Lag even after factory reset
Hello! I've been trying to solve a horrible lag issue, but I am feeling out of my depth. I've followed crinrict's instructions on how to do a factory reset. The game worked great after the reset, but...
Forum Discussion
@MWS2223 Your dxdiag flagged an issue with your Nvidia graphics card, one that could possibly (but not necessarily) be quite serious. The dxdiag also lists a number of failed Windows updates. So please start with a couple of basic checks of your Windows system files:
- Hit Windows key-X
- Choose either “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator),” whichever option is offered
- Inside the window that appears, copy and paste “DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth” without quotes, and enter
- The system will start validating soon. If it throws an error, please list it here
- After it reaches 100%, hit Windows key-X again
- Again, choose “PowerShell (Administrator)” or “Windows Terminal (Administrator)”
- Inside the window, copy and paste “sfc /scannow” without quotes, and enter
- Post the message you receive here
Restart your computer, hit Windows key-i, select Update & Security, and click the box to check for updates. If any install, restart again afterwards.
Next, do a clean uninstall of the Nvidia graphics driver, as described here:
Use a fresh copy of the newest driver Asus provides for your laptop:
Restart and test out your save again. If it lags, please start a new save in one of the base game worlds for comparison's sake. Please also post the first 40 or so lines of Config.log, everything up to where Options starts. The file is inside Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4. You can delete your user and computer names, about 20 lines down; there's no other personal information in the file.
Please post a new dxdiag as well, one run after you've tested the new save.
@puzzlezaddict Wow, thank you so much for the thorough response! I will absolutely follow all the steps you provided, but I do have a question. I feel a little silly since it seems so obvious, but I restarted my computer and the game is running much more smoothly now. I'm getting 20-80 fps during gameplay, and it feels like it's back to normal. I checked the dxdiag again, and the error for the nvidia graphics card is gone. Should I still follow your instructions, or would you say the problem is solved now?
@MWS2223 It's possible that a Windows update resolved this issue, so I think it's reasonable to wait to uninstall and reinstall the graphics driver, which is a whole process. Personally, I'd be watching my system like a hawk and might uninstall and reinstall the driver anyway just for my own peace of mind, but there's no particular harm in watching and waiting. Still, the driver does need to go at the first sign of trouble.
I would definitely run DISM and sfc though. I run these every few months just as basic maintenance, and the worst that can happen is you waste a few minutes of your time.
If you want to check for errors related to the Nvidia GPU or driver, you can do so through the Device Manager as well. Hit Windows key-X, select the Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right-click on the Nvidia card, select Properties, and in the General tab, make sure the message in the box says "This device is working properly." Anything else means it's time to remove and reinstall the driver, as described. Simply updating it through the Device Manager may not help, and if a new driver installed at all, it would likely be the newest generic one from Nvidia, not one from Asus.
