Sims 3 Compatibilty with Windows 10

[Sunflowergal227]

Hello all,

I have a windows 10 laptop and was wondering if the sims 3 is compatible with this? 

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Sunflowergal227  Hi.  Yes, TS3 runs just fine on Windows 10 (that's how I play).  Last year's Creator's Update borked the game temporarily, but the issues seem to have been sorted out.  Still, here's a thread on the subject, should you happen to run into trouble:

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/15902876#Comment_15902876

Otherwise, if your hardware can handle TS3, so can your OS.  One thing to keep in mind is that TS3 doesn't have its own fps limiter, so you'll need to limit frame rates manually.  You can check your fps in-game by bringing up the cheat console (crtl-shift-C) and entering "fps on" without quotes; a number will pop up in the upper right corner of the screen.  ("fps off" will make it go away.)

For an Nvidia card, Control Panel is the first choice, and Inspector the second if CP doesn't work (and it won't work in windowed mode).  For AMD cards, RTSS works well, although it has to be running while you play.  If you're not familiar, here are some screenshots of the necessary settings; you'd use TS3w.exe (with the "W") for patch 1.67 and TS3.exe for a patch 1.69 (Origin) install.

Nvidia:  https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16540301/#Comment_16540301

AMD:  https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16227429#Comment_16227429

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@Sunflowergal227  Hi.  Yes, TS3 runs just fine on Windows 10 (that's how I play).  Last year's Creator's Update borked the game temporarily, but the issues seem to have been sorted out.  Still, here's a thread on the subject, should you happen to run into trouble:

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/15902876#Comment_15902876

Otherwise, if your hardware can handle TS3, so can your OS.  One thing to keep in mind is that TS3 doesn't have its own fps limiter, so you'll need to limit frame rates manually.  You can check your fps in-game by bringing up the cheat console (crtl-shift-C) and entering "fps on" without quotes; a number will pop up in the upper right corner of the screen.  ("fps off" will make it go away.)

For an Nvidia card, Control Panel is the first choice, and Inspector the second if CP doesn't work (and it won't work in windowed mode).  For AMD cards, RTSS works well, although it has to be running while you play.  If you're not familiar, here are some screenshots of the necessary settings; you'd use TS3w.exe (with the "W") for patch 1.67 and TS3.exe for a patch 1.69 (Origin) install.

Nvidia:  https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16540301/#Comment_16540301

AMD:  https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16227429#Comment_16227429

[Sunflowergal227]

Thanks @puzzlezaddict ! I have an Intel Graphics card, so i'm not worried about the graphics. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@Sunflowergal227  If you only have an integrated card (as all Intel cards are), I'd worry about its ability to handle TS3's most demanding EPs—Pets, Seasons, then ITF and IP.  Those four packs really do need a strong dedicated card to run properly.  Whether turning down your graphics options would lower the stress on your card enough would depend on the exact model of the card, your style of gameplay, and which packs you have installed.

If you want, you can run a dxdiag and attach it here, and I can tell you generally what kind of performance you might be able to expect from your hardware.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

[Sunflowergal227]

@puzzlezaddictAH! Thank you- I just checked and I have Pets and Seasons, so that may affect me! Attached is my Dxdiag if you want to look. I also may install the sims 2 so. 

[puzzlezaddict]

@Sunflowergal227  Honestly, I'm not sure you'd have much success playing TS3 on this computer.  An Intel 620 is newer but not all that powerful, even by the standards of integrated cards.  You also have a U-series processor, for ultra-low power, which will be weaker even than its other i3 cousins.  Additionally, HPs have pretty weak cooling systems, so your overworked system could easily generate more heat than it would be able to dispel.

You might be able to play the base game and a couple of early packs, especially on lower settings, but Pets and Seasons would probably be too much for your system.  Forcing it to run those packs might damage your hardware and significantly shorten the life of your computer.  I'm sorry not to have better news.

On the other hand, TS2 shouldn't be a problem.  It's not my area of expertise, but players with weaker hardware than yours are often told that TS2 would run very well on their computers.

[Sunflowergal227]

No thank you for being helpful! i'd rather know that my Sims will destroy my computer than install them and have to start from the beginning all the time.