/ Sims 3 and PowerPC Incompatibility

Sims 3 and PowerPC Incompatibility

I noticed that you said that Sims 3 won’t work if you are trying to run it on a PowerPC. What, if anything, can I do if I have a PowerPC Mac? Celeste Stewart

Sims 3 System Requirements for Mac

Unfortunately, there’s not much that you can do. The Sims 3, like all computer programs, has been designed to work with computers that meet specific system requirements. In the case of the Macintosh operating system, the following system requirements must be met in order for the game to work:

Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5.7 (or above) Leopard
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Free Disk Space: 6.1 GB (plus 1 additional GB for saved games and custom content)
Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor
Graphics: ATI X1600 or Nvidia 7300 GT with 128 MB of Video RAM or Intel Integrated GMA X3100

In addition, EA specifically says that the game will not run on PowerPC (G3/G4/G5) based Mac systems. So, unless you’re willing to do some major surgery on your Macintosh, you’re not going to be able to play Sims 3 on it.

Sims 3 for the iPhone and iPod Touch

However, if you happen to have an iPhone or iPod Touch, consider buying the Sims 3 game for your mobile device. Though scaled down to size, the mobile version looks to be fun - plus you can take it with you where ever you go.

Second Life

While the Sims Online is no longer online, many other multi-player online role playing games exist. If you haven’t tried Second Life, you might consider it as an alternative to Sims 3 until you have access to a computer that meets the Sims 3 requirements. Second Life is played online and a basic account is free. Second Life’s minimum system requirements for Mac users are as follows:

Cable or DSL Internet connection

Mac OS X 10.4.11 or above

Computer Processor: 1 GHz G4 or better

Memory: 512 MB or more

Screen Resolution: 1024×768 pixels

Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 2 or GeForce 4, ATI Radeon 9200 and above, or ATI Radeon X Series

While it’s disappointing that the Sims 3 game will not play on your PowerPC Mac, if you have an iPod Touch or iPhone, you can play via that platform. If not, other role playing games are out there. I hope you find a virtual world that works for you.