A good laptop that will play Sims 3.

Amphora · May 2018

I plan on buying myself a new laptop in the future, but the new one I buy I would like to be able to play Sims 3 without too much stuttering and able to play the higher end expansions like Pets (so I can have actual fur on the animals instead of...leather demon monsters...*shudder*) and Seasons or Into the Future without any bother.

I know that desktops are better for price reasons but I prefer laptop playing, so I’ll be saving up for a while. I would simply appreciate some input on the right laptops to buy, as you all are much more knowledgeable than I am when it comes to the technical aspects of the game.

So if you don’t mind, could you give me some links here to laptops you would consider perfect for Sims 3? Thank you!

Also, if you already know of some threads that address this issue in case this is a redundant question that you’re sick and stinking tired of always answering (

) feel free to just give me the links to those threads instead. I won’t be offended

phoebebebe13 · May 2018

laptops to run this game run about $800 USD and up. Prices vary in other countries. What country are you in? Do you have a specific budget?

Amphora · May 2018

United States.

I don’t have a specific budget per se but anything under 1500 dollars would be nice.

phoebebebe13 · May 2018

The sims 3 loads much better on ssd hard drive. I would suggest going custom where you pick out your own hardware that way you can get a 500 gb ssd to run this game on. Do you want a 15.6 in or a 17.3 in laptop?

Amphora · May 2018

I’m not picky about screen size so anything would work

What are some laptops that you know of that could be ordered online? I appreciate the help, by the way. Thanks for your input!

phoebebebe13 · May 2018

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/saved/1KJQDP I customized this laptop and saved the link. Cyberpower charges no tax outside Cali. $1356 is the price. This has an Nvidia GTX 1060 card, 16 gb g.skill ram, a new intel i7 quad core processor, a 500 gb samsung evo SSD plus a 1 tb HDD hard drive

SimplyJen · May 2018

It doesn't sound like they are buying right away since they said saving up. @Amphora That link phoebe created will expire so it is best to ask when you are ready to buy. Sales and hardware are constantly changing. What's available now may not be later.

Amphora · May 2018

Thank you for the help @phoebebebe13 and @Simplyjen. I’ll just ask for specs again when I’m ready to buy since I won’t be able to buy it for a while yet. I appreciate the input

phoebebebe13 · May 2018

Your very welcome.

Bessieboo · January 2019

Hi
Am looking for a laptop to play sims 3 and maybe 4. Have seen this laptop which I can just about afford but not am sure if its powerful enough.

MSI GL62M 8GB
Intel core i7 kabylake 17-7700HQ processor
Quad core processor
2.8 GHz processor speed
1TB and 128GB HDD storage
Hard drive speed 5400 RPM
Microsoft windows 10

Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 10 series GTX 1050 graphics
Card with 4GB RAM GDDRS

Also does sims discs install OK on windows 10 or would the digital version be better.
Thank you for any advice.

puzzlezaddict · January 2019

@Bessieboo Is this the model you're considering?

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7REX-1896US-i7-7700HQ-Steelseries/dp/B074VLX5XV

It would certainly handle TS3 just fine, and TS4 as well, from my much more limited understanding. But you'd have to install both games on the slow HDD, not the SSD, and redirect Documents there as well. I'm not sure what price you're looking at, but on Amazon at least, this one is more expensive than some other models that would also handle the game well.

If you want more input, you could list your budget and country, as well as any other features that matter to you (like it needing to be a laptop), and perhaps someone could find you a better model, or the same specs for a cheaper price.

P.S. I have no idea about the disc issue, since I have a Steam install. I'm sure some people have installed the disc version of TS3 in Windows 10, but I'm blanking on who that would be right now. Still, someone will know.

Bessieboo · January 2019

puzzlezaddict wrote: »

@Bessieboo Is this the model you're considering?

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7REX-1896US-i7-7700HQ-Steelseries/dp/B074VLX5XV

It would certainly handle TS3 just fine, and TS4 as well, from my much more limited understanding. But you'd have to install both games on the slow HDD, not the SSD, and redirect Documents there as well. I'm not sure what price you're looking at, but on Amazon at least, this one is more expensive than some other models that would also handle the game well.

If you want more input, you could list your budget and country, as well as any other features that matter to you (like it needing to be a laptop), and perhaps someone could find you a better model, or the same specs for a cheaper price.

P.S. I have no idea about the disc issue, since I have a Steam install. I'm sure some people have installed the disc version of TS3 in Windows 10, but I'm blanking on who that would be right now. Still, someone will know.

Hi, thank you for the advice.
That is the model I was looking at.

I'm in the UK and my budget is about £850 which I think is just over a 1000 USD.
I know a desktop is better for gaming but am really looking for a laptop as I'm at my mums a lot of the time caring for her.

puzzlezaddict · January 2019

@Bessieboo This sounds like a job for someone more talented at shopping than I am. (I can ask around if you don't get any better responses, but this is certainly not my area of expertise.)

@chesterbigbird may have some ideas.

chesterbigbird · January 2019

Bessieboo wrote: »

puzzlezaddict wrote: »

@Bessieboo Is this the model you're considering?

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7REX-1896US-i7-7700HQ-Steelseries/dp/B074VLX5XV

It would certainly handle TS3 just fine, and TS4 as well, from my much more limited understanding. But you'd have to install both games on the slow HDD, not the SSD, and redirect Documents there as well. I'm not sure what price you're looking at, but on Amazon at least, this one is more expensive than some other models that would also handle the game well.

If you want more input, you could list your budget and country, as well as any other features that matter to you (like it needing to be a laptop), and perhaps someone could find you a better model, or the same specs for a cheaper price.

P.S. I have no idea about the disc issue, since I have a Steam install. I'm sure some people have installed the disc version of TS3 in Windows 10, but I'm blanking on who that would be right now. Still, someone will know.

Hi, thank you for the advice.
That is the model I was looking at.

I'm in the UK and my budget is about £850 which I think is just over a 1000 USD.
I know a desktop is better for gaming but am really looking for a laptop as I'm at my mums a lot of the time caring for her.

That laptop will play the games fine on high settings.
Yes you will need to install the games on the HDD instead of the SSD, but it's not a huge deal.
I had a quick look and the one you were looking at seems to be the best for your budget.

puzzlezaddict · January 2019

@Bessieboo I asked around a bit, and the nice people who responded gave me a couple of ideas. So even though chesterbigbird is much better at this than I am, I figured I might as well post what I found, in case you wanted some other ideas. Also, I couldn't find the model you're considering in the price range you provided, unless you're looking to buy used (which is always a dicey proposition, especially with a laptop—you never know how the previous owner treated it). Of course, I could easily have missed it. Anyway, in your price range, this is the closest model I found to the one you listed:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-7QF-1670UK-Gaming-Laptop-Black/dp/B01NAP5GO3

It has an older card (a 960m), but the other specs are the same. I'm not suggesting it; I just figured I'd toss it out there.

This is a better model from MSI—it has a newer processor and, as far as google will tell me, a faster HDD (7200 RPM).
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/msi-gf62-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-ti-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10179898-pdt.html

These two are lenovo's 8 GB and 16 GB RAM varieties of the same computer:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y530-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10182137-pdt.html
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y530-15ich-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-ti-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10182222-pdt.html

And if you want to save a bit of money, this one will run TS3 on high settings as well:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-10181374-pdt.html

Finally, this one is £900, but it has a better processor, 16 GB RAM, and both a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB SSHD:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-tuf-fx504ge-nvidia-gtx-1050-ti-16gb-15.6-fhd-i7-8750h-gaming-laptop-lt-26q-as.html#tech_specs

Regardless of what you choose, all of the models mentioned (including the one you're already considering) should do just fine.

Bessieboo · January 2019

chesterbigbird wrote: »

Bessieboo wrote: »

puzzlezaddict wrote: »

@Bessieboo Is this the model you're considering?

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GL62M-7REX-1896US-i7-7700HQ-Steelseries/dp/B074VLX5XV

It would certainly handle TS3 just fine, and TS4 as well, from my much more limited understanding. But you'd have to install both games on the slow HDD, not the SSD, and redirect Documents there as well. I'm not sure what price you're looking at, but on Amazon at least, this one is more expensive than some other models that would also handle the game well.

If you want more input, you could list your budget and country, as well as any other features that matter to you (like it needing to be a laptop), and perhaps someone could find you a better model, or the same specs for a cheaper price.

P.S. I have no idea about the disc issue, since I have a Steam install. I'm sure some people have installed the disc version of TS3 in Windows 10, but I'm blanking on who that would be right now. Still, someone will know.

Hi, thank you for the advice.
That is the model I was looking at.

I'm in the UK and my budget is about £850 which I think is just over a 1000 USD.
I know a desktop is better for gaming but am really looking for a laptop as I'm at my mums a lot of the time caring for her.

That laptop will play the games fine on high settings.
Yes you will need to install the games on the HDD instead of the SSD, but it's not a huge deal.
I had a quick look and the one you were looking at seems to be the best for your budget.

Thank you for the advice.

Bessieboo · January 2019

puzzlezaddict wrote: »

@Bessieboo I asked around a bit, and the nice people who responded gave me a couple of ideas. So even though chesterbigbird is much better at this than I am, I figured I might as well post what I found, in case you wanted some other ideas. Also, I couldn't find the model you're considering in the price range you provided, unless you're looking to buy used (which is always a dicey proposition, especially with a laptop—you never know how the previous owner treated it). Of course, I could easily have missed it. Anyway, in your price range, this is the closest model I found to the one you listed:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-7QF-1670UK-Gaming-Laptop-Black/dp/B01NAP5GO3

It has an older card (a 960m), but the other specs are the same. I'm not suggesting it; I just figured I'd toss it out there.

This is a better model from MSI—it has a newer processor and, as far as google will tell me, a faster HDD (7200 RPM).
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/msi-gf62-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-ti-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10179898-pdt.html

These two are lenovo's 8 GB and 16 GB RAM varieties of the same computer:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y530-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10182137-pdt.html
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y530-15ich-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-ti-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-128-gb-ssd-10182222-pdt.html

And if you want to save a bit of money, this one will run TS3 on high settings as well:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-15-6-intel-core-i5-gtx-1050-gaming-laptop-1-tb-hdd-10181374-pdt.html

Finally, this one is £900, but it has a better processor, 16 GB RAM, and both a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB SSHD:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus-tuf-fx504ge-nvidia-gtx-1050-ti-16gb-15.6-fhd-i7-8750h-gaming-laptop-lt-26q-as.html#tech_specs

Regardless of what you choose, all of the models mentioned (including the one you're already considering) should do just fine.

Thanks again, your advice has been really helpful and appreciated.

SummerRoxy · January 2019

I'm playing on Windows 10 with discs only (patch 1.67) and it's just fine.
After buying your laptop and installing your game, be sure to get helpful mods like Nraas Overwatch and Errortrap etc (if you're okay with mods) because they help with cleaning the game. Also, world fixes have helped me a lot as well: http://modthesims.info/d/451817/sunset-valley-world-with-routing-fixes-applied-update-2013-01-17.html

Just ask here at the forums on how to maintain and keep the game from being buggy! The people here helped me a lot!! 😊 Hope you enjoy Sims 3!

Bessieboo · January 2019

MagicalArtemis wrote: »

I'm playing on Windows 10 with discs only (patch 1.67) and it's just fine.
After buying your laptop and installing your game, be sure to get helpful mods like Nraas Overwatch and Errortrap etc (if you're okay with mods) because they help with cleaning the game. Also, world fixes have helped me a lot as well: http://modthesims.info/d/451817/sunset-valley-world-with-routing-fixes-applied-update-2013-01-17.html

Just ask here at the forums on how to maintain and keep the game from being buggy! The people here helped me a lot!! 😊 Hope you enjoy Sims 3!

Thank you for the advice.

yoashmo · January 2019

I'm about to purchase a new laptop also, bc I fried the graphics card on my last one. I picked out the hp omen 17. I'm in the US though. I've lurked a lot of technical threads to narrow down how it needed to be customized to run the game with everything. This one is my favorite https://forums.thesims.com/en_us/discussion/893122/thread-for-new-members-to-post-their-sims-3-game-issues/p87 . Its helpful bc a lot of people ask about specs for new computers and you get to read up on some issues you may face when running a game from 2009 on win10 with a newer graphics card.
Just one tip I read somewhere on there if you're getting an SSD and plan to install your game on it, if you have all EPs and SPs you will need at least 500gb. Because you don't want to cram it all in. You have to give the drive room to breath, leaving at least 50 to 100gb free.
Happy shopping. I know I can't wait myself, I have just a few more weeks.

Bessieboo · February 2019

yoashmo wrote: »

I'm about to purchase a new laptop also, bc I fried the graphics card on my last one. I picked out the hp omen 17. I'm in the US though. I've lurked a lot of technical threads to narrow down how it needed to be customized to run the game with everything. This one is my favorite https://forums.thesims.com/en_us/discussion/893122/thread-for-new-members-to-post-their-sims-3-game-issues/p87 . Its helpful bc a lot of people ask about specs for new computers and you get to read up on some issues you may face when running a game from 2009 on win10 with a newer graphics card.
Just one tip I read somewhere on there if you're getting an SSD and plan to install your game on it, if you have all EPs and SPs you will need at least 500gb. Because you don't want to cram it all in. You have to give the drive room to breath, leaving at least 50 to 100gb free.
Happy shopping. I know I can't wait myself, I have just a few more weeks.

Thank you. Enjoy your new laptop.

The Sims Forums

A good laptop that will play Sims 3.

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