What's the best system to play TS2 and EP's on?
virgali:
I'm buying me a laptop(nowadays they are stron enough to play sims 2) and I was wondering which is the bes one to have the be gamming experience... I know the pc spec, but like which videocad is the best?
And also I don't have any experience with laptops so I was wonderng whih brand would be the best? I was thnking abut gettng me an HP cause my desktop is that brand and I really like it. But maybe other brands have better laptops?
witch:
Sony is top of the line but you'll pay for that. Toshiba is good. Acer has been around a long time & has built a good rep. Don't buy a Packard Hell Bell. HP will probably be OK. Steer clear of the lower end Dells. I would buy a Toshiba if I could afford a laptop.
You are right about the video card issue - that and RAM are probably the main points to consider if you want to play sims easily. Many laptops don't have a separate video card. 256MB RAM is really minimal for WinXP, 512MB is OK, go for 1 GB RAM if possible.
I would check out a few online magazines and reviews of gaming laptops, comparisons and Editor's choices. Particularly search on benchmarking tests of various games.
Renatus:
HP is okay for laptops, but if you want to play games on it, you'll want to go with Toshiba. The machines are more solidly built and generally more powerful. Please keep in mind, however, if you want a machine that can play Sims 2 well it will cost quite a lot - you're probably looking at something over $2000 USD.
Laptops aren't the best choice for gaming machines, really. The ones that are powerful enough are expensive and very large, and they aren't anywhere near as upgradable as a tower.
witch:
True and if you get a mobile chip, ie one with an 'M' after it, then the chip architecture won't be optimised for gaming but for power saving.
I have 256Mb on my graphics card alone, I would like even more, I'd like 512Mb video RAM with my 1 GB RAM. Not only because I'm greedy but even with what I have I cannot run anti-aliasing on full in sims2.
Renatus makes good points about upgradeability in laptops too, because of the way they're made, the form factor, parts aren't as interchangeable as in a tower, they also tend to be more expensive.
PS Check out AMD chips rather than Intel, they're cheaper and benchmarking better and running cooler. ;)
gali:
"Minimum System Requirements for The Sims 2
(copied from the Exchange)
If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM then you need at least:
800 MHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space
If you have a non-T&L capable video card (an Intel Extreme Graphics or a Radeon 7000/VE Series) then you need at least:
2.0 GHz processor or better
256 MB RAM if Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space
Get the most current driver for your video card. The manufacturers usually have the video drivers on their sites for you to download. Visit the nVidia site, the ATI site or the support site for your computer's manufacturer for the latest drivers for those video cards.
Supported video cards (and the more video memory the better):
ATI RadeonTM series (7000 or better)
Radeon 7000/VE series (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)
7200, 7500
8500, All-In-Wonder 8500
9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
X300, X600, X800
NvidiaŽ QuadroTM series
Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4
NvidiaŽ Geforce series (GeForce2 and better)
GeForce2
GeForce3, 3 Ti
GeForce4, 4Ti, MX 420, 440
GeForce FX 5200, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950
GeForce 6600, 6800
IntelŽ Extreme Graphics (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)
82845, 82865, 82915"
My game runs smoothly with these options:
- Intel 4, Windows XP Professional
- 2 GB RAM
- 800 MHz processor
- 47 GB free disk space
- Radeon X800
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