Upgrading Computer Hardware

[Diala]

I am beginning to seriously consider upgrading my computer so that Sims 2 would run better. With the current hardware I have now, the game is a bit slow, takes a while to load, and I don't have those special cutscenes everyone talks about. I am honestly feeling like I am missing out on something. I also heard that Nightlife has raised the requirements. I am already at the bare minimum at this point. I don't want to spend about $30-40 on the EP, and then find out that I can't use it with the computer I have!

For starters, here are my computer stats, at least as far as being important to running Sims 2 is concerned:

Processor: 2.59 GHz Intel Pentium 4 CPU
RAM: 256 MB (I know I need to update this)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 MMX 440 (Gateway) (I know I need to update this too)

What is the best way to upgrade my computer? I don't have a lot of money, so cheap yet effective hardware would be wonderful. I don't play any other computer games (at least, none as extensive as Sims 2 anyway).

[Motoki]

Your CPU is fine but that RAM is really low and your video card is also pretty moldy oldy. If you can afford it, I'd say upgrade them both. Another 256 stick of RAM will bring you to 512 which is at least passable. Also, pretty much any video card released in the last year or so should be better than that one. There are some that are not quite top of the line, but decent, that can be had for under $100.

[Ancient Sim]

Well, your RAM certainly needs updating (I have 512), but your processor is much better than mine.  I have an Athlon 2000+, which is about 1800 mhz, and I have no problems really.  I can have 30+ Sims on a lot (I usually invite around 15-25 to grad parties, depending on how many friends the Sim has, plus all the dormies and other visitors) and not experience any significant slow-down.  More than 25 and the party sometimes develops an error and has to be reset, which means it loses its party status.  Before Uni, I could only play one lot at a time without restarting (and community lots hardly ever loaded) but now I can play for hours & hours and go from lot to lot no probs, even with several parties in-between.  I don't get cinematics though, because my graphics card is unsupported, but I have everything except shadows on high-setting (the game puts it on low by default) and it doesn't slow anything down.  The only reason shadows are on medium and not high is because they're weird-looking on high.

I meant to get a new graphics card for NL but haven't got around to it.  I will see how the game is when it's installed and get one if I need to.  Trouble is, my son has now gone to a real Uni so won't be here to put it in for me.  My eyesight is so bad (because I am in the MIDDLE-AGE lifespan) I doubt I would even see the slot and I don't fancy walking around with a black face, sooty clothes and my hair all stuck-up everywhere.

[aussieone]

I am beginning to seriously consider upgrading my computer so that Sims 2 would run better. With the current hardware I have now, the game is a bit slow, takes a while to load, and I don't have those special cutscenes everyone talks about. I am honestly feeling like I am missing out on something. I also heard that Nightlife has raised the requirements. I am already at the bare minimum at this point. I don't want to spend about $30-40 on the EP, and then find out that I can't use it with the computer I have!

For starters, here are my computer stats, at least as far as being important to running Sims 2 is concerned:

Processor: 2.59 GHz Intel Pentium 4 CPU
RAM: 256 MB (I know I need to update this)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce4 MMX 440 (Gateway) (I know I need to update this too)

What is the best way to upgrade my computer? I don't have a lot of money, so cheap yet effective hardware would be wonderful. I don't play any other computer games (at least, none as extensive as Sims 2 anyway).

Diala,

My computer specs were exactly the same as yours before I upgraded.
Now I have 1 gig RAM
Nvidia GeForce 5800 Graphics card.

To buy the lot cost me $350.00 AU and that was for the PC guy to install them for me as well. (I'm not good with all of that technical Stuff!) I realised that in order to play Nightlife, I needed a reasonable upgrading, so hopefully this'll do it for me!

So I'm thinking if you can do the installation yourself and you live aywhere else in the world (except maybe New Zealand! LOL) then it shouldn't cost you any where near what I paid

[aussieone]

 My eyesight is so bad (because I am in the MIDDLE-AGE lifespan) I doubt I would even see the slot and I don't fancy walking around with a black face, sooty clothes and my hair all stuck-up everywhere.

  lol
Amen to that Ancient Sim

[Motoki]

A good place to look for info on computer parts is http://www.newegg.com . They're a really good online retailer for computer parts (if you will be installing the upgrades yourself or have someone to do it for you). They ship fast and have never given me a hassle for a return and are consistantly rated high on resellerratings.com. Even if you don't intend to buy from them, it's a good place to browse as there are lots of user reviews that you can read.

One thing you might want to do is search all video cards up to a certain max price and then sort by best rating. What I've done here is sort by best rating for all video cards with a max price of $100

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?submit=PROPERTY&SubCategory=48&maxprice=100&bop=and&Order=rating

Of course, you can set whatever price you want.

Another thing to look for is make sure any video card you get supports DirectX 9. Anything that supports Directx 8 or below is likely old or a stripped down 'value' card and best avoided.

[Diala]

Thank you, all of you. At least I have an idea on what I should look for. I am sure I know how to install RAM easily, but what about graphics card? What should I look for, and how do I know that the graphics card I want is compatible with my computer?

[witch]

I have an Athlon 2000+, which is about 1800 mhz, and I have no problems really.

This is the chip I have also, the Athlon 2000 series actually benchmarks performance-wise at around 3 Gigahertz - or 3000 Mhtz.
AMD ROCKS!!!
Your PC chip is most probably a better performer than Diala's.

Diala, there's another thread about video cards here, Gali listed the minimum requirements for the sims2, she included all the supported video cards, you might want to hunt for that list.

I have a GeForce 5700 with 256Mb RAM, I still can't run sims2 with full anti-aliasing turned on. I've also had problems with recent nVidia drivers and the sims game. My driver is about 3 versions old as the most recent driver trashes the sims and the 2nd to recent trashes my system. It would pay to read around as Motoki suggests.

[gali]

I have an Athlon 2000+, which is about 1800 mhz, and I have no problems really.

This is the chip I have also, the Athlon 2000 series actually benchmarks performance-wise at around 3 Gigahertz - or 3000 Mhtz.
AMD ROCKS!!!
Your PC chip is most probably a better performer than Diala's.

Diala, there's another thread about video cards here, Gali listed the minimum requirements for the sims2, she included all the supported video cards, you might want to hunt for that list.

I have a GeForce 5700 with 256Mb RAM, I still can't run sims2 with full anti-aliasing turned on. I've also had problems with recent nVidia drivers and the sims game. My driver is about 3 versions old as the most recent driver trashes the sims and the 2nd to recent trashes my system. It would pay to read around as Motoki suggests.

The minimum requirements, as given  at the Exchange, are written in Vergali thread, "which is the best system to play".

http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php?topic=556.0

[Zeljka]

Can I jump in for help too? Please-please?

CPU and Ram are ok for now (2.8AMD, 1G Ram) but I have a Radeon 9200 with latest drivers. It's ok on medium settings, but resets and crashes on Aspiration objects at night (even with no lights on)
It may sound peculiar, but I don't know anything about videocards except how to install them. Which is better for the game? Radeon? GeForce? I don't mind paying a bit for something that will last me a while, but I will be leaving myself open to a scamming if I walk into a store and tell them I have a couple hundred bucks to spend on a videocard that will make my Sims2 game look awesome.(I've looked at EA's requirements, but as they change, I'd prefer to be proactive)

Diala, sorry for jumping in your thread, but it seems it would have been worse to post my own thread asking the same thing.

[gali]

Zel, I think the Radeon card is the best.

As I don't have the knowledge to change video cards (or anything else), I always call a technician.

When he brought the Radeon X800, he said that his hands are "trembling", because it's the latest and the best card he puts in a computer.... I asked about the Nvidia, and he said that the Radeon is far more better.

I only bring his opinion - I haven't the slightest idea if he is right. But he is my technician quite a long time, and very honest fellow - strives to get the best results from the computer, and charges very small profit. He is addicted to the profession....

[Diala]

Zeljka, don't worry about it. ^^ This thread is about hardware upgrades in general, not about my outdated computer.

Here's another dumb question: If I were to, say, get a Radeon card instead of a Nvidia, can it still be installed into the computer? The reason why I ask is because I heard somewhere that it is easier to install in Nvidia if your computer already has one than it is to install a Radeon. I could be wrong.

[gali]

No, you have to choose between Nvidia and Radeon. I gave my technician the Nvidia I had, to throw it to the trash....

[Diala]

Yeah, I know that only one type of Graphics Card can be used, and if I were to get a Radeon, I would most definately get rid of the Nvidia that I have. Hell, if I get a new Nvidia, I'd get rid of the one I currently have. I am just saying that would there be any sort of problems, just pulling out the current card and putting the Radeon in. Looking at the pictures of graphic cards, it seems that you just slide them into the back of the tower. Is it as simple as that, or is there some sort of huge complicated system that I have to overcome?

[Zeljka]

Diala - Cool.
As far as Radeon vs. Nvidia, they're just brand names (ATI -Radeon, NVidia-Geforce) of the same sort of hardware, you can replace one with the other.
Changing them didn't seem like a big deal, I just followed the cord from the monitor and replaced that piece of hardware. May sound horrifyingly dumb to people who know what they're doing, but it worked when I did it for my last computer. (of course there are the drivers etc.. but it's as you say-easy enough)

Thanks Gali, that was exactly the sort of thing I was hoping to hear! And anything that makes a passionate computer tech tremble is definately something I'm interested in My first videocard was ATI (recommended by my Autocad teacher) and the only Nvidia card I had self destructed soon after it's first month. Though I realize flaws are random, I've stuck with ATI since.

[witch]

OK, I'd have to say I'm an nvidia fan because as far as I understand, it is supported by more games. Also my motherboard is an nvidia chipset which for me gave greater compatibility. I've had no problems with the card itself, good performance, but a couple of problems with drivers - don't know if that's anything to do with a 64 bit chip mind you.

You will have to look and see what your type of slot is, there's a link I made in an earlier thread here about a similar problem. Bissela on MikeInside forums showed pictures and had explanations of all the different types of slots. There are heaps of pictorial tutorials on the net about installing cards.

[Renatus]

Diala, whoever told you that you that if you had a Radeon you couldn't have an Nvidia card or vice versa was talking out of their bum, or got the brand names confused with AGP and PCI, the types of slots video cards and suchlike can go into. In addition to  looking, if your computer was prebuilt when you bought it (Dell, HP, and the like, something you buy that has been made in a factory rather than assembled individually by a technician), you can look up the model number on the manufacturer's website and it will probably give you the stats for it.

[witch]

Bissela's pics for video card slots Try the 10th post down, don't know how to link exactly.

Bissela is at Uni learning to be a computer assembler amongst other things & is very knowledgeable.

[aussieone]

Welcome Deedee.....
nice to see you here and thanks for the info 

[Motoki]

Well first off, no video card brand is more compatible than the other. Thanks to Microsoft they've standardized 3D on PCs in the form of DirectX so as long as you get a card that supports the latest version of DirectX (that currently being version 9), you'll have no problems with a game not being supported by the card. There's another 3D standard called OpenGL, but all ATI and Nvidia cards as well as pretty much every 3D card I've ever come across support this.

The only real thing you want to look out for is what type of slot the card uses and if it's the same type as your motherboard's video card slot. There's only 3 types really, PCI, AGP and PCI-Express aka PCI-E. In most cases you'll want AGP as this is the most common expansion slot currently used for video cards. Some really new motherboards support PCI-E, but if you haven't bought your computer in the last 6 months or so then yours most likely does not. Almost all motheroard support the regular PCI slot and have several of them (these are generic slots used not just for video cards but any type of expansion card), but the AGP slot is faster and most video cards from the last few years do not support PCI.

I'm 99% sure your computer uses the AGP slot but check your motherboard manual if you have it to be sure.

As for how easy or hard it is to install, if you are comfortable installing a stick of RAM yourself then installing the video card should be no problem for you because it's about easy. Neither is difficult, but I know a lot of people freak out about opening a computer, sounds like that doesn't worry you though so that's good. Make sure you check the return policy of the store you buy from if you are installing yourself. Most times if the card or RAM stick is a lemon you will know right away. It does happen sometimes and also with so many different pieces of hardware interacting there can sometimes be incompatibilities as Deedee noted.

Installing an ATI after Nvidia or vice versa should be no problem, in fact, I used to run an ATI video card on an Nvidia motherboard for several years and it ran fine.

Another word of advice on ATI and Nividia is that it's rather like PCs and Macs in that there are rabid fans on both sides of the fence that love one company and hate the other. In reality, ATI and Nvidia cards are fairly comparable. It's more important that you have a recent video card that supports recent innovations in 3D and has a decent amount of video memory (I wouldn't go for less than 128MB of video RAM if you can help it) than which company you go with. Speaking purely from personal experience, the last few cards I have had were from the ATI Radeon series and they've worked great for me including TS2, but I know people that have had great experience with Nvidia cards as well.

[Lerf]

My question.   

According to "My Computer"  I have a NVIDIA GEForce4 MX4000 .  I have just updated to 1 Gig of RAM, and I've got an AMD Athelon 2500+ 1.84 GHZ.   

So, why can't I get the special events camera?   Is it my video card?   I don't see it listed as supported, but there are number of other GEForce MX4###'s listed, just not the 4000.

Thanks

[Motoki]

Yes that would be the video card, it's rather old in terms of video cards (with old being a few years for video cards ).

[DrBeast]

Well, you need RAM. Yesterday! Yes, THAT urgent! From what you've said you're not very comfortable with computers, right? In that case, I'd recommend getting a technician to do the dirty work. There's no rocket science involved in getting and installing new hardware, but there are a few pitfalls: first of all, you'd better get the same RAM as the one you are using with regards to frequency and latency times (if it's the same brand, even better), and finding out these two values on the RAM you have requires some assistance which I can't give right now, sorry. Then, the graphics card. I've been using both ATIs and nVIDIA cards, and I must admit I was a hardcore nVIDIA fan until they released the 5x00 series and ATI their 9x00 series. I chose a GeForce FX5200 to replace my aging GeForce 2. At the same time, my girlfriend got a new computer with slightly better specs than my computer but the RADEON 9200. The difference between her machine and mine were staggering! I wanted to throw mine out the window and hijack hers (well, some time later I moved to her place so I hijacked hers, hehe!). Anyway, as things are right now (as opposed to 2 years ago), I'd go with the GeForce 6800GT. It's in the mid-ranges, both price-wise and regarding performance. Dunno where you're from, but here in Greece this card costs about 180 Euros. Why this and not a cheaper one? Because it will last longer! If you buy a cheaper one you'll HAVE to replace it with a better one within a year or so. This will take you further down the road. As for the graphics card-motherboard incompatibility issue, sometimes upgrading the motherboard BIOS settles the problem. Again, nothing dramatically difficult to do, but better left to a technician if you're inexperienced. Oh, and something I learned the hard way: BEFORE installing the new graphics card, GET RID OF THE OLD ONE'S DRIVERS! When I replaced mine I didn't do it and the computer went nuts! Your processor is fine btw, I've pumped up my g/f's P4 from 2.4 to 2.7GHz and it's great (ah, the Northwood chipsets...).

[Renatus]

To add to what Dr.Beast said - if you do choose to let a technician do the work, you may not want to remove the drivers beforehand, but let the tech know that you haven't. Any tech worth his or her paycheck will know how to handle it.

Also make sure to use a tech that is reputable and works for a place  that gives a warranty for work done, if at all possible; when I was a tech I had a few too many "Well, I took the computer to this guy a friend of mine said is really good with computers, but now it doesn't work at all" folks, who ended up having to pay out the ass for me to repair the damage this 'really good with computers' person did. 

[gali]

I always insist that the work will be done at my house. If the technician refuses - I don't hire him.

I have to see what he does and which products he brings with him to my computer: are they in an original box, brand new, etc.

Never send your computer to a lab - insist work at home.