Is anyone currently able to run the sims 3 pets with an Intel HD 4000 chip? If so how are you able to? Mine won't run and I need help. Thank you for any help.

Specs:
Intel Core i7 processor
8 GB Ram
Intel HD 4000
1 TB hard drive

Based on this TS3 Requirements , it looks like your video card isn't supported :-( Mine (GeForce9400M) isn't listed, but the GeForce 9400 GT is, and it says no and maybe across the board as well. Ugh!

Thankfully I am able to play the Pets, but I am 100% unable to adopt a horse, interact with one, or have one run across the screen without my game freezing. EA should consider these things before releasing a game that is unplayable to so many people.

I agree. Intel says the Intel HD 4000 is able to run games like Skyrim and Mass Effect 3. These games, especially Skyrim, seem like a lot more graphically demanding games than The Sims 3. Skyrim is completely open world while Sims 3 is just a neighborhood. Also the graphics in Skyrim are a lot better and more realistic. Intel HD graphics cards are fairly common and I can't believe they're not supported. It seems like this graphic card should easily run this game

I read somewhere that it has to do with the way they packaged different parts of the game...they used a certain system in TS2 that they didn't use in the TS3, which I believe they used cider for. Sorry I don't have more information but I know that a lot of people are really frustrated over the fact that they can't play a game that they spent a lot of money on, all because EA screwed up the game. Especially for those of us with a macbook pro, we are simply out of luck - the video card is smoldered on to the inside of the computer, meaning it's impossible to switch or upgrade. I've heard that the newest macbook has even more parts smoldered/welded on , and that it's the least fixable/upgradable out of any of their computers.

I have a similar quality Intel HD card, and I can run Sims 3 up to and including Showtime with only the occasional graphical glitch (say, once or twice every 50 hours of gameplay).

As a heads up, though, Intel is generally NOT a good gaming card. It's a perfectly good choice in graphics cards...they just have zero interest as a company in handing gaming systems. It's not what it's meant for.

ThePaulrus94: My card can power through Skyrim without even a hint of a problem and yet it's still temperamental with the Sims. There's something about Pets that's deceptively hard on video cards. I blame EA. Not for any particular reason, I just generally blame EA.

If it helps, I found that reflections, shadows, and high detail lots were the three settings I needed to keep particularly low. I keep the first two as low as possible and highdetail lots at 2.

Thank you. Yea I have a laptop too so I don't have the option of getting a new video card. I also agree that they screwed up the game. There is no reason that this card shouldn't be able to run Sims 3 when it can run games like Skyrim even if it isn't the best card. And Zokugai, I have tried playing just sims and uninstalling pets but it will still freeze about ten minutes into create a sim. I suppose I could turn reflections completely, including shadows, but it probably won't help.

Yeah, cracking open a laptop to replace the video card isn't really an option. That's the same problem I have here.

Create A Sim, huh? Mine lags horribly as it tries to load the CC, but eventually gets its act together once everything's loaded. I assume you're testing it without custom content?

Try this: http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=409829
Basically, when you install an EP and go to update it, the EA Launcher is stupid and only patches the basegame and the new EP, not any of the ones in between. Over time, this means those EPs become horribly out of date.

When I first installed Pets and it crashed to the desktop every ten minutes, it turned out in particular Late Night desperately needed patching. Once I did that, I seem to recall the problems stopping almost immediately. Granted, I was having crashes, not freezes, but...

EDIT: By the way, if I'm misreading and you're actually having crashes, the creator of that program also has a Crash Log Analyzer uploaded to MTS.

Odd, I have much worse integrated graphics than you with only 2gb of ram, and can play TS3 on full settings with only a bit of lag, but no freezing. I can't play large families/ houses, though.

I'm not sure why it doesn't work. And Zokugai, I only have one EP and that's Pets. So idk if it's the patch thing that's wrong. Maybe it is, what do you think?

Sorry, but a lot of people already are disappointed with the graphics of Sims 3 because they had to water it down so that video cards could handle it. If you want to play games, it is essential you get a discrete graphics card, I'm always surprised when people with desktop i7's go with a crappy graphics card or integrated graphics. It's like installing a 600HP engine on a Ford Fiesta or Chevy Malibu.

Intel claims a lot of things and maybe the HD4000 can play Skyrim on 1280 monitor with minimum details, then again people have complained how crappy Skyrim looks compared to console versions and what computers are capable of.

I don't think anyone who is complaining understands just how horrible the Intel HD4000 is. Tom's Hardware, a pretty good hardware site, has hierarchies of video cards and recommendations on cards at each price point. The Intel HD4000 is so bad that it is in the same tier as a graphics card I had 5 years ago. Even the weakest discrete card sold today is several times more powerful. If you want to look at how the HD4000 compares, you can go to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...iew,3107-7.html but make sure to scroll down.

It's just unreasonable to expect a company to water down their graphics so that those with integrated graphics can play. The Intel HD4000 was never meant to play games, it was meant to view video and play DVDs.

Haha that is very true azxcvbnm321. I know it's not good card or whatever you want to call it. My main concern was getting a good laptop for school. Luckily, I'm still able to play quite a few other games. Sims 3 is one of the few games I've had troubles with since getting my laptop, although I haven't tried a whole lot of games.

If it makes you feel better, I have an AMD Radeon HD4870 and I have to water down Sims 3 to make it playable. Only my Sims are at max settings and it takes a few seconds for everything to render on the lot I'm on. I've had my computer and graphics card for more than 3 years now and it's probably time to get a new computer, but I'm still waiting for prices of the new graphics cards to go down to affordable levels. I'd like to have the HD7870 which is $330 right now, or the yet-to-be released Nvida 660Ti which is rumored to be $295. I'd like to pay $250, which would be the most I've ever paid for a graphics card.

The graphics cards nowadays have more transistors than the CPU (Intel i7)! They are beasts, but for some reason there is a huge gap in price and performance this generation. The HD7770 is $150 and the next card the $HD7850 is around $250. Nvida is even worse, the 640 is below $100 while the next card the 670 is around $400. I got my HD4870 for $199 years ago and it was at a price/performance point that can't be found today.

Yea graphics cards are real expensive but the price does go down after only a short time. Im sure I'll get a desktop once I'm all done with college.

I have Intel too and it works fine. Just a bit laggy but nothing serious.

People complain about how Skyrim looks? Are these people INSANE? Even on the lowest settings, the first time I opened it up, I felt like the first time I got eyeglasses after being nearsighted for years. "What are these little green things on the trees and why can I see so many of them?"


+1 agree, absolutely.

But sometimes replacing the card or computer isn't an option, and that's when the discussion stops being "What should I do to replace this to make it look the way I should?" and starts being "How can I get this game barely functioning enough for me to tolerate without bankrupting myself?"

Haha, couldnt have said it better myself Zokugai.