Performance on Low-End Computers?

[HandmadeMonster]

Totally new to Sims here, but I've gotten the itch to play recently. I know this game is pretty old, but I always hear that performance is pretty poor even on modern computers.

I have a rather low-end laptop with an i3 (1.9Ghz) processor, Intel HD 4400 integrated graphics and 4gb of RAM. Can anyone with a similar set-up tell me how well the game might run for me? I've heard that Sims 4 is actually very well-optimized for low-end PCs, but I'm not sure what's going on with Sims 3. Seems really hit or miss.

Also, is it possible to customise the houses and people in your neighborhoods beyond just your main family? Tried to google it, but I couldn't find a straightforward answer (And does anyone know if Sims 4 does or does not have that capability as well?)

Thanks!

[Krenesh]

1. I'm sorry but 1.9ghz is not going to cut it. I had a 2.16ghz laptop (around $500 today) and I had the worst input lag (like 1/3 of a second). The sims was all way laggy hell it still lags on my 3.2ghz i7-7000, GTX 1060 6GB videocard but that's the game it's self. You should get a new PC. It's not hard to build one for $600 that can play GTA5 at 30fps.

2. edit town (to edit buildings) or you can hold down CTRL, SHIFT and C all at once then type testingcheatsenabled 1 (to turn it on) or 0 (to turn it off) then just hold shift and click on a sim but there is other things you can do with it. Also buydebug is a good one, It let's you buy things you can't buy.

And one more thing, You should get some DLC's (once you can play it) the base game is kind of meh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puMYeBRTsHs
But I'm dumb so what do i know. Hope this helps

[HandmadeMonster]

Can't really justify a new PC when this one stills runs fine... tbh, a little lag doesn't bother me much. ~15-30 fps and a bit of lag is totally acceptable for me.

I see that there's a Sims 4 demo on Origin. I'll have to try that out and see how it runs.

[Krenesh]

Originally posted by HandmadeMonster:

Can't really justify a new PC when this one stills runs fine... tbh, a little lag doesn't bother me much. ~15-30 fps and a bit of lag is totally acceptable for me.

I see that there's a Sims 4 demo on Origin. I'll have to try that out and see how it runs.

Low fps can be fine but input lag can be a prick sometimes

[cruinne]

Sometimes Sims 3 actually seems to work better on low-end computers than on high-end ones. It was designed for worse computers than we generally have now.

I'd say that it would likely be OK for you if you stick to the base game only (no Expansion Packs) and you install the usual NRaas Overwatch mod so that your computer isn't lagging by constantly trying to solve problems the game really should solve itself (but doesn't). That said, usually a low-end i5 is the minimum recommended. If you did add EPs, I'd stay away from the ones that add a lot of extra things for the computer to process - Pets and Seasons would be the worst to add.

But, at least half the game's performance is also your computer "hygiene" if you will. If you have a slower, older computer, but you're scrupulous about keeping it adware and malware free, and there aren't a few dozen processes running in the background at all times because of various shady installs and website visits, the game will run better than on a newer i7 with a high-end card that has been overclocked and isn't maintenanced so has other things interfering with the processor usage.

Actual game requirements differ by your version of Windows, so that is also something to consider. If you have XP, for example, the recommendation is for a P4 or equivalent (something worse than your i3) with 1 GB RAM and a 128 MB video card. Going up to Windows 7 or 8 means 2.4 GHz i5 processor recommended and 4 GB RAM.

[HandmadeMonster]

@cruinne:

Thanks for the very informative response! I'm currently running Windows 8.1, so processor speed looks like it might be a big issue still. And I was kind of hoping to get some of the expansions, so that's kind of iffy too.

I did try out the Sims 4 demo and wow, it runs super smooth even on my potato and still looks fantastic. I was kind of on the fence between the two, but with the perfomance issues, I will probably end up getting Sims 4.

[cruinne]

I think the thing to be cautious of is that the Sims 3 game alone didn't really have performance issues when it came out, either, but years of patches (to accomodate EPs and other things EA wanted to change) produced the issues people struggle with today.

While Sims 4 is likely more responsive and cleaner now, after EA patches it a few times, I don't believe it will still be.

[Femboy Stein]

i have it on origin and i get 60fps you filthy poor gamers with 1.9ghz cpus hahahahah

[LAUGHING SOLDIER]

Mine works fine, i got a 2GHz laptop, 8GB Ram. All i have is shadows and render set to lowest, everything else on the highest and i get around 30~40fps