I just started my game after the latest update. I wanted to see if the default DX11 is active. There is supposed to be an option for enabling DX9 but I can't find it. I play on windows 11 with a laptop that's less than two years old. I expect it is recent enough to handle DX11. In play the Dutch version of the game .Edit: I have Nvidea gforce mx 450

atreya33 The option should be to the right of the Post Processing setting. Having said that, the option isn't there at all for players who are still defaulted to DirectX 9. Is your game using DX9 or 11? You can check at the Main Menu, in the lower-right corner with the version number. If you are using DX9, please check whether the game is using the Nvidia graphics card. Go into Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4, open Config.log, scroll down about 30 lines, and let me know what GPU is listed there.

atreya33 It's possible that DX11 is only the default for Nvidia GTX/RTX graphics cards (and AMD GPUs), that MX chips are still defaulted to DX9. The documentation doesn't say so, but it would be unsurprising. At any rate, to force DX11 mode, open the EA App game library, click Sims 4 > Manage > View properties, and add -dx11 to the command line box. Please remember that you've done this, as it will override any other potential changes you try to make.

atreya33 DirectX 9 is older than DX11 and as such, has fewer features, especially features that newer programs and newer hardware can use to run better. If you'd like to know more about what DirectX does, please see this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX In general, there's a difference between "the sytem is compatible with and can run this software" and "the software is optimized for this OS or hardware." I don't know what's going on under the hood with Sims 4, but I would guess that DX11 mode has only been optimized for newer Nvidia and AMD GPUs to target higher-end gaming systems. I believe that any computer that can currently run Sims 4 also supports DX11, but that doesn't mean that this implementation of DX11 (as in what Sims 4 is doing) works with any system that supports the API in general. I would guess that DX9 mode will be around for a while, at least until Maxis is satisfied with how DX11 mode works on any system it cares to support. (I don't know how long that would be, and whether it would end up like the Legacy Edition—opt-in for anyone as long as it exists—or only available to some users.) And I'm reasonably sure your computer can handle DX11 mode; the question is whether performance would be better or worse than in DX9 mode. And yes, the fact that your system supports DX12 means it can also run DX11.

looloolooweez If the Config.log file lists your Nvidia GPU, that's the GPU the game is using at startup (when the file is updated), and it should also determine what version of DirectX the game uses. Are you sure you haven't added -dx9 as a command line argument in the EA App? It would be under Sims 4 > Manage > View properties. And that would override the game's default behavior. If you'd like to force DX11 mode, add -dx11 as a command line argument instead. I see you've posted in the DirectX 11 thread on Answers HQ as well, which is the thread EA is monitoring. So let's continue there if you have further questions.

I just found the solution on answer HQ. Now I can finally test DX11. looloolooweeztagging you just in case this might help you as well. This option tells your pc to prioritise your grafics card https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/DirectX-11-Technical-Issues-and-Feedback-Thread/m-p/14070719#M285154

Where is DX9 option | EA Forums

15 Replies

looloolooweez
Rising Novice
6 months ago
Just a note that I'm having the same issue, and more details in case anyone else is seeing the same:
My GPU is an integrated NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop, with most current drivers. This is listed as the graphics device in use in the game's config.log and is set as the preferred graphics device for the game in System > Display > Graphics. DirectX diagnostic tool (dxdiag command on Windows 11) shows I'm running DX12.
However, the game still starts up with DX9 by default. I think this is because my machine also has an internal Intel UHD Graphics included with the Intel Core i7 processer, which is listed as "display 1" in the dxdiag (NVIDIA listed as "device 2"). I'm not sure, but my hunch is the game is seeing this default GPU instead of the integrated one, so is not enabling DX9 (b/c Intel support is still in dev).
Does anyone know how to make the game recognize that it is in fact utilizing the compatible NVIDIA GPU and so run DX11 by default?
I'll post in the EA Answers HQ thread as well.
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
6 months ago
looloolooweez If the Config.log file lists your Nvidia GPU, that's the GPU the game is using at startup (when the file is updated), and it should also determine what version of DirectX the game uses. Are you sure you haven't added -dx9 as a command line argument in the EA App? It would be under Sims 4 > Manage > View properties. And that would override the game's default behavior.

If you'd like to force DX11 mode, add -dx11 as a command line argument instead.

I see you've posted in the DirectX 11 thread on Answers HQ as well, which is the thread EA is monitoring. So let's continue there if you have further questions.
atreya33
Legend
6 months ago
I just found the solution on answer HQ. Now I can finally test DX11.
looloolooweeztagging you just in case this might help you as well. This option tells your pc to prioritise your grafics card
https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/DirectX-11-Technical-Issues-and-Feedback-Thread/m-p/14070719#M285154
AbelK78
Newcomer
5 months ago
I’m having this same issue. Did you ever find a fix?
puzzlezaddict
Hero+
5 months ago
AbelK78 Yes, this was diagnosed and solved at the time:

https://answers.ea.com/t5/PC/DirectX-11-Technical-Issues-and-Feedback-Thread/m-p/14070719#M285154

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Where is DX9 option

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