This may be a silly question but I'm slightly nervous about installing Sims 3 on my new PC. I haven't tried the game for over 2 years, because last time on my old PC the graphics card seriously overheated. Card had faulty fans to begin with, but I don't want the same thing happening with my brand new high end card. From what I've read, the overheating issue persists and especially with newer graphics cards.. how risky is it to play this game? Simply enabling v-sync will be enough?

Could you post the make and model of your card? It's hard to say without that information. With any game, proper ventilation to the graphics card is important.

Like I said, it's a brand new card, nvidia geforce gtx680, in a new pc, have had it only for a couple of weeks. Just really don't want to fry it but so tempted to get into Sims again. Last time I tried Sims 3, it "broke" my pc, if only indirectly.

Hi,

The Sims 3 is known to throttle the graphics processor quite aggressively - meaning the game forces the GPU to work much harder than it actually needs to for smooth gameplay (you may notice erratic and sudden FPS spikes). Users have reported that this has led to video cards or video chipsets that get overheated in a short amount of time. Prolonged heat stress can in fact damage your video device if left unchecked. It should be noted that excessive framerates will only be encountered on high-end video devices, such as the NVidia GeForce GTX 680.

Ensure you are using the PC in a room with a cool temperature. Verify that all cooling fans inside the PC case are operational and unobstructed. If and when there is dust accumulation, use cans of compressed air to clear them out - pay particular attention to cooling fans, heatsinks and exhaust vents. Do this while the PC is switched off, of course. Ideally, the general operating range of video cards is about 45-65 degrees Celsius. If necessary, install additional internal case fans for better cooling. You may also wish to download and install Speedfan, a popular freeware application that can monitor your GPU and system temperatures during gameplay.

But perhaps the best way to keep your video card running stable - in addition to keeping the ambient temperature down and the PC case well ventilated - is to enable a feature called V-Sync. Since your card is from NVidia, this can be done from the NVidia control panel (use the Force On setting). There is no V-Sync option from within the game itself at this time.

There is one additional piece of information that may be of particular interest to you.

HardOCP recently wrote up a review of a new NVidia technology called Adaptive V-Sync. This is a technology that has the potential to significantly improve the gaming experience for Sims 3 players. For those interested, the complete article can be read at the HardOCP website at the following link:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync
_technology_review

The Sims 3 game application has a built-in FPS counter which can be activated on demand. While in game, press CTRL + SHIFT + C on your keyboard to bring up the code console. After that, type in this command:

fps on

A numeric counter will then appear on the upper right of the screen. If you do decide to try out Adaptive V-Sync, please let us know how it works out for you.

Thanks for the help. I have now enabled the adaptive vsync from the control panel, and will be testing it a bit later, hopefully it will work out fine.

As long as the video card heat sink fan is working and there is proper case air ventilation there should be no problem. One of my computers has a Nvidia 8600GT. This chip is known to run hot. I got a case fan to pull hot air out and have never had a problem.

I tried to enable vsync from the Nvidia control panel. But should I do it for all the expasion packs or just the latest ? I did it for all but the fps is still at the highest 135. Am I doing something wrong ?

Carroji wrote:I tried to enable vsync from the Nvidia control panel. But should I do it for all the expasion packs or just the latest ? I did it for all but the fps is still at the highest 135. Am I doing something wrong ?

I have vsync turned on in global settings and for ts3w.exe. It works for me, I haven't tried the adaptive vsync yet.

Oh ! Thank you ! It's working now :'D