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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 20th Feb 2015 at 3:51 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 2, University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage, Free Time, Apartment Life
Default Game lags and freezes when playing UE
Specs:
Windows XP.
3,1 GB RAM. GT 610 with 2 GB dedicated RAM. Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2180 2,0 GHz

So I tested with http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri and according to that site my computer can manage Sims 2 Apartment Life. However when I play the game it lags at certain points. Around the size of 2x3 and 3x3 community lots starts to lag whether they're downtown or in the base hood. It's a small bit of lag as if every action takes a second longer to do. When a good or bad witch appears the game freezes. I also have issues where the game froze as I used a mirror or went shopping. I've tested with and without CC and it still lags. It lags a bit more with CC than without. Lowering to the lowest graphics settings didn't help much.

Any tips or advice? Do I need to get a brand new computer or can I upgrade something?
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Née whiterider
retired moderator
#2 Old 20th Feb 2015 at 4:34 PM
I'm not surprised that it's lagging, since all of your specs are fairly low-end. The witch thing is totally normal - I dunno why it does that, but it's been the same on every computer I've used - and it's also normal for change appearance/buy clothes to cause a freeze while the game loads all the hairs, accessories, clothes etc. Lagging on larger lots is also common on older or weaker computers, and while 2x2 isn't particularly big, I do think that's the cause.

Turning down your graphics settings was a good first step; there are also some other things you can try, such as making sure that your CC meshes have reasonable poly counts, and following the suggestions in Game Help:Onboard Graphicswiki (your graphics card isn't onboard, but those suggestions are still relevant).

If you are looking to upgrade, I'm honestly not sure where I'd suggest starting. It depends on your budget really. I guess the quickest fix would be to upgrade your graphics card, as anything in the x10 line is pretty crappy - that probably wouldn't make the game run perfectly but it would give you a significant boost. You'd need to make sure your PSU has enough wattage to support an upgraded graphics card first, and adding another GB or two of RAM (assuming you have 64-bit XP) would also help.
But there you see the problem - I've now suggested upgrading the PSU, RAM and graphics card all at once , which means we're rapidly approaching the point where it would be more cost-effective to get a new computer with a better CPU, a DDR3-compatible motherboard, and the improved PSU/GPU/RAM; it'd cost you more but also last you a lot longer, especially if you want to play new games rather than sticking with golden oldies like TS2.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#3 Old 20th Feb 2015 at 4:50 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Nysha
I'm not surprised that it's lagging, since all of your specs are fairly low-end. The witch thing is totally normal - I dunno why it does that, but it's been the same on every computer I've used - and it's also normal for change appearance/buy clothes to cause a freeze while the game loads all the hairs, accessories, clothes etc. Lagging on larger lots is also common on older or weaker computers, and while 2x2 isn't particularly big, I do think that's the cause.

Turning down your graphics settings was a good first step; there are also some other things you can try, such as making sure that your CC meshes have reasonable poly counts, and following the suggestions in Game Help:Onboard Graphicswiki (your graphics card isn't onboard, but those suggestions are still relevant).

If you are looking to upgrade, I'm honestly not sure where I'd suggest starting. It depends on your budget really. I guess the quickest fix would be to upgrade your graphics card, as anything in the x10 line is pretty crappy - that probably wouldn't make the game run perfectly but it would give you a significant boost. You'd need to make sure your PSU has enough wattage to support an upgraded graphics card first, and adding another GB or two of RAM (assuming you have 64-bit XP) would also help.
But there you see the problem - I've now suggested upgrading the PSU, RAM and graphics card all at once , which means we're rapidly approaching the point where it would be more cost-effective to get a new computer with a better CPU, a DDR3-compatible motherboard, and the improved PSU/GPU/RAM; it'd cost you more but also last you a lot longer, especially if you want to play new games rather than sticking with golden oldies like TS2.

I doesn't have 64bit XP. I got a disc with 64bit Win 7 tho.
My PSU is on 600 W. The motherboard I have do support DDR3. It's a Gigabyte G41M-combo.

It's always cheaper to upgrade rather than buy new though. Most new computers probably have Win 8 which is buggy, virus infested, badly designed and doesn't support the Sims 2 fully.

I just doesn't know where to start. I've looked into upgrade kits and such. They're are expensive but not terribly expensive. Then you get a new motherboard, CPU and RAM components.
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