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Louisa12334's avatar
2 years ago

Game keeps freezing

Hi, so I play sims 4 on my pc and for a while the screen has constantly kept freezing for long periods before going all black and it goes back to normal, I can't move the mouse or get out of the game while this happens. I tried following others advice like taking the sims 4 folder out and starting a new game, or clicking repair in the ea app but it keeps freezing. I don't know how to fix it... Here is a dxdiag run I did that I saw someone sugest on another post.

5 Replies

  • @Louisa12334  Thanks for posting a dxdiag, which is full of serious errors of the graphics driver.  So the first step is to update the driver.  You can get the newest one from Nvidia here:

    https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/218807/en-us/

    Run the installer as an admin: right-click the download and select "Run as administrator."  Choose the Custom (not Express) install method, and check the box to perform a clean install.  Restart your computer afterwards and before trying to play.

    If you run into the same issues, please post a new dxdiag.

    By the way, your computer's hardware doesn't technically support Windows 11.  While it's probably fine at this point, it's something to keep in mind, especially as 11 develops further and diverges from Windows 10.

  • Louisa12334's avatar
    Louisa12334
    2 years ago

    Goddamn I think I messed up. I mean, I followed the instructions but the screen keeps freezing, maybe even more often now...

    Here's another dxdiag

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Louisa12334  You've installed the correct graphics driver, but the same errors appear in this dxdiag as in your last one.  So please do a clean uninstall and reinstall of the driver, as described here:

    https://crinrict.com/blog/2019/02/clean-re-install-of-graphics-drivers-with-display-driver-uninstaller-ddu.html

    Please also check the GPU's temperature while you play.  You can do this somewhat crudely through the Task Manager's Performance tab.  It's not the most accurate reporter, but this should at least give you an idea of whether this is a problem.  Anything below 70º C is great; anything below 80º is good enough to avoid heat-related issues.

    If DDU doesn't help, and temperatures are fine, can you borrow a different graphics card from a friend or family member to test with?  Could someone you know test your graphics card in their system?  It's possible the GPU itself is dying, and the only way to know is to isolate it from the rest of the system, either by testing it in a currently-working computer or testing a different card in your computer.

    If this isn't currently possible, you could remove the GPU from your computer and plug the monitor directly into your motherboard.  Your processor has integrated graphics, and while performance would be relatively poor, Sims 4 should still run on the iGPU.  So it would also be a useful test, although not as much since this removes several potential points of failure at once.

  • Louisa12334's avatar
    Louisa12334
    2 years ago

    Okay, sorry for the late reply, graduated last week. I did a clean uninstall and reinstall of the driver, as well as checking my GPU temperature while playing. I could not find the GPU temperature on my task manager so i searched ways to find it and and downloaded MSI Afterburner. The temperature was at a 73-78°C but the game still freezed and turned black while playing... I guess i should move on to trying a new graphics card, i also made a new dxdiag. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @Louisa12334  Sorry for the late reply; I've been busy for a few days.  Your new dxdiag shows more errors related to the graphics driver, and Nvidia offers a newer driver, so I'd suggest running DDU again and then trying the current driver:

    https://www.nvidia.com/Download/driverResults.aspx/225861/en-us/

    I would also suggest making sure the graphics card's fans are spinning properly and not clogged with dust.  This only requires looking at the GPU and, if necessary, blowing out the fans with dust.

    If that doesn't help, then yes, it's time to test with a different graphics card.  I'm not saying your current GPU is absolutely the issue, and I wouldn't suggest buying a new one without testing, but it's worth investigating.

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