a dedicated graphics card such as the Nvidia Or Ati Radeon.
You might be able to get away with just the base game on low settings.. but as you add more EPs
You will notice you will lag and maybe crash also.
And agree the EPS to give you the most trouble would probably be pets and all the eps after that.

chesterbigbird

Also please post your dxdiag so we can check to see if you do have dual graphics:
If you have Windows Vista/Win 7

1. Click On Start
2. Type dxdiag into Search Box
3. Wait till Program opens
4. Click Save All Information.

If you have Microsoft Windows 8:

1. Make sure you are on the tiled screen
2. Type DxDiag and hit enter
3. Program should open
4. Click Save All Information.
Copy and paste the whole thing here.

February11

My laptop has HD Graphics 3000, and I don't have any problems. I have Ambitions and Seasons, and always play on a cooler pad.

The game, or my laptop, set itself to play on medium settings. I'm happy enough with how it looks and runs.

chesterbigbird

February11 wrote:

My laptop has HD Graphics 3000, and I don't have any problems. I have Ambitions and Seasons, and always play on a cooler pad.

The game, or my laptop, set itself to play on medium settings. I'm happy enough with how it looks and runs.

See the problem is it is NOT recommended to run the game on intel graphics.. they are just not meant to be used for gaming.
The sims3 is a fairly intense game and therefore you need the power to run it.. and most intel graphics don't even have dedicated Vram.. (graphics card memory.)(Ram)
The sims 3 ideally needs to have at least 512MB of dedicated vram.. with most cards these days having 2GB or more Vram.
If you have only ever played on intel graphics then you are probably missing out on allot.
And i doubt that you do not have any lag with intel 3000.. that would probably be imposable.
I had lag on my old radeon hd 4850.. and that was a decent card.
Anyway the Op already brought the laptop so not much can be done.. install your games and see if you can play.. i would not play with any cc because that might increase the changes of your lag.
And also clear your caches regularly.. they can get bogged down... Also i would personally not install pets.. its will create lag and your pets most likely will be deformed.

February11

chesterbigbird wrote:

February11 wrote:

My laptop has HD Graphics 3000, and I don't have any problems. I have Ambitions and Seasons, and always play on a cooler pad.

The game, or my laptop, set itself to play on medium settings. I'm happy enough with how it looks and runs.

See the problem is it is NOT recommended to run the game on intel graphics.. they are just not meant to be used for gaming.
The sims3 is a fairly intense game and therefore you need the power to run it.. and most intel graphics don't even have dedicated Vram.. (graphics card memory.)(Ram)
The sims 3 ideally needs to have at least 512MB of dedicated vram.. with most cards these days having 2GB or more Vram.
If you have only ever played on intel graphics then you are probably missing out on allot.
And i doubt that you do not have any lag with intel 3000.. that would probably be imposable.
I had lag on my old radeon hd 4850.. and that was a decent card.
Anyway the Op already brought the laptop so not much can be done.. install your games and see if you can play.. i would not play with any cc because that might increase the changes of your lag.
And also clear your caches regularly.. they can get bogged down... Also i would personally not install pets.. its will create lag and your pets most likely will be deformed.

I think I've just been lucky to be honest with you. The game fried my old laptop, so I think this one has something more going for it than the last. I do get a bit of a lag and freeze here and there, but nothing that gets too frustrating, and I would LOVE to see how the correct graphics cards would play the game.

I'm waiting for Sims4 to come out to get a new laptop now. This one will be 3 years old by then and the game will have probably worn it right down.

I don't want to get a new laptop now coz I don't want to have to do all that palaver with having to try and get the game to recognize the new cards.

chesterbigbird

February11 wrote:

chesterbigbird wrote:

February11 wrote:

My laptop has HD Graphics 3000, and I don't have any problems. I have Ambitions and Seasons, and always play on a cooler pad.

The game, or my laptop, set itself to play on medium settings. I'm happy enough with how it looks and runs.

See the problem is it is NOT recommended to run the game on intel graphics.. they are just not meant to be used for gaming.
The sims3 is a fairly intense game and therefore you need the power to run it.. and most intel graphics don't even have dedicated Vram.. (graphics card memory.)(Ram)
The sims 3 ideally needs to have at least 512MB of dedicated vram.. with most cards these days having 2GB or more Vram.
If you have only ever played on intel graphics then you are probably missing out on allot.
And i doubt that you do not have any lag with intel 3000.. that would probably be imposable.
I had lag on my old radeon hd 4850.. and that was a decent card.
Anyway the Op already brought the laptop so not much can be done.. install your games and see if you can play.. i would not play with any cc because that might increase the changes of your lag.
And also clear your caches regularly.. they can get bogged down... Also i would personally not install pets.. its will create lag and your pets most likely will be deformed.

I think I've just been lucky to be honest with you. The game fried my old laptop, so I think this one has something more going for it than the last. I do get a bit of a lag and freeze here and there, but nothing that gets too frustrating, and I would LOVE to see how the correct graphics cards would play the game.

I'm waiting for Sims4 to come out to get a new laptop now. This one will be 3 years old by then and the game will have probably worn it right down.

I don't want to get a new laptop now coz I don't want to have to do all that palaver with having to try and get the game to recognize the new cards.

Have you thought about a desktop? you will have a much better playing experience with a desktop and they are cheaper too.
The graphics card recognition is not necessary unless you are having problems like lag and freezes and such.. i have not done it to my laptop which has intel graphics and nvidia graphics.. and i don't have any problems.. i did do the recognize thing on my desktop and it didn't do anything to improve performance.. actually works better without the card being recognized. The sims 4 would not be a huge problem.. because they have stated that they are making it play better for people with low end systems.
So basically any decent graphics card now will not have a problem playing the sims 4.
One thing you have to remember is never buy a desktop retail.. places like ********* jbhifi harvey norman and other places only sell junk like hp and dell.. proper gaming desktops are sometimes cheaper and allot better.

Decrain

chesterbigbird wrote:

February11 wrote:

chesterbigbird wrote:

February11 wrote:

My laptop has HD Graphics 3000, and I don't have any problems. I have Ambitions and Seasons, and always play on a cooler pad.

The game, or my laptop, set itself to play on medium settings. I'm happy enough with how it looks and runs.

See the problem is it is NOT recommended to run the game on intel graphics.. they are just not meant to be used for gaming.
The sims3 is a fairly intense game and therefore you need the power to run it.. and most intel graphics don't even have dedicated Vram.. (graphics card memory.)(Ram)
The sims 3 ideally needs to have at least 512MB of dedicated vram.. with most cards these days having 2GB or more Vram.
If you have only ever played on intel graphics then you are probably missing out on allot.
And i doubt that you do not have any lag with intel 3000.. that would probably be imposable.
I had lag on my old radeon hd 4850.. and that was a decent card.
Anyway the Op already brought the laptop so not much can be done.. install your games and see if you can play.. i would not play with any cc because that might increase the changes of your lag.
And also clear your caches regularly.. they can get bogged down... Also i would personally not install pets.. its will create lag and your pets most likely will be deformed.

I think I've just been lucky to be honest with you. The game fried my old laptop, so I think this one has something more going for it than the last. I do get a bit of a lag and freeze here and there, but nothing that gets too frustrating, and I would LOVE to see how the correct graphics cards would play the game.

I'm waiting for Sims4 to come out to get a new laptop now. This one will be 3 years old by then and the game will have probably worn it right down.

I don't want to get a new laptop now coz I don't want to have to do all that palaver with having to try and get the game to recognize the new cards.

Have you thought about a desktop? you will have a much better playing experience with a desktop and they are cheaper too.
The graphics card recognition is not necessary unless you are having problems like lag and freezes and such.. i have not done it to my laptop which has intel graphics and nvidia graphics.. and i don't have any problems.. i did do the recognize thing on my desktop and it didn't do anything to improve performance.. actually works better without the card being recognized. The sims 4 would not be a huge problem.. because they have stated that they are making it play better for people with low end systems.
So basically any decent graphics card now will not have a problem playing the sims 4.
One thing you have to remember is never buy a desktop retail.. places like ********* jbhifi harvey norman and other places only sell junk like hp and dell.. proper gaming desktops are sometimes cheaper and allot better.

And, another big plus of desktop computer is, you can buy all parts needed from different shops (choosing the cheapest price) and then put in together by yourself or with a friends help. It always comes cheaper than buying a setup from store, and you can have everything you want

BLikePanda

Do you think my computer can run sims 3 with good enough graphics (I'm not too picky as long as I can stand to play it) and Sims 3 pets, generations, seasons, late night, ambitions and university life expansions?
Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-5200U CPU @ 2.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8106MB RAM

Thanks, help much appreciated

igazor

BLikePanda wrote: »

Do you think my computer can run sims 3 with good enough graphics (I'm not too picky as long as I can stand to play it) and Sims 3 pets, generations, seasons, late night, ambitions and university life expansions?
Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-5200U CPU @ 2.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8106MB RAM

Thanks, help much appreciated

Hi there. The processor is on the edge of requirements for the heavier EPs, just missing the typically recommended 2.4 GHz for basic performance. But what we really need to know is what does it have for a graphics card.

BLikePanda

> @igazor said:
> BLikePanda wrote: »
>
> Do you think my computer can run sims 3 with good enough graphics (I'm not too picky as long as I can stand to play it) and Sims 3 pets, generations, seasons, late night, ambitions and university life expansions?
> Operating System: Windows 8.1 64-bit
> Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-5200U CPU @ 2.20GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.2GHz
> Memory: 8192MB RAM
> Available OS Memory: 8106MB RAM
>
> Thanks, help much appreciated
>
>
>
> Hi there. The processor is on the edge of requirements for the heavier EPs, just missing the typically recommended 2.4 GHz for basic performance. But what we really need to know is what does it have for a graphics card.

I use amd radeon graphics

igazor

BLikePanda wrote: »

I use amd radeon graphics

So do I. AMD Radeon is a brand name of graphics cards, a competitor to Nvidia, and they have each made a billion (slight exaggeration) models. That doesn't tell us enough I'm afraid, which AMD Radeon graphics card does your system have?

We could probably get more of the full picture if you were to run a dxdiag report, send it up to Pastebin, and provide a broken up link (use "h.t.t.p.s." or something like that) so we can read it.

How to run one: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information

phoebebebe13

igazor wrote: »

BLikePanda wrote: »

I use amd radeon graphics

So do I. AMD Radeon is a brand name of graphics cards, a competitor to Nvidia, and they have each made a billion (slight exaggeration) models. That doesn't tell us enough I'm afraid, which AMD Radeon graphics card does your system have?

We could probably get more of the full picture if you were to run a dxdiag report, send it up to Pastebin, and provide a broken up link (use "h.t.t.p.s." or something like that) so we can read it.

How to run one: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information

My guess is with a lower end dual core processor they have an integrated "R" AMD graphics card @BLikePanda if your graphics card is "R" 6, 5, 4 ,3 2 etc these are video cards integrated with the processor and not designed for 3d games like the sims. They are for light computer tasks and streaming a movie. AMD makes video cards for general use and ones for gaming 3d games. You will have issues running seasons and pets with an integrated video card

igazor

phoebebebe13 wrote: »

My guess is with a lower end dual core processor they have an integrated "R" AMD graphics card

That would be my guess as well unfortunately, but with not enough information yet to go on was hoping to find out otherwise.

BLikePanda

file:///C:/Users/Beatrice/Desktop/SIMS%203%20STUFF/DxDiag.txt

igazor

@BLikePanda - Thank you for running a dxdiag report. But that link is to the file on your own C drive. It will only work for someone using your own computer, not for anyone else, so we can't see the report that way.

We could probably get more of the full picture if you were to run a dxdiag report, send it up to Pastebin, and provide a broken up link (use "h.t.t.p.s." or something like that) so we can read it.

BLikePanda

@igazor Sorry still new to this and took me a while to figure out how to properly use pastebin
h.t.t.p.s://pastebin.com/akd66NqT

BLikePanda

@igazor not sure If I've done it right but let me know, so sorry for the inconvenience

phoebebebe13

@BLikePanda
It shows that you have an intel integrated graphics card. This DxDiag does not confirm you have a dedicated AMD card or are there drivers installed for an AMD card. Some models may come with that AMD card but your model may not. I would go to the Lenovo website , search your make and model computer, update all your drivers. I would also contact Lenovo to double check your make and model to see if you actually have an AMD card installed on your laptop. I have seen this with HP laptops too. It mentions another video card but the laptop does not have that video card installed. @igazor heads up

igazor

BLikePanda wrote: »

@igazor not sure If I've done it right but let me know, so sorry for the inconvenience

https://pastebin.com/akd66NqT

Your laptop has dual graphics. It has both an Intel integrated graphics chip and an AMD R7. The drivers for both are very outdated. I would suggest first checking with Lenovo's website to see if they offer updated drivers for this laptop, it's always best to get device driver updates from the computer manufacturer first if possible. At some point though, on older machines, the manufacturers do tend to stop providing them.

I think you could get some decent performance out of TS3 even with Pets and Seasons in play, provided that we can get it to use the AMD card and not the Intel, although possibly not on the highest of graphics settings in Game Options.

Paging @chesterbigbird for a second opinion and I see phoebe is already here as well.

phoebebebe13

BLikePanda wrote: »

@igazor Sorry still new to this and took me a while to figure out how to properly use pastebin
https://pastebin.com/akd66NqT

BLikePanda

@igazor @phoebebebe13 Thanks so much for your help guys, I'll definitely look into what you've told me

phoebebebe13

@BLikePanda Your very welcome

@igazor even though a laptop may read dual cards, the laptop may not have dual cards installed being that there seems to have been no drivers installed by the manufacturer to begin with. Like I mentioned above , I have seen this with HP and may also be the case with Lenovo