Will this PC work for The Sims?

by planettv
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Will this PC work for The Sims?

[ Edited ]
★★★★ Novice

I'm asking this here because the graphics card can handle the TS3, thou I may only be putting TS2 on it, but just in case I do decide to add TS3 on it.

 

1. Now I'm still in the process saving up for a new graphics card for the PC I'm typing this on, so I figured I would make a post here, and see if yet another PC I have will play TS2, TS3 and possibly TS1. I know it will graphics card wise because it's all yeses for TS3. For The Sims 4 it's yeses up Parenthood. Based off that information, I'm assuming it's all yeses for The Sims 2 and possibly TS1. I did ask about another PC in the Other Sims game section, but the computer case for that one is a little bit too long, front to back measurement, and that means it won't fit in the spot it would have gone, so that's why I'm asking about this PC. Currently this PC is being used by my Mom as another PC and was one of the two my Dad used for Chess. I don't have as much PC information with this PC, because my Dad must have not printed out the receipt for it, unlike my PC when I asked about graphic cards for it, in TS4 section earlier this year, or the one asked about in Other Sims Games section. What information I do have, I got from Speccy. Here is the PC information:

 

CPU

     Intel Core i7 3930K @ 3.20GHz (12 CPUs)

     Sandy Bridge-E 32nm Technology

RAM

     16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3

Motherboard

     Intel Corporation DX79TO (CPU 1)

Graphics

     2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti (Gigabyte)      

Storage

     931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00KUWA0 ATA Device (SATA)

     931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00KUWA0 ATA Device (SATA)

 

I have also attached the DxDiag Log file as well.

 

2. I just have a question or 2. It's about thermal paste and I'm hoping someone can help me.

 

Thermal Paste I will be getting: https://www.arctic.de/us/MX-4/ACTCP00007B

 

 

Since I'm going to be replacing the thermal paste in my PC, I figured I would replace it in some other ones as well. Those PCs are ones that were my Dad's and they have not been used much since his death. My Mom will be/is using one of his PCs that he used for Chess as another PC, and I will be using the other one he used for Chess to play The Sims 2 and 3 with, once I know it will work, until I get my new graphics card and beyond that. The 3rd one my Dad had, was his main PC and is the one that handles the stuff for the internet. Would it be worth replacing the paste in those 3 or, at the very least, the 2 that he used for Chess sooner rather then later?

 

How much Thermal Paste would I need for about 3-4 PCs?

 

I should mention that when my Dad was alive, he did have to replace a part in one of chess PCs, and I think it may have been the CPU cooler.

Message 1 of 5 (498 Views)

Re: Will this PC work for The Sims?

@planettv  You should be able to run all Sims 3 and Sims 2 content on this computer.  You may not be able to use ultra graphics settings in Sims 3, but it's fine to experiment a bit to see how things go.  It can be difficult to get Sims 1 installed on a newer computer, but that's a software issue; this hardware should be fine.  If you're asking anything more specific, please let me know.

 

I do think it's worth replacing the thermal paste on this CPU just given its age.  Heat will dry out the paste to some degree, but so will time, so even though the computer has barely been used in the last few years, it's still entirely possible that the paste is inadequate at this point.  And if you're going to play Sims 3, the CPU will be working hard enough that it will definitely need adequate cooling.

 

For a computer that's not running anything demanding, you can wait and see if you notice any signs of overheating.  That would be something like the fans running at high speeds or the computer slowing down after 10-20 minutes of use, as in, when ithe processor is hot enough that it needs to throttle its load to protect itself.

 

One tube of paste covers several computers' worth of needs easily enough.  I bought the same product three years ago for my own computer, and I used it on my brother's too, and there's still plenty left.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 5 (464 Views)

Re: Will this PC work for The Sims?

[ Edited ]
★★★★ Novice

Thank you for your help. Now will be able to play The Sims again. When I did install TS2 on my PC years ago, I had followed some steps to get it installed and checked the game twice, once after Bon Voyage and again after Mansion and Garden. After the Mansion and Garden check, I decided to keep that EA Games folder in case I ended up playing the game on another PC, so that's the folder that will end up on that PC. Also thank you for the help with the thermal paste. I haven't changed it in my PC yet, but my Mom, she knows how to do that, has to deal with a family matter, a death in the family, then her and I will be taking care of that and getting my PC a Sapphire Pulse AMD Radon 6600, no XT, which I may get from GameStop instead of EBay.

Two other questions:
1. Do you know the manual steps to add a graphics card to the list, because it's been a long while since I had to do that and I don't remember what the steps were?

2. I know I will have to hook up monitor to the new graphics card via HDMI since I know that newer graphics cards have done away with DVI slots and VGA slots. My monitor, a Samsung S24C570L, does have one VGA and one HDMI slot on the back and I know there are converters that are bidirectional that go VGA to HDMI and HDMI to VGA.

    2A. Would you happen to know of a good bidirectional converter, one with a really good signal, that does what I mentioned and allows the VGA connector to be screwed in with its screws?

 

    2B. Would you happen to know of a KVM switch by Belkin or Iogear, one with a really good signal, where the monitor slot is HDMI and has all the other slots, keyboard, mouse and audio? I figure if I can get a convertor like the one I mentioned, I can use that with my existing VGA cord, one that's going from monitor to KVM, as I would rather have the convertor there then in the back of the PC. Unless, there is a KVM switch where the monitor slot is VGA, but the connectors that go from the switch to PC have the monitor one as HDMI.

Message 3 of 5 (428 Views)

Re: Will this PC work for The Sims?

@planettv  I can help you add your card to the list once you have it installed.  It's easier to describe the process once the card is installed and you can see its device ID, which you'll need to use when listing the card.  Or, if it's easier, you can use the "Sims 3 GPU Add-on Support" tool from NexusMods.  You'd need a (free) account to download it, but then it would do the work for you and also fix an issue with shadows that shows up on newer AMD cards.

 

For the second question, you don't need a converter.  I take it from your mention of a KVM switch that you're planning to use the same monitor, mouse, and keyboard with multiple computers, but you're still only plugging a given monitor into the switch once.  On the computer side, you'd only need multiple connections from the graphics card to the switch if you wanted to use multiple monitors, and on that side, you'd be using the built-in HDMI and/or DisplayPort anyway.

 

Just make sure that the switch you buy has the connectors you want on each end.  It's probably cheaper and definitely more reliable to spend a little extra to get a model that has DP or HDMI in rather than VGA, since that way you're not also buying a converter that may or may not work well.  I don't know of any particularly good switches, sorry, but it looks like you can find decent options for around $30-40.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 5 (412 Views)

Re: Will this PC work for The Sims?

★★★★ Novice

Again thank you for your help. I was just wanting to use the existing VGA cord because it's a pain to get to the back of my monitor, because I can't easily get back there. Right now I'm just focusing on getting TS2 installed, but when I do get TS3 installed I will post back in this thread. I figure for TS3 it will require the same information that TS2 requires for it's 2 files from the last pack.

Message 5 of 5 (377 Views)