Will I be able to run it?

[Rob Mayor 0]

Hi there!

I'm new to this forum so my apologies in advance if there was a place for this type of thread.

Anyway, simple question I hope some of you more computer literate users could answer me, will I be able to run Sim City 4 on these specs?

Microsoft Windows XP SP3 Home

400 Watt Power Supply Unit

MSI G31MF-F Motherboard

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core E5300 2x2.6GHz 2MB Cache

Samsung 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800MHz

nVidia GeForce 9400GT 512MB

I'm getting a new PC in August with those specs, for the past few years I've just been using a cheap Linux netbook which, needless to say, isn't exactly built for games.

I used to play Sim City 4 loads when I was younger, I never managed to have it run particularly well but I was still able to enjoy it

I'm really hoping that, with this new PC I will finally be able to run the game smoothly!

Also if there are any common bugs, errors, crashes etc that I am likely to encounter, I would appreciate it if you let me know, even more so if you provide a solution!

Thank you in advance if you can help me out with my question!

Oh and if it makes any difference, I'll be playing the deluxe edition.

[ROFLyoshi 1,760]

Simcity 4 doesn't need too much power to run, but loading times can be slow with a large city. I'm not an expert on this, but I think you should be right.

[Darth Apple 54]

Yes, it will. it is always better to have the fastest computer possible, however. But that computer is going to do fine, not a bad computer at all.

ctds (crash_to_desktops) can be caused by various things.

I would update the game ASAP. to help with various problems.

[Rob Mayor 0]

Thanks guys.

Will I be less likely to run into problems using XP rather than Vista?

[Darth Apple 54]

yes, many people have problems with vista, it isn't impossible, some have done it, but problems with vista are very very very common.

[Rob Mayor 0]

That's a relief lol

[tungston 19]

There are far fewer people having trouble with Vista than those that don't.  You just don't hear from the people that don't have problems with Vista.  I find it much more stable than XP.

The one thing you might have trouble with is installing the Rush Hour expansion, compared to the Deluxe which installs all at once.  Vista doesn't like other programs making changes to the Program Files folders.  If you have the Rush Hour expansion, I recommend installing the game outside of the Program Files folder.

[Rob Mayor 0]

Another question (sorry!)

Other than the official updates from EA, I don't plan on installing any plug ins or mods. I would literally be playing with just the deluxe edition and updates from EA installed.

Is that likely to keep the performance much cleaner and smoother, or are there certain mods which can help the games performance?

[ArchangelMichael 51]

Welcome to Simtropolis, Rob!

Since the new computer you're getting will be dual core, you might want to bookmark this page in case you encounter issues down the road.  The title of the topic mentions Vista, but the dual core issue regards XP as well.

As for plugins that enhance performance, I highly recommend using the Network Addon Mod and any version of traffic simulator z.  The Maxis default traffic simulator is very weak -- your sims have trouble finding a job and often wind up leaving town.  Simulator z helps prevent this, and has the added benefit of actually running faster and more smoothly than the default traffic simulator.  You can learn more about the very detailed work that went into it here (see point number 6, in reference to my previous sentence).  Be aware that you will notice congestion at intersections in the Traffic Data View, but this is a normal feature of simulator z.  The goal was to enhance realism, and in real life, intersections contribute to traffic congestion.

I would also consider some terrain and tree mods to make the landscape more beautiful.  Sign up for the BSC Lot Exchange (LEX), click on "Power Search" in the upper middle of the screen, and in the dropdown list for "Creator/Designer" select "c.p." to get a look at some of the most popular trees and terrains.

There are several other useful mods that make the game easier and more realistic without cheating or impeding performance, such as slope mods (to prevent streets, roads, rail, etc. from having steep, unrealistic hills), water mods to change the look of the water, and flora items that you can plop from the mayor menu.  Look around at both sites and I'm sure you'll find plenty of awesome stuff!

[Cougar2004 127]

I'm not a Vista fan at all. But I have never had even the slightest problem running SimCity 4 Deluxe on my Vista box. Its a bit strange when i hear people saying they hare having vista problems.... I often think its something they did to their game, like bad plugins that is causing their problem. Your specs seem fine if that is what you will go with.

[Random_ben7 0]

People who have problems with vista should not be using their computer.

[Rob Mayor 0]

Originally posted by: ArchangelMichael

quote>

Wow! That should all come in handy when it comes to playing the game, thanks!