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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 6th May 2014 at 7:36 PM
Default TS3 Issues with Black-Screen/Crashing/Possibly the Graphics Card (?)
I've been playing TS3 for some time and haven't run into any problems until now. (Hence, the reason I'm posting). My old laptop crashed and could not be repaired because it was built from custom parts e.g. the harddrive, graphics card, etc. My new laptop, however, is perfectly fine. It is a LENOVO-PC that runs on Windows 8. The only issues I've been having with it lately is playing TS3.

I'm not much of a PC gamer (mostly PS3, 3DS). The only game I have installed on my laptop is TS3. At first everything was running smoothly, until I moved my Sims Family to a new neighborhood. That's when everything began to crash, especially when I wanted to Create a New Family. Here are a few specs about my laptop.

Machine name: LENOVO-PC
Operating System: Windows 8 64-bit (6.2, Build 9200) (9200.win8_gdr.130531-1504)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4200U CPU @ 1.60GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 7912MB RAM
DirectX Version: DirectX 11
Card name: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Chip type: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family

Now, when I purchased the laptop from Staples, a Tech-Guy said that the graphics card should run the game. Though, when I looked it up, it said that if a black-screen pops up before your game freezes/crashes then it has to do with the graphics. I can run the game for about ten minutes, but then the screen either turns a darker hue, or it crashes. I don't think the RAM is the issue. While I do edit with Sony Vegas and have a folder filled with an anime series, I have enough RAM to run TS3. Do you think I need to purchase/install a new graphics card? Thanks!
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#2 Old 6th May 2014 at 11:19 PM
Intel HD Graphics is not a graphics card and is likely not powerful enough to run the game. Here's an article which explains the problem:
http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...nboard_Graphics
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#3 Old 7th May 2014 at 12:39 AM
The Staples guy was either lying or an idiot, possibly both. Sadly, that's very common. Firstly, employees in shops like that tend to assume that because TS3 is considered a 'casual' game, it won't have serious system requirements, and they don't bother checking. Secondly, they know that a person who has come into a shop looking to buy a budget laptop to play games on is going to balk and run if the employee is honest, and tells them that a gaming laptop suitable for TS3 costs around £1200; so they will sell you cheap crap in order to meet their sales targets.

The moral of the story is to do your research online, instead of trusting feckless jobsworths.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#4 Old 7th May 2014 at 1:48 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Mootilda
Intel HD Graphics is not a graphics card and is likely not powerful enough to run the game. Here's an article which explains the problem:
http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title...nboard_Graphics


Will it be possible to upgrade my graphics card without it damaging the harddrive?

(Thank you for your help!)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 7th May 2014 at 1:55 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
The Staples guy was either lying or an idiot, possibly both. Sadly, that's very common. Firstly, employees in shops like that tend to assume that because TS3 is considered a 'casual' game, it won't have serious system requirements, and they don't bother checking. Secondly, they know that a person who has come into a shop looking to buy a budget laptop to play games on is going to balk and run if the employee is honest, and tells them that a gaming laptop suitable for TS3 costs around £1200; so they will sell you cheap crap in order to meet their sales targets.

The moral of the story is to do your research online, instead of trusting feckless jobsworths.


The laptop has many advantages when it comes to memory and performance, but it lacks a good graphics card. I noticed it the first time I ran TS3 when the Sims hadn't been detailed and were more blurry and dull rather than what they looked like from my old laptop that ran on a NVIDIA GeForce.

If I recall, I still have that old laptop. Do you think it would be possible to scavenge its parts and have that card installed onto this laptop?
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#6 Old 7th May 2014 at 2:07 AM
D'you have the precise model numbers of both laptops? It's unlikely that teh new laptop can support a graphics card - most can't - but we can check.

The problem with upgrading laptop graphics cards isn't damage to the hard drive. Firstly, if a laptop isn't designed to have a graphics card then its power supply unit usually isn't strong enough for one, and buying and installing a laptop PSU and graphics card is so expensive that you might as well buy a new laptop. Secondly, if the laptop wasn't designed to have a graphics card, it may not have space for one, or anywhere to plug one in.

If being able to play TS3 is important to you, it might be worth considering taking the laptop back for a refund, so you can buy (or save up for) a more suitable model.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#7 Old 7th May 2014 at 3:01 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
D'you have the precise model numbers of both laptops? It's unlikely that teh new laptop can support a graphics card - most can't - but we can check.

The problem with upgrading laptop graphics cards isn't damage to the hard drive. Firstly, if a laptop isn't designed to have a graphics card then its power supply unit usually isn't strong enough for one, and buying and installing a laptop PSU and graphics card is so expensive that you might as well buy a new laptop. Secondly, if the laptop wasn't designed to have a graphics card, it may not have space for one, or anywhere to plug one in.

If being able to play TS3 is important to you, it might be worth considering taking the laptop back for a refund, so you can buy (or save up for) a more suitable model.


I'm not so sure about the older laptop because it was a custom made model, but here is the information concerning the LENOVO laptop.

System Model: 20309

Another issue I had with purchasing this laptop was that it did not have a CD/DVD drive. Stumped as I am, I hadn't realized this until I got home.I had to purchase an external CD/DVD Drive in order to install the games that weren't digitally downloaded from Origin.
 
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