EA/Maxis has found the Nvidia problem!
doren:
Quote from: SnootCB on 2008 March 14, 04:19:22
Norton is NOT the cause of the nVidia BSOD problem. At least, not the true nVidia BSOD problem that they are supposedly trying to fix (the one that is solved by turning off shaders, not having anything to do w/ overheating, low system specs, or outdated drivers). My computer meets/beats all system requirements, does not overheat during gameplay, and has all updated drivers. I used to get the crashes about 20-30 min into gameplay, until I started using the boolprop useshaders off cheat.
That is the question, what is the nVidia BSOD problem? The way Maxis/EA defined it, it had nothing to do with the nVidia problem as I understand it (goes repeatedly into loading loops with sandclock and blue - or in my case purple - screen, graphics loose definition until it crashes) and it did not surprise me that they were unable to replicate the problem since they were looking for something that did not exist.
And Norton is not the problem, because - undoubtedly like many others - I never had Norton installed. Like many others - at least 20 in a German forum posting on this topic (everyone who tried it) - I could solve the problem by switching back to an "outdated" driver. Unfortunately this is not a solution for anyone with a brandnew nVidia card because the latest series don't work with this driver.
Did I report my finding on the BBS? Did I tell EA tech support? - Yes. What is the first message you get from tech support? - Update your drivers. It's pathetic.
Now if I have a driver that works and then the next version doesn't my logical conclusion would be to compare the two, look at the changes and try to narrow down the problem. It's not the way EA/Maxis approached this though. I do not expect them to ever find the answer, so I am sticking to my old driver and my old card (which is pretty good anyway and can handle the game without problems) and have the problem solved for myself.
jsalemi:
Quote from: Lum on 2008 March 14, 05:28:58
However, with Sims 3 coming, I fear I may need a new graphic card soon. (And a third hard-disk... running out of real estate too). Is the Radeon 9600 good enough or is it time to update? No FT at the time, lack of disk space and too many scary bugs dissuade me.
Educate me, MATY. Am I being paranoid or are my specs good enough?
The 9600 is really the low end of video cards these days (and I don't think it's even sold anymore). If for nothing else, it's worth upgrading your video card every couple of years just to take advantage of improvements in the GPU technologies. You can easily get a newer, better card online for $100 - 200, depending on how fancy you want to get.
simsfreq:
I use AVG which doesn't hog resources (well not as much as norton anyway) and I still turn it off and disable my internet connection before I load up the Sims 2. I always have done.
Now I have TS2 installed on a computer which has only ever seen the internet once, and probably never will again. I DO NOT WANT service pack 3, thanks. I simultaneously sim and net by netting on my laptop.
Zazazu:
Quote from: jsalemi on 2008 March 14, 14:05:05
Quote from: Lum on 2008 March 14, 05:28:58
However, with Sims 3 coming, I fear I may need a new graphic card soon. (And a third hard-disk... running out of real estate too). Is the Radeon 9600 good enough or is it time to update? No FT at the time, lack of disk space and too many scary bugs dissuade me.
Educate me, MATY. Am I being paranoid or are my specs good enough?
The 9600 is really the low end of video cards these days (and I don't think it's even sold anymore). If for nothing else, it's worth upgrading your video card every couple of years just to take advantage of improvements in the GPU technologies. You can easily get a newer, better card online for $100 - 200, depending on how fancy you want to get.
Also, get MOAR RAMS. RAMs are fun. They make things go whoosh. They are also much cheaper than you would think. Don't buy from your computer manufacturer. Buy from a place such as Newegg. IIRC, going from 2 gigs RAM to 4 gigs RAM cost me less than $100.
jsalemi:
Yea, these days you can pick up 2 gig of DDR2 ram for well under $100. I got 2GB at newegg for $70 with (if memory serves) a $40 rebate.
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