Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

by DapperPaperBagSF
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Original Post

Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

@DapperPaperBagSF  None of those are a crash dump generated by the system, which is what I was hoping to see.  If you can cause a crash, it would be great to read one.  But it's worth reinstalling DX9, as linked above, just to see whether that helps.  It's referenced in one of the errors in your new dxdiag, although most of the others are the same as the ones in your earlier dxdiag.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 21 of 29 (750 Views)

Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

★★ Apprentice

Yeah, no, thats the annoying thing is it doesn't provide a crash dmp. I even tried to get my PC to run one via CMD but it didn't.

 

I am starting to suspect that its a conflict between all of the different expansions.

 

Here is a latest DxDiag, I think my last one was an old one I sent on accident.

Message 22 of 29 (739 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

★★ Apprentice

I did also run those updates on the drivers that you told me to, but it didn't fix anything.

 

It's annoying because I have been playing Red Dead 2 for like 6 hours with no issue on max settings.

 

Meanwhile, TS4 can't stay stable for 10mins on medium lol.

Message 23 of 29 (738 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

@DapperPaperBagSF  Since there's no crash dump, the next step would be hardware monitoring.  Download hwinfo from here:

 

https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

 

You don't need to install anything if you don't want to; just choose the Portable version, unzip it, and launch it from Downloads or wherever you want.  (If you would like to install, be sure to click the green button, not the orange one.)  Restart your computer, and don't open any other apps.  Launch hwinfo, choose "sensors only," and click the icon that's a sheet of paper with a + sign to start logging.  Save the file to your desktop for easy access later.

 

Wait five minutes, then launch Sims 4, play normally (no tabbing out) for ten minutes, then alt-tab and cause a crash.  (Please let me know how many times you alt-tabbed before it crashed as well, just because I'm curious.)  Even if you have to hard restart your computer, the log should still be intact up to the point where it froze.  You can upload the log to a third-party free filehosting site and link it here.  Please leave it in .csv format, or if you use OneDrive to share, please compress it in .zip format instead.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 24 of 29 (723 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

★★ Apprentice

@puzzlezaddict  Hey, so I tried the software that you told me too.

 

My game didn't crash. But it did flicker my screens a couple of times. One to the point of where it froze for a couple of seconds and I had to tab out to make it work again.

 

I tabbed out twice during the time.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XlJM5oEnXAaL1hHkEDKV_J26PheB9zXT/view?usp=sharing

Message 25 of 29 (709 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

[ Edited ]

@DapperPaperBagSF  Given that your computer didn't crash, it's possible the hwinfo log is missing some critical info that would make the problem more obvious.  But there is one detail that might be related to the freezes: your graphics card is running somewhat hot: it was briefly above 80° C and mostly above 75:

 

GPU temp.png

 

even given the relatively light workload:

 

GPU load.png

 

To be clear, while you were logging, it didn't overheat to the point of damaging itself or even to where you'd expect a serious error.  But if it sometimes gets a few degrees hotter, that could account for your issues.

 

Interestingly, the GPU fan started out running at 100% despite not needing to do so, then dropped to a much lower RPM right around when you launched Sims 4 and never came close to max again, despite the high temps that would warrant it:

 

GPU fan.png

 

The fan might have a mechanical issue, or it might need to be cleaned; I'd start with the latter.  The temps for your other hardware were completely fine, so it's less likely an issue of the case temperature than just the card not cooling itself properly.  (There was one other reading that was alarmingly high—the motherboard temp—but it was so far above normal and above the other readings that it almost has to be a reading error or a busted sensor.)  As long as you're inside the case though, you might as well check all the fans: make sure they're not clogged with dust and can spin properly.

 

One other thing to look for inside the case is bulging capacitors.  (You can do a google image search to get an idea of what they are and aren't supposed to look like.)  Your system is old enough for this to be a potential issue, although it could also still be perfectly fine.

 

You can run hwinfo with or without logging and keep an eye on the above stats, if you want, just to get an idea of how your system is performing.  If the GPU temperature comes down significantly and you're still getting crashes, let me know.  And please also list the power supply: manufacturer, wattage, and rating, e.g. Corsair 650W 80+ Gold.  The info will be printed on the side of the PSU.

 

While you're playing, please check the in-game framerates as well.  Bring up the cheats console (crtl-shift-C) and enter "fps on" without quotes; a number will appear in the lower left corner, over the UI.  Let me know what kind of fps you see; although this shouldn't be causing your issues, it's worth checking whether fps is running high, and if so, whether it helps to enable vertical sync in-game or through some other tool.

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 26 of 29 (688 Views)

Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

★★ Apprentice

I have already cleaned my PC. It was one of the first things I tried.

 

The Fan slowed down after the monitor froze and due to trying not to tab out, I wasn't able to boost them back up as I didn't want to mess with the sensors again. My PSU is a corsair 750W

 

 

The Large spike followed by the drop, was when the monitor freezing happened.

 

I had my fans running at 100, as MSI afterburner was still running high after playing Red Dead 2 online. I have my temperature limit set to 85 when I am gaming. With my fans on full blast, my games rarely go over it. 

 

I've been playing Red Dead 2, a more intense game, perfectly fine, I will try again on Monday to give the PC another cleanout.

But I doubt it will actually do anything. 

 

It looks like TS4 is doing something which overloads my core and causes it to shut off. Which then causes TS4 to freeze any pc to slow down my fan.

 

Message 27 of 29 (677 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

@DapperPaperBagSF  What settings do you use in Afterburner?  Not just the fan speed, but anything else you've set manually.

 

If you didn't disable Afterburner specifically when you clean booted, please do so now.  Even if you're used to using it and want to keep it running under normal circumstances, it's worth testing without it, and without any similar software, in a clean boot.  After rebooting, you can check the Task Manager for any other programs that don't absolutely need to be running and shut them down.

 

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-clean-boot-windows-10

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I don't work for EA. I'm just trying to help fellow players with their games.
Message 28 of 29 (639 Views)
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Re: Game crashes and freezes PC

★★ Apprentice

I thought I would let you know I managed to solve the problem.

 

My PSU wasn't providing enough power for my graphics card.
So, I had to underclock my GPU until I can get a new power supply.



For those who are having the issue I had and ended up finding
this post from a later date: https://www.wepc.com/how-to/underclock-gpu/

Message 29 of 29 (2,733 Views)