Frames Per Second

[RunAmokSims]

I had asked about this on a different thread but if it becomes an ongoing conversation it'll be off topic for that thread so I thought I'd start this in Technical Discussion.



I've see a lot written about very high fps in the Sims and the bad effect they can have on your computer. Some people report high numbers like 90 to 100 fps.

So I've been reading up on it and I started my game up just to check what my fps was. It ranges between the lowest number I saw which was 8 and the highest number I saw which was 12. From what I've been reading in the articles it's normally about 20 to 35. Now I'm really confused.

I'm running my game in windows mode and I use the default graphics setting. I don't know if it makes any difference but I have an AMD Athlon II dual core M300 processor and AMD M880G/ATI Radeon HD 4200 video.

[loveSims]

With my old card my fps was 6 and if I'm lucky 10. I got a new card and it was 60 or 70! I was affraid my pc would explode lol and pm Carl. He tell me it is ok. When I am in big house with 2 pets and 4 sims it will be 40 or 50. In cah it is 70 or 80. I have a 2g nivdia 450gts.

[Seabody]

My understanding is that high FPS can fry your graphics card, because it's rendering a lot. But otherwise, higher FPS is a faster game. Lower FPS is a slower game.

[loveSims]

I don't know anything about technical stuff. That is why I ask Carl lol. Maybe someone who understand this stuff can explain it please.

[Enchanted81]

On my old video card, a Nvidia GeForce 9400 GT, I was averaging 180+, the highest I ever remember seeing it was well over 200 and that video card fried. I never knew that Sims 3 had a FPS issue until it was too late, I played one other computer game and everything was fine. When I noticed what was causing the problem, I stopped playing Sims nearly all together. This was before I was informed of mods, bypassing the launcher and all those other nifty tricks. Every once in a while I'd load the game up and play for a bit, I figured if I didn't play too long the card would be ok. That was a big mistake, eventually I had to take the side panel of the case off and have a box fan cool my card down whenever I played anything.

The night before we got new computers I was playing Sims and the graphics started stuttering really badly, eventually I gave up and went to bed. The next day when I was transferring parts into my new computer, I pulled my video card out and parts of it just fell off. The card had heated up so badly overtime, that it had became brittle. The card was only about a year old and wasn't under any warranty because I forgot to register it.

Now I have a Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT, I use an fps limiter every time I play Sims and I've had this card for just over two years. High FPS is a great thing but not excessive FPS, my Sims never go above 35 which is on the lower end and I'd never really want nor need over 60-70. I'm much more happy to be able to play than have overly high FPS in a game that renders like Sims, not to mention it's not costing me $150 or more each time it fries a card.

[loveSims]

Wow 180 to 200 is high! My card never go higher than 60 to70 on a small house. When it is a community lot with a lot if sims it go down to 35. In Brigeport it is always 30 to 40. I hope my card will be ok. It was expensive.

[MoonsAreBlue]

I wouldn't worry about your frame rate too much. That's kind of low, but Sims 3 only needs 30 fps to run smoothly. This just means your game lags. You could try turning a few graphics settings down or using a lower resolution if you want to increase your frame rate. Lowering resolution seems to give a more substantial boost than lowering just one or two settings, though.

However, if you're fine with playing your game how it currently is, then there is no need to increase your frame rate.

[RunAmokSims]

I wouldn't worry about your frame rate too much. That's kind of low, but Sims 3 only needs 30 fps to run smoothly. This just means your game lags. You could try turning a few graphics settings down or using a lower resolution if you want to increase your frame rate. Lowering resolution seems to give a more substantial boost than lowering just one or two settings, though.

However, if you're fine with playing your game how it currently is, then there is no need to increase your frame rate.

Well that's the thing, I don't notice much lag. The kids run and play tag, cars zip along. About the only thing I ever noticed was if one Sim was going somewhere and the other was supposed to go too it might take then a little while for them  to follow along.  Since the last (the .33 one) patch I'm not freezing any more.

One of the reasons I was asking about all this is that sometimes when I switch from, say a different lot, back to my house some of the items look gray and it takes a few seconds to appear with the normal color. 

[Enchanted81]

Wow 180 to 200 is high! My card never go higher than 60 to70 on a small house. When it is a community lot with a lot if sims it go down to 35. In Brigeport it is always 30 to 40. I hope my card will be ok. It was expensive.

Moonsareblue is right, you are perfectly fine. Anything upwards of 100 would start to worry me.

[MoonsAreBlue]

Well that's the thing, I don't notice much lag. The kids run and play tag, cars zip along. About the only thing I ever noticed was if one Sim was going somewhere and the other was supposed to go too it might take then a little while for them  to follow along.  Since the last (the .33 one) patch I'm not freezing any more.

One of the reasons I was asking about all this is that sometimes when I switch from, say a different lot, back to my house some of the items look gray and it takes a few seconds to appear with the normal color.

If you're not experiencing lag then great! The grey items are definitely a direct result from your low frame rate, though. This is because the frame rate effects how quickly your sims/objects render. A lower frame rate may take your computer a few extra seconds to completely load everything, and it seems like patterns are the last things to load. But like I said, if you're happy with how your game plays, don't worry about it.

[RunAmokSims]

If you're not experiencing lag then great! The grey items are definitely a direct result from your low frame rate, though. This is because the frame rate effects how quickly your sims/objects render. A lower frame rate may take your computer a few extra seconds to completely load everything, and it seems like patterns are the last things to load. But like I said, if you're happy with how your game plays, don't worry about it. :

So best guess.....it's my computer?

[MoonsAreBlue]

So best guess.....it's my computer?

Most likely, it's your graphics card that's giving you a lower frame rate.

[Noodles]

Of course it's nice to have higher fps, but at some point human eye really can't tell a difference. There are physical limitations - My hubby (geekier and more knowledgeable than me) was talking about this when we upgraded my computer, I think he said if the fps gets over ~60, you really can't see/sense any difference? I have to ask him again.

Anyhow, my actual point is that there really is no reason to think "the higher the better" and eventually fry up your card.
My fps is around 40-60, and it seems to be smooth enough.

[RunAmokSims]

Most likely, it's your graphics card that's giving you a lower frame rate.

It's a AMD M880G/ATI Radeon HD 4200 and I have a lap top so I don't think you can add a new one. So I guess it's start time to save up for a whole new computer.

[MoonsAreBlue]

It's a AMD M880G/ATI Radeon HD 4200 and I have a lap top so I don't think you can add a new one. So I guess it's start time to save up for a whole new computer.

No, not at all! That card should run fine on medium-low settings. The only reason you should feel you need a new computer is if you can't stand playing the game as it is. There's nothing wrong with having a low frame rate. You only run into problems when your frame rate is excessively high.