PC Specs

[Estherrose1990]

Would anyone be able to help me with PC Specs. I know what the basic minimums are, but do you know if this would work for Sims 3 + most expansions and some CC?

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/dell-gaming-t5400-workstation-xeon-e5405-2-0g-8g-ram-120g-ssd2t...?

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Estherrose1990  Refurbished computers in general are a risk—you never know how much stress the previous owner put on the hardware.  In this case, the system you linked has a new graphics card, one that could be expected to handle all TS3 packs on high settings.  Adding demanding cc items might cause a bit of an issue, or it might be fine; the card is the minimum we recommend for running the entire game on the highest graphics settings.

On the other hand, the processor is twelve years old and not likely to be able to handle the game.  Even new, it would have struggled to run much more than the base game and maybe a couple of early packs, and it certainly hasn't gotten more powerful over the years.  The old processor means that the motherboard is also old, and likely the CPU cooler, although it's hard to tell.  (The RAM is probably newer, maybe a couple of years old, but it's hard to tell from the information provided.)

The bottom line is, I wouldn't trust this computer to run TS3.  If you tried, you'd likely be disappointed with the results, and you could easily end up damaging the hardware as well.

Desktops that can run all TS3 packs on high settings generally start around $700 U.S. if you find the right sale.  The prices may be a bit more in Canada, but I haven't checked.  If you want help looking for one, let me know.  Otherwise, you'll want a computer with these specs:

• Processor:  At least 2.4 GHz, Intel i5 or i7, not U- or Y-series, or AMD equivalent.  Or, the newer i5-8300H and i7-8750H are also fine, even if their base clock speeds are a bit lower.
• Graphics card:  An Nvidia 1050 or 1050 ti would be perfectly fine, as would the older 950 or 960, or any AMD equivalents.  Stronger cards aren't necessary and will cost more.
• RAM: 8 GB is enough for TS3 and Windows, although 16 would be nice for multitasking purposes.  DDR4 RAM is newer and faster than DDR3, but this isn't a dealbreaker.
• Storage:  You'll need to install TS3 on a drive with 512 GB storage or more.  Solid state drives are faster but more expensive.  A small SSD, like in the computer you linked, would only have room for Windows and an antivirus/firewall, so while Windows itself would be faster, the game wouldn't get that benefit.  A good compromise, if you can find one, would be a hybrid (SSHD) drive, which is a bit slower than an SSD and a bit more expensive than a mechanical drive (HDD).

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Estherrose1990  Refurbished computers in general are a risk—you never know how much stress the previous owner put on the hardware.  In this case, the system you linked has a new graphics card, one that could be expected to handle all TS3 packs on high settings.  Adding demanding cc items might cause a bit of an issue, or it might be fine; the card is the minimum we recommend for running the entire game on the highest graphics settings.

On the other hand, the processor is twelve years old and not likely to be able to handle the game.  Even new, it would have struggled to run much more than the base game and maybe a couple of early packs, and it certainly hasn't gotten more powerful over the years.  The old processor means that the motherboard is also old, and likely the CPU cooler, although it's hard to tell.  (The RAM is probably newer, maybe a couple of years old, but it's hard to tell from the information provided.)

The bottom line is, I wouldn't trust this computer to run TS3.  If you tried, you'd likely be disappointed with the results, and you could easily end up damaging the hardware as well.

Desktops that can run all TS3 packs on high settings generally start around $700 U.S. if you find the right sale.  The prices may be a bit more in Canada, but I haven't checked.  If you want help looking for one, let me know.  Otherwise, you'll want a computer with these specs:

• Processor:  At least 2.4 GHz, Intel i5 or i7, not U- or Y-series, or AMD equivalent.  Or, the newer i5-8300H and i7-8750H are also fine, even if their base clock speeds are a bit lower.
• Graphics card:  An Nvidia 1050 or 1050 ti would be perfectly fine, as would the older 950 or 960, or any AMD equivalents.  Stronger cards aren't necessary and will cost more.
• RAM: 8 GB is enough for TS3 and Windows, although 16 would be nice for multitasking purposes.  DDR4 RAM is newer and faster than DDR3, but this isn't a dealbreaker.
• Storage:  You'll need to install TS3 on a drive with 512 GB storage or more.  Solid state drives are faster but more expensive.  A small SSD, like in the computer you linked, would only have room for Windows and an antivirus/firewall, so while Windows itself would be faster, the game wouldn't get that benefit.  A good compromise, if you can find one, would be a hybrid (SSHD) drive, which is a bit slower than an SSD and a bit more expensive than a mechanical drive (HDD).

[Estherrose1990]

Thanks so much!

[silverwood02]

I have a 2011 windows 7 PC. The nvidia card is 4 RAM, and I run sims 3 with a frame rate of 30. The processor is an intel i3 3.20 gh.

Not sure if that helps.

Keith