Difference between revisions of "Game Help:System Checkup"
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{{GameHelpHeader}} | {{GameHelpHeader}} | ||
| − | + | =System Checkup= | |
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| + | ==Problems== | ||
Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms? | Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms? | ||
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* General poor performance, slowness, and lag. | * General poor performance, slowness, and lag. | ||
| − | + | ==Solutions== | |
| + | If so, it may be time to take a look at your computer and see if it's the problem. Even newly purchased computers can have issues, especially with high-strain games like The Sims 2. | ||
| − | ==Your System Specs== | + | ===Your System Specs=== |
The first thing to do is to find out what your system's specifications (specs) are. That will tell you all the details about your computer - what kind of everything you have, which is quite important! | The first thing to do is to find out what your system's specifications (specs) are. That will tell you all the details about your computer - what kind of everything you have, which is quite important! | ||
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* [[Game Help:System Specs]] | * [[Game Help:System Specs]] | ||
| − | ==System Requirements== | + | ===System Requirements=== |
Once you have identified your system's specs and know what you have, then you need to check whether your computer can handle the game and its expansions. | Once you have identified your system's specs and know what you have, then you need to check whether your computer can handle the game and its expansions. | ||
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* [[Game Help:System Requirements]] | * [[Game Help:System Requirements]] | ||
| − | ===If your system doesn't meet the requirements...=== | + | ====If your system doesn't meet the requirements...==== |
... then you cannot expect to be able to run the game properly! If your hardware is not supported and is not powerful enough to run the game, no amount of tweaking, prodding, and praying will get it to run correctly. | ... then you cannot expect to be able to run the game properly! If your hardware is not supported and is not powerful enough to run the game, no amount of tweaking, prodding, and praying will get it to run correctly. | ||
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* http://anandtech.com/ | * http://anandtech.com/ | ||
| − | ==System Health== | + | ===System Health=== |
If you are sure your system is powerful enough to run The Sims 2, and all of your hardware is supported, you may need to look into doing some basic computer maintenance, cleanup, and scans to ensure that it is running well in general. This will not only help the game work better, but will improve the general performance of your computer. | If you are sure your system is powerful enough to run The Sims 2, and all of your hardware is supported, you may need to look into doing some basic computer maintenance, cleanup, and scans to ensure that it is running well in general. This will not only help the game work better, but will improve the general performance of your computer. | ||
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* [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1458 Spyware/Adware Protection and Removal] | * [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1458 Spyware/Adware Protection and Removal] | ||
| − | ===Blue Screen of Death=== | + | ====Blue Screen of Death==== |
Are you still experiencing (after doing all the above) a blue screen with white lettering? That's called the Blue Screen of Death, and its appearance can mean something has gone extremely wrong - or maybe just a little wrong. For information on fixing it, see: | Are you still experiencing (after doing all the above) a blue screen with white lettering? That's called the Blue Screen of Death, and its appearance can mean something has gone extremely wrong - or maybe just a little wrong. For information on fixing it, see: | ||
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* [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1647 Crash Recovery and the Blue Screen of Death] | * [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1647 Crash Recovery and the Blue Screen of Death] | ||
| − | ===Bad Hard Drive?=== | + | ====Bad Hard Drive?==== |
Sometimes general computer problems can be due to a dying hard drive. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of a bad or dying hard drive, see: | Sometimes general computer problems can be due to a dying hard drive. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of a bad or dying hard drive, see: | ||
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* [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1583 Diagnosing Bad Hard Drives] | * [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1583 Diagnosing Bad Hard Drives] | ||
| − | ===Bad Memory?=== | + | ====Bad Memory?==== |
A generally flaky, grumpy computer can be due to bad memory. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of bad or dying memory/RAM, see: | A generally flaky, grumpy computer can be due to bad memory. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of bad or dying memory/RAM, see: | ||
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* [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1565 Diagnosing Bad Memory] | * [http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1565 Diagnosing Bad Memory] | ||
| − | ===Tweaking Windows=== | + | ====Tweaking Windows==== |
If you are using Windows, here's some great guides on how to change some settings and things to make it run a lot better: | If you are using Windows, here's some great guides on how to change some settings and things to make it run a lot better: | ||
Revision as of 15:26, 6 May 2007
Contents |
System Checkup
Problems
Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms?
- The whole computer reboots or freezes up while loading or playing the game.
- Blue screen with white writing and lots of error text.
- General poor performance, slowness, and lag.
Solutions
If so, it may be time to take a look at your computer and see if it's the problem. Even newly purchased computers can have issues, especially with high-strain games like The Sims 2.
Your System Specs
The first thing to do is to find out what your system's specifications (specs) are. That will tell you all the details about your computer - what kind of everything you have, which is quite important!
Think of your computer like a truck. Your truck is made to work, to haul things. The Sims 2 is very, very heavy, and requires a powerful truck to haul it. You may have a new truck, but that doesn't mean it's a powerful truck... or you may have an old but still quite strong truck. Identifying exactly how many cylinders, what type of engine, spark plugs, radiator, etc., you have is important in knowing whether your truck can handle the load to begin with.
Now then, forget all that truck business and go find out what's under your hood. See this article for full details and instructions to help you identify all of the important specs on your computer:
System Requirements
Once you have identified your system's specs and know what you have, then you need to check whether your computer can handle the game and its expansions.
The base game, expansions, and stuff packs can have different system requirements and supported hardware. As more expansions come out, the requirements get higher as the game needs a more powerful computer to do fancy things. Most importantly, the list of supported graphics cards has changed since the base game, and is different/more limited for certain stuff packs.
You should always check the system requirements for any game you buy to make sure your system is not only powerful enough to handle the game, but that your graphics card and other hardware are supported. Even if you have a good computer, if your hardware is not supported, the game probably won't work. Just because the base game works for you doesn't mean newer expansions or stuff packs will, so know what you have and what is supported before you buy!
You can see a full listing of all the system requirements for the base game as well as each expansion and stuff pack at:
If your system doesn't meet the requirements...
... then you cannot expect to be able to run the game properly! If your hardware is not supported and is not powerful enough to run the game, no amount of tweaking, prodding, and praying will get it to run correctly.
You MUST at least meet the minimum system requirements for the game to run at all, and you must meet or exceed the recommended requirements to expect it to run anything resembling well.
To use the truck analogy: if you have a cheap, low-powered, little dinky truck, you can't expect to be able to haul a gigantic load with it the way you could with a big, beefy, strong truck - and The Sims 2 is a -gigantic- load.
Your only options are to either upgrade your current computer's hardware or purchase a new computer.
Upgrading your computer or purchasing a new one
If you need to upgrade your current computer's components, or purchase a whole new computer, the absolute best thing you can do is educate yourself! Examine the list of supported hardware for Sims 2 and do some research on those parts to compare their performance and prices. Learn what a good system is composed of nowadays, and about how much that will cost. Identify whether your current system even can be upgraded, and if so, if it's worth it - it may be more cost effective to just purchase a whole new computer rather than upgrade the one you have.
Look into the process of upgrading hardware - certain hardware upgrades like adding new RAM may be doable by an intermediate computer user. Other upgrades like a new processor or a new hard drive may be more difficult and will require you to take your computer to a qualified technician (or trustworthy geek) to install the components for you. You'll need to make sure you purchase the right components to upgrade your current hardware, if you go that route - every type of hardware has different types, and you need to make sure you get the right sort, or it won't fit, won't work, and may damage your current hardware in trying to force it to fit.
Depending on your level of current knowledge, researching an upgrade or new purchase may take you several hours, or several days. However, you'll learn a lot in the process, and you can likely save yourself hundreds of dollars. You can get yourself an extremely nice system for not a ton of money - as long as you know what you're buying!
Do not just buy a prebuilt Dell, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, eMachines, or other package deal computer unless you know what you are buying! Many people who do not know much about computers tend to buy package deals... They either get the cheapest Dell they can find and expect it to work well for everything because it's new and a brand name, or buy the highest-end expecting it to be the best. In both cases, you are not going to get the best system for your money.
The low-end prebuilt systems are NOT gaming machines and are suited to web browsing, word processing, and basic business applications - fine if your grandma wants to check her email but they won't run games. High-end prebuilt systems do generally contain decent parts and will run games fairly well (especially if you buy systems that say they are for gaming) - however, the prices on these "gaming" systems are generally MUCH higher than they should be for the components... you could get a machine two to three times more powerful for the same price. Mid-range prebuilt systems can be great, solid computers as long as you know what's going into them, and that they can be upgraded. But you need to be quite an expert in hardware and capable of upgrading your computer yourself later to do so.
For great information, hardware comparisons, and a good starting point for your research, see:
System Health
If you are sure your system is powerful enough to run The Sims 2, and all of your hardware is supported, you may need to look into doing some basic computer maintenance, cleanup, and scans to ensure that it is running well in general. This will not only help the game work better, but will improve the general performance of your computer.
There is a GREAT guide available at PCStats: Annual PC Checkup
That guide covers, among other things:
- Removing dust
- Oiling fans
- Placing your computer in a low-dust environment
- Defragmenting your hard drive
- Disabling unneeded startup programs
These elements may be enough to get your computer running well again, and by extension, The Sims 2 working better as well. However, as a responsible computer user, you should also be doing the following regularly:
Blue Screen of Death
Are you still experiencing (after doing all the above) a blue screen with white lettering? That's called the Blue Screen of Death, and its appearance can mean something has gone extremely wrong - or maybe just a little wrong. For information on fixing it, see:
Bad Hard Drive?
Sometimes general computer problems can be due to a dying hard drive. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of a bad or dying hard drive, see:
Bad Memory?
A generally flaky, grumpy computer can be due to bad memory. For information on symptoms and diagnosis of bad or dying memory/RAM, see:
Tweaking Windows
If you are using Windows, here's some great guides on how to change some settings and things to make it run a lot better:
- 101 Tips and Tweaks for Windows XP
- 104 Performance Tips for Windows XP
- 99 Performance Tips for Windows XP
