+- Custom Sims 3 (http://customsims3.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Sims 3 Game Play (/forum-5.html)
+--- Forum: Computer Help (/forum-70.html)
+--- Thread: system requirements (/thread-257.html)
system requirements - coolpeopletown - 04-28-2011 10:29 AM
I have been looking into getting a commputer for sims but i also need it for school so i need a good one. i was wondering if any of you knew if the "compaq presario cq60 notebook pc" would hold sims 3 (mabye a exspanion pack) and run perfectly fine for others things. and if it does not can any of you suggest computers that can? thank you :D
RE: system requirements - Simbody - 04-28-2011 12:15 PM
(04-28-2011 10:29 AM)coolpeopletown Wrote: I have been looking into getting a commputer for sims but i also need it for school so i need a good one. i was wondering if any of you knew if the "compaq presario cq60 notebook pc" would hold sims 3 (mabye a exspanion pack) and run perfectly fine for others things. and if it does not can any of you suggest computers that can? thank you :D
Laptops really aren't made to play graphic intensive games, they get really hot even under normal conditions and to buy a gaming laptop that plays without trouble down the line means forking out a substantial amount of money. I hear more people saying no LTs aren't for gaming than I hear sure no problem.
With that in mind the graphics card on that will be on the low end and you will very likely see lag and choppiness or just really slow rendering where a lot of stuff is gray until the card catches up. Also 2GB of RAM is on the low end as well. You could most likely play, I just don't know how well. I also wouldn't recommend it if you play for hours at a time or want to use CAW. But if you were going to only play infrequently and for an hour or less at a time you should be ok, otherwise you will want a more capable system. Mainly because of heat issues. My sister has a LT with higher specs than this system and still has heat issues without playing any games.
According to a review at Amazon Windows rating on the system is a 3.8, EA says you need a minimum of 3.5 to play and a 4.5 is there recommended rating. I don't know how the graphics card will do honestly and my daughter plays on a desktop that has a 3.7 rating with 2GB of RAM and a GeForce 8400GS. It plays fairly well on low settings and the only thing that is really slow is CAST and CAS when loading patterns and if she jumps across the world it takes a few moments to render, but I don't remember any lag. I used the computer for 4 months playing TS3 before I bought a new gaming system for myself. I have up to Ambitions installed on it and so far it's been pretty decent. Then again it is a desktop not a LT
Unless you really need a Laptop you can buy a desktop with much better specs for the same price or less. When I bought my new PC I decided I wanted the better specs rather than a portable system that was equal to the old desktop I had from the same price.
RE: system requirements - Writin_Reg - 04-28-2011 12:30 PM
When my pc was being rebuilt I tried my hubby's Presario and the game wouldn't work very well at all. So I ended up just having to wait until he was through rebuilding my pc.
RE: system requirements - LoserInc - 04-28-2011 02:30 PM
In all honesty, you would be better off with a PC. Laptops overheat and are just not spec'd for gaming. You can buy or build a PC for a fairly decent price nowdays and they are much much easier to work on (as in repairs, upgrades, etc). With the money you would save getting a PC, you can also pick up a netbook, which are fairly cheap. My sis has one that she uses for work and loves it. Sure, it won't game or run photoshop or anything, but it does great for web and things like spreadsheets and word programs.
RE: system requirements - Tangie - 04-28-2011 07:10 PM
Hi, "Cool". Hope you don't mind that nickname!
If you ask on just about any forum about playing a game on a laptop, you will always be told that a desktop is a better choice. That said, I've been playing Sims 3 on a laptop since it came out and just last Friday got a desktop to play it on because it is just getting too slow to handle it (I have a pretty nice laptop but also have all the EPs and SPs).
I also know that when you're a student and can only afford one PC and need portability, or have limited space, a laptop is the best choice. The one you mentioned isn't too bad but it won't be able to handle the game as well as a laptop with at least 4GB of RAM and a better graphics card. I paid over $1,000 for mine a year and a half ago; you didn't say how much your budget was.
What you could do is to go to Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=32&name=Laptops-Notebooks) and sort through all the laptops in your price range. If you want to compare graphics and CPUs on the different models, this site might be helpful: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=GeForce+GT+230M. The 230M is what I have in my laptop which is why it is highlighted - I bookmarked this after located my card! But the graphics are OK for Sims, so that may give you a reference. * SEE NOTE BELOW
Simbody is right though about the heat that a laptop generates when gaming. I have had my laptop crash to desktop due to excessive heat, which can eventually wear down your video card or other components. Sometimes I have had to alt-tab just to go to desktop and let things cool off a bit. So just be aware of that and keep an eye on it if you choose to go with a laptop.
ETA: I would also suggest that you make sure you choose a dedicated video card and not an integrated card. Good luck! :)
NOTE: That link to the video card isn't working. Look at the tabs and click on CPU Benchmarks to look at processors and then click back on video card benchmarks to see graphics card performance. These comparisons are a little artificial but at least it gives you some idea of how they all compare.
RE: system requirements - coolpeopletown - 04-29-2011 10:52 AM
thank you all very much for your help but i think i am going to go with the playstation3 sims3. it does everything the pc version does you just cant have exspanion packs. even though i would like a pc i just dont think i can get another one *sigh* again thanks for the help! :)