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SimmerGeorge's avatar
SimmerGeorge
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
Solved

Game doesn't utilize my hardware correctly

So before I start my specs:

Radeon RX 6600xt

Ryzen 5 2600

32GB Ram

1TB SSD

So this game is making me so mad. I used to have a 1660 Super and this game always had fps drops when zooming out in like San Myshuno and Windenburg but I always figured the graphics card was just too weak for the ultra settings. 

I just got a new card and thought the problem must be gone. Turns out the exact same thing happens. Normal gameplay gets like 80-90 fps with no limiter, yet when I go to more populated areas and zoom out or turn the came it dtops to 30s-40s. I checked and the game utilizes like 30% of my GPU power. Shouldn't that be higher. If the fps keeps dropping why won't it use more power? Also my CPU usage is always under 60%. It's the only game this happens with...

What do I need to do, to have a smooth Sims 4 experience? This game is almost 10 years old. 

pc
  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    3 years ago

    @SimmerGeorge  As we talked about before, your 1660 Super was more than powerful enough to run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings, and it wasn't being fully utilized either.  This is simply due to the way the game is programmed.

    One thing that might help around the edges is Simp4Sims's Graphics Rules Overhaul, which, among other things, lowers the number of times the game needs to switch between different LOD textures.  Fewer tasks for the graphics engine to handle means more resources freed up for other things.

    But like I said, there's only so much you can do with Sims 4.

3 Replies

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @SimmerGeorge  As we talked about before, your 1660 Super was more than powerful enough to run Sims 4 on ultra graphics settings, and it wasn't being fully utilized either.  This is simply due to the way the game is programmed.

    One thing that might help around the edges is Simp4Sims's Graphics Rules Overhaul, which, among other things, lowers the number of times the game needs to switch between different LOD textures.  Fewer tasks for the graphics engine to handle means more resources freed up for other things.

    But like I said, there's only so much you can do with Sims 4.

  • SimmerGeorge's avatar
    SimmerGeorge
    Seasoned Ace
    3 years ago

    @puzzlezaddict  I think I solved it most of my issues with the fps. I thought I might let you know in case that helps anyone else reading. So, it turns out my issues came from the way the in-game vsync interacts with my hardware and monitor. 

    I absolutely have to use verical synchronization because my monitor is only 1080p 75hz and pretty cheap compared to the 6600xt which can run the game with very high frames. I had massive screen tearing and had to turn on vsync in game. 

    Now I don't know if the in-game vsync is generally so bad or just with my hardware but it gives me so much input lag and also slows down the entire game including the CPU which also plays a role in fps production. Even if the frames were high the in-game vsync made it look like they were low due to stuttering. 

    So, I tried using FreeSync after fiddling a bit with the setting of my AMD card and at first it didn't work cause I kept getting screen tearing but it turns out I also had to cap my fps on top of everything for it to work. 

    Long story short: I turned off in-game Vsync -> Used Raden Chill to limit my fps to match my monitor -> I turned on FreeSync. 

    Voila, no input lag, no stutters, no random fps drops to the 20s and 30s. Much smoother experience. I can't believe the solution was so easy. The stability of the frames is crazy compared to in-game Vsync. I'm pretty sure if the game was programmed to work better with modern hardware it would be even smoother but this solution is good enough to make it playable for me. 

    PS. puzzleaddict I'm impressed you remember me from back then with the whole 1660 super situation. Thanks for helping me and so many people here, you're doing the lord's work. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    3 years ago

    @SimmerGeorge  Thanks for the update, and I'm disappointed but not overly surprised that the in-game v-sync setting would work relatively poorly.  I'll definitely keep it in mind for when other players report excessively low fps, which they absolutely will.

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