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Graphics performance in OS X - we need your info!

Comments

  • ErikTheRodErikTheRod Posts: 47 Member
    @ErikTheRod - Thank you SO MUCH for those suggestions! They helped with the look of the game, but the lag and low frame rate is still appearing, and I have no idea why.

    I actually have a separate, odd issue now that I can't find a lot out there for. I'm hesitant to post it here (lest I clog up this post with random error information), but if anyone's had a dialog box pop up that said "vmmap needs to take control of another process for debugging to continue. Type your password to allow this", OR "Developer Tools Access needs to take control of another process for debugging to continue. Type your password to allow this", I'd be grateful to hear about what you did. My game quit unexpectedly after those two messages appeared, so...sigh. Going to try and investigate more and give more info if I find anything out.

    Glad to hear things are *somewhat* improved for you. What settings are you currently using under OS X?

    As for the VMMap dialog, this is occurring due to the crash. VMMap is a developer tool that can analyze crash dump files, so when the crash occurs it is asking to analyze the crash.
  • AndyBrainsAndyBrains Posts: 218 Member
    edited April 2015
    Okay here it is!

    Model - MacBook Pro (15-inch, Early 2011)
    Graphics card - AMD Radeon HD 6750M
    Operating System - Yosemite 10.10.2
    VRAM (Total) - 1024 MB

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Fullscreen
    Resolution - 1,680x1,050

    Vertical Sync - Yes
    Sims - High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - Medium
    Reflections - Medium
    Visual Effects - Medium
    Edge Smoothing - Low
    3D Scene Resolution - Medium
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - Yes
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Live Mode: 15-25
    FPS Build Mode: 10-25

    Overall I am happy with my graphics and gameplay. Would I like to play on all high setting? Sure. But what I have is good enough for me, and I'm quite pleased with how the game looks. Is 15-25 FPS low? I think, maybe, but I don't notice. So what could I change for better game play? Can I play with better graphics? Should I change my settings? How can I improve the FPS?

    I've taken a few screenshots, please see them below.

    Mix3Ufg.jpg

    kEVdpvG.jpg

    HwMdmt4.jpg

    10994057_429329763886519_5908400726567473469_n.jpg?oh=dda1a0929ffb15edb05e5203112952c9&oe=555A8F80&__gda__=1434826986_f0a0d39d2067dc769e205da9193c7f7b

    kiD4K9h.png

    Thanks. :)
    Post edited by AndyBrains on
  • Srhxv8Srhxv8 Posts: 10 New Member
    Hey! I'm playing The Sims 4 on my brand new 13 inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. I have the middle model with 256gb of flash storage and Intel Iris Graphics.

    My graphics settings are:

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Full screen
    Resolution - 1440 x 900
    Vertical Sync - Yes
    Sims - High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - Medium
    Reflections - Low
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - Medium
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    Overall, these settings are good for this laptop. There's no real lag and everything works and looks great. I hear the fans kick on after a while, but that's normal. I turn off the retina display because I have to lower the settings significantly if I wish to run the game in full retina. There's just no point in sacrificing how beautiful the game is without retina, for the retina display during gameplay.

    I tried laptop mode once just to see if the windows were weird and grayed, and they were. But when I'm not in retina, they are normal.

    Overall, I'm really pleased!
  • FigwitFigwit Posts: 1,072 Member
    Graphics card - NVIDIA GeForce GT 680MX 2Gb
    Operating System - Yosemite 10.10.2

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Full Screen
    Resolution - 2560x1440
    Retina Resolution: (if applicable)
    Vertical Sync - No
    Sims – Very High
    Objects - High
    Lighting – Very High
    Reflections - High
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - low
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    Build Mode:

    FPS Live Mode: 50-60
    FPS Build Mode: 50-60
    Note. The numbers above change down to 30+ when I scroll out further.

    How happy are you with the overall graphics performance. Are you experiencing any lag?

    No lag, graphics are bright, clear and colourful.
  • mschumannmschumann Posts: 758 Member
    I'm late to the party, but...

    iMac Retina 5K
    CPU: 4 GHz, Quad Core i7
    Memory: 16GB RAM
    Storage: 1TB Fusion Drive
    GPU: AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2048 MB
    Operating System: OSX 10.10.3

    Windowed Mode (preferred)--
    Graphics Quality: Custom
    Display Type: Windowed
    Resolution: 2732 x 1580
    Vertical Sync: No
    Sims: Very High
    Objects: High
    Lighting: Very High
    Reflections: High
    Visual Effects: High
    Edge Smoothing: Off
    3D Scene Resolution: High
    View Distance: High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures: No
    Post Processing Effects: Yes
    Laptop Mode: No

    FPS Live Mode: 55-70
    FPS Build Mode: 55-70

    Now, if I play fullscreen 5K resolution with the same settings, I get about 25-30 FPS in both build and live modes.
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    mschumann wrote: »
    I'm late to the party, but...

    Not at all, you've just reminded me to update the list - thank you!

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  • AndyBrainsAndyBrains Posts: 218 Member
    Since this is alive again I thought I'd ask
    "So what could I change for better game play? Can I play with better graphics? Should I change my settings? How can I improve the FPS?"

    Thanks everyone. :)
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    AndyBrains wrote: »
    Since this is alive again I thought I'd ask
    "So what could I change for better game play? Can I play with better graphics? Should I change my settings? How can I improve the FPS?"

    Thanks everyone. :)

    You should be able to play on all high with edge smoothing on. What's the problem with your gameplay?

    apple-signature.png
  • AndyBrainsAndyBrains Posts: 218 Member
    AndyBrains wrote: »
    Since this is alive again I thought I'd ask
    "So what could I change for better game play? Can I play with better graphics? Should I change my settings? How can I improve the FPS?"

    Thanks everyone. :)

    You should be able to play on all high with edge smoothing on. What's the problem with your gameplay?

    Oh really, okay I'll test out my setting more and post an update!
    Thanks :)
  • whoisblucrafwhoisblucraf Posts: 28 New Member
    edited May 2015
    iMac 21.5 (2013)
    CPU - 2.9GHz i5
    Ram - 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
    Graphics Card - NVIDIA GeForce 750M 1GB
    OS - Yosemite 10.10.3 (including supplementary update & iMac graphics update)

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Mode - Fullscreen
    Resolution - 1920 x 1080
    V-Sync - No
    Sims - Very High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - High
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - None
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - Yes
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Live - 30~
    FPS Build - 35~
    **Both drop around 7-10 FPS by zooming our or rotating camera**

    Under OS X the games grid (under build) is seriously aliased (even with full AA, which majorly lowers FFS) and there is an odd shadow glitch that makes the whole lot have a hovering square shadow for a few seconds when a lot is loaded.
    Under Windows 8.1 (bootcamp) neither of these are issues - Also runs around 15-20 FPS higher at all times :'(
  • Delvyn93Delvyn93 Posts: 1 New Member
    Just discovered this thread @BluebellFlora and I'd like to share...

    (Noticed that @jedimacfan and @BrownBlossoms have similar MBP models to me and I can get 40-50fps easily so I'm wondering what I've done to make mine work smoother?)

    MBP Specs:
    MacBook Pro Retina 15" (Late 2013)
    Intel i7-4850HQ Quad-core @ 2.3GHz
    16GB RAM 1600MHz DDR3
    Intel Iris Pro 5200 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB VRAM
    512GB SSD
    OS X Yosemite 10.10.3

    Game Settings:
    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Fullscreen
    Resolution - 2048 x 1280
    Vertical Sync - No
    Retina Display - No
    Sims - High
    Objects - Medium
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - Medium
    Visual Effects - Medium
    Edge Smoothing - Off
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Readings:
    FPS Live Mode: Around 50, typical range 30-80, full range 10-120
    FPS Build Mode: Around 40, typical range 30-55, full range 10-60

    My personal observations are:
    - Turning off Post Processing Effects causes it to drop to typical 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Turning on Retina Display causes it to drop to 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Turning on V-Sync only will cause it to drop to 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Bumping Display Resolution to native 2880 x 1800 will cause it to drop to 30-40 in Live Mode
    - I usually see 44-56 FPS in my Sim's house, but I do catch 80-120 in my Retail Lot (but that could be because my retail lot is underground)
    - When there is something for the game to draw in the background (i.e. houses, rivers, boats, etc.) it drops to as low as 10 in Live Mode
    - When playing the game with all the walls of the building up FPS drops to 25-40 in Live Mode
    - As I zoom out from my Sims, FPS will drop. When I can see my neighbourhood and all its lots (maximum zoom out) FPS is around 10-20, when playing normally where I can see the whole room where my Sim is in FPS is around 40-50
    - The main map, accessed when travelling (not sure what it is exactly called), has FPS of 230??? (!)

    Hope this helps!
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    Delvyn93 wrote: »
    Just discovered this thread @BluebellFlora and I'd like to share...

    (Noticed that @jedimacfan and @BrownBlossoms have similar MBP models to me and I can get 40-50fps easily so I'm wondering what I've done to make mine work smoother?)

    MBP Specs:
    MacBook Pro Retina 15" (Late 2013)
    Intel i7-4850HQ Quad-core @ 2.3GHz
    16GB RAM 1600MHz DDR3
    Intel Iris Pro 5200 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB VRAM
    512GB SSD
    OS X Yosemite 10.10.3

    Game Settings:
    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Fullscreen
    Resolution - 2048 x 1280
    Vertical Sync - No
    Retina Display - No
    Sims - High
    Objects - Medium
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - Medium
    Visual Effects - Medium
    Edge Smoothing - Off
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Readings:
    FPS Live Mode: Around 50, typical range 30-80, full range 10-120
    FPS Build Mode: Around 40, typical range 30-55, full range 10-60

    My personal observations are:
    - Turning off Post Processing Effects causes it to drop to typical 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Turning on Retina Display causes it to drop to 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Turning on V-Sync only will cause it to drop to 20-30 in Live Mode
    - Bumping Display Resolution to native 2880 x 1800 will cause it to drop to 30-40 in Live Mode
    - I usually see 44-56 FPS in my Sim's house, but I do catch 80-120 in my Retail Lot (but that could be because my retail lot is underground)
    - When there is something for the game to draw in the background (i.e. houses, rivers, boats, etc.) it drops to as low as 10 in Live Mode
    - When playing the game with all the walls of the building up FPS drops to 25-40 in Live Mode
    - As I zoom out from my Sims, FPS will drop. When I can see my neighbourhood and all its lots (maximum zoom out) FPS is around 10-20, when playing normally where I can see the whole room where my Sim is in FPS is around 40-50
    - The main map, accessed when travelling (not sure what it is exactly called), has FPS of 230??? (!)

    Hope this helps!

    Thanks, very helpful :)

    Your settings are lower than the other users who have posted with the same specs. Reflections are on medium and you have Edge Smoothing off which will make a difference.
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  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    Really would love some more input and updates on this thread. It's very helpful for those wanting to know how well the game will work on their Mac :)
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  • whoisblucrafwhoisblucraf Posts: 28 New Member
    I've recently upgraded from a 21.5 to a 27 inch iMac, so I'm updating my info.

    iMac 27 inch (Late 2013)
    Intel Core i5 3.4GHz
    8GB DDR3 1600MHz memory
    nVidia GeForce 775M 2GB
    1TB 7200RPM HDD
    OSX Yosemite 10.10.3 (with iMac graphics update)

    Game Settings:
    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Fullscreen
    Resolution - 2560x1440
    Vertical Sync - No
    Retina Display - N/A
    Sims - High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - High
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - Off
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - Yes
    Post Processing Effects - Yes
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS:
    Live Mode: ~35 - Taken on a 30x20 lot in willow creek (with 2 sims) - Runs ~5 FPS higher at night
    Build Mode: ~40 - Taken on a 30x20 lot in willow creek - Runs ~5 FPS higher at night
    (Both fluctuates when zooming or rotating lot)

    I've recently done a Repair through Origin, which helped stabilize frame rate (before repair game ran 5-10 FPS lower)
    The iMac is bootcamped with Windows 8.1 (with identical settings EXCEPT for full edge smoothing) and gains 10-15 FPS over mac version at all times.

    Random Things:
    When loading into a lot (upon game zooming in) there is an odd square shadow that appears over the lot while the camera moves. (not in windows version)
    The game grid appears aliased and faded - even with full Edge Smoothing. (not in windows version)
    When hovering the mouse towards the top or bottom of the screen the OSX menu bar & dock appear (lowering FPS while there visible)

    -- Would be nice if EA fixed these oddities (and Apple/nVidia/Intel optimize the video drivers further)

    And no matter how low the frame rate gets the mouse appears to stay at a high frame rate (Windows version seems affected by frame rate)
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    @whoisbluecraf thank you for the update.
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  • 256Iris256256Iris256 Posts: 170 Member
    Figured you might want my perfomance and stuff as well:

    Graphics card - Intel HD 4000 (1024 MB)
    Operating System - Yosemite 10.10.3

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Full Screen
    Resolution - 1280 x 800
    Vertical Sync - No
    Sims - High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - High
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - Low
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - No
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Live Mode: 17-22
    FPS Build Mode: 11-17
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    256Iris256 wrote: »
    Figured you might want my perfomance and stuff as well:

    Graphics card - Intel HD 4000 (1024 MB)
    Operating System - Yosemite 10.10.3

    Graphics Quality - Custom
    Display Type - Full Screen
    Resolution - 1280 x 800
    Vertical Sync - No
    Sims - High
    Objects - High
    Lighting - High
    Reflections - High
    Visual Effects - High
    Edge Smoothing - Low
    3D Scene Resolution - High
    View Distance - High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures - No
    Post Processing Effects - No
    Laptop Mode - No

    FPS Live Mode: 17-22
    FPS Build Mode: 11-17

    Thanks :) You'll get much better performance if you lower your settings, your FPS is really low.

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  • 256Iris256256Iris256 Posts: 170 Member
    Yeah, I just noticed. Though I don't really think the performance is bad. But I don't play that much anymore, so I'll lower it when I'm gonna play again.
  • Simin_AybaraSimin_Aybara Posts: 1 New Member
    MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014)
    Processor: 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7
    Memory: 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
    Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB
    Operating System: OS X Yosemite 10.10.3

    Graphics Quality: Medium
    Display Type: Fullscreen
    Resolution: 2,880x1800
    Retina Resolution: Yes
    Vertical Sync: No
    Sims: Medium
    Objects: Medium
    Lighting: Medium
    Reflections: Medium
    Visual Effects: Medium
    Edge Smoothing: Off
    3D Scene Resolution: High
    View Distance:High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures: No
    Post Processing Effects: Yes
    Laptop Mode: No

    FPS Live Mode: 26-32
    FPS Build Mode: 25-40

    However, I noticed something funny a while back. The game used to be very choppy for me, almost regardless of what graphics setting or resolution I used. The only difference was that it would be noticeably worse if I tried running it at a Retina Resolution. More specifically, any gameplay in a house would be mostly okay until I took my sim out into the street, say, going for a jog or something, at which point it would become very choppy.

    One day however, I tried running it in Windowed Mode and it ran like a dream, so smooth. I increased the graphics settings up to what I've posted here and it still ran great (in Windowed Mode). On a whim I decided to maximise the window using the green fullscreen button and to my surprise it continued running smoothly. No more chopping. That was quite a few months ago and I've obviously closed and started the game many times since then and it is yet to return to its choppy ways. Hopefully it doesn't. I also haven't tweaked the graphics settings since then because I'm afraid of it starting to chop again.

    Edit: It appears I can't make anything bold, so I've taken out the bold tags.
  • THEREALCH0SEN1THEREALCH0SEN1 Posts: 7 New Member
    15" MACBOOK PRO RETINA
    GRAPHICS CARD Nvidia GeForce GT 750m 2Gb
    Operating System OS X 10.9.5
    Graphics Quality. Custom
    Resolution. 2,732x1,580 windowed mode
    Retina Resolution. Yes
    Vertical Sync. Yes
    Sims. Very High
    Objects. High
    Lighting. Very High
    Reflections. High
    Visual Effects. High
    Edge Smoothing. High
    3D Scene Resolution. High
    View Distance. High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures. Yes
    Post Processing Effects. Yes
    Laptop mode. No

    FPR Live Mode-16-20
    FPR Build Mode-14-16

    Runs very good with no lag. Runs great overall.

    Looks great and smooth. Awesome graphics.
  • H2FoxH2Fox Posts: 16 Member
    > @southaltan said:
    > > @Tremayne4260 said:
    > > That is the standard command to open the Cheat window. Control (which is right under the Shift key) + Shift + the letter "C". You have to hold all three down at the same time. You did the exact same thing in Sims 3.
    >
    > I know, I just restarted my macbook, so i'll try it when I open the game up again. For what its worth, I couldn't ever get the cheat window open on the sims 2 when i downloaded it from the app store a few months ago.
    >
    > i have a few screenshots why trying to open the cheat window.

    Hey, haven't read through all the posts yet but in case no one has mentioned it, I believe it is "Command", Shift , C. Not control. Try that and the cheat window should open. If someone has already mentioned this, then I will be on my way :)
  • BluebellFloraBluebellFlora Posts: 7,110 Member
    Hey, haven't read through all the posts yet but in case no one has mentioned it, I believe it is "Command", Shift , C. Not control. Try that and the cheat window should open. If someone has already mentioned this, then I will be on my way :)

    No it's not, nor has it ever been, CMD, Shift and C. It is CTRL, Shift and C. Maybe if you changed identifier keys on your Mac and made the CMD key act as the CTRL key then yes, it would be CMD. Otherwise for all factory shipped Macs and installations of the game, it is CTRL :)

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  • LenaDieters11LenaDieters11 Posts: 1,346 Member
    So guys I have a question: I have been playing Sims 4 on my mac since it came out and it works fine. I have been playing with middle graphic settings and here is why: I read in a tread that playing with high settings will eventually kill my computer. I am a poor student, who can definitely not afford a new computer, but I would love to try the highest settings. What do you think?

    Here are my details: (I am terrible with technology so apologies, if something is missing)
    OS X El Capitan 10.11.5
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
    2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
    Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB
  • Lunder89Lunder89 Posts: 155 Member
    Playing with higher graphics settings can't kill your computer. But with the computer you have, the computer can't run the game smooth at high settings.
  • puderosasimspuderosasims Posts: 522 Member
    Is this still a thing?

    Model: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15', Mid 2014)
    Operating System: OS X Yosemite 10.10.5
    CPU: 2,5 GHz Intel Core i7
    Memory: 16 GB RAM 1600 MHz DDR3
    Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2048 MB

    Display Type: Fullscreen
    Resolution: 1440 x 900
    Retina Resolution: Rarely, almost only for Screenshots
    Vertical Sync: No

    Graphics Quality: Custom
    Sims: Very High
    Objects: High
    Lighting: Very High
    Reflections: Medium
    Visual Effects: Medium
    Edge Smoothing: Off
    3D Scene Resolution: High
    View Distance: High
    Uncompressed Sim Textures: Yes
    Post Processing Effects: No
    Laptop Mode: No

    FPS Build Mode: ~75
    FPS Live Mode: ~65
    They tend to drop to 30-40 when rotating and/or zooming in and out.

    Some people seem to experience lag after installing several expansion/game/stuff packs, so is this information relevant as well? If yes, I have all of them and my game (FORTUNATELY!) still runs very smooth. (Yet I'm always worried about that when a new one comes out. :sweat_smile:)
    Origin ID: puderosasims | Simblr
    English isn't my first language, so please excuse any mistakes.
    tumblr_n8pqhqmpdh1th4xn0o1_400.gif
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