Help With games + RAM

[I7Apple7I]

Hi all
I'm having a spot of bother with my new PC
I got it from PC world and the discussion was 4 years of work coming up plus the odd game here and there and therefore - processor Vs RAM + HDD storage.
I was finally convinced that the better processor would be the option (as well as better quality and lifespan) so I have a Lenovo tower with the Intel I5 processor and 4GB of ram rather than a HP with Intel I3 and 6GB of ram.
As my course hasn't started I went out and bought The Sims 3 which requires 1GB of ram to run my problem is that when i play the game it crashes every now and then and its not very speedy (compared to other programs) and when I look at task manager it shows Im using around 98% of my RAM, surely The Sims 3 isn't taking 3GB or ram to run as well as the required 1GB D: Any suggestions?
I've stopped data protection for the game which helped and also gave it admin privileges but I am quite disappointed as I was expecting a much better outcome from my new computer
--
*I have run the same game on my 1GB netbook and it was only slightly worse..

PC specs;

Lenovo
Intel Core I5-2323 CPU @ 3.00GHz
4.00GB RAM (£.90 usable)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Service Pack 1

[geek hoodlum]

Hi and welcome to Computer Hope!

I am not sure if The Sims 3 will work on the operating system you mentioned Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Service Pack 1. Google shows Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Mac OS X

[DaveLembke]

I'd try setting up compatability mode for XP for that game and see if that helps. I think that will make it function as if XP 32-bit

[Kurtiskain]

Hello,

I have run TS3 on Windows Ultimate x64 and x86 with no issues at all.
The main difference here will be the graphics card that the machines have and use.
The other difference will be what graphics settings the two machines are on. Try adjusting the graphics settings a bit lower and see if that improves performance on your desktop.

http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Games/Guides/sims3performance/}The Sims 3 Performance settings guide

This should help you a lot

EDIT:
This makes a lot of things clear if you are running with an onboard card. Higher settings = Higher memory use