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  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    @KHS12 I not only addressed you but also @CravenLestat and Craven and I are friends. OP's question would have been better asked in the Tech section if they are looking for a new PC to run the game. Your responses would confuse someone if they were looking for a New computer and off topic to what OP was asking. Even after @igazor and I said something more people posted old computers that OP can't buy. That's fine that all your computers can run the game and your responses would have been fine if OP started a thread asking what kind of computer do you play on.
  • Faerie197Faerie197 Posts: 1,077 Member
    My problem has always been two fold when buying a computer/graphics card. First of all, game specs always give a nividia card. They then say "or the equivalent". But I am NOT a techie. I don't know what the specs for the card mentioned are, or what might provide the equivalent from other brands. That's important to me since I've had nothing but bad luck and trouble installing the drivers for nividia cards in the past. On the other hand, I've never had any issues with AMD drivers.

    My second problem then is that I have a strict budget. When I can afford a new graphics card, I typically have to buy a budget one since I can't afford more then $150-$200 on it. But what budget card will get me the performance I need to run the games I want to play? Mind you, I don't play many of the new games that require high end systems on the PC. If I pick up a AAA title, it's probably on a console. I play stuff like Sims 3 and various MMORPGs like WoW or Dungeons & Dragons Online. Games that are older, but still look good and can be fun to play. Since the card mentioned in the "required specs" is typically one of the mid price range cards, how am I suppose to know what budget card can let me play the game? And not with highest graphics either. If I can do that, awesome. But I'm just fine with turning down graphics settings to play a game I enjoy.

    My laptop for the most part runs Sims 3 just fine with all my EP turned on. It has AMD Radeon R4 graphic installed, not that I would know or trust myself to upgrade that even if you could. But as I said, it runs the game fine. In the town for IP the game tends to freeze if there's ocean effects in the background. But that might also be due to not enough ram. I don't know how to set up specific Vram in windows 10, so the laptop's 4 gigs of ram may not be quite enough in IP. It does make me leary on installing Seasons or Pets though. I'd imagine those are much harder on the system then IP is.
    Fear not the fae, for they are harmless. Anger not the fae, beware their wraith. Harm not the fae, fear the Faerie Knight.
  • MazakeenMazakeen Posts: 440 Member
    I have an old, nay, ancient laptop, but I have squeezed more ram into it, so I run with 6GB. If you can try out with more ram, somehow, then you'll see wether or not it has enough of an impact on your game to save yourself/postponing from buying a 'new' computer. 6 (or more, preferrably (if your computer can handle it)) vs. 4GB of ram makes a huge difference in this game, afaik.
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  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    edited May 2017
    Faerie197 wrote: »
    My problem has always been two fold when buying a computer/graphics card. First of all, game specs always give a nividia card. They then say "or the equivalent". But I am NOT a techie. I don't know what the specs for the card mentioned are, or what might provide the equivalent from other brands. That's important to me since I've had nothing but bad luck and trouble installing the drivers for nividia cards in the past. On the other hand, I've never had any issues with AMD drivers.

    My second problem then is that I have a strict budget. When I can afford a new graphics card, I typically have to buy a budget one since I can't afford more then $150-$200 on it. But what budget card will get me the performance I need to run the games I want to play? Mind you, I don't play many of the new games that require high end systems on the PC. If I pick up a AAA title, it's probably on a console. I play stuff like Sims 3 and various MMORPGs like WoW or Dungeons & Dragons Online. Games that are older, but still look good and can be fun to play. Since the card mentioned in the "required specs" is typically one of the mid price range cards, how am I suppose to know what budget card can let me play the game? And not with highest graphics either. If I can do that, awesome. But I'm just fine with turning down graphics settings to play a game I enjoy.

    If you have a desktop and want to upgrade a video card, speak to user chesterbigbird. She is an Expert computer builder. You can send her a PM or page her.
    Faerie197 wrote: »

    My laptop for the most part runs Sims 3 just fine with all my EP turned on. It has AMD Radeon R4 graphic installed, not that I would know or trust myself to upgrade that even if you could. But as I said, it runs the game fine. In the town for IP the game tends to freeze if there's ocean effects in the background. But that might also be due to not enough ram. I don't know how to set up specific Vram in windows 10, so the laptop's 4 gigs of ram may not be quite enough in IP. It does make me leary on installing Seasons or Pets though. I'd imagine those are much harder on the system then IP is.

    R4 graphics on a laptop are integrated with the processor. They both use the same ram along with windows and other programs. If you only have 4gb ram it's not enough to run the game along with your video card, processor, windows and other programs. You will eventually run into error code 12 on saves for not having enough memory. The game alone needs 4 gb ram to run. You need extra ram for your processor, video card, windows and other programs. Having 8 gb ram would be better. This game does require a dedicated video card that runs on it's own ram separate from the computer. Your having issues with IP it's because your laptop is below requirements to run it. IP does have issues but it will be worse on your computer specs. You will have more issues if you try to add Pets, Seasons and ITF "IF" they will even run. Pets, Seasons, ITF and IP are the most demanding EPs in the game and require a mid range gaming desktop to run them. The more you add to this game the more demanding the game becomes. Laptop hardware is weaker than desktop hardware. You can't upgrade video card and processor in a laptop. You are stuck with the specs you buy. You need a gaming laptop to equal the desktop requirements for this game if you want to run the whole game the way it's supposed to run. I have played this game on lower end to higher end computers. Having the proper hardware that meets all requirements to run this game will make a big difference. Yes the game has bugs but you will get allot more bugs if your computer is under requirements
  • Faerie197Faerie197 Posts: 1,077 Member
    ITF runs just fine for me. And with a laptop, I'm not even sure if it IS possible to have a graphics card/chip other then the one already built into it. But again, I'm not a techie. I don't know the ins and outs of graphics cards/integrated chips. Nor can I tell just by looking at a model number if a card/chipset is at, below, or above the requirements.
    Fear not the fae, for they are harmless. Anger not the fae, beware their wraith. Harm not the fae, fear the Faerie Knight.
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited May 2017
    Faerie197 wrote: »
    ITF runs just fine for me. And with a laptop, I'm not even sure if it IS possible to have a graphics card/chip other then the one already built into it. But again, I'm not a techie. I don't know the ins and outs of graphics cards/integrated chips. Nor can I tell just by looking at a model number if a card/chipset is at, below, or above the requirements.
    What @phoebebebe13 means is that yes, you can purchase a laptop with a stronger graphics card but no, you cannot upgrade the one it comes with except in very unusual (and expensive) configurations which you would not have on that one. Usually the only things that can be done with laptops are hard drive replacements and the addition of RAM; some can't even have their RAM increased though.

    The AMD product lines and numbers are indeed very confusing. The R4 doesn't really count as a dedicated graphics card, it is integrated in much the same way as Intel graphics chips are (the AMDs from that time do perform better overall, but only a bit). We don't really get into dedicated graphics cards in those series until we get to the R7s and higher. The more current ones for sale are the R9s and RXs.

    Maybe this page helps?
    http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements
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  • dorcsyfuldorcsyful Posts: 851 Member
    Off-topic question about gaming laptops: when they aren't used for playing (only internet, MS Office etc.) how loud are they and what's their battery life? Just asking because a few weeks ago I (totally accidentaly) stumbled upon an article about some new super laptop which can only handle 3-4 hours tops (not saying I even thought of buying that one).
    The reason I'm asking is because the universities (or at least some of them) where I'd like to apply next year wants a laptop to be brought to every class. And obviously, if they are really loud, I'd rather keep my current one too and take that with myself. (I'm pretty sure it's damaged to I won't sell it)
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    dorcsyful wrote: »
    Off-topic question about gaming laptops: when they aren't used for playing (only internet, MS Office etc.) how loud are they and what's their battery life? Just asking because a few weeks ago I (totally accidentaly) stumbled upon an article about some new super laptop which can only handle 3-4 hours tops (not saying I even thought of buying that one).
    The reason I'm asking is because the universities (or at least some of them) where I'd like to apply next year wants a laptop to be brought to every class. And obviously, if they are really loud, I'd rather keep my current one too and take that with myself. (I'm pretty sure it's damaged to I won't sell it)

    True gaming laptops will be thicker for better cooling and also heavier than the average laptop.I have an Asus ROG gaming laptop. it's 8 pounds. It is very quiet even while gaming. Yes gaming laptops do not have a long battery life. About 3-4 hours. You are supposed to game plugged in and not use the battery. The battery can not handle gaming and is only good for light computer tasks.

    If you want to game and need a laptop for school, I suggest getting a cheap laptop with a long battery life for school. Have a desktop at home to game on. I use my gaming laptop like a desktop. I don't lug it around. I also have a desktop. Desktop is always better for gaming
  • Faerie197Faerie197 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Mine is rather quiet. It's not really a gaming laptop, although it does okay for that. As for battery life, depends on settings. If I know I'll be using battery power, I only load the most important things for what I'm doing. So anti-virus, and whatever program I'm using (usually Hero Lab) with wireless turned off. I also turn down contrast quite a bit when on battery power and have the screen set to shut off if inactive for more then five minutes.

    Mind you, playing a video game is FAR more power intensive then word processing programs or browsing the internet. WHen not plugged in my laptop can go for up to six hours before running out of power when I use it for running my character in Pathfinder Society tabletop rpg sessions. But only for about half that if I'm playing video games.
    Fear not the fae, for they are harmless. Anger not the fae, beware their wraith. Harm not the fae, fear the Faerie Knight.
  • dorcsyfuldorcsyful Posts: 851 Member
    dorcsyful wrote: »
    Off-topic question about gaming laptops: when they aren't used for playing (only internet, MS Office etc.) how loud are they and what's their battery life? Just asking because a few weeks ago I (totally accidentaly) stumbled upon an article about some new super laptop which can only handle 3-4 hours tops (not saying I even thought of buying that one).
    The reason I'm asking is because the universities (or at least some of them) where I'd like to apply next year wants a laptop to be brought to every class. And obviously, if they are really loud, I'd rather keep my current one too and take that with myself. (I'm pretty sure it's damaged to I won't sell it)

    True gaming laptops will be thicker for better cooling and also heavier than the average laptop.I have an Asus ROG gaming laptop. it's 8 pounds. It is very quiet even while gaming. Yes gaming laptops do not have a long battery life. About 3-4 hours. You are supposed to game plugged in and not use the battery. The battery can not handle gaming and is only good for light computer tasks.

    If you want to game and need a laptop for school, I suggest getting a cheap laptop with a long battery life for school. Have a desktop at home to game on. I use my gaming laptop like a desktop. I don't lug it around. I also have a desktop. Desktop is always better for gaming

    As for the weight, my schoolbag weights a rough 15 pounds on an average day. If I can can carry that every single day, I'm pretty sure 4 pounds won't be a problem. ;) I wish I could have a desktop but that is not an option not now and certainly not once I'm at university. Maybe after that.
    Anyways, right now, my laptop can last an entire day without charging. So unless I someone magically invents cheap gaming laptop with super long battery life, I'll have to take this with myself too. I wish laptop had something similar to smart phones' powerbanks.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    dorcsyful wrote: »
    dorcsyful wrote: »
    Off-topic question about gaming laptops: when they aren't used for playing (only internet, MS Office etc.) how loud are they and what's their battery life? Just asking because a few weeks ago I (totally accidentaly) stumbled upon an article about some new super laptop which can only handle 3-4 hours tops (not saying I even thought of buying that one).
    The reason I'm asking is because the universities (or at least some of them) where I'd like to apply next year wants a laptop to be brought to every class. And obviously, if they are really loud, I'd rather keep my current one too and take that with myself. (I'm pretty sure it's damaged to I won't sell it)

    True gaming laptops will be thicker for better cooling and also heavier than the average laptop.I have an Asus ROG gaming laptop. it's 8 pounds. It is very quiet even while gaming. Yes gaming laptops do not have a long battery life. About 3-4 hours. You are supposed to game plugged in and not use the battery. The battery can not handle gaming and is only good for light computer tasks.

    If you want to game and need a laptop for school, I suggest getting a cheap laptop with a long battery life for school. Have a desktop at home to game on. I use my gaming laptop like a desktop. I don't lug it around. I also have a desktop. Desktop is always better for gaming

    As for the weight, my schoolbag weights a rough 15 pounds on an average day. If I can can carry that every single day, I'm pretty sure 4 pounds won't be a problem. ;) I wish I could have a desktop but that is not an option not now and certainly not once I'm at university. Maybe after that.
    Anyways, right now, my laptop can last an entire day without charging. So unless I someone magically invents cheap gaming laptop with super long battery life, I'll have to take this with myself too. I wish laptop had something similar to smart phones' powerbanks.

    My laptop is 8 pounds not 4 pounds. It's also 17" so it makes it more awkward to carry. Personally I would not advise taking a gaming lap[top to school. It could get stolen. They are more expensive and the battery life is not great.

  • dorcsyfuldorcsyful Posts: 851 Member
    My laptop is 8 pounds not 4 pounds. It's also 17" so it makes it more awkward to carry. Personally I would not advise taking a gaming laptop to school. It could get stolen. They are more expensive and the battery life is not great.

    Sorry, I know it's 8 pounds but I'm Hungarian and we count in kilos (so it's 4 kgs). But you're right. Still, I wanted to give it to my dad, he uses a "designed for xp but vista-compatible" laptop and can't buy a new one. It actually doesn't look as ancient as it is. :D
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    dorcsyful wrote: »
    My laptop is 8 pounds not 4 pounds. It's also 17" so it makes it more awkward to carry. Personally I would not advise taking a gaming laptop to school. It could get stolen. They are more expensive and the battery life is not great.

    Sorry, I know it's 8 pounds but I'm Hungarian and we count in kilos (so it's 4 kgs). But you're right. Still, I wanted to give it to my dad, he uses a "designed for xp but vista-compatible" laptop and can't buy a new one. It actually doesn't look as ancient as it is. :D

    Lol on the Kgs. I think we are the only country that does not use metric. Having a gaming laptop is useful if you don't have a lot of space and your not taking it everywhere. If you use it more like a desktop, its fine. XP , I just finally got rid of my XP computer. It was 12 years old and had to go :p
  • Faerie197Faerie197 Posts: 1,077 Member
    I much preferred XP to Vista. And the only reason I moved on to Windows 8 was because my old XP desktop died. Got a laptop (crappy one though) that runs on XP still. I feel that is a great operating system. Too bad XP is no longer supported, thus it's security keeps getting worse.
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  • KIERSIKIERSI Posts: 9 New Member
    Hi there! So I have a similar question. I'm 20 and a full-time college student with a tight budget but I need a new computer to play sims. I only play - or played I guess - the sims 3 (with almost all expansion backs, no stuff packs, and very limited CC and store content) on my HP pavillion dv6 (just to give you an idea of how awful it was). I used that laptop for over five years and it has finally accumulated enough heat damage that it's forever dead and now I have no way to play sims.

    I have a budget of 500ish dollars and am looking to get a good desktop the kind of playing I do that will last. I'm the most average player ever and don't do much besides the basics when playing. I know next to NOTHING about computers - probably even less than that - and was wondering if you could recommend me a desktop that would be good for what I'll use it for. It doesn't have to do anything other than play the sims as I have a mac laptop I use for everything else. If someone could help I would be SO appreciative!
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    @KIERSI - These are US dollars and do you require a monitor? Afraid you might have to up the ante a bit there though, as $500 is not enough to find a new desktop in the product classes high enough to have and properly support a decent graphics card. Can you possibly go as high as the mid-$700s?

    Some of those HP dv6s by the way were powerhouses. The one you had been playing on might have been pretty strong, but laptops tend to not last more than 3-5 years, depending on usage patterns and how well they were constructed.

    SPs and store content do not really add anything significant to the game's overhead, it's the base game and EPs that do and the options, resolution, etc. that the player plays on. Mods and CC might, but it depends on the kind of mods and CC. Simple furniture redesigns not so much, high poly count hairs, high def skin replacements, and super intrusive mods that reprogram the game's story progression certainly would. NRaas offers a balance of mods, including several that are designed to improve the game's performance, not make it run harder.

    Basic requirements are still as stated earlier on in this thread last year. Today's models will come with the 1000-series Nvidia cards, so that would be a GTX 1050 as a minimum (or the AMD equivalents, the product numbers run differently). At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.
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  • ScottDemonScottDemon Posts: 504 Member
    igazor wrote: »
    At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.

    The current I3 8350k is pretty much last generations I5 7600k retooled and a little more powerful and just a little below an I7 7700k. And the I3 8100, 8300, 8400 are not so bad either. With the 8400 beating both the I5 7600 and I7 7700.
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  • KIERSIKIERSI Posts: 9 New Member
    > @igazor said:
    > @KIERSI - These are US dollars and do you require a monitor? Afraid you might have to up the ante a bit there though, as $500 is not enough to find a new desktop in the product classes high enough to have and properly support a decent graphics card. Can you possibly go as high as the mid-$700s?
    >
    > Some of those HP dv6s by the way were powerhouses. The one you had been playing on might have been pretty strong, but laptops tend to not last more than 3-5 years, depending on usage patterns and how well they were constructed.
    >
    > SPs and store content do not really add anything significant to the game's overhead, it's the base game and EPs that do and the options, resolution, etc. that the player plays on. Mods and CC might, but it depends on the kind of mods and CC. Simple furniture redesigns not so much, high poly count hairs, high def skin replacements, and super intrusive mods that reprogram the game's story progression certainly would. NRaas offers a balance of mods, including several that are designed to improve the game's performance, not make it run harder.
    >
    > Basic requirements are still as stated earlier on in this thread last year. Today's models will come with the 1000-series Nvidia cards, so that would be a GTX 1050 as a minimum (or the AMD equivalents, the product numbers run differently). At least 8 GB of RAM, processor i5 or higher although some of the higher end i3s are now okay too for desktops, drive space at least 512 GB to work with no matter what kind of drive(s), SSDs are great but drive the price up for those of any really usable size.

    If the computer will last me then yes I can spend a little more. I have absolutely no idea what any of those numbers mean, but I can try and play a matching game while looking haha. Is there a particular brand you would recommend?
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited June 2018
    KIERSI wrote: »
    If the computer will last me then yes I can spend a little more. I have absolutely no idea what any of those numbers mean, but I can try and play a matching game while looking haha. Is there a particular brand you would recommend?
    Just wanted to make sure we were in the right ballpark. You haven't mentioned a monitor, do you already have one to use or would that be required as well? And again, are you in the US? Dollars can mean Canadian, Australian, etc., prices are very different in other countries and currencies.

    Perhaps our resident shopping expert will take over? :)
    @phoebebebe13
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  • KIERSIKIERSI Posts: 9 New Member
    @igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    KIERSI wrote: »
    @igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!
    Looks fine to me, and the just under $700 price tag I'm seeing looks good too. Let's give Phoebe a chance to get on the forums and catch up, if she has any comments on it.
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  • KIERSIKIERSI Posts: 9 New Member
    @igazor okay! Perfect!
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    KIERSI wrote: »
    @igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!

    You might have heating issues with this. AMD heats up and if it comes with a stock CPU cooler that could be a problem @chesterbigbird is the desktop expert
  • chesterbigbirdchesterbigbird Posts: 8,581 Member
    KIERSI wrote: »
    @igazor I'm in US dollars and I don't have a //decent// monitor just yet. I don't need one that's expensive, just one that will work. I had a friend recommended this computer to me --> Acer Aspire Gaming Desktop, AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050, 8GB DDR4, 1TB HDD, GX-281-UR11 (from amazon) as she said it would work just fine for what I was looking for. Any thoughts? Thank you again!
    It's not going to be easy to upgrade like other proper gaming desktops and it's not going to keep as cool either.
    What's going to be your max spending limit?

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  • KIERSIKIERSI Posts: 9 New Member
    @chesterbigbird my max is probably 700 (which I know isn't a lot at all) because my tuition at my college just raised. Honestly, I'm really just looking for something that I just can buy, plug in, and use. Like I said, I know absolutely nothing about computers other than how to turn them on so there's no chance I'll be upgrading it lol.
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