I just bought a new computer. Graphics/animation is blurry and I'm not tech savvy. HELP!!!

Smiley_Cat

Hi guys,

I bought a new tower today, I reinstalled Sims 3, Late Night and Master Suite (That was all I can find lol), I noticed the towns were blurry and in CAS the figures and game play were blurry too. I have tried to make the settings higher but it isn't working. I'm not good with the ins and outs of computers so I'm stumped at what I can do now. Any suggestions? I can give specs of my new tower if anyone wants to know. My old computer the images were crispy clear and it was 7 years old.

HELP ME!!! Any advice.

igazor

The specs of this new computer would be a good place to start -- processor, RAM, video card, hard drive space used/free. Even better might be a dxdiag report if you could run one, send it up to Pastebin.com (the free version is fine), and provide a link so we can read it.

You would also want to make sure you are running the game at a resolution it can handle well (game options).

https://help.ea.com/en-us/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information

Smiley_Cat

Hi igazor, thank you for getting back to me. Here is the specs of the tower:

- Processor Type: Pentium Quad Core

- Processor Model: Intel Pentium J5005

- Processor Speed (GHz): 1.50

- Installed RAM: 8GB

- Primary Storage Capacity: 1TB

- Hard Drive Speed (RPM) 7200

What would you suggest I do to remedy the blurry images? Like the texts are fine but it is the animation which is blurry.


How do you use pastebin?

Thank you.

igazor

Your computer may be newer than 7 years old, but its processor is not very strong. The game requires more processor power/speed than that one might be able to deliver consistently. Somewhere above 1.8 or 1.9 GHz is the real world threshold for Late Nite, the more heavy hitting EPs like Pets, Seasons, IP, and ITF (none of which you have right now) will require 2.4 GHz. Your processor can turbo (or pulse) higher than its base speed of 1.5 GHz, but it's not really designed to be run at such high speeds continuously as the game would require.

Is there a dedicated Nvidia or AMD graphics card in there someplace? I'm guessing not, the although new but lower end processors tend to only have integrated graphics and the one you have might just not be strong enough to be carrying the game.

To use Pastebin to post a dxdiag, save and open the full report in a text editor like Notepad, Select All, and Copy. Paste the results into Pastebin and click the button that says "New Paste" to generate the link to it. If you prefer you could upload the file to a third party file host elsewhere and provide a link to that, but it's usually simpler to work with Pastebin for such single use information sharing.

Smiley_Cat

Kicking myself, I should have went for an expensive model. I just thought great price $600, brand new. Looked at the 8 RAM and 1TB thought it was good enough. Didn't consider the processor and graphics card. I did download my Sims 4 and the game launched saying it didn't recognise the video card. Maybe I can take it to a computer specialist to add better processor? I don't want to take it back as I already downloaded stuff on it and set it up. Can you install a new processor/graphics card in the tower?

igazor

Ouch. The thing is, there are desktop systems that typically run not too much higher than $600 USD (not counting monitor), although usually we see them starting more into the higher $700s, that can run the game not perfectly and without limits, but reasonably well. We can cut corners if all Game Options on high are not required and the heavier EPs are not to be in play, but I think this one just isn't in the right product class.

Would have no way of knowing if a processor can be upgraded on such a system, it really depends on how it was built and what it has for a system board. And I'm not enough of a hardware expert to answer that myself, so we would have to pass the info onto someone else. Graphics cards can be added to some systems, but I don't think that processor is going to work with one that is strong enough. And, in both cases, there must be an adequate power supply and a sufficient cooling system in place for the stronger components. Often enough what is possible will cost as much or more than a new computer to begin with. But it shouldn't hurt to ask what is possible and how much such upgrades might cost in parts and labor.

Smiley_Cat

I will take the tower back on Wednesday. Just have to uninstall and delete CCs. Hope I can get it exchanged and if I pay a bit extra for a better tower. You have been of excellent help Igazor. I really should have researched better than just look at the price and RAM/Memory.

igazor

You're welcome, sorry it couldn't have been better news than that though. Just to summarize what you are looking for, in case you haven't seen this posted elsewhere lately:

Processor: For a desktop, an i5 quad core or higher, or the AMD equivalent, 2.4 GHz, the newer H-series processors that run at just under that are fine as they can turbo slightly to make up the difference and are designed to take the stress but a higher base speed will always be preferable. Avoid the U- and Y-series processors at all costs as they are meant for ultra-low power consumption, not continuous high speed processing.

RAM: At least 8 GB, if you want to be able to run other applications alongside of or while the game is paused then 12 or 16 GB. The game itself can only use just under 4 GB but Windows and other processes are going to claim a large amount for themselves.

Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 1050 or higher within that series, or the 1660 (I can't seem to keep up with the numbering system on the new 1600s), or the AMD equivalents. The also pretty new GT 1030s and MX 130s and 150s should be avoided, they are not strong enough within the range.

Hard Drive: At least 512 GB to work with comfortably, of course the game doesn't need all of that space but one assumes other uses for the computer and TS4 has already been mentioned. Solid Stated Drives (SSDs) are great, but ones large enough to carry Windows, the game, and other things (so over 256 GB) will drive the price up considerably. Very small SSDs (128 GB or less) are meant to carry Windows and system processes only, and will typically come with a second standard HDD that provides more space to work with -- in this case the games would need to be installed on the second drive and the Documents library shifted over at the Windows level.