FPS? (Frames Per Second)

[Mrs.Laphalot]

After much thought and research, I decided to reformat my computer to see if that would fix my Ambitions lag problems. I had discovered that my fps (frames per second) speed was running max 10, and the game ran smoothly to my surprise, but during those aggravating lag moments, fps would drop to 1 and sometimes even 0! So, after exhausting all the solutions I could find, I did the reformat. Wasn't much to lose since my computer is only a few months old.

After the reformat, I installed Sims 3, WA, then finally Ambitions, pre-windows updates. I played the game for a couple of hours and fps were fluctuating between 30-40 and oh my! I was astonished at how smoothly my game ran! I was sooo happy!    By this time it was very late and I was tired, so I set my computer to do its windows updating and went off to bed. This morning I began playing again only to discover that the best fps I can see the game running at is no more than 15!    The only difference between last nights game play and this morning is windows updates.     I'm truly at a loss as to which update could have caused this and really don't know what to do about it anyway. Has anyone had this problem before and if so, what did you do about it?

I really want to get this issue taken care of before Friday's Random Wishmaster challenge begins.

More details about my lag problems here:
http://www.carls-sims-3-forum.com/index.php/topic,1103.msg21470.html#msg21470

[Saltypaws]

What is it that you type in cheat window in game to find out what the FPS is? What are the numbers it should be?  Mine is running fine, only difference I see, is when I have a very large house with more than 5 sims, then it lags some, but not much.  The only thing I can say, when I was going to school for computer tech, we were told, no two components of computers were the same and whether the parts were name brands or off brands, they were all made the same, so two computers that might be alike, might have some minor difference, like video cards, motherboards, cpu, etc.  From the beginning when sims came out, the computers integrated graphics cards would not work for the sims.  At one time, I bought two computers, thinking it was the computer and found out it was the card.  Now you have to update, download, defrag, get rid of cookies and so on and so forth when the game starts acting up.  Use to be simple to find out what was wrong, now there are so many variants to consider, mindboggling, to say the least.  Good luck.  I wish I had an answer.

[Mrs.Laphalot]

What is it that you type in cheat window in game to find out what the FPS is? What are the numbers it should be?  Mine is running fine, only difference I see, is when I have a very large house with more than 5 sims, then it lags some, but not much.  The only thing I can say, when I was going to school for computer tech, we were told, no two components of computers were the same and whether the parts were name brands or off brands, they were all made the same, so two computers that might be alike, might have some minor difference, like video cards, motherboards, cpu, etc.  From the beginning when sims came out, the computers integrated graphics cards would not work for the sims.  At one time, I bought two computers, thinking it was the computer and found out it was the card.  Now you have to update, download, defrag, get rid of cookies and so on and so forth when the game starts acting up.  Use to be simple to find out what was wrong, now there are so many variants to consider, mindboggling, to say the least.  Good luck.  I wish I had an answer.

To turn on fps, just type 'fps on' in the cheat console. From all my research, I learned that 30ish fps is a great speed for the Sims, anything higher than that and our eyes really can't see a difference.  When I was running at 15 fps, my game still ran smoothly to be honest. I'd be happy at the 10 fps if it would stay steady around that and not drop to 1 at times. 

Ah yes, I know what you mean about the graphics card ordeal, I went through turmoil when Sims 2 was released and finally had to replace the card in my older (but not old) computer. After that, I had no problems running it or any of the eps following.

The lagging I had before reformatting would begin even with just 1 sim on a small, empty lot.  I've tried setting all the options to low in the graphics options and that didn't make a difference at all. I can say that the lagging I'm having today isn't as often as before the reformat, but its still aggravating to say the least.

[Saltypaws]

Thanks, I remember Pam putting that in a post, but just couldn't remember for sure.  I hope you find out something, I know it is frustrating no matter what.  I remember playing the sims on my one computer for almost a year and the computer dying on me, had to start over.  I have started over probably, 5 times and lost everything.  I have a Visionman gaming computer that I decided to spend a little more on and put almost the highest video card and upgraded the memory and that is all I am doing too, lol.  I hope I do not have to get another one for a long time.

[Archer0]

It's possible that Windows Update installed a video driver replacement.  Make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers from either ATI or Nvidia, the 2 big gaming card companies.  I'm assuming you have one of those, btw.  30-40 FPS, if that is your average, seems a little low.  Although it is certainly playable.  What resolution do you have set for the Sims3?  Does it match your windows desktop resolution?

[Mrs.Laphalot]

It's possible that Windows Update installed a video driver replacement.  Make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest drivers from either ATI or Nvidia, the 2 big gaming card companies.  I'm assuming you have one of those, btw.  30-40 FPS, if that is your average, seems a little low.  Although it is certainly playable.  What resolution do you have set for the Sims3?  Does it match your windows desktop resolution?

Ah I wish I had 30-40.    Immediately after reformatting and installing Sims I did get 30-40 fps, game ran beautifully. After the updates, average fps dropped to 10 and after 5-6 minutes of gaming, drops to 0 for a couple of minutes, at which time the game completely stops running until the fps picks back up. (Usually 1-2 minutes wait time)  This is repetitive. You are correct, I have Nvidia  GeForce 9100 series.

I've run a system restore to the time before the updates were installed and going to test the game speed again. After reading your post, I did check to see if my driver was up to date and it says I have the best already installed. This is completely puzzling to me. Oh, as far as my desktop resolution, my default setup (and recommended) is 1920x1080, the game's default setting is 1024x768, and when I set it to my desktop resolution, the fps and lagging is much worse. 

Edited to say:  I've just learned that my card is a low-end, which leaves me very disappointed in the 'Sims 3 Loving' salesman at Best Buy. But still, I'm not convinced this is going to be the problem just yet.

[Archer0]

I would certainly try the system restore option first, if your gameplay was acceptable before.  Then if you do updates again, watch whats being installed and tell it not to update anything for the NVidia 9100.    Windows Updates are important for your PC's health and security.

Now, unfortunately the Nvidia 9100 series seems to be used on notebooks and integrated into the motherboards on desktop PCs.  It doesn't seem to be a stand alone video card really designed for 3d gaming.  So, yes, I probably wouldn't run any higher than 1024x768 in any games, Sims 3 included.  It's also not listed as a supported video card for the Sims 3, not that that ever stops people from running software.    http://www.thesims3.com/game/systemreq

However, if you have another PC with the same video and it runs fine, seems a little strange.

Not sure how you checked the driver version.  If you just went through device manager, then yeah, Windows will say it's the latest driver based on Windows Update.    According to the Nvidia website, the latest driver that supports your 9100 is:

Version:  257.21 WHQL
Release Date: 2010.06.15
Operating System:  Windows 7, Windows Vista
Language:  English (U.S.)
File Size:  94.7 MB
Supported products:  GeForce 9 series:
9300, 9600 GT, 9500 GT, 9600 GS, 9500 GS, 9300 GE, 9200, 9400, 9400 GT, 9800 GTX/GTX+, 9600 GSO, 9800 GX2, 9300 GS, 9800 GT, 9100

If you have never updated a driver on your PC by hand, I would advise caution.  And there is no guarantee it will solve your problems with Sims 3.  But updating the video card driver is something that most game companies recommend.

If your PC is capable of upgrading the video card, and you decide that's an option for you, this link to a guide on tomshardware might provde helpful:  http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-geforce-radeon,2646-2.html

[Mrs.Laphalot]

Thanks so much Archer for the info and for taking the time to search up these details. I did use device manager to check the card driver as I don't know any other way    I was thinking that I read in the readme file of Sims 3 that our cards did fall under the card listings, just not supported under Vista. I could be mistaken about that though, as it was back in Feb that I read it.    I'm currently undergoing another (and final) reformat, and will then install for the last time. I will definitely keep an eye on the update listing to see if Nvidia is there. I'm also going to check out the driver details you provided, although I will keep in mind your caution as I've never updated a driver manually before. I may have to get my brother for a visit to do that bit.  I sure don't want to make bad things worse you know.

I read that my entire problem could be a simple matter of cpu overheating. Before I began this reformat session, I powered off and removed the heatsink, and sure enough, there was quite a bit of dust accumulation on it. I air dusted that and reinserted, then proceeded to clean out the other fans in the tower. I'm going to feel like a big dummy if that was the problem from the beginning. So simple, whodathunkit?

Thanks again for your attention to my troubles and I'll update any findings soon that may lead to other possible solutions. 

[Saltypaws]

That is a neat little thing for the FPS, mine ran at 70-80, but when everyone was moving around and it was busy, it would drop down to around 40-50.  It went up in the nineties a couple of times, so I assume that is good.  I never knew about that.  Good to know.  It did get real low at night at fast speed, but this is a big house with 5 people living there and that does take up more memory too.

[Mrs.Laphalot]

If your PC is capable of upgrading the video card, and you decide that's an option for you, this link to a guide on tomshardware might provde helpful:  http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-card-geforce-radeon,2646-2.html

Oh! Thanks for this link as well. A new graphics card is definitely in my thoughts in the near future, if for nothing else but to make me feel better.  Will be nice to have a spot to go to for some research on a good one beforehand.

[Joria]

Mrs. Laphalot I feel your pain!  I got a new pc for Mother's Day, supposed to be a really nice one, but not a gaming pc.  It was Windows 7, (yay! no more Vista!), so I was happy and figured it would all be running smoothly.  NOT!  After many painful and frustrating days of trying to figure things out, and worse, trying to get my questions answered elsewhere, I finally wound up having to get a new video card, new driver and extra cooling system!  Now it mostly runs like a charm, except for the random "black screen of death" which I just experienced again.  This miserable experience ate around 10 legacy families at gen 3 so I was NOT a happy camper.

[Mrs.Laphalot]

Wow Joria! I can't imagine 10 legacy families poofing like that. I think I'd be totally bald. 

Archer was right about my driver, it was well out of date by a year    I did manage to download and install the newest driver, which was very easy since it's an installshield wizard.    When I ran my game, it was actually full screen!! No 2" black edges on the sides!    The resolution is still set the same as before, but its nice not having to look at a partial game screen. Btw, my hubby's computer never had those black edges from the beginning.    I've only been running the game about 20 minutes so far and all is going smoothly. I'm still interested in a new graphics card, and my brother did tell me that my pc will handle an upgrade nicely. Now to save a few buckaroos to purchase one.    Hopefully this driver update will suffice until then.

Thanks again Archer for your outstanding help! 

Edit for typo

[Archer0]

Glad you got the driver updated ok!  Hope that works for awhile for you.  Cleaning the dust off will help too.  I was just coming back to this thread to post you a link from EA's tech help, on how to identify your hardware and driver versions & update them.  You can see it at https://easims.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/easims.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=10711

Oh, also one more thing I wanted to mention about upgrading the video card.  Make sure to watch the power requirements.  Most modern gaming video cards require a larger wattage power supply(400w plus), as well as special connectors from the power supply on the inside(though many will come with adapters to solve the connection problem).  Many PC brands like HP, Compaq, Dell and Gateway come with smaller wattage power supplies.  They do make low power gaming video cards though, you just have to check on the specs.  Definitely research the video card model combined with your PC model.

[Saltypaws]

Graphics cards are usually the culprits in some cases.  Hope everything works out.