First Custom Built Laptop For The Sims 3

[Sharmane]

Hi there i'm looking to configure a laptop that will play The Sims 3 plus all expansions up to Supernatural (and Seasons when it ships!) and all stuff packs up to Diesel on high settings with little or no lag. I have a lot of custom content too and also like playing Mass Effect 1 2 and 3 again on high. Old Sony Vaio dvd drive is dead so its the excuse i need for a new laptop!

Here what i've come up with as i've heard the sims 3 is CPU and GPU hungry game.


Chassis & Display
Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-3610QM (2.30GHz) 6MB
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 660M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
Memory - Hard Disk
500GB SERIAL ATA II 2.5" HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5,400rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Memory Card Reader
Internal 9 in 1 Card Reader (MMC/RSMMC/SD: Mini, XC & HC/MS: Pro & Duo)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® N135 802.11N (150Mbps) + BLUETOOTH
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT AS STANDARD
Battery
Optimus Series 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,200 mAh/76.96WH)
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
NORTON ANTI-VIRUS 2012 - 1 Year Licence for 1 PC (£9) *SPECIAL*
Laptop Cooling Stands
Zalman ZM-NC1500 Ultra-Quiet Laptop Cooler, upto 17.3 inch (£25)
Keyboard Language
INTEGRATED UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Notebook Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Insurance
1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £860.00 including VAT and delivery


Any comments welcome

 

[keynes]

Hi,
I'd suggest at least silver warranty and a Scorpio black as the main drive.

 

[Sharmane]

Hi there thanks for the advice!
Will this change make a difference lag wise?

 

[keynes]

Hi there thanks for the advice!
Will this change make a difference lag wise?

The Scorpio black is faster than the standard hdd you selected, I'd expect an improvement in booting time for windows and loading programmes/applications.

 

[Sharmane]

Thanks! I'll change my spec I hate looong loading times especially the sims
Another thing i meant to ask before my old sonys loading time for the sims 3 was around 30mins from desktop to savegame i know i'm an idiot but will the above setup move faster than that or would you still reccomend a faster main drive? i'm a total noob. . . just fed up of retailed laptops they are hopeless! thanks!

P.S do you know if the selected laptop cooler works well actually on your lap and not a desk only i don't have a desk available.

 

[tom_gr7]

Nice spec dude, yea will play the sims 3 fine,

 

[Wozza63]

Dont even need that for the sims 3, and probably not for the 4th one either if it happens

Sims doesn't even recognize higher end cards when it auto detects for settings so you need to manually put it up, and even on max, my card is probably going at 20% lol