Game Help:System Requirements/MTS2 Recommendations

Graphics Card Compatibility and Recommendations

Model	Base Game	Expansion Pack							Stuff Pack
		University	Nightlife	Open for Business	Pets	Seasons	Bon Voyage	Free Time	SP1	SP2	SP3	SP4	SP5	SP6	SP7
Radeon 7000/VE	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 7200	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 7500	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 8500	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9000	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9200	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9500	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9600	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9700	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon 9800	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x300	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x600	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x700	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x800	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x850	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x1300	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x1600	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x1650	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x1800	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x1900	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon x1950	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon HD 2400	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon HD 2600	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon HD 2900	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon HD 3400	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Radeon HD 3600	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon HD 3800	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
GeForce 2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
GeForce 3	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
GeForce 4/4xx/4xxx	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
GeForce 5xxxx	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Radeon x1300	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No

System Requirements

A note on these requirements: These are the requirements as posted by EA/Maxis for the game. These are the absolute bare minimums you need to get the game up and running. These are NOT the minimum requirements for a playable game experience! If you have just the bare minimum and a low-end graphics card, you will NOT be able to play the game! It will run... but it will not look good, run well, or run consistently without crashing.

Items marked in red are those which, while officially supported, are completely unsuitable for playing The Sims 2.

It is recommended that for the base game you have at least:

• A 1.5 GHz processor
• A 128 MB video card
• 512 MB of RAM.

If you are running Windows Vista you should have at least DOUBLE those specs for the base game!

It is recommended for expansions, especially later ones like Pets and Seasons that you have at least:

• A 2.5 GHz processor
• A 256 MB video card - a newer, better one (higher numbers = newer and better)
• 1 gig of RAM.

Please note that nVidia GO series cards (found in laptops) are NOT compatible with Sims 2 and are not supported for use with Sims 2 or its expansions! You -will- have problems running Sims 2 if you have a GO card. Updating drivers can help sometimes but usually not - the best thing to do if you have a GO card and you would like to play Sims 2 is to pick up one of the Stories series games (Life Stories, Pet Stories, or Castaway Stories) which are specifically made for laptop gaming and do support the nVidia GO series cards.

Base Game/University

If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM then you need at least:

• 800 MHz processor or better
• 256 MB RAM if Windows Vista, XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000
• At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (an Intel Extreme Graphics or a Radeon 7000/VE Series) then you need at least:

• 2.0 GHz processor or better
• 256 MB RAM if Windows Vista, XP, Windows ME, Windows 98, or Windows 2000
• At least 3.5 GB of hard drive space

Get the most current driver for your video card. The manufacturers usually have the video drivers on their sites for you to download. Visit the nVidia site, the ATI site or the support site for your computer's manufacturer for the latest drivers for those video cards.

Supported video cards (and the more video memory the better):

• ATI RadeonTM series (7000 or better)

Radeon 7000/VE series (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)

7200, 7500

8500, All-In-Wonder 8500

9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, X800

• Nvidia QuadroTM series

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

• Nvidia Geforce series (GeForce2 and better)

GeForce2

GeForce3, 3 Ti

GeForce4, 4Ti, MX 420, 440

GeForce FX 5200, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

GeForce 6600, 6800

• Intel Extreme Graphics (non-T&L; requires 2.0 GHz processor)

82845, 82865, 82915

Nightlife/Open for Business

In order to install and play The Sims 2 Nightlife and/or Open for Business you must have The Sims 2 installed and meet the hardware requirements listed below:

• Windows Vista, XP, ME, 98, or 2000 operating system.
• 1000 MHz (1 GHz) or faster processor.
• 256 MB or more RAM.
• At least 1.5 GB of additional hard drive space.
• Supported T&L-capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM.

Supported Video Cards:

• ATI Radeon series 8500 or better (7x00 models no longer supported)

• All-In-Wonder 8500, 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, X300, X600, X700, X800, and X850.

• Nvidia Geforce series:

GeForce 2, 2 GTS

GeForce 3, 3 Ti

GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, and 4800

GeForce MX 420, 440, and 460.

GeForce FX 5200, 55500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, and 5950.

GeForce PCX 5300, and 5900.

GeForce 6200, 6600, and 6800.

• Nvidia QuadroTM series:

Quadro, Quadro2, and Quadro4

• Intel Extreme Graphics:

82865, 82915, and higher

NOTE: If you have a non-T&L capable video card, such as Intel Extreme Graphics, then you need at least a 2.4 GHz processor.

Pets

In order to install and play The Sims 2 Pets you must have The Sims 2 installed and meet the hardware requirements listed below:

• 1300 MHz processor
• 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM is recommended if you are running with a few expansion packs installed)
• Windows(R) Vista, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000 Operating System.
• At least 1.5 GB of additional hard drive space (5.0 GB total is required if installing both The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack at the same time.)
• A T&L-capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM.

Supported video cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series (8500 or better):

8500, All-In-Wonder 8500

9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• NVIDIA(R) Quadro(TM) series:

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

• NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 GTS and better):

GeForce 2, 2 GTS

GeForce 3, 3 Ti

GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, 4800, MX 420, 440, 460

GeForce FX 5200, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

GeForce PCX 5300, 5900

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

S3 GammaChrome

S18 Pro

S18 Ultra Intel(R) Extreme Graphics (see note below)

82865, 82915 and above

NOTE: If you have a non-T&L capable video card, such as Intel Extreme Graphics, then you need at least a 2.4 GHz processor.

Seasons

In order to install and play The Sims 2 Seasons you must have The Sims™ 2, The Sims™ 2 Special DVD Edition, or The Sims™ 2 Holiday Edition for PC and meet the hardware requirements listed below:

• 1300 MHz processor
• 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM is recommended for Windows Vista or if you are running with a few expansion packs installed)
• Windows(R) Vista, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 98 or Windows 2000 Operating System.
• 8x or faster CD/DVD drive
• At least 1.5 GB of additional hard drive space (5.0 GB total is required if installing both The Sims 2 and The Sims 2 Seasons Expansion Pack at the same time.)
• A T&L-capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM.

Supported video cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series 8500 or better (9600 or greater required for Vista)

8500, All-In-Wonder 8500

9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• Nvidia(R) Quadro(TM) series

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

• Nvidia GeForce series GeForce2 GTS and better (GeForce 6200 or greater required for Vista)

GeForce 2, 2 GTS

GeForce 3, 3 Ti

GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, 4800, MX 420, 440, 460

GeForce FX 5200, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

GeForce PCX 5300, 5900

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

S3 GammaChrome

S18 Pro

S18 Ultra Intel(R) Extreme Graphics (see note below)

82865, 82915 and above

NOTE: If you have a non-T&L capable video card, such as Intel Extreme Graphics, then you need at least a 2.4 GHz processor.

Family Fun Stuff/Glamour Life Stuff/Celebration Stuff

In Order to use the Family Fun Stuff Pack you must have The Sims 2 installed and meet the following sytem requirements:

To use the Glamour Life Stuff Pack or Celebration Stuff Pack, you must have The Sims 2, The Sims 2 Special DVD Edition, or The Sims 2 Holiday Edition installed, and you must meet the following sytem requirements:

• OS: Windows Vista, XP, Me, 2000, or 98

• Installed: The Sims 2 for Windows

• CPU: 1.0 GHz or faster

• RAM: 256 MB or more

• Disc Drive: 8x or faster CD/DVD drive

• Hard Drive: At least 350 MB of free space

• Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible

• Video: DirectX 9.0 compatible

Video card must have 32 MB or more memory and one of these T&L capable chipsets:

• ATI Radeon 8500 or greater; 9600 or greater recommended.
• Nvidia GeForce2 GTS or greater; 5600 or greater recommended.

Bon Voyage

In order to install and play The Sims 2 Bon Voyage you must have The Sims 2 installed and meet the hardware requirements listed below:

• OS: Windows Vista, XP, Me, 2000, or 98

• Installed: The Sims 2 for Windows

• Disc Drive: 8x or faster CD/DVD drive

• Hard Drive: At least 1.5 GB of free space

• Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible

• Video: DirectX 9.0 compatible

Windows XP/Me/2000/98

• CPU: 1.3 GHz or faster

• RAM: 512 MB or more

Supported Graphics Cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series (8500 or better)

8500

All-In-Wonder 8500

9000, 9200, 500, 9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• NVIDIA(R) Quadro(TM) series

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

• NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 GTS and better)

GeForce 2, 2 GTS

GeForce 3, 3 Ti

GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, 4800, MX 420, 440, 460

GeForce FX 5200, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

GeForce PCX 5300, 5900

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

Windows Vista

• CPU: 2.0 GHz or faster

• RAM: 1024 MB or more

Supported Graphics Cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series (8500 or better)

9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 GTS and better)

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

FreeTime

In order to install and play The Sims 2 FreeTime you must have The Sims 2 installed and meet the hardware requirements listed below:

• OS: Windows Vista, XP, Me, 2000, or 98

• Installed: The Sims 2 for Windows

• Disc Drive: 8x or faster CD/DVD drive

• Hard Drive: At least 1.5 GB of free space

• Sound: DirectX 9.0 compatible

• Video: DirectX 9.0 compatible

Windows XP/Me/2000/98

• CPU: 1.3 GHz or faster

• RAM: 512 MB or more

Supported Graphics Cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series (8500 or better)

8500

All-In-Wonder 8500

9000, 9200, 500, 9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• NVIDIA(R) Quadro(TM) series

Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

• NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 GTS and better)

GeForce 2, 2 GTS

GeForce 3, 3 Ti

GeForce 4, 4 Ti, 4200, 4600, 4800, MX 420, 440, 460

GeForce FX 5200, 5500, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950

GeForce PCX 5300, 5900

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

Windows Vista

• CPU: 2.0 GHz or faster

• RAM: 1024 MB or more

Supported Graphics Cards:

• ATI Radeon(TM) series (8500 or better)

9600, 9700, 9800

X300, X600, x700, X800, x850

X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950

• NVIDIA GeForce series (GeForce2 GTS and better)

GeForce 6200, 6600, 6800

GeForce 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950

System Requirements for Mac

These are the absolute bare minimums you need to get the game up and running on a Mac. These are NOT the minimum requirements for a playable game experience! If you have just the bare minimum and a low-end graphics card, you will NOT be able to play the game! It will run... but it will not look good, run well, or run consistently without crashing.

• Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3.8 or later

• CPU: PowerPC G4/G5

• CPU Speed: 1.2GHz or faster

• RAM: 256 MB or more

• Hard Disk Space: 3GB free disk space

• Video Card: Radeon 9000/GeForce FX5200 or better; 32MB of Video RAM

• CD/DVD drive