HOW DO i MAKE OUR COMPUTER FASTER??

rchddap1

I agree. A new graphics card would be a great help to you and is the main source of 'slowness' in the game. To make sure that you pick a good enough card for the sims 2 game look through the specifications on the box (or in the manual). Alternatively you can find it at sims2.ea.com / sims2.eagames.co.uk.

The new Sims 2 game nightlife is more graphically intense than the original sims 2 game, but it 'should' just run....but only just (min specs http://thesims2.ea.com/help/detail.php?help_id=176) as you have a processor that runs above 2.4GHz. However, it is likely to be slower than it is at the moment...as a warning.

rchddap1

Changing Bios RAM will not help sims 2! You need 256Mb of RAM for the game (minimum) and either at T&L graphics card, or 2.4GHZ processor chip. If you want to improve the game you need a better graphics card (without question), and preferably some more RAM.

elmer

Thanks very much, I will think about a new graphics card, but it seems that it will double the cost of the game, and it is only a game.
If we wanted a new graphics card where is the best place to get one, we live in rural scotland so dont have PC World etc anywhere close, but a day trip to Edin or internet ordering is possible

Thanks Elmer

wobblebottom

try ebuyer.com,overclockers.co.uk, or even ebay.. or maybe you hav a local visiting pc show ..

also consider adding more memory aswell as Gcard.. because u really need a little more ooomph

Dave_G_5

Just a word of warning before you go out and buy a graphics card, you need to know what kind of slot the motherboard inside your pc has. I have seen some pc's from PCWorld with an AGP sticker on the side, but inside they have on board graphics and no AGP slot.

If you bought your pc from pcworld or similar, if you post the make and model we might be able to find out what is inside the box and let you know what is suitable for it.

scotty

Sims 2 does not require a high spec pc. My daughter has a Dell dimension 3000 with a similar processor and 256MB RAM. It came with Intel onboard graphics but this used a significant proportion of the RAM memory so I added a graphics card. Dimension does not have an AGP slot so had to find a PCI graphics card (NOT THE SAME AS PCI EXPRESS). These are available for ~£30, you will not require one of the latest (expensive) cards to play Sims 2. The one further improvement I would like to make is to increase the RAM to at least 512MB but system runs fine with current 256MB.

One cost free improvement is to avoid/remove unnecessary components. If the pc is not linked to internet while playing, you can stop anti-virus and firewall programs. There are other tweaks which can be performed to improve performance but I would not recommend doing this unless you are comfortable with messing around with pc settings.

fayraz

A graphics card will do the trick.

Poppycat

I did the same as Scooty. I got a cheap 128mb Nvidia 5600 PCI (Not PCI-Express) graphics card for a little under £30. The sims 2 and all its addons works fine on it.

From what you have said it sounds like your using onboard graphics card which shares the system memory. A standaslone graphics card has its own builtin memory and doesnt use the system memory.

culpepper

my pc is 2 mhz and plays sims 2 fine including sims university.
I found it improved vastly when I added 512mb of memory to my original 256.
I've got an AGP graphics card with 64mb which I bought in Maplins(they do cheap peripherals in unmarked boxes)

pjala

elmer wrote:

Thanks very much, I will think about a new graphics card, but it seems that it will double the cost of the game, and it is only a game.
If we wanted a new graphics card where is the best place to get one, we live in rural scotland so dont have PC World etc anywhere close, but a day trip to Edin or internet ordering is possible

Thanks Elmer

Read my second post. You might not need to buy a graphics card. You said that the graphics card reported 64MB of RAM, yet the RAM on your machine says it is missing 8MB. This is strange - and it may indicate that your on board graphics card is being used, and is only using 8MB of memory.
Go into the BIOS, and check to see whether the on board graphics card is enabled. You could also look around the back of the PC and check to see whether there is another graphics card port and you have the card plugged into the wrong one.
If the motherboard graphics is enabled, try increasing the amount of RAM available to it in the BIOS, you may be able to put it up to 32 or 64M. But if you do it takes it from your main memory - although it is worth a shot, to save money on buying a new graphics card. If it increases the speed, then it is worth doing.
All the best.