Sims 3 almost here-need new laptop!?!?

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Yes, it's almost time for the next Sims game to be released. My computer will not be able to run the game-old memory card, old CPU, not enough memory, etc.

I would like to know if anyone else is in this predicament, and what have you decided to do. I have considered buying a desktop, or buying the components for a desktop and having a friend create a computer for me, getting a new laptop as cheaply as possible, or waiting a year until the price of the computers with those specifications goes down.

From what I've seen the game does look very good. But I said the same thing for the Sims 2. That became a bit boring for me shortly after I picked up Free Time. I'm always hopeful that the next game I get will be everything I had hoped for.

So could you let me if you are planning on getting the game, and if you, too, need a new computer. There's a thread on the Sims 2 website that has been posted 4 times helping people find out if their computer will be able to handle the new game.

Thanks everybody. Anxious to hear from you. irene

I'm worried if my laptop will be able to run Sims 3, also.

here's my computer specs:

Intel Core Duo Processer
1.60 GHz
1 Gig of RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon X1300

It's ran sims 2 with all expansions fine along with tons of custom content... and with sims 3 I don't plan on buying all expansions this time. I'm crossing my fingers...

FOR WINDOWS XP



Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
FOR WINDOWS VISTA



Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1.5 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:

Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
0.5 GB additional RAM
SUPPORTED VIDEO CARDS


NVIDIA GeForce series

FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800,
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9600, 9800, GTX 260, GTX 280


ATI Radeon™ series

9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870,
4850, 4870


Intel® Extreme Graphics

GMA X3x00 series


Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively slower. Standalone cards that are installed in vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or PCIx or AGP), such as some GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly. Intel integrated chipsets featuring underclocked parts will not perform adequately.


Integrated chipsets such as the ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA TurboCache variants will have low settings selected, but should run satisfactorily.


Please note that attempting to play the game using video hardware that isn't listed above may result in reduced performance, graphical issues or cause the game to not run at all.


The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.


I got this info from the Sims 3 website. So, buryuntime, you might have some trouble with the game as well.

Irene,
get a new desktop pc-if they're not offering good deals for everything,buy just the tower [and mouse/keyboard/speakers] if dont have them already,and have a look on somewhere like ebuyer.com for a tft monitor,or get a second hand one off ebay [and sometimes there are free ones going on freecycle when the owner is upgrading to tft].
Desktops are so much better for games,they're also upgradeable in graphics,and could use the current laptop for everything else.
or maybe,what about building own desktop? or getting someone in family to do it as they probably wont charge.

the only decent laptops for gaming are the high end ones but they aren't cheap and they cost a lot to get fixed if the motherboard dies.

see, this is why I used desktops, they're a lot easier to upgrade (and keep on upgrading...

I'm thinking I should get a desktop for my birthday along with Sims 3 and it'll be strictly for that. And I can keep my laptop for everything else, hmmm.

*attempts to convince parents*

I NEED A NEW COMPUTER!! !! ! *hyperventilates*

I can't even play the Sims2 games (the ones on DVD roms) on my computer.

Anyone think it will be released for PS3?
My computer is a Vista, and I'm not sure If it will be released for it.

This is a fairly low requirement, I'm pretty sure anything as low as a GeForce 4 meets it, so it's not really a question of if your rig will run Sims 3, but more a question of how fast it'll run...

But I'm not really one to judge on that sort of thing...I played the DOOM3 demo at 6FPS, and beat the entire HL2 at somewhere around 15 FPS @_@ So I find it hard to understand when people describe anything under 60 FPS as "unplayable".

Since I wrote the initial thread it was suggested that I get a desktop instead of a laptop. It would be a computer that has more than the requirements for the Sims 3 game, a computer that would be able to run games for five years from now. The lovely younger man that I live with will be putting the computer together for me.

Now all I have to do is do the research to find the correct components for it. I don't think that should be too easy. I thought I should check on the gaming websites to find info on their computers. I really hope the computer doesn't cost any more than $1500. I do not need to buy a monitor.

Wish me luck because I don't know anything about these things. If anyone has any type of suggestions please let me know. Thanks.

I like the concept of the Sims games, but I find some parts of the Sims 2 to be rather tedious, and generally have trouble creating a house. Most of the time I have a picture of a house in my mind but can not figure out how to translate it into the game. It seems as though the tedious parts will be eliminated with the next generation.

irene

EA announced that the Sims 3 won't be on store shelves until June of 2009. That's ok by me because I need to save money to build a new computer.

Yeah, it was because of layoffs (the delay). I wonder if there were any Apsies in that bunch.

I bought a new computer about a year ago, and I don't know the exact number, but I paid somewhere around $600 for it. I already had a computer, so I just needed a new power supply, motherboard/processor, RAM, video card, and case.

Pretty sure the monitor would be the most expensive part, so you're already set there.

More expensive than the whole computer??? Not to run Sims 3. Or even Sims 2. If you want decent frame rates and have enough resources to run future expansions or other games, you will need to spend at least a $1000.

I don't know much about Sims 3, but my rig runs UT3 engine quite well. Dunno the exact FPS, but it's certainly higher than 30, and I can't imagine a casual game like Sims 3 being equal to or more hardware intensive than that.

It depends on how much more efficient Sims 3 is than Sims 2. I would imagine they would have streamlined it a great deal in order to do away with loading screens. In Sims 2, only 1 lot is being played at a time. Sims 3, however, has the entire neighborhood running all at once.
Sims 2 on my rig can actually get bogged down if there is a lot going on. I also have the graphics turned all the way up and all the fancy "I can see my neighbors" options on, though.