Sims Medieval - Video Card Requirements

[Pam]

I'm hoping to nip this issue in the bud before people start complaining that Sims Medieval crashes and such.  The video card requirements for Sims Medieval are different from Sims 3.  You need a card with more RAM.  Sims 3 requires a video card with 128 MB of video RAM, while Sims Medieval requires a 256 MB video card.  I strongly suggest everyone check this before running the game.  Any questions regarding this issue will be directed to this thread.

The following was provided by Gheez:

"Open Screen Resolution by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, and then, under Appearance and Personalization, clicking Adjust screen resolution.

Click Advanced settings, and then click the Adapter tab.

This is where you can see details about your video card, including how much memory your video card has."

Info from here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Video-cards-frequently-asked-questions

Edited to add:

Here's a link on the EA forum about this crashing/video issue.  Maybe it will help.

Also, check this link to see all the computer requirements for running the game.

[Saltypaws]

I didn't even realize that and thought it was the same.  I guess I should have read it more closely.

[Pam]

I wondered about it when I started seeing posts about the crashing problems and it sounded exactly like what my Sims 3 did when I first got it, before I upgraded my video card.  So I compared the minimum requirements once I got Sims Medieval in my hands, and sure enough, it needs more video power.  So when players complain about the crashing problems, we need to have them check their video cards.  We knew it was coming sooner or later, though.  I'm sure Sims 4 will need even more.

[CarlaluvsSims]

This is what my laptop says about the graphics.

"Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HD with 32MB-1696MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory"

When I bought this computer last year, I specifically asked about running Sims 3, but I'm not sure now about Medieval Sims. To me it appears that the memory is flexable, depending on what else is running on the PC.  So if I shut down everything I'm not using, I should be okay, right? 

Sorry if this is a totally dumb. I know enough about computers to be dangerous! 

Thanks for any ideas or comments!

Carla

[samoht04]

How do you find out what MB a Card is?

[TheChronicR]

To find out how many MB your video card is (in Windows XP), right-click somewhere (empty space) on the desktop, choose Properties, click on the Settings tab, click on the Advanced button. Now click on the Adapter tab, you should be able to see Memory Size: xxxMB
That is your Graphics memory. Mine is 256 MB, woo hoo!

[Joria]

I have an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 GT video card which we had to add when we got Sims3.  The website says it has 500 MB of standard memory configuration, yet I still wind up with black screen of death, or at least kicked out to my desktop where the display has gone all weird and scrunched together temporarily.  It goes back to my settings once I'm out of the game.  I have a HUGE monitor, 27 inches, so have had to adjust my settings so everything displays across the entire screen.  *(Can you imagine how great this is for playing Sims?)  Is this what you mean when you say you need MB of video ram?

[Gheez]

Oddly enough, the specs for those of us, poor souls, using integrated graphics chipsets under Windows does not appear to have changed.  My copy has not yet arrived, when it finally does, I'll post here if it causes crashing problems and give all the details of my chipset to warn others of any potential problems.

(Crossing fingers that there will be no problems.)

EDITED:

Just read this:

"For the integrated chipset as the variants of ATI Xpress and the NVIDIA TurboCache, you may be automatically selected a setting level higher than optimal to improve performance, just lower it."  

I wonder if manually lowering the graphics settings will help those of you who are having problems?  OR updating your graphics drivers?

(I couldn't play The Sims Castaway on my laptop, the screen would go black, installing newer graphics drivers solved this problem.)

[samoht04]

I have Nvidia GeForce7100, which isn't supported for Sims 3 but still runs it pretty well. I can't find out the MB on Windows 7?

[thesimslover828]

I clicked the dxdiag DirectX Diagnostic Tool and on the display tab it says my approx. total memory is 1751 MB. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD.

[Gheez]

I have Nvidia GeForce7100, which isn't supported for Sims 3 but still runs it pretty well. I can't find out the MB on Windows 7?

"Open Screen Resolution by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, and then, under Appearance and Personalization, clicking Adjust screen resolution.

Click Advanced settings, and then click the Adapter tab.

This is where you can see details about your video card, including how much memory your video card has."

Info from here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Video-cards-frequently-asked-questions

[Pam]

Thanks, Geez.  I'm going to add your information to my first post.

[mtglady]

So if mine says Total available Graphics memory - 3835 MB then I am OK?  I have an ATI Radian HD 5700 series.  I am seriously thinking of purchasing Sims Medieval just to give me something different to play.

[Joria]

Pam, did you really mean it had to have 2,560 MB not, 256?  Mine says it has 2,303 and I'm still having difficulties.  I lowered the graphics needs in options and that helped but it isn't as pretty, and I still get a jerky, stop and go, and send me off to temporary blackscreen.  All the other things I can adjust or clean up have been adjusted and cleaned up. 

[Missa]

@ Joria your regular RAM could also affect the game I think so you might check that as well.

My husband needed a new desktop for his photography an it just happened to arrive a week before TSM came out! It has a 1GB video card and a 27 inch LED monitor and the sims look so beautiful on it