Lagging on sims 3

[ieatsims4]

I experience lag. I play this game on windows but I experience lag and my game loads for a while till I get something done. It's my first time downloading and i don't know how to work it yet. Please if someone can reply to this that would be really helpful. I'm playing on a windows laptop. I don't know what to do because it keeps lagging. Please I need help. I also downloaded it on steam for 19.99 i'm new to the game so I might need extra help. Youtube videos don't work at all.

[puzzlezaddict]

@ieatsims4  What world(s) are you playing in, and have you added any mods or custom content?  It's fine if you have; just let me know.

Please also run a dxdiag and attach it to a post.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

[hannockq]

Sims 3 tends to be fairly laggy because of the memory restraints. I'm not sure how familiar you are with computers, 32 bit vs 64 bit systems. Basically the sims 3 was designed to run on an older system that communicates at lower capacities. In technical terms the sims 3 was designed for 32-bit with a max memory usage of about 2 GB. Which means it doesn't matter how much memory you have installed on your system, sims 3 can't use it. There are other ways to smooth the game out, primarily through the video card. There is a huge difference in game performance in relation to the video card you are using. This can be an issue on laptops, which often have lower quality built-in video cards. Things you can do to get around this (won't effect your loading times, which are always slow) is to avoid having too many sims on one lot. Parties are the worst. If you continue to use your laptop hold off on the expansions, which will slow it down even more.

Don't give up on the game though. Sims 3 is worth the trouble, and you'll be glad you got it in the end. The open world and customisation cannot be matched in the sims 4. The code is also much more accessible allowing access to a huge and first rate modding community. Check out nraas mods which also might help some with performance.

The only downside to the sims 3 is ea and their criminal racket they call customer support.  

[puzzlezaddict]

@hannockq  Sims 3 has been large address aware, meaning it can use up to ~3.7 GB RAM, since 2010.  A new save with all packs active in a world like Sunset Valley might use ~2.1 GB RAM, leaving plenty of room for the game to run without lag.  There are plenty of reasons it can lag anyway, from worlds with broken routing to poorly made mods to underpowered hardware, but it's not inevitable.

The game also runs just fine on mostly ultra settings on a mid-range laptop GPU, for example an Nvidia 1050 ti or 1650, even with all packs enabled.  Plenty of people play on entry-level gaming laptops without any serious issues as well.  As long as the laptop isn't overheating and framerates are capped, performance should be fine.  And for people with such laptops, there's no reason not to play with all the packs they want.

[hannockq]

I'll have to check out the framerates suggestion. My laptop is older and has trouble running the game, so I was just speaking from my own experience and some of the research I've done as to why. Hopefully the issue gets solved and ieatsims4 is able to have the experience you are describing! 

[ieatsims4]

I just joined so I'm using the free world right now and when trying to make a sim. It takes SOOOO long for one item to load. The movements aren't smooth.

[puzzlezaddict]

@ieatsims4  It would help to see a dxdiag on your computer, as mentioned before.  You can attach one to a reply here.

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

You're playing in Riverview?  Please also list the packs you've installed.