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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 12:30 AM
Default Came back from the thrift store with Sims 3 and some packs.
Is there anything I should be aware of when installing and running TS3 on Windows 10? I have a Nvidia GE Force GTX 1070, is there an issue with TS3 communicating with modern GPU's like TS2? If so, is the solution to edit specific text in graphicsrules.sgr the same as in TS2?
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 12:37 AM
NRaas, NRaas, NRaas, can't forget the NRaas. Absolutely essential for stuff.

insert signature here
( Join my dumb Discord server if you're into the whole procrastination thing. But like, maybe tomorrow. )
Scholar
#4 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 1:44 AM
if ts3 wont recognize your video card You should make sure your graphics card is recognized by the game and fix it ASAP if it’s not. Otherwise, your game will go super slow, crash and have the lowest graphics settings as default.

use more ram No matter how much RAM you have, TS3 won’t use more than 2gig unless you tweak it. I’ve heard that it won’t use more than 4gig, even if you let it, but that’s much better than 2gig, right? This only works on PC. You can’t alter Mac. I have a Mac and it’s no fun playing with just 2gig ram.
Inventor
#5 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 2:13 AM
Quote: Originally posted by kewpie
use more ram No matter how much RAM you have, TS3 won’t use more than 2gig unless you tweak it. I’ve heard that it won’t use more than 4gig, even if you let it, but that’s much better than 2gig, right? This only works on PC. You can’t alter Mac. I have a Mac and it’s no fun playing with just 2gig ram.


This is incorrect. Starting from some patch in 2011, The Sims 3 executable was made Large Address Aware, so it can use up to 3.6 GB of RAM. You don't need to use any tools or anything. It's LAA by default.
And no, it won't ever use more than 3.6 GB, maybe 3.7 GB if you're lucky but HONESTLY, it should never need that much RAM if you save often and your game is running as it should. I haven't had my game use more than 3.1/3.2 GB in YEARS!
Mad Poster
#6 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 3:21 AM
I agree that seeking formal card recognition is a good idea so that the correct defaults get used and that can be ruled out as in issue if graphics glitches do arise and so the game does not inappropriately throttle sending inactive sims to community lots because it under-ranks the GPU. But many players do not see an obvious benefit from having done that. Depends on the system. The texture memory override, which is a part of that but much easier to fix, perhaps more so. It's much more important to cap the frame rates first. TS3 has no functional built-in fps limiter and a powerful card running wild on it will cause the game to run like garbage and can actually damage itself along the way.

The 2 GB limit thing on Windows was lifted in Patch 1.17 as said. Unfortunately there is no fix for the Mac version, other than to drop that version entirely and Bootcamp Windows, if the user and their Mac can tolerate doing that.

I can run a bit higher than 3.2 GB for routine play, but then I like to push the limits a bit on my ongoing game. Aww c'mon, one more little household of six (okay, or nine or twelve) sims can't hurt and everyone needs a second or third java hut in town...but jumping from there right into a really complicated CAS or Edit Town session or a travel transition is probably going to cause problems, so in my case a save (as), quit, reload with graphics options turned down a bit in the case of traveling tend to be in order.
Scholar
#7 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 7:56 AM
What can you use as an FPS limiter these days if you’re patched to 1.69 (had to do it. After years of losing/breaking discs, I trust origin more than me. Sad for me) 3booter and the limiter wont won’t work anymore. I messed around with my graphics card options (vsynch maybe? I can’t remember) , but I can’t get it to fully behave. Before I got my card recognized and changed some settings, I could easily get over 1k FPS. Now I’ve got it under 100 for the most part, but it will spike up now and then I whrn I use CAST.

I still can’t cap it at 60fps and I don’t know why. Getting the FPS done makes a huge difference. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised most folk who Say TS3 is too buggy and hard to run might change their mind if they could get the FPS down.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 9:27 AM Last edited by daisylee : 8th Apr 2019 at 10:02 AM.
Dang, I am on my new laptop. I better check can you run it. If this will not play 3 well I will be a very unhappy camper.

edit: can you run it says I can play the minimum but my driver is 698 months old. This laptop is less than a month old and the GTX1050 TI is 10/1/18.
What the heck??????? It also has a ? about Windows 10.

This i7 is about 7 years newer than my desktop i7 which plays the game beautifully. This sure as u know what should play it well. I thought I trusted can you run it. Maybe not now?
Mad Poster
#9 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 4:21 PM
Quote: Originally posted by kewpie
What can you use as an FPS limiter these days if you’re patched to 1.69 (had to do it. After years of losing/breaking discs, I trust origin more than me. Sad for me) 3booter and the limiter wont won’t work anymore. I messed around with my graphics card options (vsynch maybe? I can’t remember) , but I can’t get it to fully behave. Before I got my card recognized and changed some settings, I could easily get over 1k FPS. Now I’ve got it under 100 for the most part, but it will spike up now and then I whrn I use CAST.

I still can’t cap it at 60fps and I don’t know why. Getting the FPS done makes a huge difference. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised most folk who Say TS3 is too buggy and hard to run might change their mind if they could get the FPS down.

If the card is Nvidia:
Nvidia Control Panel, set profile for TS3.exe (for Patch 1.69, as TS3w.exe with the "w" is for 1.67), vertical sync On or Adaptive, Triple Buffering on.
Nvidia Inspector, vsync should already show as on as per the control panel above, explicitly set the Frame Rate Limit to 60 (or whatever the refresh rate of your monitor is) or some value really close to that.

The Control Panel alone will not always lock things in and will only work when it does in full screen mode, never in windowed. Inspector as an add-on should work on both.

If the card is AMD, the tools to use are a bit different but the theory is the same.

RivaTuner Stats Server (RTSS) is a fine alternative/addition if the fps won't stay capped on Nvidia or if the AMD tools just aren't working and is what I have to use on my older AMD card. What's a bit different about RTSS is that it needs to be running alongside of the game or it won't have any impact, but it can be set to startup along with Windows. Although a standalone program, it takes up practically no system resources.
Mad Poster
#10 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 4:46 PM
Quote: Originally posted by daisylee
Dang, I am on my new laptop. I better check can you run it. If this will not play 3 well I will be a very unhappy camper.

edit: can you run it says I can play the minimum but my driver is 698 months old. This laptop is less than a month old and the GTX1050 TI is 10/1/18.
What the heck??????? It also has a ? about Windows 10.

This i7 is about 7 years newer than my desktop i7 which plays the game beautifully. This sure as u know what should play it well. I thought I trusted can you run it. Maybe not now?

The Can You Run It types of sites are not reliable. They tell me things about my system that are also not true, often enough erring on the side of telling me things are stronger or higher capacity than I know they really are, although more commonly for others the mistakes go in the other direction as you are seeing. They also run comparisons from the game manufacturer's stated minimum requirements, which are not a great guideline to even be trying to use but they don't "know" any better.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#11 Old 8th Apr 2019 at 8:12 PM
Thanks for the responses everyone, I'll definitely look into what is posted.
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