PC or is it the Game?

[ZenFrog76]

PC SPECS

Windows XP 32bit Service Pack 3
Intel Q9400 2.66ghz Processor
Asus PQ5D Turbo Motherboard
Nvidia GTX260 896 216 CORE
4GB (reads as 3.25gb)

Problems are in The Sims 2. Neighbourhood seems to slow to a crawl much worse then my other PC used to. When I try to place ceilings on the second floor the camera bounces & flashes making it impossible to do anything.

Also I feel that somewhere along the line there is an issue between the processor & the graphics card. I have some issues (slight lagging) on games like Tomb Raider Anniversary, Legend & Underworld. I thought this PC would be good but I am seriously doubting it now & I don't know what to do. :cry:

Does anyone have a similar setup to me? do you have these problems?
Zen

[callistra]

There is absolutely no reason that computer shouldn't handle the game perfectly. I also saw in your last thread that you thought the quality of the graphics wasn't what it should be. This is 100% the graphic card's responsibility. Remembering your computer support thread, I have to ask what power supply you ended up getting. Did you get the one I suggested or the one that 400wish one that I said wasn't powerful enough?

[ZenFrog76]

Hi Callistra, merry christmas. I went with the 600w supply & the Antec 900 case (ewhich is awesome by the way). My only issue is that when I took a look inside there are no stickers or info on the fan/psu so I have no-way of knowing what they have put in there. Also I went for the 650gb HD which had the faster read speed...that only shows as 596GB on the My Computer link...I know you can sometimes loose a little space on HDs but surely not that much. What I want is a good tool to tell me what PSU speed I have & what HD I have.
Hope this helps,
Zen

[callistra]

Unfortunately, there's no tool to read power supplies like you can other system components. I've never seen a power supply where there was no identifying marks. Manufacturers always put labels on them. Not sure why yours doesn't, or maybe it's on the other side where you can't see. Don't worry about the hard drive. It's normal. You can use the Everest program here: http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:System_Requirements/MTS2_Recommendations or PCWizard here: http://modthesims.info/showpost.php?p=2191312&postcount=2 To find out detailed information about your computer, but not exactly what power supply they used.

I want to try updating some drivers and then do a few tests to look at how your different components are being cooled, as well as how stable the rails on your power supply are.

Please start by installing all the latest drivers for your system:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3
http://www.nvidia.com/object/winxp_195.62_whql.html
http://angelicvoices.net/AtherosL1e_Utility_V1103.zip
http://angelicvoices.net/VIA_Audio_V6017100.zip
http://angelicvoices.net/Intel_Chipset_V9101007.zip
Then you will need to restart your computer.


Next download and run this program: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php Leave it running -while- you play The Sims . You will want to play the game a minimum of 20min. Then close the game, and take a screencap of the running program (don't just save a log) and post the image here. It will let me know of any overheating or unhealthy voltage fluctuations from your power supply.

[ZenFrog76]

Right, thanks callistra. I will try that either tommorow or Boxing Day. My nana was rushed into hospital so am not sure I will playing my PC much over next few days. Seems she had a bad heart attack & we may loose her over the next few days.
Anyway, seasons greetings for now & I will be in touch soon with the info you asked for.
Zen

[ZenFrog76]

Was gonna ask another question about where you found the links for the updates on the Via Sound driver...I was looking for one last week & just couldn't find it. Also just to check, what does the Atheros driver update do? Sorry to ask so many questions...I already have the latest Nvidia Drivers...firts ones I updated.
Zen

[callistra]

Hope your nana is doing better.

I got them direct from Asus, but because the way their site works I can't just link you to them. I'd have to describe a long series of steps to get there and I thought it would be easier just reuploading to my site. The Atheros is your ethernet. I just gave you every driver there was because if this does boil down to missing drivers then that means PC Specialist didn't install everything they should have. In that case, it's best just to cover all basics and install all the drivers we know you should have instead of guessing what else they may have overlooked.

Even though you have already installed the Nvidia drivers, try again. It could be some sort of driver corruption.

If the driver updates do not work then you need to call PC Specialist and make them fix this. Something is not right with your machine. Sounds like it's likely a graphics card or power supply issue... I'd still be interested to see what HWMonitor says about your temps and voltages.

[ZenFrog76]

Hi again...yesterday was a bit traumatic as my Nan seems to be in a bad way.
Anyway, figured out about the bouncing camera issue. I was trying to re-design the ceiling on the second floor & had the roof tool on (show roofs) when I knocked that off to just walls up it stopped bouncing. I also checked out the settings on the Nvidia card. I had it set up to manage the 3D settings myself (issue with TR Underworld). When I put this back to let application decide it seemed to run better although I still have some lagging on the neighbourhood screen.
Gonna try those drivers & that program & get back to you...

[ZenFrog76]

Right have done that...how do I post the info from HW Monitor...
Zen

EDIT:- Think I just found out how to save the text but how do I post it here?

[ZenFrog76]

Here...I hope this is showing. I had to RAR it to upload. This is the system on idle...I will run it again in a bit when playing The Sims 2
Zen

[callistra]

Okay, but you only had to run it once. Next time, don't save a log. That log does not save peak temps or show any kind of fluctuations during game play. It only shows me what your hardware is running right right at the time you save the log, which defeats the purposes of stressing it with the game. You have to open the program before you start the game. Then leave it running while you play the game, then take a screencap of it once you close the game.

[ZenFrog76]

Right will do...sorry, am new to this.

[ZenFrog76]

Right...just ran it for a bit & did a print screen. Hope this is what you mean.
Here is the file (rar format)

[callistra]

So just to clarify..

1) First you opened HWMonitor and left it running.

2) Then you started the game, played for at least 20 minutes, then closed the game.

3) Then you took the screencap?

I've never seen so little change in temperatures ever. You've got a core that only went up 1 degree.. that's not right. CPU temps will go up more than 1 degree after prolonged game play, so I'm kinda confused..

[ZenFrog76]

I was playing for 10mins...I will try again tommorow but this time I will play longer. I am sorry I have never had to test a machine before. Shall I do a test from playing one of the Tomb Raiders as well?
I hit the Print Screen as soon as I ended the game...that is correct isn't it?
Anyway, I will try again tommorow & see if we can get to the bottom of this.
Thanks Callistra,
Zen

[callistra]

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear in my first post.

You don't have to worry about pressing print screen immediately after you close because the program is going to automatically record the max and mins. If you press it within 5 seconds or 5 minutes it's not going to show me anything different.

If you want to try with Tomb Raider too, then sure.

[ZenFrog76]

Right...just been running the game for 30mins & it crashed. I was on CAS trying to create a little boy sim. I took a screen capture as soon as game ended & got back to the desktop. I also have a copy of the error report, I have no idea what happened so I am putting it up here in case anyone else knows what it means.

[callistra]

Your temps are excellent and the voltages on your power supply look rock solid.

What resolution are you running the game on? Did the game always lag?

[ZenFrog76]

Hi...I run the game on 1440 x 900 (max my monitor will go to). I think it is only the neighbourhood that lags, it does so for the first few mins then seems to go back to normal. Zooming in & out during game play can sometimes be a bit sticky but that was the same (I think) on my old PC, maybe I am expecting too much from new PC? Maybe it is the games themselves that are like this rather than my new hardware. I did read somewhere that a few people with similar setups to mine had some issues with TR Underworld but the problem was in the earlier levels as they progressed the problem went away. As for Anniversary & Legend it could be that they are not using the multi-core processors as effectively as they should due to being slightly older games. As for the loading times of the Sims 2 I am really impressed. It used to take approx 20mins to open the game now it takes about 5-10mins with all the same content I had before.
I have the TurboV program installed and worked out that 375v (CPU Frequency) is about 3ghz. I have tried it & it is stable. I know some people say overclocking is bad but this is done live rather than via the Bios which can screw PCs up. If this program fails then it re-starts the computer & resets the CPU Frequency back to original settings. I am gonna try this whilst running some games today.
As for the crash, I am just gonna try & run the game with only my Sims content (nothing else) it just maybe a dodgy or corrupt file. I ran Clean Installer & found 1 copy file (pink) and deleted that so hopefully that was it.
Sorry if I seem to be rambling, I have had 1 hour of sleep as the hospital called & my mum & dad have gone in to be with Nan. I just couldn't face it, I have already watched 2 relatives pass away in hospital in the last three years & it is all just a bit too much. I did see her Christmas day & said my goodbyes then & I think we both knew it wouldn't be long.
Anyway, will be back later to let you know how things are going,
Zen

PS:- Found the corrupt file. It was a boy childs outfit. Was easy to find as I don't have much for the kids to wear...hopefully that is the only thing.

[callistra]

Pink files aren't corrupted. That program can't find corrupted files. I suggest reading the documentation for it.

What happens when you rename your Sims 2 folder in Program Files and let it regenerate all new user files. Does it still lag?

I don't play Tomb Raider, but benchmarks I've seen suggest there's really no reason you should be getting lag.http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=668&pageid=9 Even at a higher res and all maxed out they're approaching 170fps.. your hardware is well beyond what should be necessary for smooth game play. Even absolute mins are well above anything you should feel. Maybe try FRAPs and see what kind of FPS you are getting: http://www.fraps.com/


Likewise for TS2, unless you have something in your user files or game files that's causing it, you should not be getting any lag. Bad assumption on my part that new computer = clean install. You need to go through this: http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game%20Help:Game%20Problem

[ZenFrog76]

Hi again...my nan passed away last night. I also ecided to do a complete re-install of the new pc (am on the old pc at the moment) it is keeping my mind occupied. I did say I found a copy file (which shows up pink) not a corrupt file. Soometimes copies can cause issues which was why I was using that program. I did find the corrupt file though, it was an item of boys clothing. I went through that link/help file before and had tried many things but it never helped so maybe this fresh install will help. If not something is not right & I don't know where I stand.

http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=162172

http://www.tombraiderforums.com/showthread.php?t=142046

These are links to people having issues with TR Underworld. I can't find the one that was exactly the same as mine...I am thinking I may have something bottlenecking the system but I don't know how to find out what it is... Anyway, I am off to bed now, will check back tommorow to see whats happening.
Thanks again,
Zen

[callistra]

Sorry to hear about your Nana :(

Sorry but your CPU is not bottle-necking your GPU. No matter what game you play there will be people complaining about it, but that doesn't mean it should have problems. Something is going on with their machines just like something is going on with yours. What kind of FPS are you getting with Underworld?

Do you mean you reinstalled Windows + drivers? If that didn't work then my suggestion is to make PC Specialist fix it. It really does seem like something is wrong and we've done just about everything we can from a software standpoint.