New Video Card to play Sims3

  • Thread starter Thread starter KarenJMcC
  • Start date Start date
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KarenJMcC

I just bought Sims 3, but when I try and play I get a message saying unable
to start game... your video card does not appear to support at least shader
model 2.. please upgrade your card.
I have a Compaq Presario 061 which is about 4 years old and I am running
Windows XP. My current video card is SiS 760.
Can I just download something to update my existing video card? and if not
can I install a new video card on my existing computer? how do i do this?
Sorry if these are stupid questions - I'm a bit lost here!
 
Hello,

No, you can't get your card to support Shader Model 2.0 just by updating its
drivers, hardware support is needed.

Your system is quite old, but you may be able to get by with a Geforce FX
series or newer card, provided that your system has a AGP slot. If not, you
can opt for the PCI version.

A 4 year old PC to run Sims 3 may be a challenge if it doesn't meet the
minimum requirements of 1GB Ram and P4 2.0GHZ CPU. Check that your system
meets or exceeds these requirements too.

___
http://www.bootstrike.com/ComputerService/
Singapore Computer Home Remote On-Site Repair Service
 
Sounds like you have an "Integrated Graphics" chip
and not a card. Is this a laptop and is it 061 or Q61.
 
KarenJMcC said:
I just bought Sims 3, but when I try and play I get a message saying unable
to start game... your video card does not appear to support at least shader
model 2.. please upgrade your card.
I have a Compaq Presario 061 which is about 4 years old and I am running
Windows XP. My current video card is SiS 760.
Can I just download something to update my existing video card? and if not
can I install a new video card on my existing computer? how do i do this?
Sorry if these are stupid questions - I'm a bit lost here!
Click to expand...

Hi Karen,
You will need to upgrade your RAM to at least 1GB and your Video Card to
met the Reqs of the SIM3 Game.
I included some link which will help you to get your machine to run this
Games. Again you need a good CPU cooler to cool your machine.

Or you can save the money and get a machine that built for Gaming!
Upgrading Memory (RAM)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...886&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=447454&lang=en

Video example about installing additional memory
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/personal_computing/software/video/bph07901.wmv

Adding Another Monitor and Video Card to Extend the Windows Desktop
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph06006&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=447454

Resolving General Game Issues
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=bph07124&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=447454
Joysticks, Gaming Pads, and Game Ports
http://h10061.www1.hp.com/ccsearch/...=us&dlc=en&lang=en&qry=gaming+issue+with+sim3

The Simsâ„¢ 3 Minimum Hardware Requirements
http://www.thesims3.com/game/systemreq

Windows Supported Video Cards
NVIDIA GeForce series

FX 5900, FX 5950
6200, 6500, 6600, 6800
7200, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950
8400, 8500, 8600, 8800
9300, 9400, 9500, 9600, 9800
G100, GT 120, GT 130, GTS 150
GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295

ATI Radeonâ„¢ series

9500, 9600, 9800
X300, X600, X700, X800, X850
X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950
2400, 2600, 2900
3450, 3650, 3850, 3870
4850, 4870

Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA)
GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series

Laptop versions of these chipsets may work, but may run comparatively
slower. Standalone cards that are installed in vanilla PCI slots (not PCIe or
PCIx or AGP), such as some GeForce FX variants, will perform poorly.
Integrated chipsets such as the ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA TurboCache
variants may default to settings that are higher than what would be optimal
for them. Graphics settings can be lowered to improve performance.
The NVIDIA GeForce FX series is unsupported under Vista.

Two ways to find a memory upgrade compatible with your computer. Guaranteed!
http://www.crucial.com/uk/

Upgrading and Servicing Guide
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c00311113.pdf

Belarc Advisor - Free Personal PC Audit (Version 7.2x)
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html
HTH,
nass
 
Compaq Presario SR1229UK
Motherboard Specifications, K8S-LA (Salmon)
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=447454#N960

AGP Cards:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_e...electronics&field-keywords=agp+8x&sprefix=agp
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=agp+8x

Tom's Hardware Graphics Charts:
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/...2008/3DMark06-v1.0.2-HDR-SM3.0-Score,538.html

General rule of thumb: The more $$$ = More performance

AGP is not all that common anymore and in general you
will be hard pressed to find an AGP card that matches
today's PCI-E cards. The NVIDIA 6200 are still commonly
available as I looked at this model a few weeks back but
since I'm not a gamer I can't say if this card meets your
needs, you will need to look at each brand/model's specifications
carefully.
 
KarenJMcC said:
Hi - no its a desktop not a laptop. Its a 061, the model no is SR1229UK.
Thanks
Click to expand...


Your computer, unless you have made changes to the hardware configuration,
is fitted with 512mb of DDR RAM and has an integrated video card.

For the game, you need the following

FOR WINDOWS XP
* Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
* 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
* 1 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

These are the MINIMUM requirements, btw..

So, you will need to remove whatever memory is presently installed and
replace it with 2 x 1gb of compatible DDR memory..

There is an AGP slot for a video card in your machine, so you will also need
to look for something like an nVidia Fx5500 or similar..

This website is the UK equivalent of TigerDirect.

They have memory which would most likely work for GBP 28.00 per 1gb module
(the stuff on the left side)

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=781

and a video card which would make the grade maybe

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=277386&Sku=Q111270
 
you can click on
start>run>msinfo32

and compare the
stats it provides
to that on the box
of the game.



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I just bought Sims 3, but when I try and play I get a message saying unable
to start game... your video card does not appear to support at least shader
model 2.. please upgrade your card.
I have a Compaq Presario 061 which is about 4 years old and I am running
Windows XP. My current video card is SiS 760.
Can I just download something to update my existing video card? and if not
can I install a new video card on my existing computer? how do i do this?
Sorry if these are stupid questions - I'm a bit lost here!
Click to expand...

After research, your system falls short of the minimum requirements
for that game.

Since you have a laptop, you will not be able to install a higher end
video card.

SiS does not have any 760 update compatible with your system that
meets the requirements of the game.

Sorry there is no better news.
 
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