I thought this would already be posted in the FAQ section but it wasn't. I'm sorry if it actually is posted because I couldn't find it.

Let me begin by saying that I have a brand new Dell computer (I bought it especially for Sim City 4). It's at least 2 years old. Probably not even that old. But for some odd reason, The Sims 2 runs incredibly slow. It takes forever to load, and during gameplay, it always freezes for at least a minute before the Sims begin to move again.

I think that this has to do with my graphics card. I have Nvidia GeForce FX 5200, which I believe is included on the specifications for the Sims 2.

I was considering splurging on a GeForce 6800 GT OC for $399 to remedy this problem.

Is this normal for The Sims 2? Or is something wrong with my computer and/or graphics card?

if its your first time using TS2 on that computer it allways runs slow just use it a couple of times en it will probably work
PS i got a RADEON 9550 for like $60 bucks and TS2,sim city 4 en a bunch of other games work fine on it

Thanks, but I've been running TS2 for a while on this computer, and it was always slow and choppy, but this is the first time that I've asked for help about it. It's driving me insane! Lol.

Hey, one thing I do before I ever launch the Sims2 Uni.. I would open up my task manager, then end all the programs that are running in the background labeled 'owner'.. The last thing would be explorer.exe (i usually leave that running) and to be honest It runs a heck of a lot faster than it would when all the background programs would run.. Hopefully this helps ya out!

The amount of ram you have also contributes to how the game plays. I had 512MBs and had slow downs and hang-ups. Even with 768mbs I still have them sometimes. If you have XP, this cuts down on the amount of ram for your game. It takes over 100mbs just to run windows. Ram is cheaper than video cards. Might check into this first. Even with an integrated video card adding ram helped my game.

Teresa

When playing the game you see in the tasks mansager the huge size of the files that are being proccessed and like mine the mother board ISUS P4P800, with Radeon 9600, 1Gig of ram is still runing much the same with all setting on high but the proccessor 3.2 is on at about 20 to 25% usage, The file sizes is the problem, ie; if you Know Vienna with it's narrow streets made for beetles and Fiat Banbina cars, we are trying to drive loaded semi-trailers through them.
Run game Low to medium settings, build small on small lots and keep animated charactors to a minimum. Sims2 is rough on most machines.

Has the game always run as slow as it is now?

One thing not already mentioned that can also slow the game down is too much geometry being rendered at once. If you've downloaded and are using alot of custom meshes, that could be a contributing factor as most of the custom meshes I've come across have little regard for performance - that is, they're using far more polygons than the Maxis objects and will slow down the game.

Other than that, turning down your graphical settings, and turning off any proccesses and applications that don't need to run in the background should help take some of the strain off your old graphics card and free up RAM, respectively.

And a few more things that will help your whole system, if you don't already do this, be sure to run anti-virus and anti-adware programs every now and again, and defrag your harddrive atleast every year or so to keep your system healthy.

I do the task manager thing and turn off all the applications and processes that th ecomputer will allow, but it still runs extra slow.

Yesterday, it took nearly 30 minutes just to load a single family, and they had no custom meshes, downloaded houses or any of that. I made them using the tools on The Sims 2 and I built their house myself. Two family members! 30 minutes!

I'm going to look into getting more RAM.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that.

Oh...how does one go about getting more RAM?

Getting more ram is the first way to go! I too had the same problems as you did and i had 512mb of ram but then i bought another chip and doubled it and the problem is now gone. Go to your local electronic computer store and be sure to take what brand of computer it is with you, the tech should be able to tell you the best memory chip to buy for your computer, the limits your computer has regarding memory amounts and answer any questions you have. You can save a little $ putting it in your self which isn't that hard, just be sure to READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS when you put it in. Also while you have the computer opened to install the chip buy a can of compressed canned air at the computer store too and clean the processor fan while it is opened, not necessary to install the memory but it will help keep your computer running good and sense you got it opened might as well do it. Be sure to read the instructions as well for cleaning on the can first!

Well this might be a bit drastic but you could always get a faster proccesor for your computer. Upgrading your RAM is probably the best bet though.

I'd say more ram will definitely make a difference.
I have 1G of ram in a p42.4 with 64M video, the game runs great
I have 512M of ram in a p43.06 with 64M video, the game is extremely choppy.
I'd also like to add the the video in the 2.4G is also a lot older than the video in the 3.6G.
Video may help a little but you aren't going to get rid of the lag unless you up your ram.
Word of caution, make sure you find out how much ram your motherboard can support before you add it. Some motherboards are made to be cheap, and don't allow for much of an upgrade if any at all.
I'd take the computer (tower only) to a professional for the right advice.
They will usually look at it for free.
After that, feel free to buy the ram on your own and install it yourself if you want to save a little money.

We have something in common............I too have a pretty decen spec; pentium 4, 2.66GHz, 512 MB of RAM, I also have the same video card as you...my game takes ages to load and the gameplay is generally sluggish.............I realise that the more you download into the game the longer it takes to load.....I think our problem is twofold......first thing is the RAM, I'm going to double it. If that doesn't work then Im going change my video card.....I was told that the FX5200 isn't as compatable for some reason.....as I have no ability to check my sources reliability on this I'm not sure if this is true or not.........that's why Im going to increase the RAM first, this way if it improves things I'll have no need to change the vid card.....I'd be interested to hear your solution to this.

According to EA the video card is supported and should be compatible. It is listed with the acceptable video cards, one note do try updating the drivers for them to, it never hurts.

I had this problem too. I have a Dell 2.8 GHz that had onboard graphics supported by Maxis (onboard graphics still suck though) and it has only 256Mb of memory...the bare minimum for TS2. The game was running so choppy and slow that I was forced to canabalize my old computer's GeForce 4 (128Mb). No need to spend any more than $100 on any video card, I think.
I can't even tell you how much difference that made. The Sims 2 runs better than the old sims ever did. I think I can get away with less memory because of the cpu speed. But I'm going to be going to the crucial site very soon. Who knows what feats of speediness my sims will be capable of with a decent amount of memory?

Thanks, Amish Nick, I'll go to my local Best Buy as soon as I get my next paycheck and purchase the best RAM I can afford!

Thanks everyone! You've been very helpful!

I just purchased a $129.99 set of Corsair TWINX Dual Channel 1024 MB PC3200 DDR 400MHZ Memory from Tigerdirect.com

I know it's a bit late to be asking this, but was this a good choice? (I haven't received it yet.)

$129.99 for a 1 gig DDR chip is a great deal. That combined with what you already have should more then take care of your problems with the game. Hopefully you talked to a tech first to find out the best chip for your computer. Computers do have a max amount of memory that they can support, (For example i had one that could only go up to 2000 MB) each computer is different. Most chips are interchangeable so it should work, but if it isn't properly matched for your computer it will not work at its max efficiency. Wow you did get a great deal on the chip.

What do you do when you have this problem on only one lot?

I have a new, very powerful computer and top of the line graphics card and have been running Sims 2 and University since they came out with no problems in the hardware department. Also just defragged.

I'm playing the dreaded Veronaville and the house I'm having problems with is very big with a lot of stuff in it. There is a family of six, three generations, my own creation, have been playing them for a long time, but the problems started only this week. Just deleted some items, but didn't help much.

As for the size and content of the lot, I have one or two bigger and fuller that are having no speed or herky-jerky problems, so I'm doubtful that those are the causes. It's just this one house. Takes forever to load and get out of, too. Oddly enough, when I go to build or buy mode, the speed problems disappear.

I hate to move the family and bomb the lot, because there's a load of family portraits I'm sentimental about. So is my lot cursed and the house doomed or can it be saved?

Well if it is just one house it could be a error that occurred with that house. Usually if you do just move the family out then back in it will disappear, but you will lose all objects but you needn't bomb the house. I've had some that if you have the sims just not move at all, if i moved them out and back in then its fine. But first check your objects in the house, remove any that are custom content to see if this helps first before moving them out .

anachronista ,
I have a VERY large house also, with 6 Sims, a large Tree ,and numerous nightly ghosts. When nightime comes and the ghosts appear, things sometimes get choppy.
It may just come with the territory. Does everybody have some issues with large Houses and large families?

3 ghz/ 2gb ram/ 9800 pro video card

I have a 5 month old computer and my game runs show if I have a big house or anything like that. Sims 1 ran fast as can be tho. sims 2 takes about 5 minutes to get to the neighborhood, then about 2 minutes to load the family if I have an 6-8 member household, with a house big enough for them all and fully furnished. If I have an empty lot with a neighborhood that only has a few houses I can load the neighborhood and house within about a minute tho. I think it should run faster than it does, but its a presario, and its a piece of crap. I will never buy compaq again.. the power supply has broken 4 times since I bought it in November. So, when I say 5 months I am being generous as to the time i have actually had it.

your best bet is to go with the am you just got plus gor the new vid car as well! I have 1gig or ram and a 128mb ati vid card and I still run choppy. I am saving $ to get the same card you listed here. Elpres said that is one of the best cards for the game.

loura
I am sorry that you did not come on here and ask before you got your new PC. You would have been warned not you buy that LOL. The best thing any one can do it get a home built PC. When you go with name brand you get a lot of issues. Plus they are not fun to fix!$!$!$!$!$!$! You might think about doing some upgreads (if you cant beg the store to let you trade that one in!)

As i read what all of you have for computers i am amazed that you are having the choppiness and slowness that you say you have. My computer isn't even near to what Nick said he has and i no longer have the problems i once did.
My computer is a E Machine T 4080
2.4 GHZ
1.25 GB Ram
80 gig HHD
intel extreme 3d graphics card 32 MB standard
One thing allot of others have stated that with huge download folder sizes that they are exp long load times and slowness, with that said i don't have allot of hacks and i did recently went through my downloads and cleaned allot of them out.

Large lots always get me. There are some beautiful houses that I've downloaded but hardly ever use, because they're on large lots and so detailed that it's like watching a slideshow in some areas. The amount of doors and windows has an effect as well, so avoid using houses or building houses that have tons of windows and doors or are on large lots.

Ram can help, but I've seen people with over a gig of ram still complaining of slow loading and choppy game play. Shutting down background programs should help, theoretically (I personally never noticed an improvement).

One of my friends has no custom content or hacks at all and over a gig of ram, and she has problems as well.

Another thing you could try is checking for driver updates for your graphics card, and be sure you have the latest version of directX. Other than that, defragging regularly is the only other advice I can give.

I have tried everything to get the game to run better, more memory, new drivers, shut down that, shut down this. The game still gets choppy when to many npcs show up or neighbors, When it goes from day to night and if i go back and forth from a community lot. lets face it folks, the game is flawed. It needs a patch to address prerformance problems. Somethings could be eliminated that would not effect game play such as memory. What difference does it make to me if they have memories, I only want to play with them now. Take out the npcs arriving in cars and just have them walk on. Kill all the townies, I would like the game to have only chracters I create on my neighborhood lots.

One thing that really helped was turning off one of the cameras. turn off neighborhood camera drift off. this helps alot.