Difference between revisions of "Game Help:Onboard Graphics"

Revision as of 15:47, 6 December 2008

How to Play with Onboard Graphics

Some computers, particularly package deals which aren't designed for gaming, don't have a real graphics card. Instead, they have a chip on the motherboard which does the job of the graphics card. However, these chips aren't nearly as effective as graphics cards, and for gaming you really want to have a separate graphics card. You can however get by without for TS2 - for a while.

First off, you need to be sure that you are using onboard graphics - use the System Specifications FAQ to find out. Much of the advice in this article can also be useful for low-end graphics cards.

What Can Go Wrong with Onboard Graphics?

Some of the most common indicators that your onboard graphics chip is having trouble are:

• Blurry clothes, skin and eyes on your sims
• Blurry textures on objects and on the ground
• Blurry reflections in mirrors
• Blurry/crunchy thumbnails in the Buy and Build catalog
• Game crashes to desktop, the colors go weird and the resolution drops, and an error message tells you that your graphics drivers have stopped responding
• Computer overheats and shuts itself down

If any of these occur, you need to do something about it! If you leave things as they are, not only will the game be nigh unplayable; but in the end you will damage your graphics chip. If it does fail completely it can damage your motherboard, thereby totalling your computer.

Solutions

Turn Down those Settings!

The first thing to do is to turn your graphics settings right down in game. Turn off everything you don't need - shadows, reflections, lighting - and turn everything else down as far as you can stand to. You may be able to improve things dramatically just by fiddling around with settings. It's not a permanent fix, and eventually you will want to upgrade - particularly if you install more Expansion Packs, as these increase the stress on your graphics chip with each new release. But you can certainly make the game more playable, and extend the life of your onboard graphics considerably.

Update Drivers

Although updating your drivers won't make your graphics chip any less underpowered, it might improve the way things look somewhat. There's more info on updating your drivers here: Updating Your Graphics Drivers.

Play in Windowed Mode

Play your game in Windowed mode, and turn off vsync using the "vsync [on/off]" cheat. You may want to put this in your Userstartup.cheat file so you don't have to type it in every time you play.

Remove or Reduce Custom Content

Having a lot of custom content, especially if you have things with large polygon counts, can place a lot more stress on your computer and really slow down your game play. If you are playing on integrated graphics, it is recommended that you keep your custom content down to a minimum. If you find yourself having any of the game problems listed above, it is recommended that you remove ALL custom content, at least until you can upgrade your computer.

Clean Your Computer

Computers get exceedingly dusty inside that case, and the more dust and gunk there is, the hotter the components get, and the harder it is for them to work right. If you have a laptop, you need to get a professional to clean it out for you, but if it's a desktop you can do it yourself.

Here's how to give your computer a basic spring clean:

To start off, you need a hand-held vacuum cleaner, or an extension for an upright vacuum which gives you a small nozzle or slit to use - think of the kind of thing you'd use to vacuum out your car or the top of a cabinet.

Making sure that you unplug your computer first! If you have an area of your house without carpet, especially if you have wood floors, work there. Make sure you have plenty of space and nothing lying around that could accidentally be knocked or fall into your computer. Start by vacuuming the fans at the back of your computer, particularly the power supply fan. Keep going until there's little or no fluff coming out of them, it might take a while depending on when they were last cleaned.

Now you need to figure out how to open your case. For most cases, one of the sides can be removed. You can find information on how to get inside most cases if you do a simple google search, or look on the manufacturer's home page. Make sure not to touch any of the components inside, and if you think you're likely to brush against something by accident, make sure you're wearing an anti-static strap connected to the case, or are keeping hold of the case with one hand (or foot, if necessary).

Once you have the case open, get vacuuming! You need to get the fluff and dust out of the fans, the corners of the case, and off of the motherboard and other bits of circuitry. Don't be shy! You can get up pretty close to the components without having to worry about causing damage. The only things you definitely shouldn't do are drag the nozzle across components, and try to pick the dust out with your fingers. Keep on vacuuming until there's as little dust lying around as possible. You may also choose to use a can of compressed air to loosen dust that the vacuum may otherwise miss. Especially for fans, it is usually more effective to use a can of compressed air than a vacuum alone. If you're in a smallish room you might want to open a window - you'll be surprised at the amount of fluff you'll find.

Optimize Your Windows OS

Remember to close ALL other programs while you are trying to play The Sims 2. This includes your anti-virus program. To keep yourself protected, it is recommended you disconnect from the internet as well. Even if you close all programs you know are running, your computer may have other unnecessary processes running which you cannot see. You can use the msconfig command to remove these and speed up your computer even more. If your computer does not have all these extra programs and processes to worry about, it can dedicate more of its resources to your game. If you have a computer running Windows Vista this is a very good tweak guide.

Uninstall EPs

EPs significantly increase the strain on your graphics chip, particularly the later ones. Uninstalling expansion packs will help increase performance - although if you didn't back up your My Docs/EA Games/The Sims 2 folder before installing the EP, you will lose all your sims/lots/neighborhoods.

Invest In Better Cooling

Particularly if you have a laptop, overheating can be a big contributing factor to issues with onboard graphics. If you have the cash, you can buy cooling pads such as this, which can help keep your laptop from overheating. If you don't have the cash, or you want to try the cheaper method first, you can try just raising your laptop off of the surface it sits on - put books or CD cases under the corners (being careful not to cover up the fans); or sit it on a wire mesh tray - the kind of thing you'd use to cool cookies:

When You Start Noticing Blurriness...

As soon as you start to see blurriness in your game, that means your graphics chip is getting to the stage at which it will get damaged. As soon as you start seeing this, SHUT DOWN YOUR COMPUTER!

Do not try to keep playing when it's like this, as you will be causing damage. Shut down, go do something else, and give it time to cool down. This is essential, as the longer you leave the computer running like that, the shorter the lifespan of your graphics chip will get.

Upgrading

By far the best solution to this problem, and the only one that will be a permanent fix, is to upgrade - install an actual graphics card. In many cases, you do not need to buy a new computer in order to install a dedicated card. You don't need to spend too much on it if you don't want to, just make sure that it's on the list of supported cards. If you're not sure what to get, you can get help from the S2C Hardware and Software board - make sure to read the rules and all stickies first! Be advised, though, that if you're using a laptop with onboard graphics, you will not be able to upgrade to a dedicated card. Make sure to do your research!

Credits

Thanks to HystericalParoxysm, simsample, and Callistra for the information in this article.