Just a guess, but a new mid-level MBP should run Sims 3 just fine. I will not guess about the highest settings, but I've got a MBP (see my sig) that handles all the games I've tried just fine and it does an excellent job in Windows/Vista with games like Crysis. But excellent for Crysis is about 20fps, it's such a hog. 😉 I do agree with the philosophy if you can afford it, purchase the best CPU/Video Card you can afford for gaming.