Make Sims 3 recognize my graphics card

@drkatrine  Wow, that video makes things look a lot more complicated than they are.  Getting your graphics card recognized isn't nearly that difficult.  If you do install Sims 3 and want to add your card to the database, I can write out the line you'd need to insert in each .sgr file.  Then you could just copy and paste.

Getting a card recognized isn't necessary though: all it does is tell the game what default profile to use for the card.  And editing the .sgr files shouldn't cause any problems as long as it's done correctly.  But it's always better to make copies of both files beforehand, so you can put the originals back if you notice any weirdness.  Or, if you have an Origin install, repairing the game will restore the files to their original state.  Either way, there's not much risk to trying the edits.

When you do get the game installed, let me know, and I'll write out instructions.  The only info I need is your graphics card's device ID, which the video shows you how to find.  In case you want a shortcut, go into Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3, open deviceconfig.log, and you'll see the vendor and device IDs about 30 lines down.

Yes it looks INSANELY complicated to me and I always get anxiety about it. Some people also told me about a Nexus mod which is a Sims 3 GPU Add On which should do the work for you but I'm not sure if I have the right specifications to do that.

I am still considering if I should install it or not so I will let you know if I do. Currently this gaming laptop is the only computer I have so until I get another I have to be careful. I thought you had to get your card recognized to be able to play, or else that message of a non recognized card will come up and the game will crash? That is my own experience, but again I don't really know.

Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate it a lot. It would be a huge help for me cause again I have no idea how to do this, haha!

@drkatrine  The card not recognized issue doesn't cause the game to crash.  There's a "card not detected" error that does cause crashing, but that's a completely different issue.  And of course the game can crash on weaker hardware regardless of whether it's recognized, or for in-game reasons that have nothing to do with hardware, or for plenty of other reasons too.

If you decide to install Sims 3 and want help adding your GPU to the database, you know where to find me.

Ah, I see. Now I understand.

I will let you know when I'm ready! Lots of stuff suddenly going on in my life atm and possibly gonna have a second laptop soon so I don't just only have this one which would calm my heart a lot. Hoping to play Sims 3 soon. I will get a hold of you when I need help, thank you so much!! 🙂