Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

by speedyturtles
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Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

★★★ Novice

Planning on buying a new windows laptop that I want to use to play TS3. I have all the expansions on disc and want to be able to play them all. What should I be looking for in a computer? I see people mention crashes regularly so I want to avoid that. I'm in Australia if that helps.

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Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

@speedyturtles  Potential price differences aside, the hardware you'd see in Australia is the same as you'd find anywhere else.  There are a few components to keep in mind if you want to run the game on ultra graphics settings:

 

Processor:  The recommendatioon has usually been at least quad-core, at least 2.4 GHz base clock speed.  But some of the newer laptop CPUs (i5-8300H, i7-8750H, Ryzen 5 3550H, Ryzen 7 3750H) have slower base clocks and are still fine.  Avoid any  processor with a U or Y in its model number though—these tend not to handle TS3 as well.

 

Memory:  8 GB is enough, although 16 GB is nice for other purposes.  RAM is the easiest and cheapest  component to upgrade though, and doing so won't break the warranty.

 

Graphics card:  An Nvidia 1650 is more than fine; so is the previous generation's 1050 ti.  The 1050 not ti and the AMD RX 560 fine, barely.  Performance can drop off dramatically on slower cards though.  While most games run reasonably well as you lower the settings for lower-end cards, TS3 often does not, so if your goal is to run all EPs together, it's best not to go below the 1050 or 560.

 

Storage:  Sims 3 will load much faster (everything from the initial load to opening Build/Buy to messing around in Edit Town) if it's installed on a solid state drive.  The game will run the same once it's loaded on any kind of drive.  A single 256 GB SSD would fit the game; all your saves, mods, and  custom content; and as many small apps as you'd like, but that's about it.  If you have other data you'd like to store on your laptop, or other games you'd like to play, a better option would be a 512 GB SSD, which is common in entry-level gaming laptops these days; or a combination 256 GB SSD/1 TB HDD, less common but also often available.  Most new gaming laptops that have a single SSD also have room for a second drive, so if you see exactly what you want other than the small hard drive, you could probably add storage fairly easily.  (Still, check before you buy.)

 

As far as crashing goes, some of it is inevitable due to the way the game is programmed, including the fact that it's 32-bit.  Some can be prevented with basic steps like limiting your in-game framerates.  But low-end hardware can't be helped, and often the only fix is to uninstall the most demanding packs and play with the others.

 

If you have a laptop or two in mind, feel free to link them.  Or, if you'd prefer, I can have a look at a few Australian sites and see what's available.  Just let me know how much you'd like to spend.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 7 (749 Views)

Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

★★★ Novice

Hi, so I was looking at this one: https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/asus-rog-strix-g531-15-6-120hz-full-hd-gaming-laptop-i7 It seems to match everything you suggested. But it doesn't have a disc drive and I own TS3 on disc, will an external drive slow it down? Or can I use to CD keys to get it on steam or something? Thanks.

Message 3 of 7 (634 Views)

Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

[ Edited ]

@speedyturtles  That would be an excellent choice for Sims 3; it should run the game on ultra graphics settings without trouble.  An external disc drive shouldn't slow the game down at all—the disc is just used to authenticate your ownership, while the game's program files are located on your internal hard drive.  Or you could add your CD keys to Origin (but not Steam) and download Sims 3 through your game library, no disc needed.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 7 (620 Views)

Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

Hero (Retired)

@speedyturtles   The Sims 3 optical disc is obsolete. The sims 3 was released in 2009 with the DRM of SecuROM and SafeDisc. In 2012 Microsoft (Windows) and Apple (mac) decided to stop support for SecuROM and SafeDisc. Electronic Arts (EA) released the DRM of Origin (a Steam like system). If you already have The Sims 3 (TS3) installed AND you have TS3 at version 1.67 and you have TS3 in Origin, Origin will patch the game to version 1.69. This is an Origin only patch. What this patch does is deactivates SecuROM and SafeDisc and makes Origin the DRM for this game (since 2012). You will no longer have an install limit and you will not have to have a disc in the optical drive to play this game. Steam provides codes for this game so you can redeem the game in Origin. Once you get this game and packs in Origin, you can install this game through Origin. It is the code that comes with the game (not the disc) that proves ownership. The terms of service says you can not transfer ownership of this game. Once you activate this game to an Origin account, that code is locked to that account in use at that time.  hth

Message 5 of 7 (599 Views)

Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

★★★ Newbie

Hey There! Jumping in on the conversation.. I am also looking for a new laptop and I want it to be compatible with TS3 (I would love if it ran smoothly) , buuuttt I'm looking for something significantly cheaper. I was hoping for something under 800, am I being unrealistic?

 

 

Message 6 of 7 (456 Views)

Re: Buying a new laptop for TS3, what should I look for?

@livmittens  Is this $800 U.S., or some other currency?  In U.S. dollars, you could definitely get something good enough to run Sims 3 on ultra graphics settings.  Prices are higher in other countries. but how much higher depends on the country and its currency.  Please let me know where you are, and also any other details that matter to you, like other games you might want to play, extra storage you might need, etc.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 7 of 7 (433 Views)