Buying a new laptop!

[therawringlioness]

Well, I'm looking at a laptop tommorow that I would love to buy -- it's main use would be to play sims.

It's a HP de9670ee Notebook PC.

It's running on Windows Vista, and I'm a little worried about that. I'd be playing the Sims 2 with all the EPs and SPs.

There is NO option to get a desktop, because I cannot get the model that I want (an XPS 420) to where I am living at the moment and my old laptop has decided to die, so I need one anyway.

Another thing that I am worried about is that I just bought a copy of the 'Happy Holidays' stuff pack, and for the operating system, it says either Windows XP, Me, 2000, or 98. Will it work on Vista?

And the graphics card that I'd have to have is a NVIDIA GeForce 8400 card. Is that as good as the 8600.

The other option for a laptop would be an XPS system. Which of those would be best for sims?

Thanks in advance! :king:

[callum91_SC]

Hi there

Mine is very Similar DV9675 I believe-just 4 days old [since Xmas day].
Mine has Vista,2GB Ram,320GB HDD, the Nvidia 8400GS.
I have to say,mine runs very well!
Sims2 is goodThere are bump maps,reflections, pool water is gorgeous with reflections[Seasons].
I have all of the EPs&SP's except for TSS and the newest Holiday pack.
Yes it would run I reckon[no expert though].

as for wether to go for the 8400 or 8600, a quick google search reckons that the 8600 is better. But I would wait for some more opinions 1st :)
But with my model of laptop, the 8400's memory can expand to 1GB [by the RAM being shared with it].

Good luck :)

[aznhoang]

Don't worry about Happy Holiday stuff. I got it for Christmas and it works on my computer, which is Vista. ;)

[callistra]

8600 is quite a deal better than an 8400 but either will work for sims play. 8600 is considered a mid-grade gaming card. 8400 is simply an entry level video card. Sims will work under Vista but again will work better under XP. Really don't reccomend putting Vista on a laptop you plan on playing any gams on. Vista is enough of a buggy system resource hog on its own. Then you put that on a laptop which doesnt' perform as well a desktop, add to it you plan to play games, AND you have a nvidia card (there are vista/nvidia issues all on their own) and it just doesn't seem like a pretty combination to me.

Can I ask your budget? I don't reccomend HP unless you simply can't afford better.

eta: are you sure it's a de9670ee? I did a google search with ZERO results, also can't find a thing on it on the HP page..I think you meant dV96700ee..

[therawringlioness]

I'm pretty open to anything -- I'm taking a look at XPS systems and Vaios at the moment, and I'm really trying to find a laptop with XP, but it's pretty difficult.

And I think that that's the system I meant. Darn typos. :stick:

callum91, that's really encouraging. I'm coming to the conclusion that what I really need is a good graphics card.

I'm going to go looking around a few stores tommorow morning. Hopefully something new will show up.

[callistra]

So.. from the stores comment..I take it you won't consider ordering something from online? That greatly limits anything I can possibly recommend. All I will say is I wouldn't touch Acer with a ten foot pole, and I don't consider Dell to be much better.

Sony makes insanely overpriced for the specs "designer" models. Will say they do run cool, and their lcds are nice. I wouldn't say Sony makes a bad laptop, but you're going to pay A LOT more than you need to. Really not worth it unless your biggest intent is to show off your latest cool looking toy. I would go HP before I touched Dell, even the XPS. Short term, possibly better performance. Long term nightmare.

If you have an XP operating system already, then you can prob just reformat and install it on any system you get. I would just make sure you can find all the drivers first, as sometimes this is rather a pain to do.

[callum91_SC]

Hi :)

Here is a picture of 1 in game pic.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/callum91/Sims%20Seasons/Sims2.jpg
Its from BV, at the beach.
My old computer wasnt that decent and struggled desparately when loading holiday lots. The biggest Twikki lot [4x5 I think] lagged all the time before.
WIth this, it ran through it, I was suprised at mega pleased.
I love this laptop :)

[callistra]

It looks to me like you're playing on low settings.. or is that just the compression rate from you saving it? Are you able to play on the highest settings with that card? My screencaps I took from my X300 looked better to be honest. :$ But I was playing on the highest settings.. I do not know what yours look like that, but I am rather surprised.

[callum91_SC]

No Callistra-Its just the compression.Saved in Paint.
It's all high settings by default and everything.
And Snow Xray is also on by default.
Its just compression, it doesnt really look that crap :)

[callistra]

Ah, I see... any way you could show us an image that's not so overly compressed? Just curious to see how it really looks is all :) Maybe you can stick the bmp in a zip file and attach it to your post..

[callum91_SC]

Callistra,its past midnite here now,so I shall get a few pics up tomorrow in BMP or PSD or something then letcha see them then. They're shinyful ;)

[callistra]

LOL I understand. Okay, night to you then :)

[Dimension_E310]

I have an HP Pavilion Dv9500t CTO
Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 1.86Ghz
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 RAM @ 667mhz
160GB SATA150
Nvidia GeForce 8600M GS
17" HD WideScreen
Windows Vista Home Premium

Runs TS2 ALL Expansions, Stuff Packs, Very nicely, i have all the graphics settings on high :) I also play FSX: Acceration, and it runs very nicely (50-70 Average FPS) Medium/High Mixed Graphics Settings

My laptop was $1,299.99 not including Tax ($1,408 with TAX)

[callistra]

Dimension, your specs are pretty good, though I wouldn't have settled for short of a T7500 at that steep of a price. Can I ask how long you've have it? Always curious to see how long the HP laptops stand up.

[therawringlioness]

callistra, what do you think is the best make for gaming computers? Just curious. :D

EDIT: Also, how many times can a Sims game be installed with the same verification number?

[callistra]

Well there are a few people I'd trust for a gaming latop. I did a lot of research in the last year because I also really want a laptop. Unfortunetly, a laptop capable of being called a TRUE gamer's laptop isn't cheap. Anyway, ASUS is my laptop of choice at the moment. Their G2s and G1s (difference is 15" vs 17") and even their F3 series. Problem is trying to find it in a store..

Here's a few links though:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220182
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220256
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220191


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220162
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220163
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220181



The first four laptops you can do REALLY intense gaming on. They're specifically designed by ASUS with this in mind. The last three are cheaper with lower specs, but also quite solid if you add a second gig of ram in there. Any of those will totally tear up TS2, since comparatively speaking it requires very light specs. The downside to these laptops is they come with Vista. As other people have stated here, Vista will run TS2 ok, but as you already XP runs anything better/faster. However, if you look though the links you may be happy to note that almost everyone buying this laptop has easily installed XP and found all the necessary drivers. So either way you could stick with Vista and make it work, or if you're up for the job of install XP and finding drivers that is also quite do-able.

eta: Far as I know there is no limit to the number of times TS2 can be reinstalled.. I certainly haved used my number a large handful of times.. I've never seen this question come up though..

[BethanSims2]

How would you go about getting a futher gig of ram for the lower priced ones? And putting on XP? Do you have to get the disks that cost quite a lot of money? Sorry I really do suck at knowing computery things...:(

BS2 x

[callistra]

You'd have to have an XP operating system CD. Most people will have this from having a previous computer with XP on it. If you don't then yeah you'll have to get a copy :( The drivers you'll have to search for and find on the net. The drivers will be free, but may take some effort to track them all down. Especially, if you don't have any experience with doing this. I can help if anyone decides to go this route :)

As for the RAM, it's easy to upgrade just like a desktop. You just have to figure out what speed of RAM you need. Like, okay I'll use this laptop as an example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220162
This laptop comes standard with 1G DDR2 667MHz (1Gx1). There are two expansion slots available. One slot is filled, the other is empty and ready to go for your upgrading ease. Since it dual channel memory they need to be installed in pairs. Ideally, you want to open it up and see exactly what manufacturer is used for the ram and just go and buy an identical stick. For most laptops there’s a little square or rectangular plate you unscrew or unclip and the RAM is right there accessible for you. It’s really easy.

[BethanSims2]

Oh cool, I had a look for adding more RAM and they didn't seem that expensive either (If I was looking at the right thing, lol) . I lost all of the disks and booklets and stuff that I got with my Iqon, I don't know how though, lol. I might I have some for my Dad's Toshiba but I don't think they are the same though? Is this (http://www.nextag.co.uk/Microsoft-Windows-XP-Home-77379696/uk/prices-html) what you mean?

BS2 x

[callum91_SC]

Callistra, Ive uploaded 6pics from my game saved in 24bit BMP format-like you asked ;) lol

And these are my System Specs :)

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/callum91/Specs.jpg

Despite what the pic says:
HP Pavillion DV9675em
AMD Turion64 x2 2.20GHz
2GB RAM
360GB HDD
8400M GS 128mb dedicated==expandable depending on how much ram you have
BroadCOm built in Wiress&Bluetooth
Vista Home Premium

:)

[therawringlioness]

(Sorry about posting on Cheese's account, she's my sister and she left herself logged in when she let me on the new laptop, lol!)

Actually, I went out today and got the computer -- it's working great! I really love the sims game on it. It's so much better than before! And it came with a 8600, not an 8400, so that's a bonus! :P

The only thing that I am worried about is tommorow, I am going to buy OFB now that I now that the game works. However, I want to make a family today. When installing the EP, when I remove the CC that I have installed (including skintones), will any existing sims look the same once I put the CC back in?

(Sorry if this isn't the right place -- I don't think that it's a tech problem, but I don't think that it fits into any of the EP boards, so this is the only place I could think of. Sorry if this is wrong. :()

[BethanSims2]

therawringlioness, do you have a link by any chance for the laptop you bought? I searched the name on google but it just came up with this thread?

EDIT: Is this (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/me/en/ho/WF06b/1770577-1770863-1770865-1770865-1770865-80632181-81074678.html) it?

Bethan x :D

[callistra]

callum91, ah that's much more like I was expecting LMAO Quite nice :D
Thanks for sharing!

therawringlioness, I'm confused by your question.. are you.. wanting to take the CC out just to install the expansion pack? but put the CC back into the downloads folder before you load your game again? That works just fine..

[therawringlioness]

Yes, Bethan, that's the computer. :D

And yes, Callistra, but I was mostly wanting to make sure that sims that reversed back to Maxis sims would revert to their original custom sims once they were reinstalled.

-- Lioness

[BethanSims2]

Do you know how to get to a place to buy it on the actual website...I can't seem to find it? :umm: But I'm in the UK do you think thats why?

Bethan x

[callistra]

Yes, Bethan, that's the computer. :D

And yes, Callistra, but I was mostly wanting to make sure that sims that reversed back to Maxis sims would revert to their original custom sims once they were reinstalled.

-- Lioness

Removing the cc from the downloads folder in and of itself does not cause sims to suddenly revert back to their defaults. Only if you actually play the game without the cc would they look like maxis defaults. Even then, if you were to exit and put the cc back your sims would also go back to using the cc next time you loaded the game. So, taking the cc during the install should not be a problem.

Do you know how to get to a place to buy it on the actual website...I can't seem to find it? :umm: But I'm in the UK do you think thats why?

Bethan x
HP manufactures various computers specific to distributors. For example, my friend bought an HP from WalMart that could only be bought at WalMart.. this may be a case of that. This is HP UK: http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/welcome.html

These are the specific dv9600 models (what therawringlioness purchased) available to people in the uk: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF25a/21675-38187-38191-38191-38191-80632151.html

However, if you go to http://pcspecialist.co.uk you can build a laptop with comparable or even better specs for less money. And, what I really like, is you can choose to have them install XP so you don't have to fuss with Vista.

Here's a price/specs comparison..

HP model 1 costs 999GBP. On PC Specialist I built a very similar laptop with almost idential specs. However the laptop on PC Specialist has a better graphics card, only 250GB instead of 320GB but really still quite huge, and Windows XP instead of Vista hell. All this for for £649.36 ex VAT/£763 inc VAT and Delivery. The PC Specialist laptop is still less expensive than cheapest HP model which costs 799GB and the has much lower specs than the PC Specialist. Also, keep in mind the HP prices don't include the vat and delivery. You're looking at a several hundred pound difference. No small change here.

[BethanSims2]

I went onto PC Specialist and I filled it in to what I thought it needed. I'm not sure of what I have missed out though?

These are what I have selected...

Display
15.4 INCH WIDESCREEN DISPLAY (1280 X 800) + ANTI-GLARE
Processor (CPU)
INTEL® Celeron® M 540 (1.86GHz) 533MHz FSB/1MB L2 Cache
Memory (RAM)
2GB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)
Operating System
WINDOWS® XP Professional (inc. Genuine CD & License) (£95)
USB Options
4 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Bluetooth & Infrared Options
NONE
Memory - Hard Disk
250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5400rpm)
CD/DVD Drive
8x DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Graphics Card
128MB (SMA) INTEL GM965 + D-SUB + TV-OUT
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 2 Channel High Definition Audio + SPIDIF OUT
Modem
INTEGRATED 56KBPS V92 MODEM
Network Facilities
Onboard LAN & WIRELESS 802.11G NETWORK CARD
Floppy Disk Drive
NONE
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 3 IN 1 MEMORY CARD READER (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO)
Firewire & Video Editing
1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
TV Card
NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor
NONE
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 87 KEY KEYBOARD + 2 HOTKEYS
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers
INTEGRATED 1.5W STEREO SPEAKERS
Printer
NONE
Surge Protection
Belkin 4 Socket 2M Surge Protector with £25,000 Protection! (£7)
Webcam & VoIP
NONE
Media Center Kit
NONE
Anti-Virus
NONE
Office Software
Microsoft® Works 9 - Word Processing, Spreadsheets, etc (£6)
Port Replicator
NONE
Laptop Stand
NONE
Battery
6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - up to 4 Hours Battery Life
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 65W AC Adaptor
Dimensions & Weight
W x D x H: 355mm x 257mm x 35.2mm | Weight: 2.7KG
Additional Features
1 x Express Card Slot & 1 x Kensington Lock Port
Carry Case
NONE
Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

(Sorry if this isn't mean't to be here).

[callistra]

You clicked on the wrong one. You gotta click on the second link, or else it only offers integrated graphics. This one: http://pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=form&&select=intel_laptop2 has the 8600 GT card you want for the price I listed. :)
Also, you need to change the processor.. Here this is what it should say:

Display
15.4 INCH WIDESCREEN DISPLAY (1440 X 900) + ANTI-GLARE

Processor (CPU)
INTEL® Core 2 Duo T7500 (2 X 2.20GHz) 800MHz FSB/4MB L2 Cache

Memory (RAM)
2GB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)

Operating System
WINDOWS® XP Professional (inc. Genuine CD & License) (£95) (I priced up XP Home because it's a 46GBP price difference between Home and PRO but if you want pro that's totally your choice :) )

USB Options
4 x USB 2.0 PORTS

Bluetooth & Infrared Options
NONE

Memory - Hard Disk
250GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5400rpm)

CD/DVD Drive
8x DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)

Graphics Card
512MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT See this is what is missing from the other laptop which will run TS2 so nicely.

Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 2 Channel High Definition Audio + SPIDIF OUT

Modem
INTEGRATED 56KBPS V92 MODEM

Network Facilities
Onboard LAN & WIRELESS 802.11G NETWORK CARD

Floppy Disk Drive
NONE

Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 3 IN 1 MEMORY CARD READER (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO)

Firewire & Video Editing
1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT

TV Card
NONE

Stand-Alone Monitor
NONE

Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 87 KEY KEYBOARD + 2 HOTKEYS

Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE

Speakers
INTEGRATED 1.5W STEREO SPEAKERS

Printer
NONE

Surge Protection
NONE

Webcam & VoIP
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM

Media Center Kit
NONE

Anti-Virus
NONE

Office Software
NONE

Port Replicator
NONE

Laptop Stand
NONE

Battery
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 6 Hours Battery Life

Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor

Dimensions & Weight
W x D x H: 355mm x 257mm x 35.2mm | Weight: 2.7KG

Additional Features
Biometric Fingertip Reader & 1 x Express Card Slot

Carry Case
NONE

Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return

Delivery
Standard Insured Delivery to UK Mainland (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm)

Quantity
1

[BethanSims2]

Thanks callistra, I have done that now and it comes to £688.51 ex VAT, £809 inc VAT and Delivery. So it's quite pricey but I could save up that amount if I wanted to I *think*. Would you reccomend this model over the ones that you linked here (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1093869&postcount=16)?? Some of them are are quite a bit cheaper, but they don't come woth XP, thats my main concern.

Bethan xx

[callistra]

Well the thing is since you're in the UK you can't buy from Newegg. For you and others living in the UK, those laptops can be purchased here:

http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=14941&category_id=465&manufacturer_id=0&tid=g2sc-7r024c
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?product_id=15784&category_id=465&manufacturer_id=0&tid=g1s-ak005c

But they're more expensive than PC Specialist again.. That same site has some some lower spec laptops which run more in the 700GBP+ range, but at that end you can drop some of the specs on at PC Specialist and end up on top again.. I think the PC Specialist site offers really competitive prices for the specs you're getting. Unfortunately, it is more expensive to buy laptops in the UK. It seems that many companies do not take into account exchange rate.. so a $1000 USD laptop here is pretty much 1000GBP there..it’s something I ran into when trying to help a friend find a laptop a few months ago. :(

If you need to chop some money off the laptop you could consider bringing the ram down to 1GB which should be just fine with an XP operating system. You could also opt for XP Home. 1gb plus Home brings the price to. £639.15 ex VAT./£751 inc VAT and Delivery. I don’t know how much HDD space you use. I know I’d personally never touch 250GB but you may.. but if you think you could stand a smaller hard drive you could choose a 120GB and bring the price to £602.55 ex VAT./£708 inc VAT and Delivery. Maybe someone else knows more about laptops in the UK but I have not found another company which comes even close to PC Specialist as far as offering that kind of specs at that price. Except *maybe* Acer.. which is evil :D

[BethanSims2]

Thanks callistra, it's a shame they don't do UK sellers...I think that would benifit them a lot...but anywho if I did lower tha RAM to 1GB could I add a gig of ram or 2 then, or would there be no point? As for the XP Pro or Home does it make that much difference? Also I don't know how much HDD space I'd use, not much I'd imagine as I would only have TS2, Uni, Nightlife, Pets, Season, H&M Stuff and Christmas Party Pack and most likely Bon Voyage and Free Time, when I can get them though...also I might be putting on Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop. Thats what I had on my old laptop anyway, I think I may have had Petz on there aswell, but I won't be putting that back on anyway...

Sorry for rambling...I ramble way too much. :frying: <-- feel free to do this at any time...

Bethan xx

[callistra]

TS2 rarely uses even a gig of ram. If you had a laptop with Vista I'd say it was very important to make sure you have 2GB but otherwise, little point for what you say you want to use it for. I use a little over a gig when I play TS2 but I have an embarrassingly insane amount of custom content to a level at which I've never seen anyone else admit to LOL The only thing about that laptop is it seems the 1gb isn't split to 512x2 which.. is nice in one way because it gives you the option to expand without having to remove any memory but doesn't make much sense to me because it's not bothering to take advantage of the dual channel technology.. You really need two identical chips in that thing, which is why I originally suggested the 2GB. That and it’s only about 18GBP difference to add a second 1GB stick.

The only way you'd use up 250GB is if you had a tendency to store a lot of large files like movies and such on your computer. If all you're going to do is play TS2 with some photoshopping then 120GB should serve you fine. I have 160GB on mine and I don't come anywhere near filling it up.

LMAO feel free to talk it all out loud :D

eta: XP Home vs. Pro.. Pro has a bunch of extra controls. Like file encrypting and stuff like that.. some extra networking options..more business oriented. http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article10-002 I originally bought XP Pro with my computer but I'm currently running home (long story) and I don't miss it.

[BethanSims2]

Thanks for that callistra, I think I'll go with XP Home then, if I do decide to get this laptop because thats what I have used mostly before. I will be getting some CC but keeping it to a minimum if I can, I don't think I could survive without CC now, lol.

This is what I put the settings to:

Display 15.4 INCH WIDESCREEN DISPLAY (1440 X 900) + ANTI-GLARE
Processor (CPU) INTEL® Core 2 Duo T7500 (2 X 2.20GHz) 800MHz FSB/4MB L2 Cache
Memory (RAM) 2GB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)
Operating System WINDOWS® XP Home (inc. Genuine CD & License) (£59)
USB Options 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Bluetooth & Infrared Options NONE
Memory - Hard Disk 120GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5400rpm)
CD/DVD Drive 8x DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Graphics Card 512MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT
Sound Card Realtek ALC268 2 Channel High Definition Audio + SPIDIF OUT
Modem INTEGRATED 56KBPS V92 MODEM
Network Facilities Onboard LAN & WIRELESS 802.11G NETWORK CARD
Floppy Disk Drive NONE
Memory Card Reader INTERNAL 3 IN 1 MEMORY CARD READER (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO)
Firewire & Video Editing 1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
TV Card NONE
Stand-Alone Monitor NONE
Keyboard & Mouse INTEGRATED 87 KEY KEYBOARD + 2 HOTKEYS
Mouse INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers INTEGRATED 1.5W STEREO SPEAKERS
Printer NONE
Surge Protection NONE
Webcam & VoIP INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Media Center Kit NONE
Anti-Virus NONE
Office Software NONE
Port Replicator NONE
Laptop Stand NONE
Battery 9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 6 Hours Battery Life
Power Lead & Adaptor 1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Dimensions & Weight W x D x H: 355mm x 257mm x 35.2mm | Weight: 2.7KG
Additional Features Biometric Fingertip Reader & 1 x Express Card Slot
Carry Case NONE
Warranty 1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return
Delivery Standard Insured Delivery to UK Mainland (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm)
Quantity 1

Thanks for all the help callistra, I would have been really struggling without your help, and everyone elses as well! :D I would have probably bought a really crappy laptop by now, lol. :)

EDIT: I think I might ask around here to see if anyone with the 512MB GEFORCE 8600GT, I really want to see a picture of the graphics in TS2...

Bethan x

[callistra]

You're very welcome! I'm glad I could help :)

The 8000 series from Nvidia are their top of the line cards. Guarantee no disappointment. I'm sure there's gotta be someone crawling around with a card to show off though..

eta: the user Scout says they have a 8600 GT card in their computer. Here as some images they've posted around the site:
http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1092070&postcount=114
http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1083036&postcount=53
http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1079430&postcount=258
http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1076050&postcount=355

[BethanSims2]

Wow, her pictures are beautiful, there really nice and sharp. Thanks for those callistra! :D

Bethan x

[Scout]

Only the first of those pics is from the 8600. The others are off of my old system which has Radeon x 1600 with 512 MB (at least that is what PCWiz says it has as I can't remember). I posted in your other thread asking about the card some links to pics I know are from the new system.

[therawringlioness]

Sorry to kick a dead horse, but this is still the only place that I can imagine to ask this. Gah. :einstein

Removing the cc from the downloads folder in and of itself does not cause sims to suddenly revert back to their defaults. Only if you actually play the game without the cc would they look like maxis defaults. Even then, if you were to exit and put the cc back your sims would also go back to using the cc next time you loaded the game. So, taking the cc during the install should not be a problem.

Does this apply to any furniture in the house as well (when playing a test run without CC to check that a new EP is working then putting the CC straight back in)? *crosses fingers and hopes that it does*

[callistra]

Yep that's fine.. people pull custom content in and out all the time when trying to determine a source of bad cc. I know I've spent many a day doing it :D

[therawringlioness]

Thanks! :D

[BethanSims2]

Really sorry to drag this one up again but the laptop that I'm going to buy only has intergrated graphics :( Do you think this would be a problem?

Bethan x

[callistra]

Yes it would be a problem. I would HIGHLY advise against that. The one I linked you to before had the 8600 GT.. what happened to that one?

[BethanSims2]

That's the one I think, I couldn't find anywhere where it said dedeicated graphics so I emailed them and they said that they had intergrated? :( I think the one you listed before is the one I'm looking at :(

This is the email they sent me:
Hello Bethan,

The Graphics Card used in Laptops at the moment is the Intergraed Graphics.

If we can assist you any further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Many Thanks

Sales Supp Team

Bethan x

[callistra]

This one: http://pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=form&&select=intel_laptop2 has a 8600 GT in it. The other one you were looking at had the integrated graphics.. Just look up to my post #28 where we were talking before and I had a link to this laptop and how I reccomended configuring it..

[BethanSims2]

Thanks callistra, how did you find out if this one had dedicated graphics though? These are the specs I put in, I did all of the things on that list, exept I changed the 250GB Hard Drive to 160GB...:D

Display
15.4 INCH WIDESCREEN DISPLAY (1440 X 900) + ANTI-GLARE
Processor (CPU)
INTEL® Core 2 Duo T7500 (2 X 2.20GHz) 800MHz FSB/4MB L2 Cache
Memory (RAM)
2GB CORSAIR DDR2 667MHz - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)
Operating System
WINDOWS® XP Home (inc. Genuine CD & License) (£59)
USB Options
4 x USB 2.0 PORTS
Bluetooth & Infrared Options
NONE
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
160GB SERIAL ATA II HARD DRIVE WITH 8MB CACHE (5400rpm)
1st CD/DVD Drive
8x DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
Graphics Card
512MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT
Sound Card
Realtek ALC268 2 Channel High Definition Audio + SPIDIF OUT
Modem
INTEGRATED 56KBPS V92 MODEM
Network Facilities
Onboard LAN & WIRELESS 802.11G NETWORK CARD
Floppy Disk Drive
NONE
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 3 IN 1 MEMORY CARD READER (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO)
Firewire & Video Editing
1 X 1394a FIREWIRE PORT
TV Card
NONE
Monitor
NONE
Keyboard & Mouse
INTEGRATED 87 KEY KEYBOARD + 2 HOTKEYS
Mouse
INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Speakers
INTEGRATED 1.5W STEREO SPEAKERS
Printer
NONE
Surge Protection
NONE
Webcam & VoIP
INTEGRATED 2.0 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Media Center Kit
NONE
Anti-Virus
NONE
Office Software
NONE
Port Replicator
NONE
Laptop Stand
NONE
Battery
9 Cell Lithium Ion Battery - Up to 6 Hours Battery Life
Power Lead & Adaptor
1 x UK Power Lead & 90W AC Adaptor
Dimensions & Weight
W x D x H: 355mm x 257mm x 35.2mm | Weight: 2.7KG
Additional Features
Biometric Fingertip Reader & 1 x Express Card Slot
Carry Case
NONE
Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base incl 1st Month Free Collect & Return
Delivery
Standard Insured Delivery to UK Mainland (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm)
Quantity
1
New Total Price
£734

The whole price only comes to £1 more than it did with the other quote I had before? lol Strange...

Bethan x

[callistra]

Because it says it has dedicated graphics..

Graphics Card
512MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT

Dunno about the pound difference.. lol.

[BethanSims2]

Oh, lol sorry I'm dumb when it comes with computers...hehe. :blink: :anime:

EDIT: I have both quotes saved still, the one I did yeasterday and the one I did before and the both say Graphics Card 512MB GEFORCE 8600GT + D-SUB + TV-OUT...? This is really confusing. :(


Bethan x

[callistra]

8600 GT is dedicated graphics. If the computer says this then it has dedicated graphics. If the customer service people told you that the 8600 GT is not dedicated graphics then.. they're just wrong. :\ Or maybe they were confused about which laptop you were refering to. Because they do offer a laptop with integrated graphics.

[BethanSims2]

Lol, I hope he is wrong, although I did give him the reference number to the saved quote? Silly people...The one that I asked about wasn't the one you linked for me but I thought it was but then I found out it wasn't the right one, hehe. (I hope that makes sense?) :anime:

Bethan x

[callistra]

Yeah.. just as long as you use the one I linked to and config the way you said, you should be good ;)

[BethanSims2]

Thanks :D I'll definately make sure I do get the right one this time, lol.

Bethan x