Vista - Aaaahh so frustrated!

I want to run the Sims 3 but unfortunately my computer is not up to scratch. I believe i need a new video card ITS NOT THE DRIVERS i have tried dwonloading new drivers but they say they are up to date.I was wondering, are all graphics cards inbuilt these days or does it vary?Do i need to have a new one installed at a repairs shop?Please help, I'm extremely frustrated!

we need to know the specs or at least the model name and number of your pc , we cant help without these...........

then we can help either with pointing you to the right direction for drivers OR suggesting an upgrade path you can take to be able to run your game

where are you getting your drivers from? if something is telling you your already up to date then im assuming your not getting your drivers from the official graphic card/chip vendors site

ummm ok.....i have an acer aspire M1610 the processor is Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2140 @ 1.60GHz 1.60GHz and im using the 32 bit OS . does that help?

yes it does brb

edit , apologies im having trouble finding the motherboard used (we need this info to tell you if you can add in another graphics card and if so what type)

i have to go out now i expect someone else will solve thsi for you before i get back

good luck

btw here is the minimum specs for sims 3 for anyone else wanting to help


Windows Vista

• Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
• 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
• 1.5 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

For computers using built-in graphics chipsets, the game requires at least </SPAN>

• Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA X3000 or above
• 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent
• 0.5 GB additional RAM

acer pc specs

Model:Aspire M 1610
Processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2140
Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
Memory: 2*512MB RAM
Hard Drive:160GB SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive: DVD RW
Graphics Card: SIS Mirage 3 graphics up to 384MB Shared Graphics Memory

Ok, I was able to find what looks like the drivers for your Onboard SIS Mirage 3 video card

SiS Mirage 3 Graphics - Xp and Vista drivers

Now, being said that, I am thinking that your card is not capable of rendering the game and you would need to buy a new card.

It looks like your motherboard supports a PCIe video card. You can have a nice card for about 50 to 100 dollars... the specs on your board do not state how powerful your PSU is but I doubt it will be anything bigger than 300w so be careful when choosing a video card as it may not be able to handle it.

Don't be scare to ask questions if I am confusing you more than helping you

I'm now looking into getting a new computer as it seems the graphics card may not be the only thing running afoul anyway, but thanks very much for the help

Not a problem, we can help with that as well, at least, I can, I love buying computer component parts and when I have to do it w/o spending my own money... I enjoy it so much more!