The Sims 3 Minimum Requirements/Is this computer good enough to run The Sims 3?

Omni · 16-12-2008, 01:34 PM

THE SIMS 3 MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

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.

Brd709 · 16-12-2008, 11:59 PM

Is guess this includes Geforce 6200 and greater? I have the laptop chip of the NVIDIA 8600 GT card will that work?

Loes · 17-12-2008, 12:32 AM

... I don't think I can run the sims 3..

I've been looking forward for this for soooo long!! *cries*

EAUK_Aurora · 17-12-2008, 12:34 AM

At this point in time I also can't. What area is missing for you, Loes?

Loes · 17-12-2008, 12:50 AM

Well.. I only have NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (128 mb) and a friend of mine said I probally only have 1 gb of RAM or something.. but he didn't understood the diffrence between the sims 3 and sim city 3000, so I'm not sure..

The sims 2 runs smoothly on pretty good graphic options. My laptop is only 2 years old and it was the newest and best back then. I can't buy a new one yet

mand82 · 17-12-2008, 01:06 AM

does that image say athlon 2000+ processor? so i need to get a min of 2GHZ processor then?

mand82 · 17-12-2008, 01:19 AM

will this motherboard/processor work with the sims 3?

Product Features

AMD Athlon™ 3000 processor
Socket 754 processor
ECS GS7610 motherboard
Includes heatsink and fan
Onboard integrated graphics supporting up to 128MB
AMD64 Hypertransport technology
Supports dual-channel DDR 266/333/400 up to 2GB
6-channel audio
10/100 LAN for for ultra-fast networking and broadband
Expansion slots: 1 x PCI-E X 16, 2 x PCI slots
2 x SATA ports, RAID 0 and RAID 1
2x IDE port for 4 x Ultra DMA133 devices
4 x USB 2.0 ports

Draven · 17-12-2008, 03:15 AM

I know I can run it, but I was scared before I clicked on the thread a little.

Thanks for the info, Omni.

Reigne · 17-12-2008, 04:49 AM

Waa!
I have a Intel E7300 (2.66 GHZ) processor. Will I still be able to run TS3?
Also, are those recommended video card models?

EDIT: Oh. They're the minimum requirements.
Silly me!

Draven · 17-12-2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reigne

Waa!
I have a Intel E7300 (2.66 GHZ) processor. Will I still be able to run TS3?
Also, are those recommended video card models?

EDIT: Oh. They're the minimum requirements.
Silly me!

Haha, I was like

for a moment.

Your good to go.

Anthony · 17-12-2008, 09:47 AM

Ok, the graphic card is fine and everything else except the Processor...

Black Cat Bellerby · 17-12-2008, 10:12 AM

The only problem i have is i dont have a clue abouth graphics cards i have a GeForce7050

Anthony · 17-12-2008, 10:12 AM

That will work GoingJoe.

Black Cat Bellerby · 17-12-2008, 10:32 AM

GET IN !!!!

Cheers

Rocky018 · 17-12-2008, 10:38 AM

Finally they've been announced.......it will work greatly on my pc......can't wait for 20th February

BeakerMcSqueaker · 17-12-2008, 11:19 AM

What does it mean by Pentium4 processor? I have an x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~3066 Mhz, 2 GB RAM and a GeForce 7300GT running XP. This is OK right?

Mirelly9 · 17-12-2008, 11:34 AM

Finally! I am glad to see that my gamble paid off and that the system I built this summer is up to scratch (my old system was wheezing so bad it had to go

).

People! Please remember that minimum system requirements are the rock bottom least specification that will work. Performance will be low and generally not good at all. If buying a new PC concentrate on getting the best processor you can and above all else avoid onboard graphics like a plague. Upgrading a minimum spec graphics card is cheap and simple (my 512MB card cost less than £80!). Finally RAM is important. If your motherboard supports it don't play with less the maximum of 4GB.

Reigne · 17-12-2008, 12:42 PM

I completely agree with you Mirelly9. These days, RAM is so cheap, that you can buy a heap of it for next to nothing.

For anyone who wants to know, here is my future rig. (I'm building it in the summer).

RAM: 4GB of DDR2.
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 Processor 6000 - 3.1 GHZ
Case (with PSU): Cooler Master Centurion 5 Case, 460W PSU
HDD: 500GB 3.5" SATA-II Western Digital Hard Drive 8MB
Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD-ROM Black IDE 16X
Motherboard: Asus Mainboard M3N78-EH, AM2+
Graphics Card: Sapphire Graphics Card - Radeon HD4850 512MB

Becky · 17-12-2008, 12:44 PM

I can run it.

Might boost my RAM to 3GB anyway though.

pollyncuts · 17-12-2008, 12:50 PM

i just got myself a new computer, but it looks as if my old one probably would have run it

Anthony · 17-12-2008, 01:27 PM

I'll get a new computer on my birthday which is a week before it comes out.

Black Cat Bellerby · 17-12-2008, 01:45 PM

Good For you

Mirelly9 · 17-12-2008, 03:46 PM

Glad to see you build your own, Reigne. For what it's worth, I'd suggest swapping that 500GB HD for two 250GB ones. Might be a few more pennies, but I recently had a HD fail utterly and was gutted to have lost all my established neighbourhoods.

. I now run with a pair of HDs one for back ups and media. I keep media backed up on optical discs in a draw

Also you might wanna consider getting a PSU with a few more watts and the ability to power two graphics cards. I bought my cheap graphics card because I am planning to add a second one after Xmas. Two cheap ones are probably as good as one one very expensive one ... but still a lot cheaper.

It's a shame more people don't take the plunge and start in with DIY upgrading and PC building. It's not a lot harder than Lego ... although errors can be a lot more expensive

slakey0207 · 17-12-2008, 03:55 PM

Well hopefully I'll be buying this new computer:

Intel® Core™i7 Processor i7-920 (4 X 2.66GHz)

6GB Corsair XMS3 1333MHz

2x 250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm)

1024MB GEFORCE GTX280 PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT

Windows Vista 64-Bit

So erm yeah I think that could run it easy :P

This is my current pc specs:

Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHz

1.87 GHz Performance Rated at 4.90 GHz

2.0 GB

128MB ASUS EAH3650 Series (HD Radeon 3650)

129.4 GB

Windows Vista 32-Bit

My only problem with the current pc would be Graphics and Processor.

Tidus · 17-12-2008, 04:21 PM

Yay, I can run it

I can stop beating up my computer, commanding it to run sims 3.

16-12-2008, 01:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Omni Forum Junkie Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Institute Gender: Male Posts: 3,395 Blog Entries: 7	The Sims 3 Minimum Requirements/Is this computer good enough to run The Sims 3? THE SIMS 3 MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 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. __________________ Recently played: Need for Speed: Undercover Have you Met your match? Electronic Arts[/size]

16-12-2008, 11:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Brd709 Forum Guru Join Date: Jul 2006 Age: 23 Posts: 1,086	Is guess this includes Geforce 6200 and greater? I have the laptop chip of the NVIDIA 8600 GT card will that work? __________________ The Sims 3 5th June 2009.

17-12-2008, 12:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
Loes Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Netherlands Age: 19 Gender: Female Posts: 814	... I don't think I can run the sims 3.. I've been looking forward for this for soooo long!! cries __________________ Call me Loes! (that is in fact my real name) Why did the sim cross the road? -Because he finally could!

17-12-2008, 12:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
EAUK_Aurora Community Representative Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: UK Gender: Female Posts: 55,493 Blog Entries: 257	At this point in time I also can't. What area is missing for you, Loes? __________________ Aurora Community Representative Electronic Arts View past Signature Showcase entries Currently playing The Sims 3 and Brutal Legend Looking forward to The Sims 3 World Adventures

17-12-2008, 12:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
Loes Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Netherlands Age: 19 Gender: Female Posts: 814	Well.. I only have NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (128 mb) and a friend of mine said I probally only have 1 gb of RAM or something.. but he didn't understood the diffrence between the sims 3 and sim city 3000, so I'm not sure.. The sims 2 runs smoothly on pretty good graphic options. My laptop is only 2 years old and it was the newest and best back then. I can't buy a new one yet __________________ Call me Loes! (that is in fact my real name) Why did the sim cross the road? -Because he finally could!

17-12-2008, 01:06 AM	#6 (permalink)
mand82 Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: essex,uk Age: 27 Posts: 738	does that image say athlon 2000+ processor? so i need to get a min of 2GHZ processor then? __________________ luv and hugs mand

17-12-2008, 01:19 AM	#7 (permalink)
mand82 Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: essex,uk Age: 27 Posts: 738	will this motherboard/processor work with the sims 3? Product Features AMD Athlon™ 3000 processor Socket 754 processor ECS GS7610 motherboard Includes heatsink and fan Onboard integrated graphics supporting up to 128MB AMD64 Hypertransport technology Supports dual-channel DDR 266/333/400 up to 2GB 6-channel audio 10/100 LAN for for ultra-fast networking and broadband Expansion slots: 1 x PCI-E X 16, 2 x PCI slots 2 x SATA ports, RAID 0 and RAID 1 2x IDE port for 4 x Ultra DMA133 devices 4 x USB 2.0 ports __________________ luv and hugs mand

17-12-2008, 03:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
Draven Rookie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles, California Gender: Male Posts: 315	I know I can run it, but I was scared before I clicked on the thread a little. Thanks for the info, Omni. __________________ Portfolio - Rules

17-12-2008, 04:49 AM	#9 (permalink)
Reigne Rookie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Gender: Female Posts: 25	Waa! I have a Intel E7300 (2.66 GHZ) processor. Will I still be able to run TS3? Also, are those recommended video card models? EDIT: Oh. They're the minimum requirements. Silly me! Last edited by Reigne; 17-12-2008 at 04:54 AM..

17-12-2008, 09:47 AM	#11 (permalink)
Anthony EA Veteran Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The City Age: 14 Gender: Male Posts: 17,652	Ok, the graphic card is fine and everything else except the Processor... __________________ The Fame Monster' The Decider - 22nd November Twitter

17-12-2008, 10:12 AM	#12 (permalink)
Black Cat Bellerby Elite Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sunny Sunderland Age: 18 Gender: Male Posts: 6,357	The only problem i have is i dont have a clue abouth graphics cards i have a GeForce7050 __________________ Andy Reid He Plays Left Wing He Drank Slim-Fast And Now He's Thin !

17-12-2008, 10:12 AM	#13 (permalink)
Anthony EA Veteran Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The City Age: 14 Gender: Male Posts: 17,652	That will work GoingJoe. __________________ The Fame Monster' The Decider - 22nd November Twitter

17-12-2008, 10:32 AM	#14 (permalink)
Black Cat Bellerby Elite Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sunny Sunderland Age: 18 Gender: Male Posts: 6,357	GET IN !!!! Cheers __________________ Andy Reid He Plays Left Wing He Drank Slim-Fast And Now He's Thin !

17-12-2008, 10:38 AM	#15 (permalink)
Rocky018 Rookie Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Malta Age: 17 Posts: 333	Finally they've been announced.......it will work greatly on my pc......can't wait for 20th February

17-12-2008, 11:19 AM	#16 (permalink)
BeakerMcSqueaker Rookie Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: NSW, Australia Posts: 173	What does it mean by Pentium4 processor? I have an x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 9 GenuineIntel ~3066 Mhz, 2 GB RAM and a GeForce 7300GT running XP. This is OK right?

17-12-2008, 11:34 AM	#17 (permalink)
Mirelly9 Rookie Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Black Country Posts: 56	Finally! I am glad to see that my gamble paid off and that the system I built this summer is up to scratch (my old system was wheezing so bad it had to go ). People! Please remember that minimum system requirements are the rock bottom least specification that will work. Performance will be low and generally not good at all. If buying a new PC concentrate on getting the best processor you can and above all else avoid onboard graphics like a plague. Upgrading a minimum spec graphics card is cheap and simple (my 512MB card cost less than £80!). Finally RAM is important. If your motherboard supports it don't play with less the maximum of 4GB. __________________ WAYWARD INK: GREAT STORIES WITH PICTURES OF SIMS, NOT PICTURES OF SIMS WITH CAPTIONS

17-12-2008, 12:42 PM	#18 (permalink)
Reigne Rookie Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Brisbane, Australia Gender: Female Posts: 25	I completely agree with you Mirelly9. These days, RAM is so cheap, that you can buy a heap of it for next to nothing. For anyone who wants to know, here is my future rig. (I'm building it in the summer). RAM: 4GB of DDR2. CPU: AMD Athlon X2 Processor 6000 - 3.1 GHZ Case (with PSU): Cooler Master Centurion 5 Case, 460W PSU HDD: 500GB 3.5" SATA-II Western Digital Hard Drive 8MB Optical Drive: Lite-On DVD-ROM Black IDE 16X Motherboard: Asus Mainboard M3N78-EH, AM2+ Graphics Card: Sapphire Graphics Card - Radeon HD4850 512MB

17-12-2008, 12:44 PM	#19 (permalink)
Becky EA Veteran Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Birmingham Age: 18 Gender: Female Posts: 30,642	I can run it. Might boost my RAM to 3GB anyway though. __________________ last.fm twitter

17-12-2008, 12:50 PM	#20 (permalink)
pollyncuts Forum Junkie Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Norfolk ^o^ Age: 28 Gender: Female Posts: 2,572	i just got myself a new computer, but it looks as if my old one probably would have run it __________________ Doggysnaps

17-12-2008, 01:27 PM	#21 (permalink)
Anthony EA Veteran Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The City Age: 14 Gender: Male Posts: 17,652	I'll get a new computer on my birthday which is a week before it comes out. __________________ The Fame Monster' The Decider - 22nd November Twitter

17-12-2008, 01:45 PM	#22 (permalink)
Black Cat Bellerby Elite Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Sunny Sunderland Age: 18 Gender: Male Posts: 6,357	Good For you __________________ Andy Reid He Plays Left Wing He Drank Slim-Fast And Now He's Thin !

17-12-2008, 03:46 PM	#23 (permalink)
Mirelly9 Rookie Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Black Country Posts: 56	Glad to see you build your own, Reigne. For what it's worth, I'd suggest swapping that 500GB HD for two 250GB ones. Might be a few more pennies, but I recently had a HD fail utterly and was gutted to have lost all my established neighbourhoods. . I now run with a pair of HDs one for back ups and media. I keep media backed up on optical discs in a draw Also you might wanna consider getting a PSU with a few more watts and the ability to power two graphics cards. I bought my cheap graphics card because I am planning to add a second one after Xmas. Two cheap ones are probably as good as one one very expensive one ... but still a lot cheaper. It's a shame more people don't take the plunge and start in with DIY upgrading and PC building. It's not a lot harder than Lego ... although errors can be a lot more expensive __________________ WAYWARD INK: GREAT STORIES WITH PICTURES OF SIMS, NOT PICTURES OF SIMS WITH CAPTIONS

17-12-2008, 03:55 PM	#24 (permalink)
slakey0207 Forum Guru Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South East England Gender: Male Posts: 1,974	Well hopefully I'll be buying this new computer: Intel® Core™i7 Processor i7-920 (4 X 2.66GHz) 6GB Corsair XMS3 1333MHz 2x 250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (7,200rpm) 1024MB GEFORCE GTX280 PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT Windows Vista 64-Bit So erm yeah I think that could run it easy :P This is my current pc specs: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHz 1.87 GHz Performance Rated at 4.90 GHz 2.0 GB 128MB ASUS EAH3650 Series (HD Radeon 3650) 129.4 GB Windows Vista 32-Bit My only problem with the current pc would be Graphics and Processor. __________________ MYM UTD LOOKING FOR PLAYERS - XBOX360 Last edited by slakey0207; 17-12-2008 at 03:57 PM..

17-12-2008, 04:21 PM	#25 (permalink)
Tidus Forum Guru Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: A Mental Asylum Age: 14 Gender: Male Posts: 2,265	Yay, I can run it I can stop beating up my computer, commanding it to run sims 3. __________________ http://southdale.myminicity.com/com