User:Ajaxsirius/Sticky draft
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The aim of this guide is to help you help yourself when it comes to computer hardware by explaining what the parts do and which parts you should aim to get to play The Sims 3 and 4. This guide is divided into three major sections; "Knowledge", "Sample Builds" and "Troubleshooting & FAQs".
If you're looking for advice about a particular part (like CPU, GPU, PSU etc.) then you may go directly to the "Knowledge" section for the part you want to learn more about. If you're looking for a quick and dirty recommended part list for The Sims 3 or 4 then you may go directly to the "Sample Builds" section. If you just have a problem you want to address, you may go directly to the "Troubleshooting" section. However please be aware that the "Knowledge" section will be referenced frequently in both those sections and so 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.
What's covered by this guide:
This guide is purposely limited to hardware and non-sims software issues relative to playing The Sims 3 and The Sims 4 on Intel processor based Windows system. This guide can help you learn what each computer part does, and which ones you should aim to get in order to play The Sims. It'll explain some common terms, such as hardware, software, FPS etc., it will give tips and good habits to keep your computer running in tip top shape and will address some of the most common hardware problems people have with The Sims 3/4.
What's NOT covered by this guide:
The Sims 1, The Sims 2, Custom Content, Mods and Sims-related software are not covered. However there are forums on the website dedicated to addressing those topics. Advanced LN2, liquid cooling and overclocking are also not covered. Intel Extreme Processor based systems and AMD processor based systems are also not covered. However if you have one of these or are considering one, please start a thread in the Tech Support Forum.
In addition to this, CPUs and GPUs launched prior to 2012 are not addressed in this guide. If you are buying new, you should be buying parts launched in 2012 or newer. If you already own an older system or are considering buying a used/refurbished system with older processors please read the "Knowledge" section as most of it applies to your system anyway. If you have further questions please start a thread in the Tech Support forum.
Other considerations:
Where possible I will provide sources for the information. Please be aware however that some of the information may be based on my personal subjective opinion and anecdotal evidence. You use the information here at your own risk.
Unless stated otherwise, this guide assumes that systems and parts described are desktop variants and not laptop variants.
Knowledge Section
Software
Software is a broad term for any kind data or information used to execute an operation. The part that is actually used to execute the operation is often known as the Program. Other parts, such as the database or other stored information may be part of the software, but not part of the program. Software that directly helps a user perform tasks is often known as an Application. Some programs are executed directly by the computer, such as background tasks, and are not designed to be used by the user. However, they are still technically programs. The terms software, programs and applications are often used interchangeably since the difference is minor.
Hardware
Hardware is a broad term for any piece of your computer that you can physically touch. You can't touch an application, but you can touch the screen, the mouse or the keyboard.
(OS) Operating System
Think of the Operating System (OS) as your computer's mind. It's a piece of software that tells all of your computer's programs and hardware how to interact with each other. There are two major OS's. Microsoft's Windows, Apple's OS X. There also exist a whole variety of other OS's based upon Linux.
Windows 7 & 8 support both 32bit processors and 64bit processors. 32bit versions of OS's may run on 64bit hardware, but 64bit OS will not run on 32bit hardware.
(CPU) Central Processing Unit
(MB) Motherboard
(RAM) Random Access Memory
(GPU) Graphics Processing Unit
(PSU) Power Supply Unit
(HDD) Hard Disk Drive
(SSD) Solid State Drive
Case / Enclosure / Chassis
(BIOS) Basic Input/Output System, (UEFI) Unified Extensible Firmware Interface & Firmware
