Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

by puzzlezaddict
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Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

★★ Novice

Hi! My game for a while has been acting slow and laggy and I just ignored it and played TS4. I went back to playing the game a couple of days ago and it extremely slow and laggy while loading the game and playing it. I was wondering should I change the settings in the game or update my graphics card altogether, since this has been a problem even before I updated my laptop to Windows 10. I also have my the Dxdiag file. 

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Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

@Reenaah413  I found a few different options that would work.  They'd all run TS3 and every pack on the highest settings, and they'd do just as well for TS4 in its current state.  Again, it's hard to say whether a stronger graphics card might be helpful for TS4 in the future, but for now, an Nvidia 1050 ti will run all its packs on high settings.

 

This is the cheapest good option I could find, at $800.  It has an Intel i5-8300H, 8 GB RAM, and a 1050 ti.  Its otherwise slow 1 TB mechanical hard drive (HDD) has Intel Optane memory, which will make it run much faster than a typical HDD, perhaps almost as fast as an entry-level solid state drive (SSD), depending on the task.  MSI makes great gaming laptops, even at the entry level, with the cooling necessary to play for long periods.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GV62-8RD-200-Performance-Steelseries/dp/B07D4ZML7M

 

This is the essentially the same computer as above, for $900, except that it has an i7-8750H, which is a better processor.  ASUS makes good gaming laptops as well.

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-IPS-level-i7-8750H-Painter-Essential/dp/B07F2NTBW1

 

This MSI is on sale for $929 and also offers a $100 rebate card.  It also has the 8750H and a 256 GB SSD in addition to the 1 TB HDD.  (This HDD doesn't have Optane memory, but then again it's of the faster 7200 RPM variety.)  It also has 16 GB RAM, which isn't necessary for either game but is great for multitasking as well as futureproofing.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834155111

 

I looked for laptops with an Nvidia 1060 as well, for the sake of futureproofing, since TS4 isn't a finished game.  This is the cheapest I could find, on sale for $1000, in case you're wondering what's out there.  (Also, 8750H, 16 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD.)  It's about the lowest price I've seen for any laptop with a 1060.  Amazon and newegg have the same price right now, although it looks like Amazon is about to sell out.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834235064

https://www.amazon.com/i7-8750H-Processor-GeForce-Gigabit-Windows/dp/B07F6K21HJ

 

One note on pricing:  You should check whether newegg charges sales tax in your state; it's kind of hit or miss.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.

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Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

[ Edited ]

@Reenaah413  Thanks for the dxdiag; it eliminates almost all of the guesswork.  Unfortunately, this computer can't really be expected to run TS3 well, especially if you have a lot of expansion packs.  Even new, it would have struggled with much of the game, and I think it's at least five years old by now.  At this point, it might be able to handle the base game on low settings, and maybe a couple of the early expansion packs, but that's about it.

 

The dxdiag didn't even identify your processor, but from the graphics chip's device ID, yours is likely from the Intel Celeron N series, or perhaps the slightly stronger Pentium N series, from either 2013 or 2014.  The fastest of these models can barely turbo up over the recommended 2.4 GHz frequency for TS3, and many can't even reach that level.  Your laptop only has the integrated graphics chip that came with the processor, and it wouldn't be expected to be able to meet the demands of the game.  You also have only 4 GB RAM, of which Windows 10 will take a significant amount for itself.  Again, this is probably enough to run TS3's early packs, as long as you don't have any other apps open while you play, but running most or all EPs would likely be out of the question.

 

As for whether the laptop might benefit from upgrades, that's unlikely.  Some of the processor models you might have don't even support more than 4 GB RAM, and it's unlikely that your laptop has a slot for a dedicated graphics card.  Besides, the processor can't be replaced, and it's going to lag behind no matter what other hardware it's paired with.

 

By the way, your dxdiag also lists some errors associated with TS3.  Combining that with the fact that the dxdiag didn't identify your processor at all, you might want to run some Windows system checks.  Here's how, if you're interested:

Spoiler
  • Hit Windows key-X
  • Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
  • Inside the window that appears, copy “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes and enter
  • The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
  • After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
  • Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Command prompt (Administrator)”
  • Inside the window, copy “sfc /scannow” without quotes and enter

You can post the message you receive here if you want some input.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 6 (1,450 Views)

Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

★★ Novice
Is there any laptops that you recommend that isn’t too expensive that can run TS3?
Message 3 of 6 (1,438 Views)

Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

@Reenaah413  That depends on your country—prices are lower in the U.S. than elsewhere.  Laptops that can run all expansion packs on high settings tend to start around $900 U.S., although I can usually find one for under $800, depending on the current sales.  But it can be tricky finding the right one, since many laptops in that price range don't have the proper hardware to handle the game.  That hardware (the short version) is:

  • An Intel i5-8300H or i7-8750H
  • An Nvidia 1050 ti or better
  • 8 GB RAM
  • A 512 GB drive on which to install the game

I can elaborate more, if you want, but that depends on whether you'd like to look for yourself.  Or I can try to find something for you; if you're interested, just post your budget and country, as well as anything else you'd like to do with the laptop.  There are ways to cut corners a bit on the price, but systems below the above specs generally can't keep up.  For example, any graphics card weaker than an Nvidia 1050 (regular, not ti) will struggle to run the most demanding EPs on anything more than the lowest settings, and even that might be more than it can handle.

 

Also, in case you're wondering, the recommendations to run TS4 on high settings are pretty much the same.  It would be nice to get an Nvidia 1060 for the sake of futureproofing, but it's not necessary at all at this point, and the 1050 ti might end up being able to handle all of TS4 as well, depending on how the franchise develops.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 6 (1,428 Views)

Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

★★ Novice
I live in the US and my budget is around $800-900. And I just want to be able to play TS3 and 4 and also be able to do my school work lol.
Message 5 of 6 (1,425 Views)

Re: Sims 3 acting slow and very laggy

@Reenaah413  I found a few different options that would work.  They'd all run TS3 and every pack on the highest settings, and they'd do just as well for TS4 in its current state.  Again, it's hard to say whether a stronger graphics card might be helpful for TS4 in the future, but for now, an Nvidia 1050 ti will run all its packs on high settings.

 

This is the cheapest good option I could find, at $800.  It has an Intel i5-8300H, 8 GB RAM, and a 1050 ti.  Its otherwise slow 1 TB mechanical hard drive (HDD) has Intel Optane memory, which will make it run much faster than a typical HDD, perhaps almost as fast as an entry-level solid state drive (SSD), depending on the task.  MSI makes great gaming laptops, even at the entry level, with the cooling necessary to play for long periods.

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GV62-8RD-200-Performance-Steelseries/dp/B07D4ZML7M

 

This is the essentially the same computer as above, for $900, except that it has an i7-8750H, which is a better processor.  ASUS makes good gaming laptops as well.

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-IPS-level-i7-8750H-Painter-Essential/dp/B07F2NTBW1

 

This MSI is on sale for $929 and also offers a $100 rebate card.  It also has the 8750H and a 256 GB SSD in addition to the 1 TB HDD.  (This HDD doesn't have Optane memory, but then again it's of the faster 7200 RPM variety.)  It also has 16 GB RAM, which isn't necessary for either game but is great for multitasking as well as futureproofing.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834155111

 

I looked for laptops with an Nvidia 1060 as well, for the sake of futureproofing, since TS4 isn't a finished game.  This is the cheapest I could find, on sale for $1000, in case you're wondering what's out there.  (Also, 8750H, 16 GB RAM, and a 256 GB SSD + 1 TB HDD.)  It's about the lowest price I've seen for any laptop with a 1060.  Amazon and newegg have the same price right now, although it looks like Amazon is about to sell out.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834235064

https://www.amazon.com/i7-8750H-Processor-GeForce-Gigabit-Windows/dp/B07F6K21HJ

 

One note on pricing:  You should check whether newegg charges sales tax in your state; it's kind of hit or miss.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 6 of 6 (1,419 Views)