Help me upgrade my GF?s PC for The Sims 2

[Script917]

I built my GF a PC for the original sims game.

Here are the specs:

BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M7 Socket 754 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Athlon 64 2800+ (cant find it on newegg anymore)
512mb Corsair Value Select DDR400 Ram.

Right now the Sims 2 Plays like absolute ******, I imagine the bulk of the problem is the NVIDIA 6100 onboard graphics interface, second to that is the ram. (im guessing)

She?s frustrated and wants a whole new system but I don?t think it?s necessary. I was thinking that the A64 2800 is probably enough to run that game perfectly with a little more ram and some video help.

Here is the minimum system specs copied from the official site:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Minimum System Requirements for The Sims 2:

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
Nvidia® QuadroTM series
Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4
Nvidia® 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
Intel® Extreme Graphics (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor) 82845, 82865, 82915


_____________________________________________________________________________


Which one of these video cards will match the A64 2800+ the best? I was thinking of getting her the best video card for her processor and a 1gb ram module for Xmas. That would bring her up to 1.5gb ram and with a good vid card I bet that game will play perfectly.

I know that list of cards is a little outdated, I?m weary of card models that aren?t on the list because I don?t want to risk compatibility issues (I have had trouble with EA in the past) So if you suggest a video card that?s not on the list please specify whether you know it will work with the sims or not so I can look into it.


I am also in the market for a new video card for myself, I have an AGP MB with an A64 3400+ with 1gb value select ram. I was thinking about the new X1950Pro AGP card that?s about to come out. If I did that I could give her my current 9800Pro. What?s the best card I can get before my processor is the bottleneck?

 

[potato28]

7600, maybe a 7900 gs. They aren't on the list, but they do run the game pretty good.

 

[cmrmrc]

get a 7600gt...itll be more than enough for sims 2....sims 2 is extremely cpu dependant...get more ram if you can too...

 

[Noema]

Yeah, second the RAM thing.

Video card is important but not as much as in other more recent games. I used to play with a 9600SE and the game ran quite well at 1024x768.

With that A64, the extra RAM and even a 7600GT (heck, even a 6600GT) the game will fly with all settings maxed at pretty much any resolution.

 

[Script917]

How would a 9800pro stack up? Am I way out of date here?

I was actually trying to figure out how to get the cheapest video card that would max out the processor. (I guess I didn?t communicate that well)

If the game is more so processor dependant than graphics card dependant than is a 7000 series card overkill for an A64 2800?

Do you guys think I can get this game to play well with this processor? Or is it way to slow?

(I?m not a big gamer as you can tell) My girl plays the sims and I play my RC flight simulator and that?s about the only reason we need decent computers. Since im not a connoisseur of the newest bestest thing I usually try to build a suitable system with second-hand slightly outdated parts.

 

[Noema]

The 9800pro is a good card. Vastly superior to the old 9600se I used to play the game with, and it played well on that one.

And the 2800 is fine. I play on a 3200, not that big of a difference. You might get some slight slowdowns in the comunity lots if there's too much going on, but a 2800+ with a 9800pro should be able to handle the game easily.

 

[Machine350]

My $.02. Spend $150 on another 512 mb ram and a 7600gs and she should be good to go.

 

[oddity21]

A 2800+ with a 9800 Pro can handle the game, but not quite easily IMO. Especially when you play with more than 4 sims.

A 7600 series card and some more RAM should do it.

 

[Script917]

As far as ram goes, is there any benefit in speed or syncing that would make me prefer adding another 512mb to the existing 512 stick instead of adding a 1gb stick to the existing 512?

 

[Matt2]

My girlfriend plays this game on my rig in sig and let me tell you...

This could be one of the most poorly coded games EVER (Thanks again EA).

It's painful to watch my GF play this game because she plays at the default resolution with no AA *shudder*... and it still looks like it brings my rig to its knees.

Not only does it look like pure ass, but whenever she scrolls through the game, I can literally see the game stutter.

Sims 2 (and EA) FTL.

 

[coldpower27]

I would suggest getting a 7600 GT/ 7900 GS that should help tremendously with the video.

The CPU requirements start to increase if you leave AI on, if you control each Sim individual and turn AI off, it's alot more bearable, nothing you can do about that in town lots though.

This is one game that would love a Core 2 Duo. ,

The Sims 2 is also very dependent on Hard Drive performance, from what I can tell, so having all the Sims 2 files in one area of the drive will likely help. So make sure to defrag, at least that i my 2 cents on the issue. I love the Sims 2 such a wonderful game.

 

[crucibelle]

I've been trying to decide on an upgrade (for my own computer) for the sims 2, as well. I've been reading around many different Sims 2 forums, and what Matt2 says is correct. It seems no matter how powerful your computer is, the game still lags and stutters, etc. I've also read about some serious compatibility issues with Nvidia cards and Sims 2, but since I haven't tried it myself, I dunno. Gamespot has an article on Sims 2 gameplay (sorry, don't have link handy) and they basically recommended getting the fastest CPU one could afford, 1 gig of ram at the least, and at least a mid-range graphic card. They also mentioned that the game accesses the hard-drive quite a bit, even with 2 gigs of ram installed... so they said a fast hard drive might be a wise investment, as well.

 

[crucibelle]

coldpower,

I was wondering if you could elaborate your statement "this is one game that would love a core 2 duo". Do you think this would be the best processor for Sims 2?

 

[Captante]

My older daughter plays the Sims 2 constantly at 1280x1024 on her 2800+ Athlon XP w/Radeon 9800 Pro & 1gb RAM ... it plays just fine, so your GF's system should be able to do the same with minor upgrades.

Either a 6600GT or 7600GS will be plenty-fast & I also strongly suggest you snag her another 512mb's of RAM.

 

[coldpower27]

Originally posted by: crucibelle
coldpower,

I was wondering if you could elaborate your statement "this is one game that would love a core 2 duo". Do you think this would be the best processor for Sims 2?

Yes, the Intel Core 2 Duo series offers the best gaming performance available if were in a CPU bound situation, ala Sims 2.

 

[coldpower27]

And regarding the RAM requirements, yes the more the better.

 

[tvdang7]

my GF and sister both play it on dell 2400's

2.6 celeron NOT D
512 ram
and onboard what ever the chipset is 8**?

its decent but they both complain of freezing. sometimes.
i dont sit there watch them play tho so yea.

im sure what ever you got is better than their set up. cpu and onboard wise.