[MAC] Sims 3 Ram [ Edited ]

[ElizabethTheis]

I have a Macbook Pro with 4GB of Ram and 750 GB of space, I noticed that the Sims 3 itself

requires 2GB of Ram.  Do all expansion packs take up moreRam then just the Sims 3,  or can I play all expansion packs+custom content

with 4GB of Ram

[caspinwall]

Hi

You might be OK playing with 4 GB RAM if you just have the base game. If you start adding expansions you may start running into problems. If you can, I would upgrade the RAM in your Macbook.

You will also want to know how to manually purge your RAM while playing, as this will give you the best chance to play. See BluebellFlora's guide on how to do this: http://bluebellflora.com/the-sims-3-on-a-mac/resetting-ram-during-gameplay/

I restart my computer before I play TS3. The memory used as seen in Activity Monitor is at about 3GB after the restart. If I open the Launcher it goes up to around 11 GB (that's all I've done - just opened the Launcher!). At this point I reset the RAM. Then I hit play and get through the opening sequence. I then press cmd-return to put the game in windowed mode from time to time while playing (and always before saving or using CAS). That way I can keep an eye on the memory and reset RAM if necessary. Being in windowed mode also allows you to close the game using force quit if it freezes up - it's better to crash the game than your whole computer.

Second tip is to save frequently. I save at least once per sim day. Use the option to Save or Save As, rather than the combined Save and Quit.

Make sure you are patched up to date. The 1.63 patch included fixes for Mac simmers that did actually improve the stability of the game on our operating systems, so it is well worth updating. The lastest patch is 1.67.

Caspin

[ElizabethTheis]

Thank you so much just 1 question where is the activity monitor on your Mac?

Also, how many Expansion Packs do you have and how much ram do you have?

[caspinwall]

Hi

I have all expansions apart from Showtime. I have 16 GB RAM but this is excessive - I just maxed it out when I bought the iMac but this much isn't necessary - 8 GB would be fine.

To find Activity Monitor, use the search bar on your Mac, if there is one, or click the little icon that looks like a magnifying glass and just start typing "Activity Monitor" and is should appear on the list for you to select.

Caspin