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Which one of these Gaming Laptops would work well with the Sims 3

I'm currently in the USA and I have decided to look into buying myself a gaming Laptop. I have found three reasonable price gaming Laptops but I don't know which one would be best. The last thing I want to do is buy the wrong one so I wanted to get my fellow simmers who probably have been through this opinion.

1. New HP 15.6" Touch NVIDIA 940MX i7-6500U 2.5GHz 12GB 1TB Win 10 Gaming Laptop
Item specifics
Condition:
New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is ... Read more
Operating System: Windows 10
Processor Type: Intel Core i7 6th Gen. MPN:
X0S45CD#ABA
Operating System Edition: Windows 10 Home Brand:
HP
Hardware Connectivity: HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 Screen Size: 15.6in.
Optical Drive:: DVD+RW/CD+RW Combo Drive Processor Speed: 2.5Ghz - 3.1Ghz
Color:
Silver
Memory: 12GB
Storage Type: HDD (Hard Disk Drive) Hard Drive Capacity: 1TB

2. 2016 NEW Signature Edition Lenovo 15.6" High-Performance Business and Gaming Laptop PC
Product Details:

Screen Size: 15.6 inches
Screen Resolution: 1366 x 768 (HD+)
Processor: 3.3 GHz AMD A Series
RAM: 16 GB SDRAM DDR3
Memory Speed: 1600 MHz
Hard Drive: 1 TB HDD 5400 rpm
Graphics Coprocessor: AMD Radeon R7
Chipset Brand: amd
Wireless Type: 802.11bgn, Bluetooth
Number of USB 2.0 Ports: 2
Average Battery Life (in hours): 5 hours
Brand Name: Lenovo
Series: Z50-75
Item model number: Lenovo Z50
Hardware Platform: PC
Operating System: Windows 10
Item Weight: 5.2 pounds
Product Dimensions: 15.1 x 10.4 x 1 inches
Item Dimensions L x W x H: 15.11 x 10.43 x 0.98 inches
Processor Brand: AMD
Processor Count: 4
Computer Memory Type: SDRAM
Hard Drive Interface: Serial ATA
Power Source: AC & Battery
Shipping Weight: 6.9 pounds
Date First Available: September 26, 2016

3. New-HP-15-6-034-TouchScreen-Laptop-i5-6200u-8GB-RAM-1TB-HDD-DVD-Bluetooth-Gaming-PC
tem specifics
Condition:
New: A brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable). Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See the seller's listing for full details. See all condition definitions
Brand:
HP
Screen Size: 15.6in. Product Line: Pavilion
Processor Type: Intel Core i5 6th Gen. Processor Speed: 2.30GHz
Graphics Processing Type: Integrated/On-Board Graphics Memory: 8GB
Storage Type: HDD (Hard Disk Drive) Hard Drive Capacity: 1TB
SSD Capacity: 1TB Type: Notebook/Laptop
Color:Gold
Model: 15-au30wm
Hardware Connectivity: HDMI, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 Operating System Edition: Home
Release Year: 2016 Operating System: Windows 10
Features: Built-in Webcam, Touchscreen MPN:
W2L55UA#ABA
UPC: Does not apply

Comments

  • Dawn767Dawn767 Posts: 38 Member
    The computer I use has the NVIDIA 940MX graphics card. When I played Sims 3 for the first time on this computer the game open a window and said that it does not recognize the graphic card and went to default settings. I changed the all of the graphic settings to "medium/high" and the screen size to 16:9 and have had no problem. If your going to stick with the Sims 3, there are some graphic cards that are not supported. check specs on this game.
  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    @Dawn767 thanks for the advice it definitely mainly accepts NVIDIA graphic cards only
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    I would not recommend any of those computers. They are not gaming laptops and are under recommended requirements to run the whole game

    Newegg charges no tax outside CA TN and NJ.

    https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154369&cm_re=gtx_1050_laptop-_-34-154-369-_-Product

    https://www.amazon.com/N855HJ-1920x1080-i7-7700HQ-Bluetooth-Warranty/dp/B01N4Q9C9J/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502161280&sr=8-4&keywords=clevo+laptop
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited August 2017
    @phoebebebe13 found you some nice bargains there, though it might have helped if you told us your budget. I have to agree that none of those three laptops you found are for gaming no matter what the vendor says and TS3, if you have all EPs, would cause each of them to struggle for various different reasons. Am also concerned that the descriptions read like eBay entries, is this where were you were shopping or someplace similar?

    There has to be a better way but hopefully the recommended ones might already be within your reach.

    On the graphics cards in particular, so you can see where some of our objections are coming from, Nvidia is fine but for a laptop it has to be a strong enough card to carry its weight with the game. That would be an 960M or higher within that series or 1050 or higher on the more recent one. The 940MX is a real gamble, many players will not be able to run the entire game on that, some will have more success with it. Its throughput rate just isn't high enough for a graphically intense game like TS3. Even if it can carry the entire game, we've seen that they age really badly.

    AMD cards are also fine (I have one, it's older than all of these but strong enough), but not the R7. The graphics card needs to have stronger specs than those, that would be the higher end R9s and RXs in today's models.

    The third one of the three listed doesn't even have a dedicated graphics card.
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  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    edited August 2017
    @igazor I was willing to spend a quite a pretty penny on it so I had no budget for me. also, yeah I was looking at eBay. I never looked at gaming laptops before so I was lost to where to look for a good one.
    @phoebebebe13 thanks for those suggestion and I'll definitely look into one of those. I was actually checking out an MSI gaming laptop.
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited August 2017
    Phoebe will take good care of you. It's amazing how she can find these systems with higher specs at good prices so easily. Or at least, she makes it look easy. :)

    It's also amazing what vendors can get away with, even retail stores -- anything can be called a "gaming" computer when it's really just not up to most such tasks.
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  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    edited August 2017
    @winterbaby20 Your very welcome. Both those laptops I posted would play the whole game on ultra/high. MSI makes a great gaming laptop. So does Clevo. Clevo I was told were the original makers of Alienware. They sold the Alienware name to Dell

    PS if you have a higher budget I can recommend more laptops. The cheapest your going to find to run this whole game at the moment is $800 and up.
    Post edited by phoebebebe13 on
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    igazor wrote: »
    Phoebe will take good care of you. It's amazing how she can find these systems with higher specs at good prices so easily. Or at least, she makes it look easy. :)

    It's also amazing what vendors can get away with, even retail stores -- anything can be called a "gaming" computer when it's really just not up to most such tasks.

    Jewish women are trained at birth to shop for a bargain. You should know this FACT :p:p:p:p:p;););););)

    I agree on the vendors. They will advertise anything as gaming to get sale. It's all targeted at people who don't understand computer specs. Making unsuspecting people think they are getting an awesome gaming computer at a cheap price only to find out the computer can't run the games they want to play.
  • Stdlr9Stdlr9 Posts: 2,744 Member
    Just chiming in to say that I've shopped with NewEgg for years and years, and they've never steered me wrong, if you decide to go that route. Good luck. You'll be amazed at how TS3 looks and runs when you get a true gaming rig.
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    Yeah, NewEgg doesn't always carry or have in stock exactly what I am looking for exactly when I need it but have never had a problem when actually purchasing from them. They're one of the good guys on the web.
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  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    @phoebebebe13 I decided to go with MSI laptop you suggested. The fact that it had a disc drive as part as the laptop won me over
  • SimplyJenSimplyJen Posts: 14,823 Member
    edited August 2017
    I see you already decided on something but I did want to chime in and ask if it's important to have a laptop over a desktop. The reason why is because desktops will always be stronger and the best part is you can upgrade parts in the future. Most laptops only allow memory and drive upgrades but even that's not always a promise. Is this the only game you plan on playing?

    The message about the card not being recognized will happen with any new card but it's not that important. In most cases, it doesn't cause problems and if it does, you can manually add the card yourself. Both igazor and I can help with that.

    I too praise Newegg... I've been shopping there for 12 years. :o
    i7-13700K • 16GB • RTX 4070
    S3 simblr: http://simplysimming.tumblr.com/
    S4 simblr: http://simlogic.tumblr.com/
  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    @Simasaurus09 yes the sims 3 is the only game I will be playing on it. that's the only game I enjoy playing.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    @phoebebebe13 I decided to go with MSI laptop you suggested. The fact that it had a disc drive as part as the laptop won me over

    That laptop should run the whole game on high/ultra. Just post back if you need help setting up the game. Laptops do come with two video cards and you have to do a few things to get the game to accept the Nvidia card. Enjoy your new laptop.
  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    @phoebebebe13 sorry to bother you again but I was wondering if you can recommend me some affordable gaming desktop computers that can run the sims 3? after discussing the pros and cons with family members I decided I get more bang for my buck with a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    edited August 2017
    Nvidia/intel is better than AMD. Combo of intel/Nvidia is also more expensive.

    This is an intel processor and Nvidia card https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230168&cm_re=gtx_1050_ti_cyberpower-_-83-230-168-_-Product

    This is an intel processor with AMD video card https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230191&cm_re=cyberpower_amd_desktop-_-83-230-191-_-Product

    This is an AMD processor with an Nvidia video card https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230091&cm_re=cyberpower_amd_desktop-_-83-230-091-_-Product

    All meet requirements to run the game. Newegg chargers no tax outside CA, TN and NJ

    All the computers come with keyboard and mouse. If they don't list wifi you will need a usb wifi adapter. Most desktops do not come with wifi unless listed.

    Do you also need a monitor? Amazon is cheaper for that. You can either buy a monitor with built in speakers or chose one without internal speakers and add external computer speakers

    You can also hook up a tower to a flat screen TV if the resolution is 1080p. All you need is an HDMI cord. I have mine hooked up to the TV and use a wireless keyboard and mouse.
  • winterbaby20winterbaby20 Posts: 2,413 Member
    @phoebebebe13 thanks again.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    Your very welcome. If you need anymore help or have any further questions just page me.
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