Sims 3 64-bit keeps crashing on MacBook Air

@chefdetribu98  Your Mac's graphics chip is actually under the minimum requirement for 64-bit Sims 3.  That doesn't mean you can't play, but performance may never be great.

The first thing to try is disabling Advanced Rendering, if you haven't already.  It's with the other graphics options but is a check box rather than a slider.  While you're there, make sure Object Hiding is enabled too.  Change the settings at the Main Menu, then quit to desktop before loading a save.

Please let me know what world you're playing in, and test in Sunset Valley if you haven't already.  Please also list the packs you have installed.  Pets can be a particular problem for lower-end or older hardware.

Thank you so much for your quick reply.

I just checked the Advanced Rendering and Object Hiding and they were just as you advised. I guess my old MacBook is just not good enough, I may continue playing with frequent saves and lots of patience 🙂

On another note, I also have a newer MacBook Pro, you may find the data below, please let me know if you need further info. If the Sims 3 64 bit would not be too damaging I can download it on that Mac. Since it is relatively new I do not want to cause much damage, especially to the battery.

The same question goes for the Sims 4, I play it on the old Mac without any problems but it drains the battery and caused a lot of damage. Do you think it would be wise to download it on Mac Pro?

Thank you so much for your help 🙂

MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022) 

Chip Apple M2

Memory 8 GB

Apple M2:

  Chipset Model: Apple M2

  Type: GPU

  Bus: Built-In

  Total Number of Cores: 10

  Vendor: Apple (0x106b)

  Metal Family: Supported, Metal GPUFamily Apple 7

  Displays:

Color LCD:

  Display Type: Built-In Retina LCD

  Resolution: 2560 x 1600 Retina

  Main Display: Yes

  Mirror: Off

  Online: Yes

  Automatically Adjust Brightness: Yes

  Connection Type: Internal

Thank you so much for your help, I’ll download it on my new Mac and follow your advice. I agree, a newer computer is actually for this purpose. 

It is amazing how much you help fellow players, thank you so much for your amazing feedback and help 🙂

As a final quick question, do you have any recommendations as to the charging limit applications? That’s the first time I’m hearing such application exist and wanted to ask. 

@chefdetribu98  I've seen a few out there but haven't tested enough to have my own opinion.  The most important feature is that it's free: you don't need and shouldn't have to pay for this.  A "portable" tool, meaning you don't have to install it, is also preferable in general, both for convenience and security, but not strictly necessary.  "Open source" means others can examine the code, which offers some protection against malicious actors, but only if people are checking.  This is the most useful when there are lots of downloads or a few mentions on sites like Stack Exchange that have members who code.

Beyond that, look for something that feels usable to you.  It doesn't have to be a perfect tool, for example if the criticisms say a tool is frequently off by 5%, just set it to charge to 75% instead.  And don't overthink this—there are plenty of good-enough solutions, and you don't need the tool of your choice to be perfect.

One not-so-great solution is the built-in macOS "Optimized battery charging" setting, which in my case and many others, has never properly limited the charge level.

This is advice for installing third-party software in general, by the way.  A few minutes of googling can be a tremendous help both for usability and for the long-term health of your Mac.