Poor graphic perfomance on my nice new pc - and tried it all, it seems

[graphico]

I am in urgent need of help.

I finally upgraded my system from a Windows 2K, Intel P4 3gHz with an nVidia FX 5200 card and 1gb RAM to what is shown below, which I'm sure should be able to run Sims 2 three times over without glitches. The reality, however, is that the game runs smoothly for a few seconds and then badly stutters or jerks or lags or chops or skips or whatever the hell you want to call it. It does that for about 5-10 seconds and then runs smoothly for the next 5-10 seconds before doing its little thing again, world without end, amen. This happens in the entire game: in the neighbourhood screen, in live mode, buy mode and build mode and in create a family.

Other than with TS2, the new computer is on fire and is started up and raring to go within 40 seconds from pressing the power button! I don't play other games, so I am unable to test whether this is exclusive to TS2.

My computer's specs:
processor - AMD Athlon64 x2 6000+
motherboard - Asus M2N-VM DVI
graphic card - nVidia 8600GT 512MB
ram - 2 x 1GB DDR2-800
HHD1 - 40GB IDE (primary master) - contains all OS (including My Documents) and program files
HDD2 - 80GB SATA - data
CDROM - LG multi DVD writer (SATA)
PowerMax 350W psu

and
Windows XP Professional with SP2
DirectX 9.0c

Friday I spent the entire day on the net looking for solutions and trying them out. Apparently there is such a thing as a cpu affinity issue or some such which means TS2 can't utilise more than one processor. So:

• I installed the AMD cpu optimizer and I set the affinity to first one and then the other cpu in windows task manager, but I didn't try the forcecore thing since setting the affinity manually did nothing,
• I installed MS's KB896256 and KB924441,
• I started drinking,
• I made sure all background tasks were shut down,
• I updated the drivers for the motherboard, the graphics card, the cpu,
• I reinstalled Windows XP three times and TS2 with all the EA patches twice,
• I cursed an moaned and cursed once more,
• I scandisked and defragged,
• I changed the size of the page file (first to min 513k, max 1535k and then to min 3072k, max 3072k as someone else suggested) and moved it to a different physical drive,
• I tried to go without TS2,
• I installed only the base game with no custom content and turned down all the graphics options as low as they could go,
• I had withdrawal symptoms,
• I made sure both system restore and drive indexing were switched off,
• I tried "boolprop useshaders false" and "vsync off",

none of which did the slightest bit of anything to solve the problem. How I miss my old system! It was not perfect by a long shot, but at least I could play.

I found a suggestion on EA's website, which is to start the game with the -w and -nosound options. The game's performance was definitely better with the -w option, but -nosound had no visible effect. When I paused the game for a while and went back to it, however, the dreaded lag was back. Does this mean anything to anyone?

I've attached the DxDiag report file in case someone wants to look at the info therein.

How much longer before Sims 3 is launched?

Please help!

[attachment deleted by admin]

[J. M. Pescado]

Your power supply is inadequate. AMD Athlons are power-hogs and your other equipment is no better. It's a minor miracle your computer hasn't simply completely seized and died as opposed to stuttering, but there's no way in hell a 350W is capable of sustaining that rig. MORE POWER! YOU MUST HAVE MORE POWER!

There is no other reason I can think of that would specifically produce this stuttering. Regardless of whether this will actually fix your specific problem, YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS!

[Dark Trepie]

Update your video driver.  My ATI did that when it was shiney and new and freshly installed.  Updating it's driver fixed it.  Somehow missed that you updated it already.

Also agree on needing MOAR power out of your power supply.  350W is laughably pathetic in this day and age.

ETA:  Sound drivers.  You might not think it, but sometimes updating your sound card/onboard sound drivers can help graphics related issues.

[Zazazu]

I have a 700W power supply from Newegg. If your rig can fit it (and I don't see why not...it's a reasonable size) I'd totally recommend it. I have no additional fans other than the one in the front that everyone has, and it keeps the tower very cool, even after the thing's been on for the entire day running Sims2 + whatever else I'm tabbing back and forth between.

I'd also get more RAMZ. How are you going to get twins on that rig?




(Seriously, though, you might as well bump it to 2 GB. RAM sticks are cheap.)

[jolrei]

I want Zaza's rig.

[Jelenedra]

I'd also get more RAMZ. How are you going to get twins on that rig?

This is win.

[mildlydisguised]

Are you running the game from the annoying EA launcher thing?  If so, don't - it likes to phone home causing lag.

I don't think your problem is hardware related (although I would definitely get a bigger PSU before your rig explodes).  How many character files does you hood have?  I can't remember whether the BV patch fixed the tour guide generating or not.  What hacks are you running?  How much CC do you have?  And just so we get a good picture of how you run your game, do you have all SPs and EPs and do you play from a no cd crack?

[Zazazu]

I want Zaza's rig.

No! Addison is my bitch! Although I have to admit, the 4 GB of RAM did cause me some problems. I had eight sets of twins, nearly in a row, before it finally adjusted.

[graphico]

So many questions, so little time!

I think I may have found the problem.

When setting the affinity the game has for only one of the two processors, I never checked in the task manager that it was actually using only the one processor specified. When I used process explorer, however, I noticed that the game still used the other processor from time to time, even though it had been told to only use one. And the periods that it was using the other processor was exactly the time that the game stuttered, as shown in the attached screen capture.

So I tried setting the affinity with Task Assign, to no avail. Then I found another program, ForceCore, which is supposed to do the same thing. But I got an error message - oxc0000135 - when I tried to run the program. Back to the drawing board once more. After doing a bit of research, I found that the error message seems to mean that the program needs MS's .NET installed. Which is the next thing I will do. I just wonder whether it needs .NET 1.1 or 2.0? Never mind, I'll install both.

And I'll update this thread as soon as I have done all that. And answer all the many, many questions. I'm selfish, I first want to try my little solution.

Pity I can only try it when I get home from work.

Sigh.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[graphico]

OK, first all the answers to your questions:

Are you running the game from the annoying EA launcher thing?  If so, don't - it likes to phone home causing lag.

No, I'm only running the base game until I sort out the problem and that doesn't use the annoying EA launcher thing.

How many character files does you hood have?

I'm only using the default Pleasantview hood until I sort out this problem, so however many character files comes with that.

What hacks are you running?

Usually I have the Super Nude Patch 2, allenabq's Replacement Face Templates for CAS&BodyShop and AmberDiceless' plate replacement "ButterflyGold", but, again, until I sort out this problem, I have no hacks installed.

How much CC do you have?

Nothing, until I sort out this problem... but usually about 1.5GB worth.

And just so we get a good picture of how you run your game, do you have all SPs and EPs and do you play from a no cd crack?

I have all EPs up to Freetime and only two SPs - Glamour Life Stuff and H&M Fashion Stuff. But, once more if you've missed it before, only the base game until I sort out the problem. And I don't use a no CD crack.

And now, an update on my little ForceCore solution of yesterday:

Very little, if anything, changed. Even though the game had been instructed to use only one processor, it kept accessing the second processor. Why? Why? I've attached a new screenshot, if anyone's interested.

ETA:  Sound drivers.  You might not think it, but sometimes updating your sound card/onboard sound drivers can help graphics related issues.

I'll try that one tonight.


[attachment deleted by admin]

[witch]

Have you replaced your power supply yet?

[Argon]

Replace the power supply, 350W is no where near enough for that video card.


Have you tried this program? http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=84083 (OneProcessorLaunch Tool). I haven't tried it on my laptop (dual core) yet but it's supposed to do the same thing ForceCore does (better?) and it's been developed more recently.

[graphico]

Sorry, I've been away for a while.

I've bought a new psu, which will be delivered to me by Monday (this is South Africa).

I'll try the OneProcessorLaunch program, and I'll post back here as soon as I've tried it.

I feel so stupid, going to all this trouble just to be playing a goddamn game.

[graphico]

I am finally able to play Sims again!

There were many, many suggestions from all over. In the end, replacing the motherboard was what fixed the problem. Everything works beautifully now.

And I also upgraded to Vista, which seems more appropriate.

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!