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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Jun 2016 at 2:33 PM Last edited by PlzBeQuiet : 10th Jun 2016 at 11:59 AM.

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 3
Default Can The Sims 3 gradually destroy a graphic card?
My graphic card died 2 months ago (It was NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570), and I wanna know if The Sims 3 could've been the cause. There are three reasons why I think TS3 might have caused it:

1. On the day the card died, my computer ran just fine until I launched TS3. It then died about two minutes later.
2. My computer (Not my speakers) would always make a weird whistling noise while loading the game and when looking at certain objects in the game. I assume it could be strain or whatever, which gradually killed my card, but what do I know. I never heard that noise other than when playing TS3.
3. I've read somewhere that minimizing the game while it loads a save file is not good. I ALWAYS minimized the game while it loaded, because god dang, I wasn't gonna just sit there and twiddle my thumbs for 5+ minutes xD

I've had The Sims 3 for several years now, and despite swearing to never touch it again after my card died, I kinda miss it now xD
Could it have been the cause of my card's death? Or should I stop worrying and just reinstall it?
(Btw, if it matters, my current card is NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960)

EDIT:
Wow, that's a lot of helpful replies. Thank you to everyone!
I still wanna know a few things though, regarding the second and third reason:

- If my computer makes the weird whistling noise during loading screens and when looking at certain objects, should I be worried or is it normal?
- Is it actually bad to minimize the game while it's loading?
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Instructor
#2 Old 8th Jun 2016 at 3:45 PM
have you heard about using FPS limiter for TS3? if you haven't, then yes, TS3 just killed your GTX570 just like its killed my GTX280 when I didn't know I supposed to have FPS limiter installed for TS3.

it didn't killed your vga instantly but slowly if your case was the same like mine, playing TS3 without FPS limiter, I had it run TS3 for about 2 years before it gets totally ruined, even then after my GTX280 was ruined, it still run but lagging heavily even just for browsing the internet, i brought it to a friend of mine who is electronic technician with the hope it can be saved, but there's nothing he can do because 3 of its vram chips were burnt, the only way to fix it is to replace them, but where to find the chips replacement unless I can find another GTX280 that can be swapped for its parts, but even if i can find one, he doesn't have the tools to pull them out and put them back in my card, only the manufacturer have the tools and equipment to do the swap, so that's it.. RIP my GTX280
Lab Assistant
#3 Old 8th Jun 2016 at 10:54 PM
Yes, it most likely did kill your card. Without an FPS Limiter or V-Sync, my game would run at 2500+ frames and would make my card whine. I was lucky to have read about it before I built my new PC and installed Nvidia Inspector and used the Profile Inspector to limit my frames to 60. You can download it here: http://www.guru3d.com/files-details...r-download.html
Inventor
#4 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 2:31 AM
It did killed my video card back in 2010. I bought a GTS 250 in 2009 and it only lasted like 6 months before dying a painful death. It was after that sad event that I found out that the game pretty much kills graphic cards if you don't use (force) V-Sync or a FPS Limiter. I don't know who was the genius who didn't include that feature natively in the game itself, but that person did so wrong to so many people.
Lab Assistant
#5 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 3:04 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Naus Allien
I don't know who was the genius who didn't include that feature natively in the game itself, but that person did so wrong to so many people.

Technically, there is an option to choose a refresh rate according to your monitor which should, in theory, lock the frames to whatever you pick. I haven't used just that by itself, mind you, because I don't trust it. I just used Nvidia Inspector to be done with it.

A little reminder in case anyone doesn't know that every time you update your graphics drivers, you'll usually have to reset the FPS Limiter along with your in-game graphics settings. I know I have to.
Lab Assistant
#7 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 10:13 AM
Quote: Originally posted by PapaEmy
have you heard about using FPS limiter for TS3? if you haven't, then yes, TS3 just killed your GTX570 just like its killed my GTX280 when I didn't know I supposed to have FPS limiter installed for TS3.

it didn't killed your vga instantly but slowly if your case was the same like mine, playing TS3 without FPS limiter, I had it run TS3 for about 2 years before it gets totally ruined, even then after my GTX280 was ruined, it still run but lagging heavily even just for browsing the internet, i brought it to a friend of mine who is electronic technician with the hope it can be saved, but there's nothing he can do because 3 of its vram chips were burnt, the only way to fix it is to replace them, but where to find the chips replacement unless I can find another GTX280 that can be swapped for its parts, but even if i can find one, he doesn't have the tools to pull them out and put them back in my card, only the manufacturer have the tools and equipment to do the swap, so that's it.. RIP my GTX280


I'm currently using Razor Cortex, does it work as well?
Instructor
#8 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 12:08 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Fulishagirl
I'm currently using Razor Cortex, does it work as well?


I don't know about Razor Cortex, but if it has the same function as limiting your FPS like FPS limiter or Nvidia Inspector or MSI Afterburner, you can check it while in game, let's say you have set up your max FPS to 30 FPS, while in the TS3 opening menu or in game, open the cheat box by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C, type "FPS On" (without the quote), you should see in the top right of your screen the number of your FPS, the number will be shown when you're in game not at the opening menu but you can open the cheat box and type it in at the opening menu, if the number is more bigger than the maximum FPS you have set up earlier then it's not running correctly or you don't have any FPS limiter at all when running TS3..
Inventor
#9 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 3:20 PM
I use D3D Overrider. I like it because it not only allows you to force V-Sync but also to force triple buffering, which helps a lot in terms of overall performance and smoothness in game.
Lab Assistant
#10 Old 9th Jun 2016 at 10:30 PM Last edited by Fulishagirl : 10th Jun 2016 at 9:23 AM.
Quote: Originally posted by PapaEmy
I don't know about Razor Cortex, but if it has the same function as limiting your FPS like FPS limiter or Nvidia Inspector or MSI Afterburner, you can check it while in game, let's say you have set up your max FPS to 30 FPS, while in the TS3 opening menu or in game, open the cheat box by pressing Ctrl+Shift+C, type "FPS On" (without the quote), you should see in the top right of your screen the number of your FPS, the number will be shown when you're in game not at the opening menu but you can open the cheat box and type it in at the opening menu, if the number is more bigger than the maximum FPS you have set up earlier then it's not running correctly or you don't have any FPS limiter at all when running TS3..


As far as I know, whenever I use Razor Cortex, it says my FPS is roughly around 30 (which isn't really bad). It only goes up (FPS) when there's a loading screen (up from 86 to 129).

EDIT: Checked with the cheat. Yeah, it apparently does limit my FPS to 30 (both show 30 FPS). Huh. Even then my computer still heats up around the loading screens and stays that way throughout.
Lab Assistant
#11 Old 10th Jun 2016 at 3:29 PM
Quote: Originally posted by PlzBeQuiet
- If my computer makes the weird whistling noise during loading screens and when looking at certain objects, should I be worried or is it normal?
- Is it actually bad to minimize the game while it's loading?

If you limit your frames, you shouldn't hear any whistling, and yes, whistling should not be happening. It means the card's working far harder than it should be.

I've never actually heard of it being bad to minimize the game during loading. I don't even see how it would be. If anything, it should benefit a card without an FPS limit because the frames won't go so high when minimized. If you have a limiter, it doesn't matter, as far as I know.
Test Subject
Original Poster
#12 Old 10th Jun 2016 at 4:00 PM
Quote: Originally posted by blahxrockstar
If you limit your frames, you shouldn't hear any whistling, and yes, whistling should not be happening. It means the card's working far harder than it should be.

I've never actually heard of it being bad to minimize the game during loading. I don't even see how it would be. If anything, it should benefit a card without an FPS limit because the frames won't go so high when minimized. If you have a limiter, it doesn't matter, as far as I know.

Well dang, I just tried limiting my frames to 60 using Nvidia Inspector as you suggested, and voila, the whistling is gone O_O
You da man/woman! Thanks again to everyone!
Mad Poster
#13 Old 29th Jul 2016 at 2:03 AM Last edited by gazania : 29th Jul 2016 at 10:13 AM.
Thank you.

I was extremely hyperthryoid and nearly stormed in real life before I sorted that out. The frenetic frame rate I was seeing in Sims 3 seemed like a game variation of extreme hyperthyroidism! (I'm OK now.) Egads!

I tried Nvidia settings and Pescado's programs for this game. No good. And I know I put those files in the right place! The Nvidia Profile Inspector (I nearly panicked when I hit the other exe file and couldn't find anything about the FPS!) was the only thing that helped.

Sims 3 newbies do NOT need that sort of excitement, EA. Thanks again for your help, all!

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Test Subject
#14 Old 29th Jul 2016 at 8:19 AM
Would an FPS limiter be required for all people or just those whose FPS can go really high?
Lab Assistant
#16 Old 11th Dec 2016 at 12:40 PM
Sorry for post on old thread but technically Sims 3 can't kill videocard.
Software that can kill videocard is something like Furmark, MSI Kombustor, EVGA stress test (can't remember it's name) and GPU mining. These all software push much more stress on videocard (especially VRMs) than normal gaming or 3d benchmark tools like 3dmark, unigine heaven/valley etc.

Considering that Sims 3 is not demanding on graphics like modern games (GTA V, BF1, Watch Dogs 2 etc.) I think your GTX 570 die naturally. It's more than 5 years since Nvidia release this card. So nothing special.

But something like poor ventilation case, low quality power supply, user never take care of there card ie. Never clean videocard/never apply new thermal paste. All of this will accerelate card to die faster.
Site Helper
#17 Old 11th Dec 2016 at 5:52 PM
Quote: Originally posted by enterprise24
Considering that Sims 3 is not demanding on graphics like modern games (GTA V, BF1, Watch Dogs 2 etc.) I think your GTX 570 die naturally. It's more than 5 years since Nvidia release this card. So nothing special.



So having the game running at over 500 FPS is not demanding? Seriously. It can do that. (And reinstalling the FPS limiter solved a very big lag problem, too.) The game has no reliable built-in limiter, so it can very easily get out of control.

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Mad Poster
#18 Old 11th Dec 2016 at 7:55 PM
Quote: Originally posted by enterprise24
Sorry for post on old thread but technically Sims 3 can't kill videocard.

I'm sorry, but this is not correct. I think you might be confusing working a video card hard through intentional programming (game functions) like those other games probably do with a program (TS3) that allows fps rates to go wild and unchecked relative to the refresh rate of one's monitor. The super high and wildly fluctuating fps rates add no quality to the game whatsoever and actually make it run horribly until things are brought into sync. They are essentially digital noise. It's a defect that needs to be corrected for TS3 on medium to higher end cards the likes of which did not exist or were not properly accounted for during the game's development as documented by so many players here and elsewhere, not a matter of setting up a game to work components hard for some intended and valuable result.

Note that TS4, for all the various opinions that can be found about that iteration, does have a built-in fps limiter that I assume works properly without extra help.
Test Subject
#19 Old 11th Dec 2016 at 11:10 PM
Also I'm one from those people, who had fried on TS3 at least one graphic card. After getting a new one, I've measured with Fraps, that my PC danced happily at 5'600 fps, until I have added executables on NVidiaInspector (mine message on Sims3com forum). Till now I'm using on my PC NVIDIA inspector, because from all fps-limitating tools, which I know (fps_limiter, NVidia control panel, ..) , only this one is able to keep game in low fps in windowed mode, CAW and while installing Store content via launcher.
Lab Assistant
#20 Old 13th Dec 2016 at 4:47 PM
I use so many card (7870 , 7870 XT , 7970 , 280X , 290 , 290X , 780 Ti , 970 , 980 Ti) all of that have been overclock that run Sims 3 on loading screen like 2000-5000FPS and in game sometimes 300FPS but nothing die. Like I suggest if your case have enough ventilation / you always take care your card / always monitoring gpu temperature with GPU-Z or MSI Afterburner and learn to adjust graphics card fan speed it will NOT die.
Mad Poster
#21 Old 13th Dec 2016 at 5:38 PM Last edited by igazor : 13th Dec 2016 at 6:18 PM.
Again sorry, but not really sure how else to say this. Most TS3 players have 60 Hz monitors, I believe all players on laptops do. Some on desktops may have 144 Hz or higher but those are not typical for players of this game. Suggesting that typical TS3 players run their games at hundreds or thousands of frames per second higher than their monitor can handle is not a good thing, it is notoriously bad advice. It won't make the game look any better on most of their monitors and it will not run well on their systems. They will likely have stutter, lag, graphics glitches, and screen tears all over the place.

I am not a systems engineer, but others here are. And they have heard the high pitched whines these cards can produce when strained and have had systems ruined first hand by cards when running with runaway wildly fluctuating frame rates. We really have no reason to not believe them. I'm sure you know what you are doing and are taking some other steps to avoid this happening to you, but the average player is not going to be in a position to do those things.
Née whiterider
retired moderator
#22 Old 14th Dec 2016 at 7:32 PM
TS3 has only been out since 2009, if you've replaced your graphics card 9 times in 8 years then I might know why none of them have died of wear and tear.

What I lack in decorum, I make up for with an absence of tact.
Forum Resident
#23 Old 17th Dec 2016 at 9:19 PM
FYI if EA has managed to force 1.69 on you the FPS limiter program won't work. Use nVidia inspector. I'm lucky I've found a way to force vSync in the game on Intel HD 520 (through Intel's control panel) or I'd be without this game for a while.

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Test Subject
#24 Old 19th Dec 2016 at 2:07 AM
Quote: Originally posted by igazor
Again sorry, but not really sure how else to say this. Most TS3 players have 60 Hz monitors, I believe all players on laptops do. Some on desktops may have 144 Hz or higher but those are not typical for players of this game. Suggesting that typical TS3 players run their games at hundreds or thousands of frames per second higher than their monitor can handle is not a good thing, it is notoriously bad advice. It won't make the game look any better on most of their monitors and it will not run well on their systems. They will likely have stutter, lag, graphics glitches, and screen tears all over the place.

I am not a systems engineer, but others here are. And they have heard the high pitched whines these cards can produce when strained and have had systems ruined first hand by cards when running with runaway wildly fluctuating frame rates. We really have no reason to not believe them. I'm sure you know what you are doing and are taking some other steps to avoid this happening to you, but the average player is not going to be in a position to do those things.


Hi,

I have worked with computers and in the computer industry for over 30 years. I have built and repaired more computers than I care to remember and I just feel that the advice you are giving is very must misleading regarding this issue.

Most modern day graphics cards (Note the word modern) will handle and should handle The Sims3 regardless of the FPS count. The biggest killer of graphics these days is not over-heating, but faulty mechanical parts. Graphic cards are specifically designed to handle sustained 100% usage over a long very long period of time. Normally, it is your CPU that will suffer most from overheating long before your GPU will, and over heating can easily be fixed.

The fact is this, dust in your case will build up over a period of time (Even more so if you have your computer on a carpet or a surface of that nature), this will clog your fans, heat-sinks and other small moving parts and then prevent proper adequate airflow required to keep your hardware at the temperature they should be. The more build up of dust on the GPU fans, means the fans have to operate at a speed which will provide sufficient cooling or airflow to keep the hardware from overheating.

Also, another big factor is people do not buy the correct hardware for the job required. You wouldn't put a bike engine into a sports car would you? Other issues with hardware are insufficient thermal protection, mixture of hardware defects which are then amplified by software load and eventually, well..... something is going to break. I have also known fans to be defective and not run with enough efficiency to cool down over-worked hardware, thus reducing the lifetime.

With all due respect, the member (enterprise24) above gave very sound advice and was rubbished because of it and I honestly do not know why people choose to ridicule him/her? If you hear a high pitched whine coming from your computer while playing a game, then you really should stop what you are doing and out find the reason why and not blindly continue hoping the situation will fix itself. Doing this, you are just asking for trouble. If the OP had been running a program like GPU-Z or MSI Afterburner then this probably wouldn't have happened. These programs are designed to monitor your GPU temperature and let you know if your GPU is running hot and provide you with a warning. They will also monitor your fans speeds to let you know if they are providing enough speed to reduce heat and give you the option to increase speeds earlier.

Most modern graphic cards these days to make it virtually impossible to break the way you suggest for a few reasons.

1. The hardware is designed to comfortably remove the maximum amount of heat the card will generate, even in cases with poor ventilation
2. If heat generation is greater than heat dissipation, the first line of defence should be the card drivers. Most drivers will check the core temperature of the GPU, the driver should limit the amount of instructions it sends to the GPU to prevent generating more heat.
3. Failing that, the firmware in the graphics card should detect that heat is dangerously building up, and will therefore reduce the clock speed in an attempt to reduce heat generation.
4. If all fails, a thermal diode available in most modern CPUs and GPUs will shut down the video card entirely, and heat generation will stop.

As I said, modern day cards coupled with OS make it pretty much impossible to kill due to over heating, there are just too many variables which prevent a card from overheating to the point that they can die (Yes it can happen, but it is pretty rare). Also, what a few people haven't taken into consideration is the fact the card itself, which was first manufactured in 2010 and it could have easily come to its natural end of its shelf life (which is what I suspect happened here). I would also suspect that due to its age, the thermal paste probably needed reapplied to the GPU heat-sink itself to prevent overheating issues.

If you want your computer to run quicker and last longer? Keep it dust free, well ventilated and install monitoring software for your CPU, motherboard and GPU to make sure your fans are running correctly and the heat is within the manufacturers specs.
Mad Poster
#25 Old 19th Dec 2016 at 3:02 AM Last edited by igazor : 19th Dec 2016 at 3:41 AM.
I for one did not mean to ridicule anyone. If you have an issue with the way an MTS moderator has approached a post here I suggest you take it up with them. Although I did think what she said was funny (admittedly at the poster's expense) because she was assuming for purposes of that post that they only had one computer on which they rotated those nine cards through when in reality they never said anything like that. I assumed those nine cards were really on a very large number of different computers.

Although I am not a computer engineer (sorry, I majored in mathematics instead) the advice I gave although a bit watered down was meant to be practical, not misleading. Many players simply do not have the means to upgrade or service their hardware any further than they already have and will not be able to understand what is happening. Our audience on this forum and others is varied.

While not discounting your years of experience, the fact remains that TS3 is programmatically flawed in this respect. Or maybe I should say lacking, not flawed, since after all it is a 7+ year old game. Even if the players' cards do not sustain damage from it, the game will run like garbage with those wildly fluctuating frame rates for many even on the most modern of strong enough cards and hardware/driver combos. The flaw is correctable with fps limiting and allows the game to proceed closer to as intended on what is these players' current sets of hardware, provided their hardware is functional and does meet the requirements to run it. Not the minimum bike engine requirements, that I have to agree with you on, the real world recommended ones.

Offering an alternative diagnosis and set of recommendations is great. Dismissing what many of us are saying here as being misguided and therefore not having much value to the players is odd and a bit unexpected.
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