Workstation graphics card tweaking

[genericuser]

I received a former corporate workstation PC and decided to see if I can get TS3 + expansions running on it, as my 8 year old desktop finally decided with LN that the games are just too newfangled and taxing on the system. I should note that the PC came to me sans hard drive, so I have a fresh Windows 7 install. 4 GB RAM and Intel dual core CPU (6700 @ 2.66GHz).

On a vanilla install of just the basegame, I'm experiencing intermittent graphics issues. Sims are often exploding into bits of triangular shrapnel, there are blue triangular rips in the ground, and when I'm in town view the whole thing flickers.

Not certain, but I have a hunch this is due to the PC's workstation graphics card. It's a Nvidia Quadro FX 3500 with up to date drivers. My Google research tells me in vague terms that the hardware of Quadro cards is essentially the same as GeForce cards; it's the drivers that are different, and the Quadros are optimized for CAD work and the like, while the GeForce drivers run games better. I can't find a definitive way to use a GeForce driver for the Quadro card, so I'm looking at making some tweaks through the Nvidia Control Panel.

Does anyone know if the graphics issues I describe above are linked to any particular features that the driver settings control? Like anti-aliasing, prerendering, refresh rate, etc? Furthermore, which settings are more likely to melt the graphics card (or am I paranoid)? Finally, is anyone else using a Quadro card and do you have any suggestions for me?

[Tever]

I can tell you that the Sims melting your video card is more than likely if you don't limit the frame rate. Not everyone needs to, but depending on how good the card is (I have no idea what a Quadro is like), you might want to take the precaution.

[ZelRai]

Put simply,  Quadro cards are not designed with fluid 3D gaming in mind.  While their hardware specs aren't much different from Ge-force cards, the on board firmware and drivers are seriously different.  

If I had to make a guess at the triangle thing, I'd say it was a lack of some piece of the actual 3D model being sent to the card.  While a Ge-force may ignore this, a Quadro is going to render the the model as accurately as possible at the cost of not yeilding speedy rendering.  Thus if pieces missing, or the game is just sending partial 3D model updates,  its going to render  a large  pile of itty-bitty polygons that just fall to the ground.

[genericuser]

Alright, with FPSlimiter and lowering a couple of in-game settings to medium, I'm getting less frequent texture flickering and only the occasional triangular appendage on my sims.

So now in thinking about getting a gaming-optimized graphics card: I cannot understand the list of supported video cards in the game's system requirements info. It looks like only crappy cards are supported (based on looking at cards on Newegg--most of the cards on the "supported" list are not even sold)? Do the better GeForce cards work or do they suffer from a similar trying-too-hard effect as my Quadro?

[ZelRai]

I personally rock a Geforce GTX 295, and as long as I use the FPS limiter have had no problems.

[PA]

There is a more complete list of supported cards in Game\Bin\GraphicsCards.sgr.  Radeon HD 5770 runs it fine, so any comparable card should as well.

[snapzit]

Nvidia GTX 560 Ti works fine. All settings are on high.