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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 9th Jun 2017 at 5:20 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3, World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Generations, Pets, University Life
Default Radeon(TM) RX 460 Graphics not sure if game uses this or integrated
Hi all,

So I've been playing the sims3 for aeons, and have known about the the issue of EA not updating anymore, therefore latest graphics cards not being recognised, but I lived with it thinking my integrated graphics is good enough to run the game without any glitches or lags, so be it. However, I am no longer happy to play the game with graphics that could be loads better and I don't want to worry about cranking up all the slides to the maximum, I want to play it with the best possible graphics. I ventured, today for the third and last time, to follow the instructions here but I do not know where to insert what in the sgr file. I did read the instructions, I tried to follow and analyse and find similar as in the instructions / example, to no avail. so, my questions are as follows:
1. Has anyone else got the card stated in the post title, and done the card recognition thing successfully?
2. Where do I paste exactly what in the sgr file, and how many times?

here are some specs:

Name (driver): Radeon(TM) RX 460 Graphics
Name (database): Radeon(TM) RX 460 Graphics [Found: 0, Matched: 0]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 67ef, Board: e348174b, Chipset: 00cf

so, you can see the game is not running off the dedicated card (found 0 matched 0)

My onboard graphics specs are the following:
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6400 CPU @ 2.70GHz

I would greatly appreciate your comments, recommendations, a step-by-step list of instructions as to what goes where, would be greatly appreciated!
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Instructor
#2 Old 9th Jun 2017 at 6:05 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Aladhruin
Name (driver): Radeon(TM) RX 460 Graphics
Name (database): Radeon(TM) RX 460 Graphics [Found: 0, Matched: 0]
Vendor: ATI
Chipset: Vendor: 1002, Device: 67ef, Board: e348174b, Chipset: 00cf


Ok first based on what you provided, your 4 digits device ID for your RX460 is 67ef.

But before you put your 4 digits device ID 67ef to the GraphicCards.sgr, you need to know what older Radeon Graphic card that equivalent or matched your RX 460, because you can't just add it to the list (GraphicCards.sgr) because it won't work that way, you need to replace one from the list with your 67ef device ID. That is why important to know what older Radeon card that equivalent to yours.

If you need a full tutorial step by step you can go here , although the tutorial was made for Intel and Nvidia as its example, you still can implement it for your AMD Radeon whether it's dual switchable graphics system or just single graphic system.

Or if you want a quick steps and review why is this and why is that and why so and so.., you can go here and follow the whole thread as the thread was specified to AMD Radeon HD Cards discussions, or you can just follow from the same thread from #28 to #35 for quick steps how to do it.

PS: (Edited) backup your original GraphicCards.sgr and GraphicRules.sgr first before you edit them.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#4 Old 9th Jun 2017 at 9:58 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PapaEmy
Or if you want a quick steps and review why is this and why is that and why so and so.., you can go here and follow the whole thread as the thread was specified to AMD Radeon HD Cards discussions, or you can just follow from the same thread from #28 to #35 for quick steps how to do it.

PS: (Edited) backup your original GraphicCards.sgr and GraphicRules.sgr first before you edit them.


Thank you PapaEmy. I have backed up those files OK. will look at the thread you linked and try.
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#5 Old 10th Jun 2017 at 11:27 AM
Having read through the other threads linked in your response, I have taken a screenshot of the GPU-Z while the game was running in windowed mode (I don't normally play windowed but I didn't know another way of seeing both the game and the GPU-Z). Could you look at the screenshot and see if you can tell whether the bl***y game is running the dedicated card or what?
Screenshots
Instructor
#7 Old 10th Jun 2017 at 6:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Aladhruin
Having read through the other threads linked in your response, I have taken a screenshot of the GPU-Z while the game was running in windowed mode (I don't normally play windowed but I didn't know another way of seeing both the game and the GPU-Z). Could you look at the screenshot and see if you can tell whether the bl***y game is running the dedicated card or what?


Well if what your mean is that you doubted is it the primary one or the dedicated one that actually running by TS3, and by seeing from its temperature from GPU-Z in windows mode will tell you which one, you can open two GPU-Z windows and for primary and dedicated separately in the same time, but still both of the temperatures won't convince you that it is your dedicated that is running, because the primary one tend to be hotter than the dedicated one, so anyone may assumed the dedicated one is just idling, but why is that?

The reason why the primary one temperature is tend to be more hotter is because the primary one is located built in the same chip as the processor, so that's not pure temperature of your primary gpu, when you run the game, your processor is definitely running as well, means it also generate heat, so by seeing from their temperature may lead to wrong conclusion, so if what you mean by checking from your GPU-Z temp screenshot I can tell you that it is your dedicated one that running, yes I can, but I won't convince you as you would still have doubt, is it or is not?

That's why I provided my device manager screenshot on the other thread , showing that both gpus device ID are indeed registered in Win OS registry, so there are only two possible options which one is running for the game, now for TS3, let's go back to GraphicCards.sgr again, then there you see.. there are so many device IDs there right? But none of them will run in TS3 if one them is not registered in Win OS registry, and when this is the case, like you haven't edit the GraphicCards.sgr, when you run TS3, your DeviceConfig will say Found 0 Matched 0 but your primary gpu 4 digits device ID was also stated there in the DeviceConfig, meaning TS3 at the time running with your primary gpu, and because your primary gpu device ID is not there listed in the GraphicCards.sgr, your DeviceConfig says Found 0 Matched 0. But that doesn't mean your primary gpu isn't running, because TS3 will followed what it's registered in Win OS registry, and by default it's always the primary one that run first, and that's why your primary device ID is stated in your DeviceConfig (even it's not listed in the GrraphicCards.sgr).

So to make sure the switchable feature is working and it switched to your secondary (dedicated) one for TS3, whether it's Nvidia Optimus or AMD Catalyst software manager, put the secondary (dedicated) device ID in GraphicCards.sgr replacing one that already listed there. Once you placed it there replacing one from the list, your DeviceConfig will say, whether it saying "Found 1 Matched 1" or "Found 0 Matched 0" or "Found 1 Matched 0" or "Found 0 Matched 1", you definitely still can see what it say there about your Device ID, if your secondary (dedicated) device ID is there, means TS3 is running the game with your secondary (dedicated) GPU. It's impossible for other than the two of your device IDs stated there unless it's registered in Windows OS registry. So it's only either one of them there, and what it stated there in your DeviceConfig, that confirms you which one is actually running.

For TS3, there's no other way to prove which one is running except via DeviceConfig.log, because that is the actual report when the TS3 is being run. And that's my final answer for TS3

PS: But.., now since I'm sure that you already understand how it works for TS3 at this point, this also would create another question, what if I put both of my device IDs in the GraphicCards.sgr? What will happen?? To be honest.. I don't know since I haven't tried that myself, but the possibilities are, it may work as a newer game compatible with dual switchable gpus sytem, or it may crash the game altogether and or even worst and put permanent damage to the both or either one of the gpus because the possible incompatibility to occur when the user set them up that way, I personally don't want to try that, because I already lost my old GTX 280 because the bl***y game don't have the stupid freaking built in FPS limiter, I don't want to know, and if anyone is curios of doing it, it's their own risk!!
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#8 Old 10th Jun 2017 at 9:50 PM
Thank you for all the observations. I admire your abilities to put so much effort into answering all these questions, in other threads as well. When do you actually get to play the sims? lol

I however, although a geek, am not a computer geek I'm afraid, and find myself unable to figure out how to tweak the sgr files i.e. where to insert what sequence of letters and numbers etc. (I can identify the device ID but that's it). Also, I've looked in device manager, with "show hidden devices" enabled, and no Intel HD is listed there, only my dedicated GPU. I went on to try and identify my on-board graphics, and found out, from the documentation that had come with my PC, and from other forum queries and responses, that for the dedicated GPU to work, on-board graphics have to be disabled. So the guys who built my PC had to have disabled it. Therefore, it should be physically impossible for TS3 to run off any on-board graphics.

I am still not convinced though (found 0 matched 0).

So, could you guys please tell me how you figured out these equivalencies between new cards and older versions (like, Nitromon you identify Kiddypatches' GPU in this thread), and where to insert what sequence of numbers symbols and letters and how many times (sigh).

In the meantime, I'll attach my two sgr files as well, hoping that someone more capable than myself would edit them
Attached files:
File Type: zip  originals.zip (13.0 KB, 10 downloads) - View custom content
Instructor
#10 Old 11th Jun 2017 at 1:09 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Aladhruin
When do you actually get to play the sims? lol

....

I went on to try and identify my on-board graphics, and found out, from the documentation that had come with my PC, and from other forum queries and responses, that for the dedicated GPU to work, on-board graphics have to be disabled. So the guys who built my PC had to have disabled it. Therefore, it should be physically impossible for TS3 to run off any on-board graphics.


Well I don't really play TS3 anymore, except for when my daughter starts asking for help with adding new mods, so she's actually the one who plays my game I created, I just observe and see if there's any complain from her with the custom Fullbuilds packages files installation, integrated mods to Fullbuilds installation files (except for core, scripts and some added mesh mods), custom worlds replacing all the EA home worlds and vacation worlds, so if she didn't complained.. I don't play, and so far after more than a year.. it's still quite good, almost no lags/freezes complains at all

And as for dual switchable graphic cards system, that only for laptops, they don't make them for PC, well at least for now, I don't know in the future, and yes you do have integrated Intel HD from your Core i5, but on PC the switchable feature is disabled, and your integrated gpu is automatically disabled when dedicated graphic card inserted to the PCI-E slot on your motherboard, so basically you don't have the switchable feature and only single graphic set up for TS3, the last time any PC was close to have switchable gpus system was the Hybrid SLI or Hybrid Crossfire era when Windows Vista first came out, some are still compatible with Win 7 running the hybrid system, but that's not much gaining from hybrid graphics system, the real time SLI or Crossfire are more popular in the desktop PC market, but that's totally different from switchable feature though the set up are pretty similar. And this also one of the reasons why I don't play TS3 for now, I'm still saving money to build a new rig with SLI and Nvidia triple surround display system with three LCD monitors..
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#11 Old 11th Jun 2017 at 10:35 AM
found 1 matched 1!
as far as I'm concerned, case closed. thank you for your help, everyone, much appreesh. happy simming!
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