SIMS 2 + Sager ??

Hey guys, I'm wondering if anyone knows which Sager I can get that plays Sims 2 the best? I don't want to spend more than $1500, and I don't wont to get screwed over with a ****ty warranty (but as long as it plays Sims 2 perfectly, I'm happy!)

I read on sims2community.com's forums that some Sagers are so good that they're almost too good for Sims 2 haha - that you can play them with all expansions and max all settings! Does anyone know which laptop would be perfect for me and my Sims 2 addiction? I'm looking at the NP2096 but I'm worried it won't be good enough...I love the 8660 but I don't want to spend more than $1600 or $1700.

I'm so excited by the possibility of this it's pathetic...lol. Thank you so much!!

 

I could max out Sims 2 with an Intel 945GM. (A little choppy when things happen, but playable.) It's not the worlds most demanding game.

Anything made in the last year should run great.

 

Hey Nina, good to see you have migrated over from the Xotic forums =D.

The 2096 should be just fine for running The Sims 2 at high settings.

The only thing I would tweak would be to upgrade the ram to 4 gigs from 1 gig and the hard drive to either the 320gig 5400RPM or 200gig 7200RPM flavors as they have similar performance that bests that of the default drive. I would also check to see what resolution is preferable for you as in my opinion 1680x1050 would look better on a 15.4" (Poke around online and find examples of the differences between resolutions).

I should mention that you will get better performance with a lower resolution but considering the game you would like to play and that the resolution would hypothetically be bumped up to 1680x1050, there shouldn't be much of a performance difference.

Edit: I should mention that on Xoticpc.com that with the revisions I recommended above the 2096 comes out to $1207.00 ($1304.00 with Windows installed, still well below your budget)

 

Also, if you are buying from PowerNotebooks check out the PowerPro P 12:15. If you are buying from XoticPC check out the FORCE 3298 v2. They are the same as the 2096 but with a 3 year warranty + next business day shipping included (among other things).

 

If your main interest would be to play The Sims 2, do not choose a quad core processor.
I've read many instances on thesimsresource forums that it doesn't work well on quads, it tries to run the game on each core and ends up stuttering a lot.

I still have to check how it works on my 9262... (which reminds me I haven't yet posted pictures/wrote my review!!)

One way to go around it is to set affinity for only one core. However some people said it didn't work either.

 

I think, in cases like that, you can set a value with respect to the CPU and the application so that the system forces the app to only run on one core.

 

Thank you so much guys.. I really appreciate the help. I never knew that about the quad core processors! I think I'm going to go with the 2096 - it sounds like a dream for me. I'm going to do exactly what you said NameInsert. The 8660 was enticing, and I was almost willing to dish out the extra dough.. but I read on sims2community that it has MORE than enough to run Sims 2 perfectly.. sooo why would I spend so much more when I can get everything I want in 2096 right?

Can I just say how extremely excited I am for this? I have been playing Sims (LOW settings) on a Dell I got in 2002... just imagine what my game play has been

 

Ok.. sorry to double post, but when I customized the 2096.. when I upgrade the ram to 4gigs it says it can only be fully recognized on Windows Vista 64 bit. Well that sucks, I hated Vista on my old laptop! I really wanted XP. Is this for real???

 

=P. Ok. The way it works is that 32 bit operating systems (whether Xp or Vista) can only utilize up to 3gb of ram (so if you get 4 one would be going to waste with a 32 bit operating system). However, Xotic does not offer an upgrade to 3 gigs only 2 or 4. And it is decently priced at 60 bucks (on newegg 4 gigs of PC6400 = ~75 bucks). So it is worth it.

List of 2x 2 gig DIMMS on Newegg that work with your laptop:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...60381+1309221140+1309121118&name=4GB+(2+x+2GB)

What were the specs of your old laptop? Vista should run pretty nicely on this piece.. especially with 4 gigs of ram.

Additionally: There are guides out now to optimize Windows Vista if you are still not happy and a Service Pack has come out since its inception as well. I used to be wary of Vista as well but the situation seems better now.

 

Unless I'm mistaken the processors aren't the same. (Montevina vs. Penryn)