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heygwenpool's avatar
heygwenpool
New Rookie
5 months ago

Horrible performance on Macbook Air M4 16GB ram

Playing the Sims 4 on my brand new M4 Macbook air base game with no mods or even expansion packs has been incredibly frustrating. The game runs smoothly until it randomly decides to drop my frame rate from 60 fps to as low as 22. This was not an issue I was having on my M1 Macbook air with only 8GB of ram, as it ran flawlessly. 

I’m not sure if this is an optimization issue or something that went wrong during installation. I also noticed that going to the 2nd floor in some lots causes horrible lag, and when a sim turns a computer on the game is basically on the verge of crashing. This was happening day 1 of me getting this (non refurbished & absolutely brand new) Macbook. The only way I’ve been able to run the game with no issues is on low settings.

ea app
graphics
launching
never cc or mods

5 Replies

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    5 months ago

    heygwenpool​ 

    How annoying. Did you use Migration Assistant when setting up your new Mac?

    Does it happen with a brand new Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder?

    Have you tried repairing the game in EA App?

    Does it happen at any specific time, such as being on a Lot with lots of sims or maybe when doing specific interactions?

    Is the environment exactly the same on the M4 as the M1 such as the same apps and processes running in the background? Same installation location?

    Are you running the same macOS version on the M4 as you were the M1?

     

  • Adrastea93's avatar
    Adrastea93
    New Novice
    5 months ago

    Hi!

    I just changed my computer to a MacBook Pro M4 and I'm having issues with the temperature of the pc while playing (increases to 105ºC in the first 5 minutes of play) and the only way I can fix it is turning on the battery saving. Maybe you could try and see if it helps

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    5 months ago

    Adrastea93​ 

    You're playing on the battery instead of having it plugged in? Don't do that, always make sure it's plugged in where possible.

  • heygwenpool's avatar
    heygwenpool
    New Rookie
    5 months ago

    How annoying. Did you use Migration Assistant when setting up your new Mac? : Nope! Regular install. I did not transfer anything.

    Does it happen with a brand new Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 folder? - Yes, it still happens every time I re install unfortunately.

    Have you tried repairing the game in EA App? - I have not, but I will.

    Does it happen at any specific time, such as being on a Lot with lots of sims or maybe when doing specific interactions? - Yes to both! This low fps issue tends to get worse even if there are only about 7 sims on the lot. The game becomes literal hell if someone turns the tv or computer on. The lag is insane when that happens. Occasionally lags if I go to the 2nd floor in a lot. I noticed zooming out a good distance stops a lot of the lag.

    Is the environment exactly the same on the M4 as the M1 such as the same apps and processes running in the background? Same installation location? - Yes to both. They are both installed normally, and I play with no apps running except the Sims 4 and EA app in the background as well.

    Are you running the same macOS version on the M4 as you were the M1? - No actually, I'm on macOS sequoia 15.6 on my MAC m4, and I believe an earlier Sequoia version on my M1. I'll have to double check but they are definitely not on the same versions, the M4 is on the newest release.

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    5 months ago

    heygwenpool​ 

     

    heygwenpool wrote:

    Does it happen at any specific time, such as being on a Lot with lots of sims or maybe when doing specific interactions? - Yes to both! This low fps issue tends to get worse even if there are only about 7 sims on the lot. The game becomes literal hell if someone turns the tv or computer on. The lag is insane when that happens. Occasionally lags if I go to the 2nd floor in a lot. I noticed zooming out a good distance stops a lot of the lag.

    Could you save and quit at this precise point and send me your save? I'll test on my M4 Max MacBook Pro and M1 MacBook Air.

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