How many of you run Windows 10 with sims 3?

[silverwood02]

Now that windows 10 has been out and updated for a while, I wondered how many people run sims 3 on a windows 10 PC. And how many still have issues. I have a new gaming laptop, but haven't installed sims 3 as i use my W7 PC, but the new laptop has lots more RAM & a new Nvidia card, so Sims 3 would run better, providing the W10 issues have been resolved now.

Keith

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@silverwood02  It won't damage the card to run TS3 just long enough to check the settings.  It would be a problem if you kept playing for a while, but it sounds like you're being careful.

If you can't get Inspector to cooperate either, you can try RivaTuner Statistics Server, also a free download.  Unlike the other tools, it does need to be running in the background to cap fps.  But it works great for me.  And, as with the other apps, you need to use "TS3.exe" to set up a profile for the game.

[roberta591]

@silverwood02   TS3 should run natively on W10 without issues. Mine does. You have to make sure TS3 is in Origin and all the expansion packs are up to date. The biggest problem is getting the video card recognized by the game as the game video chip database hasn't been updated for sometime. This requires editing the two .sgr files and there are howto's if you search for them. W7 was a good operating system but like Windows XP it is time to say goodbye. In a year from now Microsoft will end support for W7. W7 will continue to work but updates will slow to a crawl. The biggest problem is third party vendors will stop updating drivers and will probably quit issuing for new devices when these come to market. Microsoft realizes W10 has some issues. The biggest issue is releasing semi annual updates without issues. Microsoft has announced instead of semi annual there is going to be annual updates. I think this is a good idea as just about the time an update finally gets fixed it's about time for another update. The one thing I can say is W10 is not going away. Microsoft once said W10 is going to be the last release operating system - I think there may be a change in this policy.  hth

[silverwood02]

OK thanks for that.

[puzzlezaddict]

@silverwood02  I see you've already had plenty of responses, mostly on the official forums, but here's one more.  I installed TS3 into Windows 10 (version 1803) in May, and I haven't had any trouble running the game since.  I do use Steam, not Origin, which makes things simpler, but Origin itself is just a nuisance, not an impediment to getting TS3 up and running.

Some people need to make an adjustment here or there, but there's no reason you shouldn't be able to play, nor is it necessary to run TS3 in compatibility mode.  If you do have any trouble, just post back with a dxdiag.

One thing you should be aware of though is that a strong graphics card will need its in-game frame rates capped manually.  TS3's fps limiter doesn't work, and without an outside tool, a powerful card can throw rates high enough to damage itself from overwork.  For Nvidia cards, you can try the built-in Control Panel, and Inspector if it doesn't work; for AMD cards, the first tool to try is RivaTuner Statistics server.  If you'd like help setting any of these up, let me know.

[silverwood02]

Ok, its an Nvidia card, so I will have a think about what you say. I know there is a setting for games in the control box where you can set specific settings. But that is very helpful.

[puzzlezaddict]

@silverwood02  For Nvidia cards, the first tool you can try is the built-in Control Panel.  But it doesn't always work, and never works in windowed mode, so the next app on the list is Nvidia Inspector (free download).  For either one, you'll set up a profile for the game using TS3.exe for an Origin install, or TS3w.exe (with the "w") for a Steam or disc install.  For Inspector, you'll want to manually set the fps limit to the refresh rate of your monitor; setting it to 60 also works fine.  Here are screenshots of the setups for both tools, under the spoilers:

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

You can check your in-game fps at any time by bringing up the cheats console (crtl-shift-c) and entering "fps on" without quotes.  A number will show in the upper right corner of the screen, and it should never exceed the limit you've set.  ("fps off" makes the number go away.)

Also, running GeForce Experience alongside TS3 has caused issues for some players.  You may need to disable or uninstall the app while you play.

[silverwood02]

Ok thanks. By the way does the ingame FPS not work at all or is just on W10?

[puzzlezaddict]

@silverwood02  As far as I know, the built-in fps limiter has never worked on any system.  It certainly doesn't work in Windows 10, and players running 7 and 8.1 also have to cap their frame rates manually.  It doesn't work on the mac side, either, at least with the more recent versions of OS X.

When TS3 was released, the graphics cards in existence weren't capable of throwing high enough frame rates to require a limiter at all.  Many other games from the same time didn't have one either.  Even now, there are plenty of lower-end and some mid-range cards that don't need fps capped.  It's sometimes recommended anyway if a player is seeing strange graphics glitches, since some of the tools can help with that too.

Even though you haven't mentioned which Nvidia card you have (I don't think), you said on the official forums that it might have 6 GB VRAM.  That would suggest it's an Nvidia 1060, which definitely needs fps to be capped.  Another player with the same card mentioned to me once that his fps was around 3000 when not limited, and that could damage any card if it ran long enough.

Anyway, this is all speculation until you find out what card you have and/or check your in-game fps.  A few minutes of testing isn't going to do any harm.  Of course, neither is using an fps limiter when you don't require it.

[silverwood02]

OK thanks. The card is the 1050 with 6 GB. I am installing sims 3 as I write this, so will test and post if I need help of if it works ok.

[silverwood02]

Ok - I have installed Sims 3 with world adventures, late night, Ambitions and Monte Vista. The game loaded ok, and I checked the FPS - it come in around 300-400. So I am guessing that is too high? Reading all your info, am I right in saying if I click the Sims 3 profile in Nvidia and set the screen frequency to that of the monitor (60) that should do it?

Keith