Memory Issues (laptop, RAM, hard drive, games)

[PurpleLove08]

I was addicted to the Sims game a few years ago but about 3 years ago, my parents bought me a laptop. I don't think my laptop has the memory to handle Sims without slowing down my computer. A lot of my friends have purchased the Sims 3 and it's really bringing back the Sims bug.

Would it be a good idea to buy an external hard drive for my laptop so I can get the Sims 3 game?

I'm not all that knowledgeable about memory issues on computers.
The biggest memory-sucker as of now are pictures from my digital camera and music. I can transfer them to a flash drive...or three if that would be cheaper than buying an external hard drive.

I appreciate any help.

[NHDave]

Memory and hard drive space are 2 different things, what does the game require for memory and free space and what do you have in the laptop?

[Dd714]

Some games do say you need X amount of hard drive space. But that doesn't slow a game down. YOu either have space or you don't. I think your issue is RAM - looks like Sims 3 takes a gig, easy enough to add if you have basic skills, add a stick if you only have a 1/2 gig. Memory is cheap. You might have video card or CPU issues as well although, from a quick look, it doesn't seem to be that system demanding.
If the issue is the hard drive - pictures - burn them to a disc or two.

[Brian.Pearson]

Crucial is a good place, it will tell you exactly what you can take (with various combinations) and how much it will cost.

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by NHDave

Memory and hard drive space are 2 different things, what does the game require for memory and free space and what do you have in the laptop?

I just read some of the specs for the game on amazon.com and it said it will run "comparatively" slower on a laptop.

In any case,

the memory on my laptop is 1.99GB

I have a Vista system, if that makes any difference.
On the recovery/(D I have 6.44GB free of 9.99GB
On the OS/(C I have 87.5GB free of 136GB.

Sorry for my ignorance on correct terms.

[NHDave]

Only other thing you need to worry about is the graphics chipset. Free space on your recovery partition should be ignored, but you have a good amount of RAM and free hard drive space.

[Dd714]

Sims 3 system requirements w/Vista:

Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
1.5 GB RAM
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least:
Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above.
2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
0.5 GB additional RAM

You may want to check your graphics chip but I think you will be OK. Doesn't seem that demanding.

[Brian.Pearson]

Originally Posted by PurpleLove08

I was addicted to the Sims game a few years ago but about 3 years ago, my parents bought me a laptop. I don't think my laptop has the memory to handle Sims without slowing down my computer. A lot of my friends have purchased the Sims 3 and it's really bringing back the Sims bug.

Would it be a good idea to buy an external hard drive for my laptop so I can get the Sims 3 game?

I'm not all that knowledgeable about memory issues on computers.
The biggest memory-sucker as of now are pictures from my digital camera and music. I can transfer them to a flash drive...or three if that would be cheaper than buying an external hard drive.

I appreciate any help.

Are you running any programs like CCleaner or SmartDefrag? The former gets rid of a bunch of junk you don't need, and that helps. I quit using the defragger that came with Win a long time ago, after finding faster ones.