Anyone know about computers??

[Angie B]

We purchased a new hp Pavillion pc in January this year, from PC World. It has an Intel I5 processor and my daughter play Sims 4 on it without any problems at all. It cost £700 ish without the screen - that was £200 extra but I kept our old screen and that works fine. It comes with a new wireless keyboard and mouse.

I bought the Word 2016 package with it as I use it for work, plus the relevant security, hence the cost. I think base cost was £499 (without the screen).

I hope that helps.

[pinkneon]

Is that a proper PC though, or a laptop? I'd need it to be portable!
Can't really buy anything else just yet though LOL

[Piebald]

Subscribing. I have an upgrade planned and um, Serendipity, I may have some questions for you if you don't mind . . .

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by pinkneon

Well, budget I have no idea about!
On my current laptop I have all the minimum specs needed to run the Sims 4 apart from CPU whatever that it. However, under the recommended specs, I have everything except the CPU and video card. The minimum specs would run it, but the recommended would run it better ... They list both the minimum and recommended on this page : https://help.ea.com/uk/article/the-s...-requirements/

There's a link on that page that we clicked on to see if my current computer can handle it. Once I clicked on that it only had a red cross by the CPU under the minimum settings, and a red cross by the CPU and video card on the recommended settings ...

This is the laptop I had mostly looked at from Argos : Access Denied
They had confirmed it would be ok after I sent the specs ...


*Edit, no idea why it says "access denied" underlined. It does work if you click on it!*

That's a nice looking laptop and a good price. I wouldn't be too keen on the AMD processor - I have a feeling it would be quite a slow computer for most tasks. I think the graphics on it are good though.

It's good news that your old laptop plays the Sims ok without being the required spec for the sims.

You need a combination of processor (the engine basically) and graphics to play a game well without it freezing and stuttering. Hard drive speed helps the speed of a computer as well but most hard drives are ok these days.

Most laptops under £500 have 'integrated' graphics by Intel. As opposed to separate high end graphics. You can get away with integrated graphics if your processor is good and likewise you can get away with a lesser processor if you have good graphics.

I think the same laptop you linked is available with a slightly better processor and that would make all the difference.

Anything Intel Celeron or Pentium won't be powerful enough you need i3, i5, m3 or m5 processors.

This one might be ok (same website) and it's a good price deal. Comes in black or white It's a 15" one as opposed to the 17" one you linked (17" is really big!). 15" is the standard sized laptop. This has an i3 processor and integrated graphics so should be ok, but the bigger processor i5 one you could run just about anything on, but it's £100 more. (Below)

Access Denied

Access Denied

If you tell me the make and model of your current laptop I can match up the specifications, if the Sims runs fine on that - it might not need such a powerful processor, but I wouldn't go with a slow one.

[Pebbles82]

Originally Posted by Piebald

Subscribing. I have an upgrade planned and um, Serendipity, I may have some questions for you if you don't mind . . .

No I don't mind! I don't know everything - but am up on some things. CMB seems to have computer knowledge as well.

[pinkneon]

No idea of make and model of current latop! Where would I find that? It plays The Sims 3 well, but the Sims 4 is a newer, bigger version I had installed it but it kept crashing!

[racinghamster]

I don`t know anything about gaming, but my first (and current laptop) was bought online from Curry`s/PC World around five years ago refurbished. I still paid £299 for it with a 12 month warranty. I have to say, it`s been a cracking little laptop for me and unlike Serendipity, I know virtually nothing about processors or upgrades! Mine is an Advent Roma 2001 with an Intel Celeron T3100 processor (havn`t a clue whether this is decent or not!) Operating system Windows 7 Home Premium. The software was loaded already so I didn`t need to buy it separately. Just switched it on and ran through the start up screen.

I would say look at refurbished laptops. It doesn`t mean there is anything wrong with them, some are just as good, if not better than new laptops as they have been thoroughly checked and y know what your paying for. Saving some cash on what might otherwise cost more.

Windows 10 is worth considering to be honest as it`s the newest version of Windows and older versions usually only get updates from Microsoft for a few years and then they stop supporting them. So worth considering. Internet Explorer 11 is the latest browser and is still supported by Microsoft. Older versions are not. I`m no techie myself, but if the things switches on and can navigate the screens, that`s all I need! x

[Pebbles82]

That's a good point you can get some good used laptops but it takes a bit of shopping around to find a reliable seller (and maybe bidding as well).

That's what I was finding, that it is the Sims 4 that needs the extra processing power/graphics. Your laptop model number should be on the bottom on a sticker. Or if you right click on 'My Computer' and select 'properties' it should give you all the info about your computer - the processor, ram, make and model.

I think you'd need Intel i3 as a minimum with good graphics, or Intel i5 with something like Nvidia graphics. I don't think you'd get either for less than £450. The one I linked at £350 might work ok (the i3 with integrated graphics) and it's a good price for what you get. It'll be more powerful than the one you have now I expect. But the i5 £450 one would run the game I'm pretty sure.

Not sure if this is the same one as on John Lewis but it's a better price. Less than £400 and has an i5 processor. And Asus are nice laptops. I don't know much about Toshiba, they're probably fine too.

Asus X555LA-XX2264T 15.6-Inch Notebook (Intel Core i5-5200U 2.20 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, Windows 10): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

There's actually quite a bit of choice in 15" laptops - I'm wanting 13" or 14" and it's hard to find a reasonable priced one in that size with an i5 processor. The Celerons and Pentiums are fine for emailing and surfing the net, the i3 is the next powerful after that and the i5 after that, which you need for game playing.

This is a higher spec model and would definitely play almost any game you want - it has the i5 processor plus dedicated Nvidia graphics. Just over £500.

ASUS X555UJ 15.6-Inch Laptop Notebook (Black) - (Intel Core i5-6200U 2.3 GHz Processor, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD, DVDRW, NVIDIA Graphics, Windows 10): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

[pinkneon]

I did wonder what that sticker on the bottom was for!! It doesn't let me copy and paste the details from the settings on the computer so I will try to copy it ...

Windows edition : Windows Home Edition Premium Service Pack 1
System :
Manufacturer - Hewlett Packard
Model - Presario CQ58 Notebook PC
Rating - 3.3 Windows Experience Index
Processor - AMD E-300 APU with Radeon(tm) Graphics 1.30GHz
Installed Memory (RAM) - 4.00GB (3.60GB usable)
System Type - 64-bit Operating System
Pen and Touch - No Pen Or Touch Input for this display

Next to the above bit it has a red kind of G or Q shape I think and says COMPAG/COMPAQ (can't work out if it is a G or Q!)

[Pebbles82]

So it's a Compaq Presario CQ58 It sounds like you have Windows 7 as well. I nearly bought one of those last time around - they were a good all rounder I think - but the AMD processor is quite limited for game playing, although the graphics are quite good I think. HP (Hewlett Packard) and Compaq are the same company.

Windows 10 is a bit faster I think. If you're used to Windows 7, I've been told that Windows 10 is Windows 7 with eye candy and a few tablet type features, so it would be quite easy to pick up.

One last link! HP have this 15" laptop with an i5 processor and Intel HD graphics for £349. Called the HP Essential 15. And you can choose the colour. It might be similar to your current one but faster and upgraded.

http://store.hp.com/UKStore/Merch/Pr...pt=ABU&sel=NTB

Hope me putting all those computer links didn't cause your stressful day!