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- System Requirements for TS2/TS3
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Help Upgrading or Building/Buying a New Computer
Guide to Buying a New Graphics Card
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How Do I Find Out What My Specs Are?
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Sims 2 System Requirements:
Minimum system requirements for playing TS2 and each expansion can be found here. However, it is best to keep in mind that just because your computer meets minimum requirements, doesn’t mean that it will run TS2 well! The first section of the guide goes beyond what EA has recommended and states what experienced game players feel is more realistic.
It is recommended that for the base game you have at least:
- A 1.5 GHz processor
- A 128 MB dedicated video card
- 512 MB of RAM.
It is recommended for expansions, especially Pets or later, that you have at least:
- A 2.5 GHz processor
- A 256 MB dedicated video card - a newer, better one (higher MIDDLE numbers = better. For example a Nvidia 7600 would be faster than the newer 8400. Newer does not necessarily equal better. Generally speaking, expect the previous series mid-range cards to perform similar to the current series low-end, and so forth.)
- 1 gig of RAM (2gb Vista)
If you have questions about whether or not specific cards will run the game well, please view the above linked guide.
Please note that nVidia GO series cards (found in laptops) are widely thought of as being NOT compatible with Sims 2 and are not supported for use with Sims 2 or its expansions! While some people report no problems, it is far more likely that you -will- have problems running Sims 2 if you have a GO card. Updating drivers can help sometimes but usually not. If you already have a laptop with a GO card it will not hurt your computer to try to run the game on it, however it is certainly recommended that when getting a new laptop you choose one without a GO card. The best thing to do if you have a GO card and you would like to play Sims 2 is to pick up one of the Stories series games (Life Stories, Pet Stories, or Castaway Stories) which are specifically made for laptop gaming and do support the nVidia GO series cards.
List of mobile gpus which are strong enough to play the game well
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Sims 3 System Requirements
Minimum system specs for TS3 have just been released and are as follows (S2C recommendations are also noted in parentheses and underlined below):
THE SIMS 3 MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDOWS XP 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent 1 GB RAM A 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 The latest version of DirectX 9.0c Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (256 MB dedicated video card - mid-range or higher - is recommended) FOR WINDOWS VISTA 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent 1.5 GB RAM (at least 2GB of RAM is recommended) 128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (256 MB dedicated video card - mid-range or higher - is recommended) Microsoft Windows Vista Service Pack 1 At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least: Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 3-Series or above 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent 0.5 GB additional RAM SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS: (Underlined cards are ones which will most likely play the game well) NVIDIA GeForce series: FX 5900, FX 5950 ATI Radeon™ series: 9500, 9600, 9800 Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively slower. Standalone cards that are installed in vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or PCIx or AGP), such as some GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly. Intel integrated chipsets featuring underclocked parts will not perform adequately. Integrated chipsets such as the ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA TurboCache variants may default to settings that are higher than what would be optimal for them. Graphics settings can be lowered to improve performance. Please note that attempting to play the game using video hardware that isn't listed above may result in reduced performance, graphical issues or cause the game to not run at all. The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista. FOR MAC OS X Mac OS X 10.5.7 Leopard or higher Intel Core Duo Processor 2 GB RAM ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM, or Intel Integrated GMA X3100. At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space, with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content and saved games This game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems, or the GMA 950 class of integrated video cards. MAC OS X Supported Video Cards ------------------------------ NVIDIA GeForce series 7300, 7600 8600, 8800 9400M, 9600M GT GT 120, GT 130 ATI Radeon(TM) series X1600, X1900 2400, 2600 3870, 4850, 4870 Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) GMA 3-Series |
If you have the absolute minimums and the lowest listed graphics card, that does not mean the game will look good or play well - or even be decently playable at all! As with Sims 2, it is likely that Sims 3 will require a considerably stronger system than the minimum requirements for nice graphics and decent gameplay. Systems under the minimums will not be able to play the game!
It's also very important to remember that the requirements will only increase for expansions, so it would be extremely unwise to buy a new system or upgrade based on these stats without well exceeding the minimums!
Posts: 79
Really the only issue I have here is if my processor will be able to handle ts3 when it comes to dual cores
The current specs for my desktop are
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 6150 LE with 256 mb of memory
(horrible, I know)
my ram is a gig, and it will be upgraded to 2 gigs
Processor: AMD Athlon '64 Processor' 3800+ with 2.4 GHZ
now theres my laptop
Graphics are a NVIDIA GeForce 8700M with 512 mb of memory
Ram is 2 gigs
Processor: Intel Core Duo 1.66GHZ on two cpus
I know this is too early to ask because TS3 has not stated if it will be multi-core compatible but should I stick with my current laptop, and possibly upgrade its processor if it can be (I'd like to sit it on atleast a 2.4 ghz dual core), or just upgrade the desktop?
/edit I would also like to say I would like to take the more cost effective route
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If you want to talk in terms of what is upgradable should you choose to do so down the line..
Your laptop looks strong except for the processor. Do you know the manufacturer and model of your laptop? If you can tell me that and also the chipset of your motherboard, I can tell you what processors are compatible with it, but again I would not do anything until you have the TS3 game in your hands and get an opportunity to see how your system handles it. It could be you don’t need to do anything to have your laptop run it.. we’ll have to wait and see.
Depending on the age of your desktop it may be money better spent to build a new system, when the time comes that this one no longer does what you want it to do. I see you have an integrated onboard video and single core processor? Telling me the manufacturer, model and chipset would again allow me to tell you exactly what can be upgraded and at what cost.
You can determine your chipset and manufacturer/model by running this program: http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php
Chipset is easy to find and displays on the first window that pops up. In order to determine the other you will have to do some digging. Look to the left where there are several larger icons in rows. Click the middle icon on the top row. In the window to its right click on ‘mainboard’. There will be information which displays below it. Under the category “general information” tell me what it says for “Manufacturer” and “Product”.
Also important to keep in mind that changing out the processor yourself will likely void any warranty you have. Same goes with the desktop actually. Graphics card, and ram are usually considered to be user upgradable parts..meaning manufacturers expect users to upgrade those on their own as needed and it won’t effect the warranty. The power supply (will prob be needed to install a graphics card), and cpu are not.
coltraz: Be happy it works? I guess the company chose to be overly careful on the cpu requirements, and the rest of your system must be strong enough to balance things out.
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I think it's great there's a single thread for this now and welcome all advice.
CPUP4775CD2Q66 INTEL CORE 2 DUO Q6600/2.40G Q/CORE CPU
HDSESATA50032 Seagate SATA2 500GB Harddisk (32MB)(SPC)
MB775GAP35DS3L Gigabyte P35-DS3L (s775) M/B (SPC)
VIDGANX86GT512 Gigabyte 9600GT 512M Video Card(SPC)
I know it says in here that no-one is able to know for sure what specs are needed for sims 3 to run but i'm hoping this will be good enough for that too.
So what do you think?
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What case and power supply do you have in mind? I note you didn't mention ram but I would go with 2gb if you're choosing XP and 3gb with Vista.
inoacharm You're welcome If it's only 5 months old there's prob a lot we can do wit hit.. we'll see.
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Anyways I just realized a good point, I have a whole year to buy a new, better computer, to run TS3, and whatever other awesome games come out for the comp. Therefor I think I have time to save on -building- my first ever computer.
So I was wondering if you know of any websites I can start looking at for parts that are relatively cheap[er then other companies]? I'm going to just make myself an awesome computer with highly unneeded specs for its time xD!
/edit also thought it'd be good to mention my 'highschool' major is animation so I work with maya and 3ds max alot, if you have any suggestions for parts to make rendering speeds faster (processors and RAM I'd assume)
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This is a great company for parts: http://newegg.com
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starwyn: What case and power supply do you have in mind? I note you didn't mention ram but I would go with 2gb if you're choosing XP and 3gb with Vista. |
Thanks Callistra I'll get back to you on the power supply and case. Have a friends choosing all the bits for me but basically getting a second opinion from you guys.
Most probably getting vista even though i don't like it just so i can get more ram. Is 4G ok for vista? I know it's too much for xp.
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For Spore and Viva the x850 would be fine. I will tell you though that I had that card running TS2 and after installing later expansions I had quite a bit of lagging on larger lots. It works very well otherwise but it was enough of an annoyance that I bought a better card. It's an older discontinued card though, so if you want it one you'd have to get it used somewhere like Ebay or Craig's list or something. You certainly won’t be finding it in a new computer that you buy. The ATI HD 2600XT or HD 2900 should play TS2 well. I’m still weary about recommending the 3000 series for TS2 because they are both unsupported and there have been cases that make at least some of them seem incompatible too.
Can I ask why you’re only considering ATI cards?
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Do you have a card you would recommend for Spore, Viva, & TS2? Because those are the main games I will be running.
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Do you think I should consider upgrading rather than buying a whole new computer? I looked at the requirements of Spore and all I would need to update to get it to work is RAM and a video card. I'm guessing TS3 might have similar requirements.
You saw my computer's specs in my previous posts. What do you think would be better?
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What's your price range for a new pc? And since you're comfortable doing some upgrades yourself, would you maybe consider building your own computer from scratch? I ask because it is cheaper but if you don't feel comfortable of course you can still find something prebuilt.
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Just hearing that a new computer is better to get is good enough. DELL lets you customize your computers so I'll be fine with that.
Thanks for all of your help, it means so much to me!
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If you need more information on the cards, that's what we have the 'Read here before posting about getting a new card!' sticky. You should have ample information to make a choice or take the recommendations and do a little research with what's already available.
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I think I'm set for now. We've decided we're gonna try upgrading my computer for Spore, Viva, & TS2, and buy the new computer when the requirements for TS3 are set in stone. I know I've changed my mind a lot about buying/upgrading, but this is probably gonna be it, unless for some reason something goes wrong.
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