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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 21st Oct 2013 at 12:48 AM
Default Which is better?
I will have all expansions and most stuff packs soon but I need a new computer (again) so I was looking but I'm not sure which is a better deal.

Computer 1#
or
Computer 2#

I'm a heavy CC user so I need a lot of space plus I'm a editor as well as a student so I need all the space I can get.
Thanks,
~Chelle
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Scholar
#2 Old 21st Oct 2013 at 3:07 AM
What do you edit?

In my opinion neither option is great. I really think you can find better. They're both a bit lacking in the video card department. If the laptop wasn't refurbished I might have said it was an okay deal, but I really don't trust refurbished laptops.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#3 Old 21st Oct 2013 at 5:37 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
What do you edit?

In my opinion neither option is great. I really think you can find better. They're both a bit lacking in the video card department. If the laptop wasn't refurbished I might have said it was an okay deal, but I really don't trust refurbished laptops.

Videos and Music, I really want to go back to making sim series though.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#4 Old 21st Oct 2013 at 2:20 PM
Sims 2 or Sims 3?

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 1:51 AM
I just found this one now-
http://www.nomorerack.com/daily_dea..._one_desktop_pc
For sims 3
Scholar
#6 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 7:26 AM
Nope. It doesn't have a video card and its refurbished. Its also sporting an i3 which might be sufficient for The Sims3, but will make video editing slow. What country are you buying from and what price point are you looking at?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 27th Oct 2013 at 7:19 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
Nope. It doesn't have a video card and its refurbished. Its also sporting an i3 which might be sufficient for The Sims3, but will make video editing slow. What country are you buying from and what price point are you looking at?

America and I'm trying to stay as far away from $1,000 as possible (if possible)
Scholar
#8 Old 29th Oct 2013 at 12:36 PM
Do you plan on playing any other games? If so, which ones? The Sims 4? Do you have any parts you can re-use? Would you be willing to assemble the computer yourself? Do you already own a copy of Windows? You're looking for a desktop, right? Will you be moving away for school?
Test Subject
Original Poster
#9 Old 29th Oct 2013 at 7:26 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
Do you plan on playing any other games? If so, which ones? The Sims 4? Do you have any parts you can re-use? Would you be willing to assemble the computer yourself? Do you already own a copy of Windows? You're looking for a desktop, right? Will you be moving away for school?

I'm not a gamer the only thing I do play is Sims but I doubt I'll play Sims 4 for a long time. My desktop right now is compeltely sewn in so I can't reuse anything. Other then upgrading a graphics card or something like that I'm not going to mess with the computer. I'm already in school and will be for another 3 year after transferring.

I already have this computer on hold (Here
I'm pretty sure I got it right this time
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#10 Old 29th Oct 2013 at 8:51 PM
The CPU and RAM on that computer are great, but the graphics card sucks. If you take a look at a benchmark site such as this one, and use Ctrl-F to find the Radeon HD 8400, you'll see that it's ranked slightly worse than several entry-level nVidia graphics cards (designed for email and youtube) which you can spot because their model number is x10, and is ranked #375 for performance, which is 221 ranks below the weakest card which is listed as Okay on the Game Help:TS3 System Requirementswiki page (that is, the Radeon HD 5700, at rank #154). Of course, these kinds of tables of rankings aren't all there is to know and they're not 100% accurate, but they do give a good idea of whether or not you've bought a lemon (which in this case, I'm afraid you have).

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#11 Old 31st Oct 2013 at 3:04 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
The CPU and RAM on that computer are great, but the graphics card sucks. If you take a look at a benchmark site such as this one, and use Ctrl-F to find the Radeon HD 8400, you'll see that it's ranked slightly worse than several entry-level nVidia graphics cards (designed for email and youtube) which you can spot because their model number is x10, and is ranked #375 for performance, which is 221 ranks below the weakest card which is listed as Okay on the Game Help:TS3 System Requirementswiki page (that is, the Radeon HD 5700, at rank #154). Of course, these kinds of tables of rankings aren't all there is to know and they're not 100% accurate, but they do give a good idea of whether or not you've bought a lemon (which in this case, I'm afraid you have).

Great....just great....What now?
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#12 Old 31st Oct 2013 at 12:38 PM
Can you cancel the order for that computer? If so, you should do that, and pick one with a supported graphics card. If it's too late to cancel, then you have the option of buying a better graphics card and a more powerful power supply and installing them yourself - it's not as difficult as it sounds, and you might be able to sell the original graphics card and power supply on eBay or somesuch to recoup some of the cost. Doing so will invalidate any warranty you have on the computer as a whole from Walmart, though.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#13 Old 4th Nov 2013 at 3:03 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
Can you cancel the order for that computer? If so, you should do that, and pick one with a supported graphics card. If it's too late to cancel, then you have the option of buying a better graphics card and a more powerful power supply and installing them yourself - it's not as difficult as it sounds, and you might be able to sell the original graphics card and power supply on eBay or somesuch to recoup some of the cost. Doing so will invalidate any warranty you have on the computer as a whole from Walmart, though.

Order has been cancelled. But finding the right computer at the right price is hard for me- so I found something else.
Computer 1#
Computer 2#
Computer 3#
Computer 4#
Hopefully I found one that works this time, also if the graphics card needs to be changed that's not too much of a problem.
Scholar
#14 Old 4th Nov 2013 at 11:09 AM Last edited by ajaxsirius : 5th Nov 2013 at 1:16 PM.
Replacing the graphic card on computers like those can be a problem because they were never designed to accommodate gaming graphic cards. The cases may be too small, the airflow may be bad causing the card to over heat or accumulate dust. The power supply or motherboard may be incompatible.

Right off the bat you should rule out all the "All-In-One" computers and computers with slim cases. Then you rule out cases that don't have an air vent with an intake fan in the front.

I'll take a long look at NCIX.com later when I get back from work and I'll see if I can put something together that fits your budget.
Scholar
#15 Old 5th Nov 2013 at 11:41 AM Last edited by ajaxsirius : 5th Nov 2013 at 2:04 PM.
Okay so I found some nice deals on NCIX.com so, in my opinion, for what you're paying in the build below you're getting a really decent system. The only problem is that it's still significantly more expensive than the ones you've been looking at so far.

Notes: The CPU I included is powerful. It was on sale and I personally think it's a good deal and it'll be noticeably better for video encoding than cheaper CPUs like the i5. However you could still get an i5 if you wanted to and save about $100 - $120. An i5 would be good for gaming and "okay" for video encoding, it's just that the encoding would take a more time since an i5 would be clocked lower and doesnt have Hyperthreading.

Also I'm not really a big fan of the case I picked out but it's on sale and at $29.99 the price, as they say, is right. You can get better cases but they cost like 69.99.

I think that if video editing is a big deal for you, you should keep the i7 and think about getting 16GB of RAM, but that will probably put you over budget. If it's just a hobby then I personally would get an i5 and get a better case.

  1. PC Assembly and Testing With 1 Year Limited NCIX System Warranty PRE-CONFIG WIN. OS If Purchased ($50.51)
  2. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64Bit SP1 DVD OEM *SALE* ($84.99)
  3. Intel Core i7 4770K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 8MB Cache Retail *SALE* ($309.99)
  4. ASUS Z87-C ATX LGA1150 Z87 DDR3 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI CrossFireX SATA3 USB3.0 DVI HDMI Motherboard *SALE* ($129.99)
  5. G.SKILL Sniper SE F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 1.5V Memory Kit ($73.99)
  6. ASUS GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost OC DirectCU 1085MHZ 2GB 6.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DP PCI-E Video Card *SALE* ($149.99)
  7. Corsair CX Series CX430 430W ATX 12V 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply 120mm Fan *SALE* ($49.99)
  8. Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM *SALE* ($68.99)
  9. Bitfenix Merc Beta Steel Black ATX Mid Tower Case 3X5.25 7X3.25 1X2.5 *No PS* Top 2XUSB3.0 Audio *SALE* ($29.99)

Total 9 items: $948.43 + tax.

They will assemble the above items for you and ship it to you. Expect about two weeks for shipping and assembly.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#16 Old 9th Nov 2013 at 2:01 AM
Ok that's not gonna happen my mom just told me that.....so I went looking again. This time for a laptop.

Is there any hope for either of these- even if I go get a external hard drive?
Laptop 1#
or
Laptop #2
Site Helper
#17 Old 9th Nov 2013 at 2:32 AM
Laptops are more expensive and give you worse performance. You should really stick with a desktop.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#18 Old 9th Nov 2013 at 2:41 AM
If you can't afford the desktops ajaxsirius suggested, then you definitely can't afford a laptop for TS3. If you're on a budget, then you need to be going for a desktop - you'll pay twice or even three times as much for an equivalent laptop just because it costs so much to make good technology fit in a little box. To give you an idea of the price differential, I found the laptop which is most similar to the desktops ajaxsirius suggested on newegg - and it costs $2,269. The laptop is a little better than the desktop, as it has an SSD, but its CPU is also weaker than the desktop's. So you can see quite clearly that you will pay much, much much less buying a desktop for TS3 than you will buying a laptop.

As regards your links there, both of those laptops have graphics cards which are even worse than the one we were discussing earlier. The HP doesn't have sufficient RAM for smooth gameplay, and for both of them, the CPU is ok but not great. Those are the essential, 100% must-haves for TS3. There are also other issues which are more a case of personal preference: both of them have slow hard drives, so the game would take a very long time to load, although that's not the end of the world. They also don't say whether the screens are matte or glossy - I hate glossy screens and avoid them like the plague because the slightest bit of sunlight or glare can make it impossible to see anything, but again, some people are totally happy with them.

If you can't afford ajaxsirius' suggestion, then my best advice is to wait and save. There's no point in spending $500 on a mediocre laptop which won't run TS3, hating it for a year, and then needing to replace it again, either because you want to be able to play TS3 again or because you've wrecked it by trying to play TS3 on it when it's nowhere near capable.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#19 Old 10th Nov 2013 at 9:24 PM Last edited by DanceDreamerMusouka : 10th Nov 2013 at 9:47 PM.
Is there a desktop tower that I can get for under $500 that works for Sims 3?

Computer 1
Computer 2
Computer 3
Scholar
#20 Old 10th Nov 2013 at 11:06 PM
iBuyPower and CyberPowerPC seem cheap because They don't use new parts in their builds. They use refurbished parts.. I've seen people here have a lot of trouble with iBuyPower. Getting a pre-built under $500 that doesn't use used parts and that will play The Sims 3 is nearly impossible. If you want a new PC that you're sure can handle The Sims 3 and all its EPs on then you should expect to spend $700 and up. Add another $50 - $90 if you want it pre-built.

I can't recommend you get an iBuyPower or CyberPowerPC. I think your best bet right now would be to firstly keep your eyes open for sales and deals. Secondly save some money from work until your budget is a lot closer to $700 while reading up on the internet on how to assemble your own computer. If you assemble yourself you can get better prices on parts and you don't have to pay for assembly. It's worth it, trust me.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#21 Old 11th Nov 2013 at 12:41 AM
I don't work and I don't know when I'll get a job, the 500 is my christmas present from my mom (I'm 17)
So I'm trying to make it work- what about updating the computer I have?
I (think I need) a graphics card but I can't say I've ever had trouble with that part however I do know I need more RAM (mine's is running on 2GB) and I'm thinking about getting a external hard drive.
For the Graphics Card I know I need a slim one.
RAM wise I know I need at least 4GB but if I can I want more.
Here's my Computer Speics- in the zip file.
Attached files:
File Type: zip  Computer Info.zip (5.8 KB, 8 downloads) - View custom content
Scholar
#22 Old 11th Nov 2013 at 3:15 AM
Test Subject
Original Poster
#23 Old 11th Nov 2013 at 3:53 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ajaxsirius
Is this the computer you have?

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/si...ette.cachetoken

Yup that's it
Scholar
#24 Old 11th Nov 2013 at 1:41 PM
Sorry to say but really there's nothing worth upgrading in there.

Your case is a slim case and the most powerful low profile card I could find is the AMD R7 250 at $103. Even so it's weaker than the GT 650 which I think is the weakest card someone should play The Sims 3 on. If you buy the card, I can't say how well the game will play.

Even if you do decide to buy the card your current 220W power supply isn't powerful enough to power the card. You'd need a new power supply that fits your case. I haven't been able to find an exact match, but this is the closest match that I could find. As you can see it's $55.

There's no point in upgrading the RAM since on Windows 32bit you wouldn't benefit from more than 3.4GB of RAM and you're already at 3GB.

So that's dropping somewhere like $160 into a computer that's already obsolete by tech standards and even after doing that you probably won't be able to play all the EPs on even medium.

Not worth it in my opinion. I would just take the $500 cash, put it away (or into a savings account if you already have one) and try to find the rest of the money somewhere else. Maybe sell some old clothes, shoes. Ask your parents if you can find a part-time job. If you get a part-time thing and do like 8h in a week and at youth/training minimum wage ($4.25/h) you'll make $200 in 6 weeks.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#25 Old 19th Nov 2013 at 10:55 PM
Computer
I found this and I had planned on getting this for Black Friday.
 
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