Insimenator.org

Is Your Computer Compatible With Sims 3

You can now visit  System Requirements Lab (http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest) and run a compatibility test on your PC to see if your PC can play The Sims 3. 

(http://i42.tinypic.com/11m3jmq.jpg)

Here are my results.  My main failure is that I have XP Service Pack 3.  Even though I pass, it passes we low for some reason.

(http://i39.tinypic.com/2qd9ahj.jpg)

Test yours now!
http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest (http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest)

Service pack 2 is a software requirement, service pack 3 exceeds that. It's usually the cpu. speed that's the killer. Ram or graphics card size matter little if the cpu. is to small.

I don't fail it, it just doesn't pass me high on the fact I have Service Pack 3.

Mines at the exact same place as yours on the performance graph thing missaaliyah

mine passes yay!!!



 
 
   
The Sims 3
System Requirements Lab Analysis
Congratulations, your computer exceeds the minimum specification required to run this game.
   
   
   
   
      
 
        
   CPU
Minimum: (XP) 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent; (Vista) 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent [If built-in graphics chipsets then 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent.]
You Have: 2 processors running - Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20GHz
      PASS   
   CPU Speed
Minimum: 2 GHz
You Have: 3.20 GHz Performance Rated at 4.80 GHz
      PASS   
   System RAM
Minimum: (XP) 1 GB RAM; (Vista) 1.5 GB RAM [If built-in graphics then add 0.5 GB additional RAM]
You Have: 2.0 GB
      PASS   
   Operating System
Minimum: Windows XP (Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
You Have: Microsoft Windows XP Professional (Build Service Pack 22600)
      PASS   
   Video Card
Minimum: 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0 (NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900 or above / ATI Radeon 9500 or above / Intel GMA 3-series or above)
You Have: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT (GeForce 8600 GT)
      PASS   
   Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card
   
   Video RAM: Required - 128 MB , You have - 512 MB
   Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
   Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 2.0 , You have - 3.0
   
   Video Card Driver Version (DirectX)
Your driver version number is: 6.14.11.5822
       FYI: Your video card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper video card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product.   
   Sound Card
Minimum: Yes
You Have: Realtek HD Audio rear output
       PASS   
   Sound Card Driver Version
Your driver version number is: 5.10
       FYI: Your sound card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper sound card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product.   
   Free Disk Space
Minimum: 6.1 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB of additional space for custom content and saved games
You Have: 96.0 GB
      PASS   
        
   
 
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I did the test and didn't pass! :-[ :-[ Something about having only 2.0 GHz which is not enough! Is there any way to get more GHz? I don't want to have too replace my laptop it's brand new only 4 months old and it runs the sims 2 and all its exspansions and stuff packs with no problem!

That 2.0 ghz is your cpu. and no, it's not an easy fix, depending on your mother board you may be able to install a larger cpu. However because you have a laptop this is something only a technician should do.

Hello and thank you for posting this i did the test and my pc pass the test so i will be able to play the sims3 1hugs 1heart 1goodjob 1tea

I've been going through all these minimum system requirements in various forums that a lot of people are just meeting.
This test omits one very important factor and that is one that is very often overlooked. The size of the monitor.
19" running at 1024x768, OK. There is no reference to the amount of resources that the graphics card has to allocate to let's say a 24" or larger monitor.
I run a 24" using a px9800 gtx+  and just get by by running 1600x900 resolution any higher and I need to consider either a faster card or a dual set up. Yep that's correct, dual graphics cards, one for the game and one to run the monitor. That is the reality of modern gaming. A lot of people install these things after reading the blurb on these minimum requirements only to shake their heads in disbelieve when their new game chugs along at about 3 frames a second not realising it's their new 24" wide screen monitor that's sucking up all the power.
These online test must have some means of testing your graphics card in relation to the size and resolution of the pcs monitor otherwise they're worthless.

How do we know the test is 100% accurate?

It said my comp couldn't run the Kitchen and Bath stuff but my computer when I installed it and played the game did just fine so I don't think it's entirely accurate.

Exactly Zggs! I ran that test to see if I could run Freetime and even BV and it told me I failed! well I was damn determined not to waste my money so I installed FT and BV and AL which it also came back negative and all 3 run just fine so I am not trusting that site, sorry...

Good I'm not the only one.  My family doesn't have the money to get my a new laptop and I already preordered the game.  My laptop is only about 2 years old but it's been refurbished since the motherboard went out once (and Gateway fixed it for free HaHa)

I think that site is to tell you how well the game will run with its maximum requirements but I am very stubborn and won't listen or do what most tell me until I know for myself that it won't work lol! so that is the reason I decided to spend the other 70$ on the 3 EP's it assured me I couldn't run..so heres hoping that me and you Zggs and any other simmer can run the game without hassles ;)

I really really hope so or there will be hell and swear words...plus my mom would probably hate it if it didn't work.

I have a pretty good feeling that my computer can run it, if I uninstall maybe 3-4 EP's and the SP's I have just so I know it will run smoothly...and I am going to be pissed if I buy it and it doesn't run and Wal-Mart won't give me a refund :mad:...so heres hoping lol!

^ If it doesn't work and you can't get a refund, you could always sell it on ebay!  ;D I'm sure someone there would buy it!

in my case, i did the test on a machene running Windows 7 RC (build 7100) and it told me it failed. and Windows 7 is the next version of Windows (after Vista). they will have to update their datalists before windows 7(retail) come out in the fall.

Ooo...I got it from Wal-Mart too!  I uninstalled everything Sims 2 and unnecassry things to make sure that Sims 3 will run.  And thanks for all the info Chaavik!

uh im so happy now mine passed! i went through heck trying to see if mine was capable of running it. best buy tried getting me to buy a 4 gb ram or somthing crazy like that when my laptop is an alienware!! thank you so much 4 posting this!

Thank you Chaavik for posting that helpful information! I will do as you suggested but I fear even if I un-install all my TS2 games that my computer STILL won't be able to run the game as all the memory is stored in the harddrive :'( and there is no way I am going to risk messing up my system trying to install RAM because I am a n00b when it comes to something like that and knowing me I will most defiantly FAIL lol...but maybe if I do un-install my games my computer will run the game...I'm going to be really upset if I un-install all my games and it still won't run

If you know a relative or a friend who's a computer whiz, they might upgrade the machine for you. I do know that Best Buy will install the upgrades for free if you buy memory sticks at their store. Or maybe they used to, but they shouldn't charge much for a memory stick upgrade. If you're lucky to have CompUSA in your area, you can get it done for free if you buy a memory stick that your machine can handle.

You can also buy a USB (external) hard drive and hook it up to act as a backup for your machine and to provide extra space you need for virtual memory or paging file system however your Windows version use.

...So basically, un-installing un-used programs won't free up RAM right? :-\

No... Uninstalling old programs you don't use anymore frees up the space on your hard drive. Your machine uses some space on the hard drive for its own virtual memory or paging file system to run efficiently. The more space you have on your hard drive, the more efficient the machine will be in using the memory to run a program better.

You don't have to uninstall. It's a suggestion to improve the performance of your computer and to squeeze every bit of free memory out of the hard drive, video card and memory.

So I am wasting my time uninstalling my Sims2 games that I know will go unplayed until the intial novelty of the new game wears off for me right? well I don't know I still really want to get the game but I am going to be super p-o'd if I get it home and install it and find it doesn't run..I just seriously don't trust that site and am more than likely going to buy it anyway and if I find it doesn't run I'll probably break down and buy additonal RAM for my computer but I am just really hoping that it will run when I do get to get it

Not really a waste of time uninstalling what you don't use anymore, but most importantly, you need to know your computer's specs to know what to look for when you look at the game:

RAM
CPU - Examples are Pentium (P4), AMD (Semptron, Athlon, etc.) and its speed
Video Card
Hard Drive space
DirectX 9.0 (at least)
Windows XP SP3 or the latest patched version of Vista


If you're in doubt, wait around first and hear what people has to say about the game first. Find out if they have similar computers to yours and get their opinions before you plunk down $50 to $80 USD for Sims 3.

You will need ram and lots of it, plus a decent graphics card and cpu. These min. specs may be ok. for the base game if toned down but once you start to import CC. it will be a different ball game.
No you wont you say, of course you will. Why do you think the characters are so pig ugly and clothes so bland? You will find when the game is released there will hundreds of downloads available at the sims store, all miraculously created that day.
Once you you start to download their CC. free or VIP. you can throw these granny computer specs out the door.

Well, on the system requirements test my computer passed over the minimum mark on all of them except for the RAM part, which worries me..because to hear the test say it my computer has only 446MB of RAM installed which could be a problem for the game as it has to have a Gigabyte of memory just to install?! :eek: and as for harddrive memory I have 665 GB of memory so the marks on that section were all the way to the fullest on the scale from low to high/minimum to maximum so I am just really torn on what to do..I talked to my boyfriend today and he told me he doesn't see why if I un-install my TS2 games that the 3rd one won't run after having that much space freed up, so I think I'm going to go for it and if it doesn't run then I'll buy additional RAM as my last resort for running the game

You need ram. random access memory. it comes in sticks and is the easiest thing to install as far as hardware goes, you should have at least 2 gig. but you could probably get by with 1 gig.
Your hard drive allocates memory as required and as explained by Chaavic. Depending on how many applications you have running in the background, your pc. will begin to slow down as windows searches for more memory on the hard drive if you don't have enough ram. Windows accessing the hard drive for more memory is not ideal and will eventually lead to hard drive failure.
I'm afraid there are no software short cuts for inadequate hardware.

Keep in mind that some people are not computer savvy and may not know what some of the software terms or even hardware terms meant.

Keep it simple:

Make sure you have plenty of RAM and hard drive space on your machine to run the basic programs like Sims 3. It is a guarantee that the game will hog your memory and hard drive space. 1 GB DDR/DDR2/DDR3 memory sticks aren't expensive. They run around $40 to $120 depending on the brand names. Around this time of the year, there aren't many sales on hardware parts for the computers. They usually have them later in the summer or early fall when companies roll out new stuff in time for Christmas.

Well, I've thought about it and I have come to a very hard decision and it is this I am going to buy the game the day it releases but I am going to have to stick it back and not look at it for almost a month until I can get some RAM because theres no way I am going to mess my system up by not having enough available memory :'( its going to hurt but I'll most certaintly have to wait atleast a month to get more RAM after paying nearly 60$ for the game I just really won't have the money to buy RAM and the game all in the same month...

I passed on everything except video ram? I have 96 mb instead of 128. does this really matter? i got a nice green tick for everything else.

Thanks, I had no idea there was such a site.

Haha I ran it and it's telling me I have active X and Java problems. :) Typical.

I failed because my CPU is too low. So, when I play the game, it is likely to shut off when it gets too hot. I have a question, if I install the game, will it still use my CPU when it is not in use? I guess I'm trying to say, will it slow down my computer and Internet?

CPU Speed, is what you failed on LVishere? I would think that the game would probably use this aspect to make the game run faster on higher settings, but someone told me that RAM would make the game go faster which I failed on because I only have 448 MB :p so I am not so sure maybe someone else could answer this for you. I passed on the CPU speed with flying colors I only had one notch before maxing out the quota so I think I am good on that part ;)

Ha! I passed on everything, and passed high. I didn't think that would happen. Now if I for some crazy reason want Sims 3, I can have it.

Good for you Naria 1goodjob

The more ram you have the more information can be stored on that ram for immediate use. If you have insufficient ram. the program will use your hard drive to store and use the information it requires to run the program.
It is a slow process and will lead to significant frame rate drop and serious lag not to mention short hard drive life.
If a program constantly needs to access the hard drive this is evident by the red light near the power button either constantly flashing or staying on.

I have Xp SP3 and it runs just fine so I wouldn't base your purchase decision solely on that.   I never uninstalled TS2 either.

Your pc. will run as per normal when not running the game, That's providing your pc, can actually run the game. Take care because you stand a chance of frying your cpu. if you push it beyond it's limits for to long, Some pcs will shut down when overheating, some wont.
Your safest bet would be to put the game away somewhere and wait until you can afford a faster computer.

I have what I hope is a simple question. I just bought a brand new gaming laptop in preparation for TS3. My question is can I run TS2 and the TS3 and not have any conflicts or memory problems. I must state that I only installed the base game, pets and mansions & gardens (left all the others off) and have only downloaded a few necessary hacks like the InSim. Will I be able to run both?

Thanks in advance!

If you still have the required free disc space then I see no reason why not.

And as long as you're not trying to run both at the same time ;)

HaHa, as computer illiterate I am - even I know not to do that. Thanks for answering my question.

I am using an old computer a 2004 compaq with  intergrated 64mb video card xp service pk 2 and I had to download swiftshader and it works on my computer. Its very slow but I can live with it. I'm just saying maybe you shouldn't rely on the test, and just get it and see what happens. you can always surf the net and find something that would make it work. I know my new computer has a intergrated vd card 6150se and it will work as well its actually at the computer tech right now and if its working on this old piece of crap then it will most def work on my newer one.

How do you get the edges to appear better? The quality of my Sims 2 game is emasculate, but the edges of the sims and objects can look imperfect sometimes.

*Moderation Note:  Double post merged.  Don't forget, if you have something to add, please use the "Modify" option in the upper right-hand corner of your post instead of double posting.  Thanks!*


I think the game will run faster with ram, which I have. My CPU speed is under the radar, though. But I think it has a lot to do with the ram. I couldn't even play The Sims 2 on my old desktop because of lack of ram. When I put it on my current laptop, it breezed like spring wind. You should get the game because "run it" is not accurate for the most part. My question is still grasping for an answer guys.

Truth is, all components play a major role with games like that. Noone knows how it's coded, but you probably need a solid CPU, a good video card and Ram. Ram alone won't buy you anything, since it only allows more operations to be calculated without using the hard drive (which is much slower as has been said). Without knowing the actual game, I would say the standard is GPU power/CPU power and a fast hard drive.

And keep in mind, that a 32 bit system is only able to adress 3 Gigs of Ram. If you want more, you have to have a 64 bit system.

I passed in everything but CPU speed. I don't need more ram. My point was that, you can run the game without any real problems. Thanks, though.

I think business at computer repair shops will be picking up early to mid June.

I passed, easily. Not that I had any doubt.  ;D The main reason I checked was to see the shader model requirement. I am surprised it is only 2.0 . I had figured it to be 3.0 at least. That way the Dx 9.xx cards would work. Good luck to all. I will be waiting to hear reviews before buying. Oh, reviews from the real world players, not a game sales business. 

I didn't pass  :mad: I failed on free disk space and got the info sign for Sound Card Driver Version and Video Card Driver Version. Anyways i can sort that out and be able to play sims 3? I'm really bad with computer stuff  :confused:

Disk space might be the least of any worries and easy (cheap) to remedy. If you're so bad with computer stuff, you should probably try and find someone who's good at that stuff and ask them to help you. Drivers are really important, so they should help you figure out which drivers you need and download them with you. And have a look at your hard disk(s).

Disk space is very easy to pass on, all one would have to do was to either defragment their harddrive and or delete un-nessecary programs or applications. I barely have any programs on my computer but my TS2 games, and even those I have eliminated until I get bored with TS3. I think SRL said you would need only 6 GB of freespace and one additional GB for downloads and saved games to run the game. I have 70.6 GB on mine since I deleted a bunch of s--t I don't use anymore, maybe you should check into it :p

Please don't give anybody advice to delete stuff on their computer, when they admit to have no clue - that's how they're likely to do harm to the system. And if the hd is too small, deleting stuff doesn't help anyway (defragmenting doesn't give more space either). Sometimes asking somebody else for help is the smart thing to do. ;)
I'd help in a heartbeat, if I weren't too far away.

I sorted the disk space out and passed woop woop   ;D  ;D

Hmmmm, I rest my case. ;)

 
     Congratulations

I'm already playing the game. The graphics aren't even worth it. Even on the maxest settings. The game runs an average of 90fps on my system, believe me.

Oh and here's the specs of my custom built rig:

AMD Phenom X4 Black Edition 64bit
4 GB RAM
Dual ATI Radeon HD4870 512MB
1TB HDD space, using just one HD

 :( I need a better video card (as i suspected)

My pc passed with flying colours!  :) The sad news, the power supply just blew and I'm waiting for the new one to arrive (Sim withdrawal! :eek:).

I'm not even going to try my laptop. I can't even run sims 2 on that thing.

Moved to the appropriate section so people can find out easily if their PC passed or not with the test for Sims 3 compatibility.

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! It says this computer passes! I didn't know that! After lunch my fiance has said we can go out and buy it!!!!! *spazzes*

Thank you so much for posting this!

I failed that test, but thus far Sims 3 works perfectly fine. No problems at all.

Oh boy I failed the test. Doe's that mean I shouldn't be playing right now on my computer. oh well I quese I can buy one of there computers they recomend. I don't trust them sites at all.

The CanYouRunIt site is very in-accurate, and anyone that goes by that test on grounds to run a game is an idiot. ;)

Are you implying what I am thinking you meant?

Nobody's an idiot for running their PC against a test. It is basically a test to give the player a rough idea what areas they can focus on improving. Sure, the site isn't accurate, but it does give the player an idea what they could do to improve their machines to play Sims 3 with minimum issues.

Considering that the site goes on what the developers of the games themselves set as minimum/recommended, I actually wonder who's really the "idiots" that are inaccurate:  The ones helping you check it, or the ones that gave them the suggested min-max in the first place... :P

Besides, no one should be put down for at least trying to get some idea of how their machine might work for a game.  Admittedly, I've used the site in the past to see if I could run Sims 2 on my old PC and laptop.  Both didn't pass, but I was able to almost fry my integrated 64 MB VIA/S3G UniChrome IGP chips into oblivion each time I started the game up just to play with crap graphics.  (Hey, even the downloadable version of Bodyshop told me my computer and laptop was crap, but once I installed the base game on both, guess what I was using half the time with no issues?) 

So in saying that, the site doesn't tell you that it won't work, it tells you if your machine is capable of actually giving you smoother gameplay.  Nothing inaccurate about that (other than the title of the page), right?

Weird... I went and looked to see if I was compatible and it was a BIG no no, I basically have a computer that two years ago, my dad was nice enough to totally rip apart and put together two computers into one awesome computer, of that time at least... but it was still a windows 2000, now I've just installed XP into my system... So i was worried about sims 3 cause we can't really afford a whole new computer.
So basically... I checked sims 3, HUGE no, then i tried sims 2... and it sais no I can't run that either but it runs just fine.

 3yay
To any one with a graphics compatibility question - I did this test with heaps of new games (may 2010)  and it keeps saying minimum pass and I need a new video card for recommend, but that is not always the case. TS3, WA, HELS and AM all require min Intel GMA chip set series 3 or 4.

I have series 4 with no graphics card at all and TS3 on medium settings it works great (frames per second from 15 to 30). Always check the fine print of your games requirements rather than wasting money on new parts you don't need just yet.

If your not clear on what your system is try Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit, it displays more info that the average user needs to ever know, mostly in plain English. http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html

My PC (basic low end Jan 2010):
Core Quad 2.6ghz
2gb ram
Intel GMA series 4 (4500)
500gb hdd.
I also have a p4 1.8ghz (Nov 2005), but is does need a major upgrade.

Blah, I failed. Not that I'd want Sims 3, anyway. :P

my computer died on me and im trying to find another refburished one for around 150 with everything as mim not very rich where can I find one? can someone help me find a good on ebay UK? I dont know what im looking for and ive been ripped off twice now by local computer shops. :'(

I passed on my laptop on everything but when I play it it will let me create my sims place houses in the neighborhood move sims into house and when I start to play them it freezes up can someone help me

I see this thread is old, but here are my results >.<

(http://i45.tinypic.com/2lvd0th.jpg)
lmao.

I know this is a very old thread, but have a question. When you check to see if an EP will run, does it take into account the base game? I pass with flying colors on all the EPs, but I don't know if my computer will handle all of them at once. TIA

I can see no one has responded on this in a very long time, but if someone could help it would be great.
I got theese results from the test:

Sims 3 Base Game
(http://i44.tinypic.com/2lvnw9t.png)

Didnt get this very big, I dont know why..

Sims 3 Island Paradise
(http://i42.tinypic.com/fdhvg7.png)


I get good results on the Sims 3 Island Paradise, but not the base. I guess it is because I have Windows 8. (and if its not, please tell me :) )

My problem is:
The loading screen takes up to 5-10 minutes.
And from I open a world, to I can actually play a family, it can take.. 40-50 minutes, even though I dont make a whole new one.
(This is when its modded, and not modded.. no big difference)

I really want to play Sims, but not if its gonna lag and stuff all the time.. I asked a lot of "CC makers"/"CC users" and they all say it takes up to 5-10 minutes for them to start to play. even though they have A LOT of CC.

I'm not a big computer geek, so I dont have any idea of what is a good graphic card, processor, etc.
The computer is fine. no virus or anything.

Please help, or I have to wait for Sims 4 to come.

Thaaanks for replies :)

Above it tells you that windows 8 came out after the game so there was no official info on it, which is why you have gotten the question mark.

You have good ram/ graphics however it looks like your cpu is holding you back. Your specs are slightly above the minimum required in that area.  Those load times are normal for me (three to five min normal load; up to ten only if I've recently deleted cache files) but that is to the actual game window where play for me is normal (no lag). 
 

You've already have ruled out mods.  The exclamation point in the can-you-run-it report hints that the cpu speed might be an issue so you might look into an upgrade.