Re: High fps on Alienware

by IvanaFenty
Reply

Original Post

High fps on Alienware

★★ Novice

So I have an Alienware 13 R3 laptop and I installed Sims 3, it runs smooth, laptop is pretty quiet in general but when I'm playing the game it's loud, fps are jumping from 60 to 140 even with vsync turned on for both Nvidia and Intel graphic cards. But game does runs totally fine so I don't know if it's safe to let it run with fps jumping like that, I'm just worried if I'm damaging the laptop in any way or not.. .I don't have much knowledge with computers so if I have (and I bet i do) to post more information, I will. 

Message 1 of 10 (849 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

[ Edited ]

@IvanaFenty  If you see an occasional (rare) blip of 140 but fps is otherwise locked in at 60, you're probably fine.  If it's fluctuating more than that though, you should try another app in addition to what I'm guessing is the Nvidia Control Panel.  It's not that the fps you're seeing is itself dangerous though.

 

If you were consistently seeing extremely high fps, like 300 or above, I'd start to worry about the graphics card itself being overworked; 140 isn't really an issue for an Nvidia 1050 or 1060, at least in  TS3.  But even moderately higher framerates will of course mean the GPU generates more heat.  And while it sounds like the fans are handling the load, there's still no point in running the game at a higher fps, since your screen is 60 Hz.  There are easy ways to monitor the temperature of your hardware too, if you're interested.

 

Before you do anything else though, make sure Sims 3 is using the Nvidia card.  Go to Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3 and open the file called deviceconfig.log.  About 30 lines down, you'll see the card listed.  If the game is using the Intel card, that can be addressed easily enough.

 

For an Nvidia card, the next tool to use when the Control Panel doesn't work is Nvidia Inspector (free download).  Instead of enabling v-sync, you can explicitly cap fps at 60.  This post has a screenshot, along with instructions, under the second spoiler:

 

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/comment/16540301/#Comment_16540301

 

If Inspector doesn't work either, you can try RivaTuner Statistics Server; let me know if you'd like a screenshot of those settings too.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 2 of 10 (813 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

[ Edited ]
★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict Thank you for your reply! After I posted this on here, I noticed what's happening -  fps are jumping only when I play the game while charging the laptop at the same time. And the jump isn't rare, it happens every 2 seconds, it even goes to about 250fps max. And when I play while not charging the laptop, fps is always 30, and the laptop isn't loud at all! Can I still play the game while charging? :/

 

And the game is using the Nvidia card, I just checked it. Do you still recommend that I download Nvidia Inspector and set it to 60fps? Standard smile

Message 3 of 10 (804 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

@IvanaFenty  You should always play while your laptop is plugged in.  Otherwise, it throttles performance to save battery life, which is probably why your fps is so much lower.  And yes, definitely try Nvidia Inspector, and RivaTuner if Inspector doesn't work.  250 is too high an fps for your card, and you'll see better in-game performance at lower framerates as well.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 4 of 10 (796 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

[ Edited ]
★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict Yes, that's exactly what I've noticed. Performance is much better when the laptop is plugged in. Okay, I'm gonna try with Nvidia Inspector then share the results Standard smile

 

P.S. Should I then turn the vsync off in Nvidia control panel? 

Message 5 of 10 (792 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

@IvanaFenty  Leaving v-sync on won't hurt.  And it helps with the screen tearing and other  graphics glitches that some people get, although the glitches are often mild enough not to be noticeable.  (I see a bit of shimmer when panning the camera, but I wouldn't know it wasn't normal except for the fact that v-sync gets rid of it.)

 

You can also experiment a bit with the settings, just to see what works, and looks, best for you.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 6 of 10 (761 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

[ Edited ]
★★ Novice

@puzzlezaddict  thank you, Nvida Inspector did help! runs like a charm Standard smile just one more question: i've noticed constant screen tearing (At the bottom right ), it's not that big of a deal at all, but maybe I could get rid of it. 

Message 7 of 10 (738 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

@IvanaFenty  Is the screen tearing still present if the Nvidia Control Panel has v-sync on for the game?  Try changing the v-sync setting to Adaptive, and if it doesn't help, turn on Triple Buffering.

 

If those settings don't make a difference, try switching to windowed mode, or fullscreen if you're already using windowed mode.  If windowed works but the window itself is too small, you can download Windowed Borderless Gaming, a small app that does exactly what it sounds like.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 8 of 10 (713 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

★★ Novice
@puzzlezaddict Yes, tearing is present with the v-sync on. How excatly do I change it to adaptive? Sorry for so many questions!
Message 9 of 10 (700 Views)

Re: High fps on Alienware

@IvanaFenty  Questions are fine; that's why this site exists.

 

The Nvidia Control Panel's setting for v-sync has several options: off, on, adaptive, adaptive (half refresh rate), maybe another I'm forgetting.  Just pick adaptive from the dropdown menu.  Triple buffering is in the same place.  If you'd like a visual, the post I linked earlier is a good example.

——————————————————————————————————————————

I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 10 of 10 (686 Views)