Poor performance

[Mrwaylay]

Hi all,
So I purchased Sims 4 in the Origin sale yesterday. When I loaded up the game for the first time, I got an error message saying the game did not recognise my GPU, but all graphics settings had been set to high.

I have a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB. I'm running the game in Windows 10 64bit, using a i7 6700K processor, and 8GB RAM.

The game runs ok, but is pretty laggy at certain points i.e. when scrolling the camera. I would have expected a lot smoother performance with my setup?

I've checked in the Nvidia Control Panel, and the game is definitely using my GTX 1060.

I've come across a lot of posts online about the game not recognising newer gfx cards, and as such, locking the gfx settings in at a lower level. Could this be the issue?

Has anyone else experienced similar issues with the game when using new GPU's? And if so, are there any solutions?

Thanks!

[Playalot]

Hi Mrwaylay welcome to the forum. Maybe the info in this link may help you? If not I'm sure @MrsFlynn will have more info on this.

[Mrwaylay]

Hi Playalot, thanks for the reply. I've already bottomed this out and confirmed the game is using my GTX 1060 via the Nvidia control panel.

I've read elsewhere about checking the games DeviceConfig.log, then altering some game files so it fully recognises my GPU. Only thing is, I can't find the DeviceConfig.log anywhere...any suggestions? As said before, I downloaded the game via Origin.

Thanks again.

[MrsFlynn]

You might try making sure that the game is running 64-bit.

Go to Games Library in Origin . Right click on The Sims 4 picture.
Click on “Game Properties”. Click on Advanced Launch options.
Change the “When launching this Game” setting to “The Sims 4 32-bit”
Or change the “When launching this Game” setting to “The Sims 4 64-bit”

Here are some tips that might help with the lag.

Intermittent Lagging/Freezing
http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=21899.msg426179#msg426179

There is a file called Config.log in the Sims 4 folder. It's Sims 4 version of the DeviceConfig.log file
C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4

We haven't looked into editing this file or the Graphics files. As we've never had an issue with our graphics card. As Sims 4 runs fine with our GTX1060.

[MrsFlynn]

Can you post what is in your config.log file? We maybe able to help edit this file for you.

[Mrwaylay]

Hey MrsFlynn. Thanks for replying. I'll certainly check that the game is running in 64bit.

I struggled yesterday to find any files / folders following the folder path you detail. I got as far as ..users/<user>, but then couldn't find a 'documents' folder. Could this have been 'hidden' somehow, and if so, what's the way around it? I admit I'm a bit of an amateur with these things...!
Thanks 😀

[Mrwaylay]

Ok, found the Config.log. The file path was slightly different; ...Users\<username>\OneDrive\Documents...etc.

I've attached a copy of the file below for you all to have a look at.

Could the fact that the Sims 4 files are saved on the OneDrive be causing the lagging issues??

=== Application info ===
Name:            Sims4
Version:         1.25.136.1020
Build:           Release 64 Bit
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 5 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 4 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 3408 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 4912 RAM: 8154 Adjusted RAM: 7642 Cores: 4
=== Machine info ===
OS version:      Windows 10 10.0.14393
OS prod type:   
OS major ver:    10
OS minor ver:    0
OS SP major ver:
OS SP minor ver:
OS is 64Bit:     1
CPU:             GenuineIntel
    Brand:       Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700 CPU @ 3.40GHz
    Family:      6
    Model:       14
    Cores:       4
    HT:          1
    x64:         1
Memory:          8154MB
Free memory:     5363MB
VA space:        134217728MB
User:            Mrway
Computer:        DESKTOP-B3B3I1C
=== Graphics device info ===
Number:          0
Name (driver):   NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
Name (database):  [Found: 0, Supported: 1]
Vendor:          NVIDIA
Chipset:         Vendor: 10de, Device: 1c03, Board: 37161458, Chipset: 00a1
Driver:          nvd3dumx.dll, Version: 21.21.13.7633, GUID: D7B71E3E-5F43-11CF-396A-1B171BC2D835
Driver version:  7633
Monitor:         \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory:  2004MB
Vertex program:  3.0
Pixel program:   3.0
Hardware TnL:    1
Opt. features:   +sab +a8l8 +rgba16f +r32f +bc4 +bc5 -rawz +intz
=== Options ===
NumBoots 4
LightingQuality 4
GeneralReflections 3
ObjectQuality 3
VisualEffects 3
PostProcessing 1
UseUncompressedTextures 1
TerrainQuality 3
EdgeSmoothing 3
SimQuality 4
ViewDistance 3
AdvancedRendering 1
VerticalSync 1
UseHiDpi 1
UiScale 100
ResolutionWidth 1920
ResolutionHeight 1080
ResolutionRefresh 60
SceneResolution 3
VisualQuality 0
FullScreen 1
WindowedFullScreen 0
FrameRateLimit 200
DisableScreensaverInFullscreenMode 1
AudioQuality 3
AudioOutputMode 1
MasterLevel 255
VoiceLevel 255
SoundFXLevel 255
MusicLevel 255
MenuMusicLevel 255
UISoundSXLevel 255
AmbientLevel 255
FocusMute 1
MoodChange 1
VoiceMute 0
SoundFXMute 0
MusicMute 0
UIMute 0
AmbientMute 0
MatchSpeedStereoMusic 1
EdgeScrolling 1
EdgeScrollingWarning 1
EnableTelemetry 1
InvertHorizontalRotation 0
InvertVerticalRotation 0
AdvancedCamera 0
ScreenshotPostUI 0
VideoCaptureSize 1
VideoCaptureQuality 2
VideoCaptureSound 1
VideoCaptureTime 0
VideoCaptureHideUI 1
AutonomyHousehold 3
AutonomyDisabledForActiveSim 0
SimsSetAgeSpeed 1
SimsSetAgingEnabled 2
TradSocialMenuEnabled 0
MemoriesHelperEnabled 1
AutoAgeUnplayed 1
NPCReplacement 1
TutorialEnabled 1
ShowModListStartup 1
ModsDisabled 0
ScriptModsEnabled 0
ShowOnlineNotifications 1
AutoReconnect 1
OnlineAccess 1
DisableComments 0
HideReportedContent 0
=== Default Options ===
NumBoots 4294967295
LightingQuality 4
GeneralReflections 3
ObjectQuality 3
VisualEffects 3
PostProcessing 1
UseUncompressedTextures 0
TerrainQuality 3
EdgeSmoothing 3
SimQuality 4
ViewDistance 3
AdvancedRendering 1
VerticalSync 0
UseHiDpi 1
UiScale 100
ResolutionWidth 2023
ResolutionHeight 1138
ResolutionRefresh 4294967295
SceneResolution 3
VisualQuality 5
FullScreen 0
WindowedFullScreen 0
FrameRateLimit 200
DisableScreensaverInFullscreenMode 1
AudioQuality 3
AudioOutputMode 1
MasterLevel 255
VoiceLevel 255
SoundFXLevel 255
MusicLevel 255
MenuMusicLevel 255
UISoundSXLevel 255
AmbientLevel 255
FocusMute 1
MoodChange 1
VoiceMute 0
SoundFXMute 0
MusicMute 0
UIMute 0
AmbientMute 0
MatchSpeedStereoMusic 1
EdgeScrolling 1
EdgeScrollingWarning 1
EnableTelemetry 1
InvertHorizontalRotation 0
InvertVerticalRotation 0
AdvancedCamera 0
ScreenshotPostUI 0
VideoCaptureSize 1
VideoCaptureQuality 2
VideoCaptureSound 1
VideoCaptureTime 0
VideoCaptureHideUI 1
AutonomyHousehold 3
AutonomyDisabledForActiveSim 0
SimsSetAgeSpeed 1
SimsSetAgingEnabled 2
TradSocialMenuEnabled 0
MemoriesHelperEnabled 1
AutoAgeUnplayed 1
NPCReplacement 1
TutorialEnabled 1
ShowModListStartup 1
ModsDisabled 0
ScriptModsEnabled 0
ShowOnlineNotifications 1
AutoReconnect 1
OnlineAccess 1
DisableComments 0
HideReportedContent 0

[Mrwaylay]

Just to be a little more specific; the game in general is running fine. However, every now and then, the frame rate will drop, and the game will stutter for a few seconds. This is normally when either scrolling the camera, or a sim starts a new action. I'm not sure if this is just the norm across the board, however I would have expected pretty consistent, smooth frame rates with my set up.

[MrsFlynn]

It might cause issues to have your documents on OneDrive. From what I understand it's normal for the camera to stutter.

Thank you for the Config.log file.

[Mrwaylay]

Any suggestions on installing the files in a different location? I simply saved the game at the default location via Origin.

Anything which stands out in the Config.log which could be an issue? The 'Graphic Device Info' had a couple of sections which stood out to me, like 'Number: 0' and '[Found: 0 Supported 1]'.

[MrsFlynn]

What you'll want to do is edit your GraphicsCard.sgr file.

The GraphicsCards.sgr file can be found in the Game\Bin folder
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 4\Game\Bin

Here's what you'll need to add into the Nvidia section of the list, just above the 1060 that is already there.

Code: [Select]

card 0x1c03 "NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060" $cardLevelUber $resolutionHigh

Editing this file may not help performance, but it will allow the game to recognize the video card.

[MrsFlynn]

Here's an article that should help with turning off OneDrive.

Turn off or uninstall OneDrive
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Turn-off-or-uninstall-OneDrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0

The user files should still be in their default location (C:\Users\<Username>\Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 4) and save there. Once you turn off syncing with OneDrive. It will no longer save a copy to OneDrive.

Edited to Add: If you don't want to turn off OneDrive you'll want to check it's settings to make sure it's set to keep files on local drive. (Not the cloud as that may be part of the problem.)

[Mrwaylay]

Ok, I think I've solved the OneDrive problem, by changing the settings so it only saves documents locally. Don't think it's made any difference to the stuttering though..perhaps in just being a bit too perfectionist!

In relation to altering the GraphicsCards.sgr file; Windows 10 will not let me open that file up. Any suggestions?

[MrsFlynn]

It's normal for the game to have some stuttering even with better graphics cards due to the way the game has been optimized.

Oh, right. Sorry about that.

Hubby wrote up a how to get Sims 3 to recognize a new video card, and in part 2 it shows you how to get Notepad to recognize the file.
http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/forum/index.php?topic=26753.msg446251#msg446251

[Mrwaylay]

Excellent, all done. It's now showing as recognising my card in the Config file.

Finally, do I need to follow the additional steps in the GraphicsRules.sgr file too? As in, do I need to tell the game my card has 6GB of memory?