Been looking into building myself a PC, what I want to know is whether or not it could support both TS2 and TS3 on high settings...With an average amount of CC.
I'm not the best at technical stuff, if you can come up with something better please tell me, my price range is £700 - £900(ish)
I've read that this price range is quite good and you can get a good build for it, if I could get a ready buitl that is just as good then I may just go for that.
Here is the build : http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/parts/partlist/

SCRAP THE ABOVE POST

Will this suppport TS3? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-Laptop...m/dp/B005PU0OSI
I think that it will, just wanted to make sure...

Hmm... the processor is a powerhouse which will eat the game for breakfast, but I'm not so sure about the card. It could certainly run it with decent settings and not fry your system, but I'm not sure about the highest settings.

If possible, I'd look for a similar system, but with a slightly less powerfull CPU (i5 series should do) and then put the saved money to a better card and more RAM. 6 is a bit of an odd number for a computer to work with, so I'd go for 8 or more (4 the absolute minimum and will just make you want to pull your hair out - not worth the savings)

I've read up on the graphics card and it should be fine for TS3 infact it should be great. As for the RAM could I not buy and update with some more later?

Did you purchase it already? It is out of stock as of this post?
Your Build parts list looks OK, though you have to source those without prices to ensure they are not out of stock. Why switch to a laptop? And is Sims the primary purpose for the machine?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA...5M.41933.0.html
The GT 555M won't be able to support high settings; it already has some Yellow MAYBEs in the SysReq. So, it might not be able to load the newer packs, even. Or load, but not run so well, even with that i7 CPU as EA looks at the clock speed of @2.2GHz versus it being a quad-core, and deem it a low-level CPU (below @2.3GHz as per the sgr rules file).
If it shows Red and chokes FPS on most of those newer games, it would perform just as badly on High settings for Sims 3, if not worse. Remember Sims 3 has the open world that it needs to render at the same time as running StoryProgression; versus those shoot-'em-up games that renders the action one screenful at a time.

And...I'd pay attention to reviews... The one I keep picking up on is it's plasticky feel. If you don't like that, with all the bits about the graphics above, you should keep looking.[source]
[source]

Yes, you can upgrade RAM later as long as the memory slots at the back are removable, @willmurray.
And, the option of upgrading a laptop at time of purchase, is also dependable on the OEM on their website. Purchases via Amazon are usually not configurable. 6GB, @Thalia_NL is a perfectly OK RAM combo - they do have 1.5GBx2 sticks, you know. Though, I agree it is a weird combo.
Anything at or above 4GB RAM is good for Sims. More than 8GB is a bit of a waste, if Sims is the only resource-hungry app on there.

The Sims 3 will be the primary purpose for it yes, I'm not sure why I went to a laptop to be honest...Just so I could move it about but that isn't really a big deal. Not too bothered by the plasticy feel of it, just as long as I can play TS3 on high settings. No I haven't bought it yet and now I'm not sure if I'm going to... I'm also going to have a look into some ready built PCs, if you know of some ready builts that would be good for TS3 then just say so. As it would just be easier to buy one with the same specs that I'd want to build...

Been looking around but I cannot seem to find a good desktop for under £1000, got any suggestions?
I'd like one that will run the game well and on all high graphics (If possible...)

A good desktop under £1000 will be no problem. Your parts list above seems to have expired, so maybe you could re-do it/list the main components and what prices you were getting them for?
Also, what are you going to keep, if anything, from your existing computer? Monitor, speakers, hard drives, case, nothing, some other thing I haven't thought of?

I would suggest CCL Online as a good place to get parts (or full builds) in the UK, and Novatech are good too. There are some more more recommendations in the stickies at the top of this forum. For goodness sake, stay away from PC World and Currys.

Thanks a lot, that site you suggested is very usefull. (I'll be reusing speakers and moniter, everything else I have isn't worth using again)

How about this Gaming PC? - http://www.cclonline.com/product/83...PC/CCL-EL-FAL2/

Customised like this :


Not sure if I've customised it better or worse...

A good PC under £1000 is easy. Here's a sample £834.72 build I made: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/lVI5. The GPU is a little overkill; I think a GTX 660 would be more balanced but there was room in the budget. Even after that there's plenty of room to tailor it to your tastes. You could drop the 2TB HDD and get a 256GB SSD (the build already has a 128GB) for example.

Edit: willmurray your suggested build is £900+ and isn't that balanced imo. That build won't need a 600W power supply and if you're not going to overclock you don't really need a K processor. Actually the default build at 719.99 is actually not that bad. They do use cheap parts and I'm worried that they put an ivy bridge cpu in a H61 but the price is right imo.

Been thinking about
THIS : http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/...blacknti23.html
AND THIS : http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/...blacknti32.html

Also I was wondering whether this would do it? (Without being customised) http://www.cclonline.com/product/83...PC/CCL-EL-OSP2/
Also do Novatech and CCL computers deliver to the doorstep?
What do you think?

Stay away from the AMD processors. AMD's CPUs do not perform as well Intel's right now, and the company itself is facing worrisome financial troubles.

The Novatech builds are okay except that they are real heavy on the CPU, which you end up paying more for. I still think that assembling yourself is the best, but if you must go pre-built, I actually like the CCL Elite Falcon II Gaming PC better.

And will the CCL Elite Falcon II Gaming PC play TS3 on all high settings?
Talking about self builts I'm really interested in that build you've put together (Post #10). That looks asthough it would sustain TS3 on high settings. Will it?

If putting together a self built is it easier to buy the whole lot in one go? (I'm a self built virgin you see, never built one before)
As with putting it together I have a friend who has built his own...

Yes it will. Just remember that TS3 itself is badly coded and the more custom content you have, the laggier your game will be. This is regardless of how good your PC is.

It is easier to buy the parts in one go, yes. You can also sometimes save money on shipping too if you buy them all from one place, but you'd have to do some calculations to find out which option is the best for you.

Ok, I may buy that one as long as you're sure that it will play it on all high graphics?
But on the other hand self built seems a good way to go also, I'll do some more research and come back here later.

Don't forget that none of the builds we have talked about, even ccl and novatech, include a screen, keyboard or mouse. You will have to add it to the cost of the tower.

Yes thanks, I think I'll buy the falcon. It looks like a good PC, and as you said it will run TS3 on all high setitngs which is really all that I'm looking for.(Also I don't mean to be a pain or anything but are you sure that it will run TS3 on high settings? So the graphics card is good enough for that?) I'll buy thoose seperatley, any suggestions for some good ones? Mouse will be easy and so will the key board. Just worried that I get the correct moniter that I'd like...
Also do CCL COMPUTERS deliver to the door step, I'm not too sure... That would be an inconvinience if they didn't...
There are 2 falcons, you were on about this one : http://www.cclonline.com/product/83...PC/CCL-EL-FAL2/

The only major issue I have with the Falcon is the motherboard. While it does officially support the CPU the Falcon comes with, I'd still go with a H77 motherboard. Other than that the Falcon should be okay. Don't hesitate to make use of the 2 year warranty if you encounter problems.

Monitor is a big topic and I'm not even sure myself. Typically try to go for a 23 inch - 24 inch screen with HDMI connection. The screen resolution should be 1920x1080. There are LOTS of screen types with LOTS of prices.

This one looks good : http://www.ebuyer.com/349753-samsun...r-ls22b150ns-en

When you say that the Flacon should be "ok" do you think that I could get a better one for my price range?

No, the price is good imo, when I say "ok" I mean that it should work as advertised. But I would have used a different motherboard to be sure that it works, rather than "it should".

I used to have a 21 inch 1920x1080 similar to the one you linked but I felt that the resolution was too high compared to the actual screen size. The writing seemed small and cramped. I upgraded to a 27inch at 1920x1080 and then I felt that the resolution was too low, that's the only reason why I think 23-24 inch is good for 1920x1080. It's my completely subjective opinion so maybe someone else has a more informed opinion.

Thanks Phycorax that suggestion was good, but I think I'm going to go with one of the ones that are included (You can buy included with the PC, just so it's easier and I don't have to wait for different items to arrive). As for the motherboard, would one of the customised options be better?

Ideally I would have gone with an H77 motherboard, but they don't offer that in the customization options. You could go with the Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H Motherboard, or if you don't mind spending a bit more the Asus P8Z77-V LX Motherboard. I would have gone with the Asus since you seem to be within your budget.

Ok then, with the motherboard customised (to the Asus P8Z77-V LX Motherboard) and windows 7 pre installed it comes it comes to £873.77 inc VAT. That gives me like £150 to spend on the moniter, mouse and speakers (although I may be re using my old speakers and mouse). Does that look good to you?
I've had a look and it looks good, you're sure it will run on full graphics? If so I think that I'm going to go ahead and buy it customised, I'll also buy the moniter included as a bundle...

Pretty sure. You could wait for someone else to respond in case I missed something.

Thanks, yeah I think that I'll wait a little bit... Not that I don't trust you!