In order for you to play The Sims 3 on Windows with minimal graphics settings, your computer must meet the following requirements
OS *:
Windows XP (Service Pack 2) or Windows Vista (Service Pack 1)
Processor (CPU):
(XP) 2.0 GHz P4 processor or equivalent; (Vista) 2.4 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
Memory (RAM):
(XP) 1 GB; (Vista) 1.5 GB
Graphics Card:
128 MB Video Card with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
DirectX®:
Hard Drive:
At least 6.5 GB of hard drive space with at least 1 GB additional space for custom content
Sound:
Built-in Graphics:
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
Supported Video Cards:
Nvidia GeForce series: FX5900 or greater, G100, GT 120, GT 130, GTS 150, GTS 250, GTX 260, GTX 275, GTX 280, GTX 285, GTX 295; ATI Radeon™ series: ATI Radeon 9500 series of greater, X300, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1300, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950, 2400, 2600, 2900, 3450, 3650, 3850, 3870, 4850, 4870 series or greater; Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA): GMA 3-Series, GMA 4-Series
*Please note that the GeForce 6100 and 7100 cards are not supported