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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 10th Dec 2015 at 3:57 AM
Default Help/Recommendations in Understanding TS3 System Requirements & Upgrade
So, I've been doing research for over a week now. YouTube videos and reading threads. I am getting back into playing The Sims and I recently purchased the Sims 3 Starter Pack. I installed everything on my boyfriends desktop and was excited to finally play (haven't played since the original Sims) just to find the graphics looking HORRIBLE.

This is the system info for his computer (please no smart remarks as I barely understand what this all means):
Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (10.0, Build 10240)
System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.
System Model: Studio 540
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66GHz (4 CPUs), ~2.7GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Available OS Memory: 8192MB RAM
Card name: NVIDIA Quadro FX 570
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: Quadro FX 570
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Type: Full Device
Display Memory: 4319 MB
Dedicated Memory: 223 MB
Shared Memory: 4095 MB

So... to see if I'm understanding all this research I have attempted on my own... I'd like to hear back from anyone with any possible help.

The "NVIDIA Quadro FX 570" is no good for running the Sims 3? This needs to be updated? Will "EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti with G-SYNC Support 2GB GDDR5 128bit, Dual-Link, DVI-I, HDMI, DP Graphics Card (02G-P4-3751-KR)" work? There is also a GTX 750Ti FTW option... but I'm not sure what the difference is. Either one is well in our budget though. If anyone has another recommendation, I'd greatly appreciate it. If it could be found on Amazon Prime, even better. We went to Best Buy and (1) they didn't have the "goods ones" available and (2) it seemed like they really didn't know what they were talking about. So it wasn't that much help as we are dummies when it comes to specs.

I did a "scan" to see if our specs and configuration were compatible with Sims 3 and the two things that popped up were the "NVIDIA Quadro FX 570" and the "Windows 10". I know Windows 10 wasn't out when the Sims 3 came out, so... will he have to revert back to Windows 7? Either way, we aren't too concerned if we have to switch back.

Sorry if this is a lot to read... I'm trying to be as specific as possible because I'd love to play Sims again
Respectfully,
Sheena
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Scholar
#2 Old 10th Dec 2015 at 10:42 AM
Don't do "scans" for system requirements, ever. They're nonsense.

Don't use Windows 10 yet. There are still major issues with it.

Any video card with the name "Quadro" or "FirePro" in it are not good for gaming. If you want to play The Sims 3 with halfway decent graphics, you'll have to replace your Quadro.

The 750Ti was okay, and was the minimum I recommended when it came out two years ago. However, you have better options today.

I'd recommend you get a GTX 950 instead. It's a little bit more expensive, but it's a lot more powerful and consume less power. Which country are you buying from?

With all that being said, before you buy your new card, there are a couple of things we should check to make sure everything will work out fine. First of all, what is the brand and model number of your screen? Can you tell me what connectors it has at the back? Can you open up your computer case? Can you look at the power supply and see if there is a sticker on it? If so, can you take a picture of the sticker and post it here? Will you be installing the new video card yourself, or will you be having someone do it for you?

Your CPU is okay-ish. I would not replace it unless you're okay with buying a whole new system.
 
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