graphics card..sucky?

Looking at the games compatibility list for the Intel 82845G, The Sims 2 should work with your onboard graphics.

From http://compsimgames.about.com/od/thesims2faqs/f/systemrequireme.htm
If you have a T&L capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM (such as nvidia GeForce 2 or better or ATI Radeon 7000 or better) then you need at least:

* 800 MHz processor
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP
* 128 MB RAM if Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 gigs of free hard drive space

If you have a non-T&L capable video card (such as TNT2, Intel, or Rage for example) then you need at least:

* 2.0 GHz processor
* 256 MB RAM if Windows XP
* 128 MB RAM if Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows 2000
* At least 3.5 gigs of free hard drive space

Click to expand...

You can try the ServoPro Sims 2 System Requirements Checker which will scan your system and tell you if the game will run. The only link I could find was on a Spanish site, but the program is in English. Click the green 'Descargar' button to download.
http://es.descargas.yahoo.net/ie/43666/_ServoPro_TS2_System_Requirements_Checker

Post the rest of your specs (motherboard, RAM, CPU) if you need any more help.

My PC has/is a Pentium 4 CPU 2.80GHz, 2.79GHz & 256mb of ram(taken from my system properties).I'm hoping I supplied the correct information you needed.
I tried downloading that program and
I'm guessing I have to pay for it.

Thanks for your help!

The Requirements Checker program must have been discontinued. The author's site is down and I can't find any more links for it.

I'm not sure if the Intel 82845G is T&L capable (texture & lighting), but the Intel site says The Sims 2 will run so try the demo to see how well it runs on your system. If there's an options menu in the game, try playing at different graphics levels to see how close you can get to the highest settings.

256mb RAM is very low for XP. 512mb or 1gb is preferred. Also, onboard graphics like the Intel 82845G aren't designed for 3D games. A graphics card would give better performance, either AGP or PCI-e depending on your motherboard.

I'll move this thread over to the Games forum where they have more Sims2 experience.