The Sims 3 on a netbook

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Hmm... will it run?

After writing on The Sims, I felt that it was important to test out the latest iteration too – The Sims 3. The game was designed for 2009 computers, and as a result was extremely challenging to get it to run on a netbook… after all, a netbook is a like a mid-range PC of 2002. However, there is a modicum of chance, since the minimum specs are…

• 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
• 1.5 GB additional RAM
• Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 3-Series or above
• The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
• At least 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games

Ouch? With the stock HP Mini 110-3500 that I’m on, it seems to fall a bit short of the requirements – 1.50Ghz dual-core Atom, 1Gb RAM. This doesn’t bode well. Although Youtube suggests that people have been able to get the game to run well on a single-core N450.

Tweaks

In order to get The Sims 3 to run, you will need to enable custom resolutions that allow you to get resolutions higher than 1024×600. Follow this guide to do so, assuming you are using an Intel GMA chip, then set your resolution to 1024×768. With that, you can start up The Sims 3 and configure it to run in windowed mode at a lower resolution.

Some say that you need 2Gb of RAM to play it well. It might be true because I’m on 1Gb and it is just unplayable. 5fps, 1.5 seconds of wait time for a click to respond, and then the most unsightly worlds you’ve ever seen with all the settings at its lowest, and resolution at 640×480. Not good at all.

However, that was during the first run of the game. After I exited and tried again, with the help of Gamebooster, I seemed to be able to get the game to run moderately. While FPS ranged from 8 – 12 fps, it was still quite playable, since this game doesn’t require quick wits. However, it’s still gonna be hard on your eyes as the texture detail really suffers at the lowest settings.

In the end, this game is somewhat playable, though you’d have to prepare for some slowdowns, long load times and ugly graphics. It gets worse as you have more and more objects or head into the city with a lot of other Sims around, but hey, you’re playing a 2009 game!

Like

The best iteration of The Sims – thorough, involving and varied

Extremely addictive

Dislike

Struggling graphics – low-res, low texture detail, low FPS

Painfully long load times

Verdict

If you found The Sims too basic, and The Sims 2 a bit too halfway, then you could try your luck with The Sims 3. It is playable, though barely, given that the graphics is just not up to par, and what’s worse is the load times, and frame rates. Much of what irks me has to do with the performance related to the netbook rather than the gameplay.

Gameplay: Great!

Graphics: Barely (5 – 15fps)

Work needed to get game to play: Moderate (15 minute)

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