EP Questions

[venenomortal]

Based on your experience…

Which Expansion Packs have the least strain (resource hogs) on your system?
Recommended number of Expansion Packs for low-end systems?

Thanks in advance.

[HystericalParoxysm]

You'd really need to give us your system specs for a proper recommendation; certain graphics cards are no longer supported with later EPs, and many low-end systems shouldn't really be playing TS3 at all.

[venenomortal]

You'd really need to give us your system specs for a proper recommendation; certain graphics cards are no longer supported with later EPs, and many low-end systems shouldn't really be playing TS3 at all.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz
Memory: 2 GB Ram
Video Card Memory: ATI Radeon 128MB
Hard Drive: 120 GB

[lisfyre]

My specs are:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 Dual Processor 4000+
Memory: 2 GB Ram
Video Card: NVidia GeForce 8400GS 128MB
Hard Drive 320 GB

I have Base + WA + AMB + LN + GEN

My game runs well. It's not modded but I have roughly 13 GB Store and 3rd party CC installed. I have more hard drive space than you so that might be where you need to pick and choose which EP's you really want. Other than that, your game should be running well.

[DigitalSympathies]

I'm testing out one of two new PC's we have and it runs like a dream.

I'm going by what it says on the box it got shipped in. The handwriting is tres terrible.

Processor: Intel Core i7-980X
Memory: 24GB DDR3 RAM
Video Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
Hard Drive: 2.5 TB, 24.5 GB free

I have all EP's and SP's, minus KPST.

It runs great, no lag, no issues! I have all of the store content and approx. 8 GB in mods/cc installed. I find that the cooling on this rig is a lot better but you should really get FPS limiter and set it to 30 - 60 to avoid killing your graphics card. I had the same problem with Portal so it's not just TS3, but still, good investment. Mine's at 30 and I can still do Tumblr, MTS, TS3, TS1 and Sony Vegas . . . with no lag or increase in temperature.

[lisfyre]

I'm testing out one of two new PC's we have and it runs like a dream.

I'm going by what it says on the box it got shipped in. The handwriting is tres terrible.

Processor: Intel Core i7-980X
Memory: 24GB DDR3 RAM
Video Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
Hard Drive: 2.5 TB, 24.5 GB free

I have all EP's and SP's, minus KPST.

It runs great, no lag, no issues! I have all of the store content and approx. 8 GB in mods/cc installed. I find that the cooling on this rig is a lot better but you should really get FPS limiter and set it to 30 - 60 to avoid killing your graphics card. I had the same problem with Portal so it's not just TS3, but still, good investment. Mine's at 30 and I can still do Tumblr, MTS, TS3, TS1 and Sony Vegas . . . with no lag or increase in temperature.

Show off :rofl: I'd love that to be my next new puter ... someday :D

[eskie227]

I'm testing out one of two new PC's we have and it runs like a dream.

I'm going by what it says on the box it got shipped in. The handwriting is tres terrible.

Processor: Intel Core i7-980X
Memory: 24GB DDR3 RAM
Video Card: Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580
Hard Drive: 2.5 TB, 24.5 GB free

I have all EP's and SP's, minus KPST.



Wait a sec. This is a new computer. You have 2.5 TB of drive space, but already have only 25 GB remaining of free space? You loaded ~2.475 TB of stuff right onto your new machine??? Who are you IRL, MediaFire?

[HystericalParoxysm]

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz
Memory: 2 GB Ram
Video Card Memory: ATI Radeon 128MB
Hard Drive: 120 GB

With such low specs (though the info you've given is incomplete; knowing exactly which graphics card you have is important), best to stick to no EPs at all.

[lovevslust]

I have a lower end computer, that runs with a 500 GB hard drive and a Radeon HD 4200 on my laptop. It's mediocre for the game and I have all EP's up to Pets, it runs okay but I don't push it. I have minimal CC and a clean computer most of the time which helps.
It does lag slightly in more dense worlds like Bridgeport and China. Other than that I'm thankful I can play at all.

[babele44]

I had an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 Ghz, 4 GB RAM, Geforce 9600M GT 512 MB VRAM (Macbook Pro). I experienced the first performance hit with Ambitions but could play up until Late Night if I chose smaller custom worlds and minimal cc and used twallan's Relativity. With Generations I had to switch the OS and play on the same machine under Windows, because the Cider wrapper for Macs slows down quite a lot. I didn't dare to install Pets on that computer and played up until patch 1.24 quite fine. Patch 1.33 then caused a further performance hit and when I installed Showtime eventually it was time for a new computer.

As to what EP might be the best/worst performance-wise, I'd think that World Adventures is the easiest on a weaker machine, it doesn't add too much gameplay in your homeworld and the vacation worlds are also less process intensive. All other EPs seem to add quite a lot of new processes to the game and Late Night, Pets and Showtime are proabably the worst, and each for their own reasons. My assumption is that it is mainly the background goings-on (Late Night with dozens of service roles, Pets with, er, pets and their routing, Showtime with the new professions and Generations with the memory and reputation system) and less the new items and animations.