Sims 3 is coming out soon! Help!

[Cturner4]

Hello all...I just bought a new Gateway Gt5694 with 4GB and a Quad core processor. I am going to buy the sims 3 when it comes out Feb 20th. The system requirements for the sims 3 have been posted on their website here
The Sims 3 - News
My graphics card is not listed and it doesnt run the sims 2 all that well anyway, (it is very fast however) I have done a little bit of research and I want to purchase a Nvidia graphics card for my computer. I'm leaning toward either a 9600 or a 9800. I have no clue which one to get because I don't know If it is compatible with my computer or if either card is even the one I need. Can someone please tell me?

 

[Cturner4]

Yes I am aware that it isnt on the list however this is what I was told "Each processor runs a program individually and they can run each program at 1.8ghz, but i think the sims 3 will have dual/quad core support which means all the processors will run the sims 3 so i wouldnt worry about the processor, make sure you have 2ghz ram and a decent graphics card" so do you agree or disagree with what I was told?

 

[DirtyPolo]

I have just checked again and I must apologise, in my haste to reply I only scanned for figures on the link you gave me.
If you will forgive my mistake, I would like to carry on with the fact that you are indeed correct that your processor WILL run the game.

As for Graphics cards, I would opt for an ATI graphics card as you get better performance for your money compared with Nvidia.

The ATI's verison of the Nvidia 9600 and the 9800 is the HD 4850 and the HD 4870.

the HD 4850 can be found for about £100 and the HD 4870 for about £140.

If you still wish to get an Nvidia card, please say so and I/We will do our best to advise which is the best one you should get according to performance against price

Thankyou and sorry about the mistake I made earlier.

One thing I will disagree about though, is that you cannot have 2GHz of RAM, as RAM is measured in capacity which is either in MB, or GB, and your machine contains 4GB of RAM

 

[Cturner4]

YAY

Oh my gosh! I feel sooo much better now! I forgive you for your mistake. I thought I had made a mistake also LOL I have an ATI Hd 3200 currently and I know that doesnt meet the requirements. I went with Nvidia because people told me they were better than ATI...if this isn't true then I will buy and ATI...I have a budget of 300 dollars but i really dont want to spend more than 200...im sortof a cheapo.


PS Your quick responses are appreciated greatly

 

[DirtyPolo]

Nvidia used to dominate the market, but now you can get an ATI card that runs just as well if not better than the Nvidia alternative, for a lot less $$

£100 is about $150 I believe

and that is for the HD4850, the card I personally have, and it will run that game and any other of the lastest games perfectly

and this will work in your machine fine

 

[Cturner4]

Thank you!

Thank you so much for all your help! God bless you

 

[Cturner4]

Oops

Also I forgot to ask...what size do you recommend...it comes in a 512MB and a 1G

 

[DirtyPolo]

512MB, you wont notice the difference between them at all so go for 512

 

[Cturner4]

Dont mean to nag

alright there are 2 different types on amazon.com..(diamond and HIS) which do I buy?

 

[Dalo Harkin]

HIS all the time.

 

[Cturner4]

oops I already ordered the diamond...

 

[Cturner4]

?

Should I return the diamond or keep it?

 

[DirtyPolo]

Unless Dalo says anything different, I would just keep it, it is the exact same card, just been covered with a different label really,

Some companies overclock them to make them faster and maybe have a different fan and things but the diamond will still work as well as the HIS so don't worry

 

[Cturner4]

k

Alright Thanks...it is coming to me by mail sooo now all I have to do is figure out whos gonna install it for me =)

 

[Dalo Harkin]

Have a look in my build guide and do it yourself - you just slot it in and put some screws in the side to the make it supported by the case -
As Polo says they are the same GPU - they are just cooled and clocked differently.
The only reason I said the HIS is that the cooling is far superior to any of the other brands - but the diamond will be fine

 

[Cturner4]

Ok so i got my card today...SOOO confusing I have no clue how to install the card at all. The instructions that came with it are in terms that I cannot understand because I dont know the computer lingo...I have looked at various help sites on the internet and they all make it look easy...Im pretty sure I can do it up until the point that they start talking about power connectors? I am confused on the subject and am afraid to install because I dont want to hurt my computer!

 

[Cturner4]

Nevermind

Alright so once i "tore" into my computer a bit I figured it out and the graphic card is working fine! I am still playing around with the settings...too bad my monitor recommends a refresh rate of 60 since i was told the higher the number the better. Thank you guys for all your help! I couldn't have done any of this without you! Now it is just countdown until the sims 3 comes out in the US

 

[Tootech]

If you have an LCD monitor the refresh rate is normally 60 or 72Hz.

The big old CRT monitors did benefit from higher refresh rates, up to 85Hz normally.

I guess that is where the advice has come from.