User:Ajaxsirius/Sticky draft
Start Here
This article is divided into three major sections; "Knowledge", "Sample Builds" and "Problem Solving & FAQs".
If you're looking for a quick and dirty recommended part list for The Sims 3 or 4 you may go directly to the "Sample Builds" section. If you just have a problem you want to address without looking into getting new parts, you may go directly to the "Problem Solving" section. However please be aware that the "Knowledge" section will be referenced frequently in both those sections and we highly recommend players read the Knowledge section anyway. It will help you learn more about how your computer works, how to keep it working, and how to troubleshoot on your own when it doesn't work like it should.
Scope
The scope of this article is limited to hardware and software issues relative to playing The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 on Intel processor based Windows system. The Sims 2 and The Sims 1 are not covered. Custom Content, Mods and Sims-related software are not covered in this article. There are however forums on the website dedicated to addressing those topics. Advanced LN2, liquid cooling and overclocking are not covered in this article. Intel Extreme Processor based systems, AMD processor based systems. If you have one of these or are considering one, please start a thread in the Tech Support Forum.
In addition to this, Intel Processors older than Ivy Bridge are not covered by this article. If you are buying new, you should be buying Ivy Bridge or newer. If you already own an older system or are considering buying a refurbished system with older processors please start a thread in the Tech Support forum.
Assumptions
Unless stated otherwise, this article assumes that systems and parts described are desktop variants and not laptop variants.