I'm saving up for a new laptop which I will hopefully be able to run Sims 2 on without potentially frying the motherboard. I know all about the whole "computer is like a car blah blah blah" and I am wondering if the newer integrated graphics cards can safely run Sims 2 without suffering wear since Sims 2 is almost [US] voting age now. Technology has changed in the past decade and a half, and computers which were considered high-end or at least decent in the 80's or 90's, for example, would struggle with some of the earlier versions of Flight Simulator, but newer computers (with the help of emulators like DOSBox of course) could run it without breaking a sweat.

So, can an average laptop made in 2020 or 2021 run Sims 2 Ultimate Collection without straining the graphics card and eventually ruining the motherboard? I would love to get some recommendations for something maybe in the $300-700 range, though I could wait a little longer if need be to get one with a dedicated graphics card. However, I would like to get a cheaper one if I can.

Also I hope I'm posting this in the right forum :p

I wouldn't go for anything with just the intergrated graphics card and choose one with a dedicated graphics card instead which is why I now play UC on my 8 year old laptop.I would also look for a Windows 7 emulator or go dual boot to get it to run TS2 because Windows 10 dosen't like older games too much.

I got a new Dell G3 gaming laptop with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card in October, and I have to say I'm delighted with it. There were some teething problems, but various people here helped me fix them all, and my only issue now is that some outfits (and some hairs) show too bright in CAS. Quite a few people with newer NVIDIA cards seem to have that issue, but it only affects CAS. The outfits are OK in game and in Body Shop. I'll try and find the relevant posts for you later today. I have a few other issues with Windows 10, but it's running Sims 2 brilliantly! My games the most fun it's ever been.

It cost just under £800, but I think US prices are often a little lower.

I see. I was wondering if the new models would be more hardy, like one of the lower-end laptops of today being like a higher-end laptop from a decade and a half ago. If not, which model or brand would you recommend? And what kind of graphics card? I want one with a graphics card that won't blow up the terrain paints. One of the computers I played Sims 2 on worked fine except the terrain paints looked all wonky and blown-up.

If an integrated graphics card will at least tolerate Sims 2, I may still consider it since laptops with integrated graphics are cheaper and quieter. If it isn't safe for even the most recent laptops, however, I will probably consider getting one with a dedicated graphics card.

I own a laptop with Core i5-8250U and GTX 1050 which runs The Sims 2 (and 3 and 4) like a breeze. I believe even newer laptops will run the game as long as you apply compatibility fixes like Graphics Rules Maker and 4GB Patch. I recommend that you do not get a laptop that only has an integrated graphics chip. Go for dedicated, if possible at all, just to be on the safe side.

Might have to settle for an integrated for now since the computer I'm using is a mess from 2006 I think and the main monitor is busted so I'm using an external. The thing's a dinosaur.

Just got a new laptop yesterday. After the 4 GB patch and Graphics Rules Maker, it runs like a dream. It does have a dedicated graphics card, so you might want to consider that.

How much did it cost? I read on this page http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title..._Graphics_Cards that newer laptops with integrated graphics might be OK but I would like to get some input from both sides.

I wouldn't advise using anything with an intergrated graphics card since it won't hold up well for gaming and my laptop is holding up very well though it does have two graphics cards and one is the intergrated and the other is the dedicated one.I just had to make sure my games mostly run on the dedicated card.I use a prgram with a game booster mode to make sure games even running as windows will use my dedicated graphics card by default.I do run a borderless gaming app if I want to have the full screen look for TS2 while still being able to get my pictures and have them save properly.

How much did it cost? I'm looking for computers with dedicated graphics cards, and most of them are over a thousand dollars.

I got mine about 8 years ago on a half price sale for about 700$ and would advise looking for a clearance sale and making sure to get one of those better machines on sale.I went with a laptop because I don't want the issues of moving a deskop computer thousands of miles to relocate when I move out on my own.I don't want to live near where I grew up because the climate there is awful and winters haven't been cold enough or long enough in recent years.

Yeah I would try to find dedicated graphics but to be honest if the overall machine specs are okay TS2 is an ancient game and should run reasonably on modern integrated devices! Like others have mentioned Windows 10 can be a slight issue but there are workarounds and its working great for me! Got an Nvidia 1660 too which is a newer card so shouldn't be an issue!

I played Sims 2 on a refurbished Lenovo ThinkPad with Intel HD 4600 graphics (that is a somewhat dated integrated graphics card). But it only cost $299 at Microcenter.
It was OK, except for the way the integrated card rendered snow on the ground- it flickered and was an annoying mess. I turned snow off or whatever I did, I don't remember, it looked really bad. I had to turn down settings like reflections too.
I also play Sims 2 on a desktop with a newer integrated card- Intel UHD 630. Now, desktop is not the same as laptop components, so it is not an exact comparison. But the game looks fine except for- you guessed it- snow on the ground. Same flickering mess as the ThinkPad. I don't know all the technicalities, I think it is something to do with shaders in the integrated graphics card. The recommended solution is to turn off shaders or turn them on, I forget, but that did not fix the flickering problem for me.
So, based on my experience, I would say NO to integrated graphics.
There are some laptops with NVIDIA GeForce MX350 cards which appear to be a step up from integrated but not as expensive as GTX cards like the 1050 and 1060. I do not know if they might be a viable option.

I see. I just want to be able to play Sims 2 and Sims 3, and this dinosaur I'm using (still has Windows 7) just ain't cutting it now. Don't think it really cut it anyway because it just plain wouldn't display snow on the ground. Wasn't an option. And as of late I've been getting blinky red terrain and thought "Ok, I think the graphics card is getting worn out. Bugger." So now I'm saving up for a new computer. Or are there any old machines that can be used for just Sims 2 and Sims 3? I want something that's cheap, but something that will also display snow and other good stuff. And should I go for an Ubuntu machine or the like? I've heard a lot of good things about Ubuntu's support for Windows games like the Sims series.

Sorry to be slow in getting back to you. Most of the posts on how we got my new PC to run The Sims 2 are in the Sim2 Random Thoughts thread starting with my post of 9th October. The later ones are in Help thread I started -- Graphics Problems with NVIDEA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti card in Windows 10 [SOLVED!]. You might also find omglo's Running Sims 2 on modern systems - Questionnaire thread helpful.

Despite what TadOlson says, I believe there are modern PCs with integrated graphics chips that are good enough to run TS2 in high definition. The trouble is I haven't a clue which ones they are. When I started playing in 2012 I had a then quite new (2011) netbook with an onboard Intel graphics chip. Based on my previous experience in computing, I reckoned that a new entry-level computer was probably just as good as a seven year old high end one. I was right -- up to a point. TS2 Double Deluxe installed OK on my netbook, and I enjoyed playing it there for nearly eight years. But I read on some of the threads here that burnt-out motherboards started with Pets (EP4), so I never dared to go beyond OFB, and I stuck with the low resolution graphics settings that the setup program had chosen. I enjoyed the game that way enough to get totally and hopelessly hooked on TS2, but since I've seen the game in high resolution on my new computer, I really wouldn't want to go back to low resolution on my old one. (I've now got fish swimming in the fish tank, and reflections in the mirrors.) To say nothing of the fast loading times with an SSD. With ten years more development, I'm sure the graphics chips on modern laptops (I don't think they make netbooks any more) will be much better than the one on my old PC, but I'm afraid I just know which ones are good enough for a decent experience in TS2.

That's what I was thinking - basically either the car gets bigger or the bricks get smaller until it's like you're using a big rig to move a box of ABC blocks or tow a toy duck on wheels. Back in the 90s when people were still using DOS machines with limited memory, a lot of the games made for those computers probably would have had some lag. Games like "Alone in the Dark" probably would have crashed on some of them, and the 3D models and animation in that first game are so simple nowadays. I remember when Jill of the Jungle was considered impressive with its 256 colour graphics and Adlib music. (also remember begging and begging for the full trilogy one year and getting it for Christmas).

We have to remember that Sims 2 was made back when everyone who was lucky enough to have a cellphone either had a flip-phone, slide-out phone, or the good ol' bricky-phone. Now even people on low or fixed incomes often have smartphones with internet access and Bejeweled and Farmville - luxuries I couldn't have even dreamed of back when I was playing Duke Nukem, Commander Keen, Jill of the Jungle, and Sim Ant. Technology changes, and now I can play games like Mr. Do! and Pac Man on the PC when they used to require a big cabinet. I can now play games from DOS, Colecovision, ADAM, Apple IIe, and many other platforms on this computer - ancient as it is, and with little fuss.

A side note: I recently learned that Windows 1.0, 3.0, and 3.1 were still being supported in 2001. Didn't stop being supported until like, November or December I think. Just something interesting that I hope doesn't derail the thread too much.

But anyways, technology marches on from the days of blocky graphics and a Coleco port of Mr. Do! that made the titular character look like Snoopy, to graphics so real that they may be clawing their way out of the uncanny valley very soon. And with those graphics will come cheap computer models with integrated graphics that can perform as well as any dedicated graphic chipset from the mid-2000s.

The problem with integrated chips isn't that they can't run the game, it's the fact that they have poor heat dissipation. In the enclosed confines of a laptop, heat builds up on the chip and surrounding motherboard with no easy way to escape. And that heat may cause melting which is how it could cause the laptop to "fry". It's not the capabilities of the integrated chip which cause the problem, it's the heat that is generated. Many graphics cards come with fans to assist in dissipating that heat.

So with an integrated chip, to prolong the life of the laptop, motherboard and chip, running with lower graphical settings as AndrewGloria did, prolongs its life since the lower settings don't stress/heat the chip as much. If you want to run the game at higher resolution and maximum graphics for an extended period of time, then an integrated chip is not your best choice.

I figured that would be dealt with as well by now. Or is the wear less severe now than it was back in 2007?

It's still an issue. Because components have gotten smaller, are more densely packed on the motherboard and can do more than they ever did, heat is and likely always will be a problem for laptops.

If you still considering a laptop with an integrated graphics chip despite nearly everyone who's responded here recommending against it, you may want to try to extend the life of that chip/laptop by looking into a cooling pad. https://www.techradar.com/news/best-laptop-cooling-pad They're generally cheaper than a separate graphics card and might help the laptop last longer than it otherwise would.

They're not meant activities that produce a lot of heat, so it's not a problem that needs to be solved. You can do this, as long as you're prepared to buy another laptop within 2-3 years, keep your gaming sessions short and stay light on the CC. Running Sims 3 on an integrated laptop isn't a good idea at all. Keep the graphics on low, of course, but unless you're lucky, that will shorten the laptop's life even more.

I'm probably going to get one with a dedicated graphics card, since you and several others are pretty much talking me into it. Which kind would you recommend? I'm looking for something cheap - less than $1,000 if possible. And would you recommend buying a refurbished one from eBay? Some of those are very cheap.

Based on my experience with my new PC, I don't think I'd have any hesitation recommending a Dell. Mine cost under £800, but I don't know what price they'd charge in the US market. Dell is an American company though, and it's been around since 1984, which is a long time in computing. I'm sure I posted the specs of my one in one of the threads I linked to above. It's done everything I've asked of it and more. Any gripes I have are with Windows 10 -- not with the computer.

One caveat: I only have the EPS up to OFB. It might not be quite as good with all EPs. I do have this "Bright CAS" problem, but lots of people with newer NVIDIA cards have that; in-game the graphics are (IMAO) perfect.

I'm looking for a laptop though, not a PC. I want to be able to play Sims 2 anywhere, and sometimes even on the go.

I'm using the word PC in its broadest sense. It is a laptop. A Dell G3 15 Gaming Laptop to be precise, with 8GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, Core i5 Intel Processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Graphics Card. (Some of that is from memory, so if it says something else in my post on omglo's questionnaire thread, go by that.) I thought a gaming laptop would be over £1,000, so I was quite pleased with the spec at the price. It is so much better than my old computer that there's really no comparison. Load times are so fast with the SSD (Solid State Disk) that I can easily switch between the game and SimPE or Body Shop.

Oh OK! I was just confused. And which graphics card is the best? I've read in some reddit threads that you can fix the too-bright sims problem by forcing shaders on. And can you actually run all three programs (Sims 2, SimPE, and Bodyshop) at the same time? That would be HELLA AWESOME!