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What's the best laptop to play Sims 3 on?

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Hey, sorry if this is the wrong discussion bit!

I've recently taken an interest in Sims 3 and would love to play it, I already play Sims 4 on desktop but want to have a go on laptop. I'm getting a Aser (don't know if that's how you spell it?) and wondered if there are any other good laptops for playing Sims 3? I'm thinking storage wise, since Origin and the Sims games are quite large, and looking for one with good quality to play it.

Oh, and one last thing, I'm mainly looking at buying off Amazon or Argos?

Comments

  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    edited March 2018
    To play the whole sims 3 on laptop you need a gaming laptop. You need certain computer specs. Once you find a computer with the correct specs, you need to check reviews to make sure the laptop has no reported issues with heating etc

    specs you will need in a laptop

    Video card: Nvidia GTX 1050,1050 ti or 1060

    Processor: Intel i5 or i7

    Hard drive space : at least 500 gb or more.

    Computer ram: at least 8 gb

    windows 64 bit

    If you post your budget and country , I can help you find a laptop. USD your looking at $800-$900 range. Prices vary in other countries and will cost more than the USA
  • SephardicSephardic Posts: 251 Member
    To play the whole sims 3 on laptop you need a gaming laptop. You need certain computer specs. Once you find a computer with the correct specs, you need to check reviews to make sure the laptop has no reported issues with heating etc

    specs you will need in a laptop

    Video card: Nvidia GTX 1050,1050 ti or 1060

    Processor: Intel i5 or i7

    Hard drive space : at least 500 gb or more.

    Computer ram: at least 8 gb

    windows 64 bit

    If you post your budget and country , I can help you find a laptop. USD your looking at $800-$900 range. Prices vary in other countries and will cost more than the USA

    I'm looking at £100-£200 pounds in budget, so what's the difference in Gigabyte and Terabyte? Looking for a large capacity of memory/storage to also do work on it as well as play Sims 3?!
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    Sephardic wrote: »
    To play the whole sims 3 on laptop you need a gaming laptop. You need certain computer specs. Once you find a computer with the correct specs, you need to check reviews to make sure the laptop has no reported issues with heating etc

    specs you will need in a laptop

    Video card: Nvidia GTX 1050,1050 ti or 1060

    Processor: Intel i5 or i7

    Hard drive space : at least 500 gb or more.

    Computer ram: at least 8 gb

    windows 64 bit

    If you post your budget and country , I can help you find a laptop. USD your looking at $800-$900 range. Prices vary in other countries and will cost more than the USA

    I'm looking at £100-£200 pounds in budget, so what's the difference in Gigabyte and Terabyte? Looking for a large capacity of memory/storage to also do work on it as well as play Sims 3?!

    A computer that will run this entire game or the most powerful EP's your looking at around 800 pounds or more. you will not find any computer in a 200 pound range to run this game. In the 200 pound range your looking at a cheap tablet or very low end laptop that is for general use and would have issues trying to run this game, if it would be able to run this game at all.

    Laptop hardware is much weaker than desktop hardware and this game does require desktop hardware. To play on laptop your looking at a much more powerful laptop.

    1000 gb = 1 terabyte .You might see 1tb listed as 1000 gb

  • SephardicSephardic Posts: 251 Member
    Sephardic wrote: »
    To play the whole sims 3 on laptop you need a gaming laptop. You need certain computer specs. Once you find a computer with the correct specs, you need to check reviews to make sure the laptop has no reported issues with heating etc

    specs you will need in a laptop

    Video card: Nvidia GTX 1050,1050 ti or 1060

    Processor: Intel i5 or i7

    Hard drive space : at least 500 gb or more.

    Computer ram: at least 8 gb

    windows 64 bit

    If you post your budget and country , I can help you find a laptop. USD your looking at $800-$900 range. Prices vary in other countries and will cost more than the USA

    I'm looking at £100-£200 pounds in budget, so what's the difference in Gigabyte and Terabyte? Looking for a large capacity of memory/storage to also do work on it as well as play Sims 3?!

    A computer that will run this entire game or the most powerful EP's your looking at around 800 pounds or more. you will not find any computer in a 200 pound range to run this game. In the 200 pound range your looking at a cheap tablet or very low end laptop that is for general use and would have issues trying to run this game, if it would be able to run this game at all.

    Laptop hardware is much weaker than desktop hardware and this game does require desktop hardware. To play on laptop your looking at a much more powerful laptop.

    1000 gb = 1 terabyte .You might see 1tb listed as 1000 gb

    I managed to get a family member's old laptop. It's a HP, just thinking would this laptop be good in playing and the quality?

    Thanks for the advice by the way.
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited March 2018
    @phoebebebe13's advice above was spot on. But I will add that Acer and HP are brand names, like all major computer manufacturers they make low-end, mid-range, and high-end models all over the spectrum. TS3 is not very demanding by 2018 standards when it comes to official "gaming" computers on the highest price ranges, but its demands are there and they are real. And they increase dramatically with some of the heavier hitting EPs like Pets, Seasons, IP, and ITF.

    How well the older HP laptop will handle the game, or if it can at all, will depend on its specs not so much its age or branding.
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  • SephardicSephardic Posts: 251 Member
    igazor wrote: »
    @phoebebebe13's advice above was spot on. But I will add that Acer and HP are brand names, like all major computer manufacturers they make low-end, mid-range, and high-end models all over the spectrum. TS3 is not very demanding by 2018 standards when it comes to official "gaming" computers on the highest price ranges, but its demands are there and they are real. And they increase dramatically with some of the heavier hitting EPs like Pets, Seasons, IP, and ITF.

    How well the older HP laptop will handle the game, or if it can at all, will depend on its specs not so much its age or branding.

    The laptop was a birthday present to the family member, who has yet moved onto Apple, it's mainly 3 years? Is the age and storage a problem to maybe affecting the game?
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited March 2018
    What you are basically asking, sort of but without doing it on purpose I am sure, is Hi, I have a three year old car. How fast can I make it go, how much can it carry, and for how long? There is no way to meaningfully answer that.

    We need the specs of a computer to help determine if it can be expected to run TS3 and with which/how many EPs. Not its brand name or age. If you cannot provide us with the processor type/speed, RAM, graphics card and hard drive info, then I would ask for a full dxdiag report run on it and either pasted into several responses here (it would be too long to fit into one) or uploaded to pastebin.com and a link provided.

    How to run a dxdiag: https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information
    Post edited by igazor on
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  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    Your welcome and follow Igazor's instructions on how to post the HP computer specs :)
  • SephardicSephardic Posts: 251 Member
    I don't know them yet, since I'm getting the laptop tomorrow, so I'll do it tomorrow. :) I have been told it has a lot memory and is good for gaming, so thinking it's got quite a large capacity of storage for me to do work on it as well as play Sims.
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    edited March 2018
    no problem. We will be able to check the laptop when you post the computer specs. Memory (ram) and hard drive space is only part of it. The video card and processor count too on meeting requirements to run this game.
  • Bettyboop55Bettyboop55 Posts: 2,646 Member
    Having lost two laptops to overheating, I would check the make and model number on the Internet for reviews. The Sims 3 is a game to be happily played for hours, and laptops even in our lousy UK climate can run hot. The reviews might give you a steer as to how the laptop cooling system behaves, then at least you can consider a cooling mat if needed. These are readily available from the online store you mentioned in your OP. However first you need to establish if the specs are good enough to do all the things you want and this is definitely the place to find this out :)
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  • rogeyrogey Posts: 1 New Member
    Hi, not sure if anyone is still going to comment on this. I have been playing sims since sims 1 came out, so I know a LOT about the game, but I know very little about computers. I've been trying to play sims 3 (by far my favorite) for about 4 years on my Macbook Pro, and it is successfulish. The laptop immediately overheats (the fan is so loud, and I have to put something between the laptop and my legs so i don't get burnt), and the game glitches A LOT, especially if I play in one sitting without closing and reopening the game every 3 hours or so (i save every like 5 minutes like a maniac). So, clearly I have the wrong computer for this. And I LOVE the sims and am willing to spend a lot of money for the right computer to get a good gaming experience. @phoebebebe13 mentioned she was willing to help people out? Budget is pretty flexible (I don't want to go crazy, no $3,000 computers please), and I live in the US.
  • KarritzKarritz Posts: 21,908 Member
    @rogey if you ask @chesterbigbird to assist you will find an excellent computer for the game and your budget.
  • chesterbigbirdchesterbigbird Posts: 8,581 Member
    rogey wrote: »
    Hi, not sure if anyone is still going to comment on this. I have been playing sims since sims 1 came out, so I know a LOT about the game, but I know very little about computers. I've been trying to play sims 3 (by far my favorite) for about 4 years on my Macbook Pro, and it is successfulish. The laptop immediately overheats (the fan is so loud, and I have to put something between the laptop and my legs so i don't get burnt), and the game glitches A LOT, especially if I play in one sitting without closing and reopening the game every 3 hours or so (i save every like 5 minutes like a maniac). So, clearly I have the wrong computer for this. And I LOVE the sims and am willing to spend a lot of money for the right computer to get a good gaming experience. @phoebebebe13 mentioned she was willing to help people out? Budget is pretty flexible (I don't want to go crazy, no $3,000 computers please), and I live in the US.

    Sounds like heat was causing the glitches on your mac and large amounts of heat over a long period can really shorten the life span of your pc, so Glad you are thinking of buying another :)
    Are you thinking desktop or laptop? Desktop will get you better performance at a lower price tag and you have the added option of upgrades in the future and better cooling. Laptops cannot be upgraded besides the ram so once you buy it that's what your stuck with for the life of the laptop.
    Do you have space for a desktop? or do you absolutely need portability?
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  • Nikkei_SimmerNikkei_Simmer Posts: 9,404 Member
    edited July 2018
    To OP: As a budget laptop user (money issues), I'd HIGHLY recommend that you take @chesterbigbird's advice. A low-end laptop is NOT the machine to be playing TS3 on. Unless portability and money is a definite issue, you're not going to have a good experience with playing TS3 on a "budget laptop" like the one that you have.

    I personally have not had issues...YET...and I mean YET, but that doesn't mean that the issues won't present themselves.

    Given the choice between a "budget laptop" and playing TS3 on a proper gaming system; I'd take the latter.

    To @rogey; if you have the cash outlay to purchase a proper gaming system, then it would be highly suggested to buy a gaming system per @chesterbigbird's suggestion for parts. As a matter of fact, take a look at the signature on her post...there's a baseline of what parts you should think about putting into your computer.
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  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    @rogey your in good hands with chester since she already answered you
  • SilentMichaelSilentMichael Posts: 103 Member
    About dell laptop?
    Hello, How are you?
  • phoebebebe13phoebebebe13 Posts: 19,400 Member
    About dell laptop?

    dell makes laptops for gaming and for general use. This game does require a gaming computer

    For this game on laptop you need below specs

    Video Card : Nvidia GTX 1050, 1050 ti or 1060

    Processor Intel i5 or i7 quad core for gaming, These processors will end in HQ or MQ after the processor series number

    500 gb or move hard drive space. Do not get anything less than 500 gb

    8gb computer ram
  • SindocatSindocat Posts: 5,622 Member
    Michael, have you read this thread? Do. There is no way to know if a laptop of a particular brand will or won't do the job. It all depends on the actual requirements of the game, and what kind of equipment the laptop carries, regardless of brand name.
  • SilentMichaelSilentMichael Posts: 103 Member
    Right. I had dell laptop is pretty fast. Unfortunately, my brother broke my favorite laptop. It is gone.
    Hello, How are you?
  • JemkatkJemkatk Posts: 199 Member
    I have an Asus ROG.. i7 processor, Nvidia 960m graphics card and I believe 16gb of ram. I paid around $1100 for it a couple of years ago but I can run TS3 on the highest settings and the laptop will barely get warm. It also runs most games on high.
    Highly recommend ASUS.
  • CravenLestatCravenLestat Posts: 13,735 Member
    Just sell your family members on Ebay and use the money to get a Asus ROG Chimera G703GI you will not have any simming issues ever unless you play underwater.Sure you may miss your family the first few days but once the ease of running sims takes hold you will never look back.

    Then you can play with your simulated and much cooler sim family who will never ask you to take out the trash or to clean your room.

    I Play Sims 3 On A Potato

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  • SephardicSephardic Posts: 251 Member
    About dell laptop?

    dell makes laptops for gaming and for general use. This game does require a gaming computer

    For this game on laptop you need below specs

    Video Card : Nvidia GTX 1050, 1050 ti or 1060

    Processor Intel i5 or i7 quad core for gaming, These processors will end in HQ or MQ after the processor series number

    500 gb or move hard drive space. Do not get anything less than 500 gb

    8gb computer ram

    I managed to get my hands on a HP laptop. I've tried putting Sims 4 on it, yet it just says I have no space. So it clearly needs some space for Sims 3. I cleared everything, so it probably will work.
  • TheHippyGardenerTheHippyGardener Posts: 43 Member
    edited July 2018
    I have a newly purchased Lenovo ideapad 320 (only paid $375 for it) and found that it played a couple of my other games just fine. Decided to give TS3 a try and surprisingly found that it plays it very well on all the highest settings. I've never been able to play 3 on any other laptop or desktop I've had in the past. I've been playing it for about a week now and have had no lags or freezes. I have 6 of the expansion packs and no stuff packs. University in particular used to always be unplayable.
    ~
    Origin ID: TheHippyGardener
    I'm also on TheSims3 site HERE
  • igazorigazor Posts: 19,330 Member
    edited July 2018
    Really sorry if this sounds cranky, haven't had my coffee yet this morning (so why am I posting instead of making coffee?? :s ) but is anyone actually reading the responses we are providing here?

    We cannot make any kind of prediction nor give guidance on how well the games will run, if they will run at all, and with how many and which EPs unless we know the computer's specs. Not its brand name only or its birthday, its specs. Processor, hard drive (with space free), memory (RAM), graphics card. That's why we keep asking for dxdiag reports, they provide all of that information and more so we can make an informed prediction and give some guidance where it's needed.

    A 3 year old HP with lots of stuff (apparently) on its hard drive gives us no useful information to go on. Zero. It could be expected to run the games brilliantly with all EPs and everything on high settings, or it could be a total non-starter and TS3/TS4 shouldn't even be attempted on it for fear of damaging the device beyond use. Or, usually and more likely, somewhere in between.

    Neither does a Lenovo Ideapad 320, that's a range of laptops that run all over the place on specs so that's not enough information at all. On some models under that line the games would never run, on others they should but how well and how far one can take them will depend on other factors. All EPs on a 320 would likely not work or not for very long, these are not high end machines designed for that kind of stress, I believe that none of them have dedicated graphics cards, and they do not have adequate cooling systems.
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