@Kimmi81 Please post screenshots of what you're seeing. Please also provide the first 40 lines of DeviceConfig.log, inside Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 3. (You can stop when you get to Options.) Feel free to remove your computer and user names, about 20 lines down; the file doesn't contain any other personal information.
Hello,
Thank you for your swift reply.
I managed to resolve the issue by adapting a setting in the graphic card's control panel. Instead of high performance NVIDIA Processor I set it to Integrated Graphics for TS3. This worked.
@Kimmi81 I'm glad it worked, but that shouldn't be necessary and will negatively impact in-game performance to a significant extent. The iGPU in your laptop is probably reasonably good, but it's nowhere near the power of your 3070. So if you'd like to fix the issue with the 3070, please post the relevant section of DeviceConfig.log. Please also post a dxdiag for good measure.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
@puzzlezaddict wrote:@Kimmi81 I'm glad it worked, but that shouldn't be necessary and will negatively impact in-game performance to a significant extent. The iGPU in your laptop is probably reasonably good, but it's nowhere near the power of your 3070. So if you'd like to fix the issue with the 3070, please post the relevant section of DeviceConfig.log. Please also post a dxdiag for good measure.
https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/
Okay, thank you.
Here's the section of the DeviceConfig.log. Dxdiag attached.
=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 1 GPU Memory: 1 CPU: 3 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 2918 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 3491 RAM: 32472 Adjusted RAM: 31960 Cores: 20
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 8 6.2.9200
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 2
OS SP major ver: 0
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 1
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900H
Family: 6
Model: 10
Cores: 20
HT: 0
x64: 0
Memory: 32472MB
Free memory: 20487MB
User:
Computer:
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics
Name (database): Intel(R) Iris(R) Xe Graphics [Found: 0, Matched: 1]
Vendor: Intel
Chipset: Vendor: 8086, Device: 46a6, Board: 15981025, Chipset: 000c
Driver: igd10iumd32.dll, Version: 30.0.101.1692, GUID: D7B78E66-05E6-11CF-0975-FD35A3C2D335
Driver version: 1692
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 32MB <<OVERRIDE>>
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1
@Kimmi81 Sorry, I should have specified, I need a copy of DeviceConfig from when the game is running on the Nvidia card. This log is overwritten each time you launch the game, with the data pertaining to that particular moment, so it only shows what GPU was being utilized that one time.
I'd also like a few screenshots of the distortions you're seeing with the Nvidia card in place. I don't see any immediate issues in your dxdiag, even if the Nvidia graphics driver is a bit old, but that doesn't mean the driver is fine and there are no other problems.
Additionally, please delete Options.ini, in the same Sims 3 folder, to let the game create a new one. Don't change any of the graphics settings at all except for increasing the in-game resolution and switching to windowed mode if you want.
@puzzlezaddict Oh wow, sorry, that's very much on me. Of course you need to DeviceConfig when the game runs on the Nvidia Card. Sorry, it's been a long day haha. Added it below. The graphic distortion happens in moving images, once the image settles, it calms down until there's movement again. I wanted to add video but the file is too big to upload here. So I took a few stills from the video.
=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 1 GPU Memory: 1 CPU: 3 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 2918 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 3491 RAM: 32472 Adjusted RAM: 31960 Cores: 20
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 8 6.2.9200
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 2
OS SP major ver: 0
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 1
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900H
Family: 6
Model: 10
Cores: 20
HT: 0
x64: 0
Memory: 32472MB
Free memory: 18628MB
User:
Computer:
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
Name (database): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU [Found: 0, Matched: 1]
Vendor: NVIDIA
Chipset: Vendor: 10de, Device: 24e0, Board: 15991025, Chipset: 00a1
Driver: nvldumd.dll, Version: 31.0.15.1770, GUID: D7B71E3E-67A0-11CF-7F75-96350EC2D235
Driver version: 1770
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 32MB <<OVERRIDE>>
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1
@Kimmi81 The stills are great and exactly what I wanted, and wow, that's a pretty bad look. One thing that shouldn't cause this but is nonetheless worth addressing is that your graphics card and its VRAM are both rated as a 1. It looks like you've tried to get the GPU recognized, but it didn't work: it's not Found but Matched, which wouldn't be the case if it were in the database.
What kind of install do you have? It looks like you may have installed via disc, in which case I would strongly suggest running the Super Patch. The launcher doesn't do a thorough job of patching on its own, so it's always helpful to run the Super Patch. Doing so will also revert your .sgr files to their original states, which is helpful in this case because it will undo the (unsuccessful) edits made to try to add your GPU. You can find the patch here, under Cumulative Base Game Super Patcher:
If I'm wrong and you've actually installed via Steam, don't run the Super Patch, which may break the install if it runs at all. Instead, open your Steam library, right-click the Sims 3 game tile, and select Properties > Local files > Verify integrity of the game files.
We can get your GPU recognized if you want, but as said, this alone shouldn't cause the graphical issues you're seeing.
Once you've done that, please open the Nvidia Control Panel, select Manage 3D Settings > Program settings, choose ts3w.exe (with the W) on the list, set vertical sync and triple buffering to On, and set the Max Frame Rate to 165. Then try again to play. Please test both fullscreen and windowed modes, restarting the game after switching.
I don't know whether the CP settings will hold because it depends on how your laptop is wired. To check, bring up the cheats console (ctrl-shift-C) and enter fps on . The fps counter will show up in the upper-right corner of the screen, and it shouldn't exceed the limit you've set. If it does, let me know; there are other ways to limit framerates too.
@Kimmi81 Please run the Super Patch again to revert the .sgr files. They're definitely a source of error if not the source of this particular error.
@puzzlezaddict After doing all that, the game is now not starting up at all. Generating an xcpt file, which I have included.
Okay, after running the Alder Lake Patch I got the game going again.
The changes to the NVIDIA settings have helped quite a bit, but it's still not the appearance I'd like. In fact, it was miles better on the Intel Graphics. With this I'm still seeing the static, be it much less than in the screenshots I've posted earlier.
@Kimmi81 To be honest, I think there might be a problem with the Nvidia graphics card. I'm not saying that there definitely is, but this is unusual behavior even for an old game like Sims 3; I've only seen it with Intel Arc GPUs (not your Xe graphics, the discrete cards released a couple years ago) with early drivers. Even if your other games are fine, I'd still suggest running a couple of benchmarks. The 3DMark demo, free through Steam, includes Time Spy and Firestrike, and it's worth running those a few times to look for crashes or graphical anomalies.
If you don't find anything and don't want to pursue this further, using the Xe graphics for Sims 3 is fine if not ideal. But since this is a new laptop, it would be better to find out about any issues now, while it's under warranty, rather than later.
@puzzlezaddict I didn't see Firestrike in the 3DMark Demo, but ran Time Spy. It looked perfectly fine. I included the results.
After following the steps in this thread: How-To: Get Sims 3 to Recognize a New Graphics Card (carls-sims-4-guide.com) I managed to get the graphic cards recognised, I guess. The DeviceConfig now says found: 1, matched: 1. However, the graphics still look the same. New DeviceConfig below:
=== Application info ===
Name: Sims3
Version:
Build: Release
=== Rating info ===
GPU: 5 GPU Memory: 4 CPU: 3 RAM: 4 CPU Speed: 2918 Threading: 3
Adjusted CPU: 3491 RAM: 32472 Adjusted RAM: 31960 Cores: 20
=== Machine info ===
OS version: Windows 8 6.2.9200
OS prod type: 0
OS major ver: 6
OS minor ver: 2
OS SP major ver: 0
OS SP minor ver: 0
OS is 64Bit: 1
CPU: GenuineIntel
Brand: 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-12900H
Family: 6
Model: 10
Cores: 20
HT: 0
x64: 0
Memory: 32472MB
Free memory: 19363MB
User:
Computer:
=== Graphics device info ===
Number: 0
Name (driver): NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
Name (database): GeForce RTX 3070 Ti [Found: 1, Matched: 1]
Vendor: NVIDIA
Chipset: Vendor: 10de, Device: 24e0, Board: 15991025, Chipset: 00a1
Driver: nvldumd.dll, Version: 31.0.15.5161, GUID: D7B71E3E-67A0-11CF-BC67-96350EC2D235
Driver version: 5161
Monitor: \\.\DISPLAY1
Texture memory: 1024MB
Vertex program: 3.0
Pixel program: 3.0
Hardware TnL: 1
@Kimmi81 That looks good; your card is properly recognized and rated this time. I'm not surprised it didn't help with the graphics glitches though.
The Time Spy score is a little low, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything, for example even moving the mouse while the test is running can cause a slight decrease in performance; having other apps open at the same time would have a larger effect. So I think it's worth clean-uninstalling and reinstalling both graphics drivers, as described here:
For now, use the drivers Acer provides for your laptop, listed here:
https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Predator_PH315-55
You'll want the VGA Driver (UMA) from Intel and the VGA Driver (3070 ti, although they're all the same driver) from Nvidia. Skip GeForce Experience for now. The proper order of operations is uninstall the Nvidia driver > uninstall the Intel driver > restart > reinstall the Intel driver > restart > reinstall the Nvidia driver > restart, all while your computer is offline.
At this point, please test the game. If you're still seeing graphical glitches, please move the angle of the screen around and see whether it makes a difference. It probably won't, but it's worth doing on the off chance there's something slightly wrong with the connection to the screen that only shows up when you're using the dedicated card.
If that doesn't help, please limit the in-game framerates again, this time to 60, and see whether that makes a difference. Please also let me know whether the limit is being respected, via the fps on cheat.
@puzzlezaddict Thank you so much for all your help so far. I did the clean uninstall and reinstall of the drivers: no further improvement
I limited the FPS to 60: no further improvement
FPS limit is being respected.
I also ran TimeSpy again, see attached.
@Kimmi81 The Time Spy score is somewhat better, and within the range expected of your hardware. (Some variation can be due to how the manufacturer tuned the laptop and isn't necessarily indicative of a problem.) So try the newest driver from Nvidia instead:
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/221746/en-us/
Run the installer as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator." Select the Custom (not Express) install method, and make sure that GeForce Experience is NOT selected. Restart after installing the driver and before trying to play.
If that doesn't help, try installing the newest driver for your iGPU as well. Depending on how your laptop is wired, the iGPU and driver may be part of the graphics pipeline even when an application is using the Nvidia card. Why this would only affect the graphics when the Nvidia card is in use, I don't know, but it's certainly a possibility. You can get the driver here:
Run this one as an admin as well, and restart before testing.
It's typically best to use the graphics drivers that the laptop manufacturer provides, especially for the integrated chip in a dual-GPU machine. But that's only true as long as there aren't any graphics-related issues. At worst, you'll need to DDU the drivers and reinstall them, just like you already did, which is inconvenient but not enough of a problem to avoid trying the newer driver.
@puzzlezaddict Sorry, it took me a while to get back to you. I do appreciate all your help. After installing the newest drivers, the problem persists. HOWEVER! Not in windowed mode. Now I hate playing in windowed mode (I need edge scrolling), so I'd love to get a bit further with this, but I guess this is something... Any more ideas?
In addition: I tried playing a save on the integrated graphics card and it crashed about three minutes in. I could send the xcpt report, but I'm pretty sure it was due to playing on the integrated card, because I then switched to the Nvidia card and was able to play the same save without any crashes.
So basically, at the moment, I only have bad options:
1. I play on the integrated video card: good graphics, but crashes are pretty much guaranteed.
2. I play on the Nvidia video card on full screen: no crashes, but distortion in movement, no smooth experience.
3. I play on the Nvidia videocard in windowed mode: no crashes, good graphics, but all the annoyances of playing in windowed mode.
Am I out of options? Would I have been better off buying another laptop (advice welcome)? Is there something wrong with the video card?
@Kimmi81 Try Windowed Borderless Gaming and see if it works for you:
https://westechsolutions.net/sites/WindowedBorderlessGaming/
You can also try this tool, which forces vertical sync in DirectX 9 games:
https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/84-d3doverrider/?changelog=32
On the other hand, if you're still within the return window for this laptop, it's worth considering getting a different one. I'm not saying that this model is defective, because it appears to be fine, but your issue is absolutely not normal and has me concerned enough to suggest that other options are worth pursuing. I don't think it's worth spending a lot of extra money to switch to a laptop that will probably (but not certainly) not have this issue, but for me at least, it would be worth the inconvenience of starting over with a new machine.
I've heard from other players using the same or a lower-end Intel iGPU who can play without any major issues, so it's also not a good sign that your game is crashing on the iGPU. But that might be fixable with a hard fps limit, if you want to try it. I don't know whether Intel has added an fps limiter to its graphics control panel, but if not, RivaTuner Statistics Server works well and is lightweight (and free). It does need to be running while you play, but it can be minimized to the system tray.
@puzzlezaddict I will try the Windowed Borderless Gaming but do wonder in advance if edge scrolling will work on that, since that is what I need the most.
Additionally, some searching has led me to more topics, not specifically related to The Sims 3, about similar distortion in full-screen mode with different games on Windows 11. Possible solutions suggest disabling Fullscreen Optimization for the .exe of the game in question. I think that could possibly be a solution, but I can't try it, because when I click the box to turn off the Fullscreen Optimization, the game won't start up at all anymore. I think maybe this conflicts with the Alder Lake Patch?
Does any of this make sense? Sorry to take up so much of your time.
@Kimmi81 Fullscreen optimization settings shouldn't conflict with the Alder Lake patch, but you can try the Task Manager workaround for the Alder Lake issue instead. That should confirm whether the issues are related. Here's the walkthrough:
Please don't apologize for taking up my time. I wouldn't do this if I didn't enjoy it, and I want to figure this out both to help you and because it's an interesting problem, and I might learn something useful.
I managed to turn off the full screen optimization and get the game to run. However, results remain the same. I'm trying the windowed borderless thing, although if that doesn't give me edge scrolling, it's of no use.
@Kimmi81 I would still recommend trying D3DOverrider at some point. It was built for issues similar to yours, issues that were much more common 15 years ago. I'm not saying it will definitely fix the problem, but it might, and if so, that would be a simple workaround.
@puzzlezaddict I downloaded D3DOverrider, but when I try to run it, nothing happens... Maybe a Windows 11 incompatibility?
Also, I noticed this (see screenshot), does that mean anything, have any effect?
@Kimmi81 Did you have a game or anything else graphically demanding open when you took this screenshot? Please let me know either way. It could be a problem or nothing at all.
Please also post a screenshot of how Sims 3 looks in windowed borderless mode, and a screenshot of your in-game graphics settings when using borderless. I'd also like a screenshot of what the game looks like in fullscreen mode now, since it's better but not fixed. Finally, please post a current dxdiag. I'm asking someone for a second opinion on this and want to be thorough.
@puzzlezaddict Thank you for your reply and all your help.
I didn't have a game open when I took that screenshot. I took another screenshot when I had Sims 3 running (in full-screen mode). Since I can only add three files to one reply, I'll add that to a new reply, along with the dxdiag, and attach the screenshots of the game to this one.
I also added the information you asked for. I named the attached screenshots either "full screen" or " windowed" for reference. Do note that the full-screen pictures are not actual screenshots because I can't figure out how to time that well (on movement and in full screen), so I took those with my phone. The blurriness is because of that, but the distortion (defragmentation, maybe?) shown is accurate to the way it looks in the game.
