Jerky video Hello: We have a new computer (hardware information below). I would think this would be a powerful enough computer to run this game smoothly. The Sims (with a few expansion packs, no hacks or anything) *does* load much more quickly than on our older machine. However, in game play we get jerky video. (We, meaning my children... ) We are running Sims at 1024 by 768. Thanks for any suggestions! Fred Some info about system from DxDiag ------------------ System Information ------------------ Time of this report: 1/29/2006, 11:42:19 Machine name: DELL Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp.050622-1524) Language: English (Regional Setting: English) System Manufacturer: Dell Inc. System Model: Dell DXP051 BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A02 Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.00GHz (2 CPUs) Memory: 2046MB RAM Page File: 348MB used, 3589MB available Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904) DX Setup Parameters: Not found DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode ------------ DxDiag Notes ------------ DirectX Files Tab: No problems found. Display Tab 1: No problems found. Sound Tab 1: No problems found. Music Tab: No problems found. Input Tab: No problems found. Network Tab: No problems found. -------------------- DirectX Debug Levels -------------------- Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a) DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail) DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a) DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a) DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail) DirectSound: 0/5 (retail) DirectShow: 0/6 (retail) --------------- Display Devices --------------- Card name: RADEON X600 256MB HyperMemory Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc. Chip type: RADEON X600 (0x5B62) DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz) Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_5B62&SUBSYS_06021002&REV_00 Display Memory: 256.0 MB Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz) Monitor: Plug and Play Monitor Monitor Max Res: 1600,1200 Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6561 (English) DDI Version: 9 (or higher) Driver Attributes: Final Retail Driver Date/Size: 8/4/2005 05:10:38, 205312 bytes WHQL Logo'd: n/a WHQL Date Stamp: n/a VDD: n/a Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys Mini VDD Date: 8/4/2005 05:10:18, 1273344 bytes Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-1822-11CF-136A-0826A1C2CB35}
That had to make me smile, Fred. Thanks for a detailed question. And apologies for the delay ... but we do do this for love only First off congratulations on getting a nice high-end machine for your game. All that power will definitely make the gameplay experience richer. However ... When the game is installed it seeks to analyse the hardware and choose the best settings for the best performance. In my experience it tends to err on the side of caution but maybe it got carried away with that X800 [oops I mean X600] card. So here are my 3 suggestions First step. Within the game go into the game options menu (F5 or ... button ) And look through the Graphics/Performance Options. I suspect that all are set to High. Reducing one or more to medium will measurably improve performance and is largely a matter of experimentation, or trial and error. Second step. Check at ati to ensure you have the latest driver for your graphics card Third step. Question the 'children' to ascertain the exact nature of the problem. Even on such a well endowed piece of hardware the game is likely to hiccup and slow down if given too much to do. Very large (sim) houses and very large families place massive demands on the game's computing power and even gigabytes of RAM won't help a lot there. Also (going out on a limb here ) I am guessing you are in the southern hemisphere where it is currently summer. Computers perform poorly in hot conditions and this is often most noticeable in regard to video applications ... because video lag is instantly spottable. Is the air coming out the back of the PC case extremely warm? Once it starts blowing a lot over blood heat it'll tend to start chugging ...
Dear Mirelly: Thanks for the reply and the suggestions! I will try all of those things tonight. I appreciate your willingness to help! The guess about the hemisphere was wrong, though. I live in Canada (Southern Ontario). It has been *way* warmer than usual this winter, but heat is unlikely to be the culprit. (Although it is worth investigating if the machine is too hot in the cabinet.. I think I will do that!) Cheers! Fred
