Good news and bad news.

[strangetomato]

I finally sent my computer to the shop to get diagnosed and it turns out it was only a problem with the graphics cards and it runs fine with just the onboard graphics card. So that's good news. The bad news is that Sims 2 does NOT run fine with the default graphics card on this machine. It still looks okay, but the scrolling is pretty damn slow and using the camera mode is an exercise in frustration. It's seriously like this: touch edge... wait... wait... screen moves slightly... touch edge again... wait...

*sigh*

So I won't be doing any image capturing from the game in this state, and probably not playing it much either, if the scrolling remains bad. I could try sans cc, but I doubt that'd really help all that much. I think we're going to looking into a new computer, but that'll most likely be a Christmas gift to us. It's a big purchase, and we'll probably look for Boxing Day sales.

So that's that. ^_^ Maybe I'll try making some cc or something if I get a sims urge.

Comments

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too, and I remember how excited I was to get that new graphics card. Ah well, it had a pretty good run.

I think it'll be fun to get a new one and hopefully, I will be running Sims 2 and 3 so smoothly I won't be able to believe it. :)

Also, it's nice to see that this machine is still okay and after a reformat I can pass it on to someone who could use one.

[cindyanne1.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I hate it when computers take a dump. :( But it's always exciting to get a new one!

The one my husband uses is starting to show its age/have some graphics issues. It used to run games (okay World of Warcraft lol) on High settings, but now if we try it on High it will go all pixel-y so he has to run it on Fair. He's okay with that, but he kind of wants to play Star Wars the Old Republic when it comes out, and we're almost 100% sure it will not run on it at all. So... we may be getting a new computer around Christmas too! Wooooo! :D

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

This computer has had issues for years. It still freezes up a lot (just this morning it did it again - hooray! :P) and I have to take it apart and fiddle with some of the connections and them it's fine for a while (something a tech. support had me do way back when and I still rely on it for a temporary fix). I also hate having Vista on it, so I look forward to getting a new machine with something else.

My computer never did run Sims 3 with any amount of success, even with the graphics card. It was either very low quality and a little slow or nicer looking (still not great) and very, very slow. Not fun.

New computers for Christmas is exciting! I'm looking forward to having something big for a gift. We usually stick to smaller things.

[silenzii.livejournal.com]

Why don't you buy a new graphic card? Not all graphic cards are expensive specially if you buy a used one.
I just bought a used monitor for less than 25 dollars because my old one died on me and this "new" one is much better than the old one.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I suppose I could do that, but it would feel like throwing good money at bad at this point. The computer is still not that great and gives us trouble, so if we replace it this year anyway, then the graphics card would only be used for a couple of months. Even if I get a used one (and honestly, I wouldn't even know where to start looking for one), that hardly seems worth it.

I suppose it's an option if I really feel like playing, and I have the patience for it.

[silenzii.livejournal.com]

I suggested because it was a solution, in my case, to buy a used monitor. I still need to wait till I can buy a new computer and I really need my computer to work, not only for gaming so I thought that I had no choice but try to find a cheap solution.
I don't really know how it work the used pieces market in other countries. Maybe Ebay? A lot of people seems to use Ebay with success.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

If it was the monitor, I'd probably try to find a replacement, too, and especially if I relied on the computer for more important things like work. As it is, it's not a big deal for us. I'd rather save that money to put towards a new computer. Every little bit helps.

It's sort of embarrassing, but I haven't really used ebay at all before. I suppose I should give it a try. :P

[silenzii.livejournal.com]

It's not an embarrassment, I never used Ebay before either! :)
But all my friends use (and my sister, she loves to buy there) and it seems it works well. I thought it could be a solution.

I would be really sad if I had to stop to play the sims for much time. :(

[http://users.livejournal.com/ari_/]

since you say "touch edge"... are you playing in full-screen mode? If so, switching to windowed mode might make it better.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I always play in full-screen mode. Does it really make that much difference?

[http://users.livejournal.com/ari_/]

it means you won't have edge-scrolling, so no more "accidentially moving the mouse to the side and suddenly everything lags"

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I wouldnt even know how to move the camera around without edge scrolling, but I'll give that a try if it helps things run smoother.

[meetme2theriver.livejournal.com]

Ugh, that sounds pretty unplayable. But at least you have a computer! And now you have a good excuse to get a new one, even if you have to wait a little while (but Christmas is only 12 weeks away!)

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

I'm just happy I get a chance to save all the files I haven't backed up and the many folders and things just floating on my desktop, real life photos, etc.

Christmas isn't that far off, and it might be nice to take a break until getting the new machine. It'll be that much more exciting to get it and be able to play again! :)

Then again, I did manage to play a lot in my uberhood (The Doe family! :D) and it wasn't too painful. I even managed to take one screencap of Justin Kim visiting and hitting on Jayne, haha! As long as I don't mind not documenting things too heavily (and I don't for these play throughs), I can still play in this state. I suppose I could even scale all the graphics settings way back, too.

[meetme2theriver.livejournal.com]

That's good to hear. :)

Hah, well, it seems Jayne might end up being disappointed about Johnny and all, so maybe she should stick with Justin. His name starts with J and everything. :D

[krolowa-francji.livejournal.com]

I support what silenzii said, maybe a new graphic card would be enough? If you're satisfied with the rest of your specs, a cheap graphic card could tide you over until you get your new computer. But then, I don't know how expensive hardware is where you live , so. :I

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

My options for buying something local and secondhand are pretty much nonexistant, I imagine. I live in a small town in a fairly rural part of the province, so I don't have the same options I'd have in the city (and even our cities are small here). I guess there's options online, but I don't even know where to begin on that. I'm open to suggestions, but I'm not sure I want to go to much trouble over this.

Like I said above, it feels a little like throwing good money at bad, because the computer is problematic anyway. We do need to replace it, so getting a new graphics card at any price still seems like money spent for a very short-lived return. I'm leaning towards toughing it out until we get a new computer. It'll be exciting! :)

[krolowa-francji.livejournal.com]

Oh, in that case, it's definitely better to buy a new computer than put more money into a failing machine. Getting a new computer is awesome, everything suddenly runs smoothly :') a beautiful moment, indeed.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

This computer has always been trouble, so I'm really looking forward to something new and functional and hopefully problem free. :)

[sophie10.livejournal.com]

Pitching in to say the same as others. A half decent graphics card really isn't expensive. As long as you or your SO are happy installing it, you should be able to pick something up on the internet at a decent price. You could probably even get the same model as your old one dirt cheap.

Also I feel that I shoudl encourage you in your urge to make CC. My boys always need nice simple clothes.

[strange-tomato.livejournal.com]

Well, we'd have to get someone to install it for us. I'm not that tech saavy and I honestly wouldn't really even know where to look online for stuff. At this point, I don't want to go through a lot of trouble over it. I have enough errands competing for my limited free time these days, so I don't mind letting it be until be replace the computer (it's still not well and needs to be replaced). I'm not really interested in spending time and money (even if it's not much) for something I'll only use for a couple of months.

And yeah, it could be a good excuse to make cc. I'm liking the Rock 'n' Roll theme at GoS this month, so maybe I'll try to put something together for that.

Graphics card

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry for the anon post, I -still- don't have a LJ.

I build/fix computers for a living. If you know the make & model of your motherboard... or the make & model of your computer, if you bought it preassembled from somewhere... I can find a graphics card that will work for your computer. In most cases, I'd be able to give you instructions on how to install it, as well.

If you decide to just get a new computer, try checking online to see if there's something in your price range. A lot of the time you can get a better computer by shopping online for one; there's more selection than real-life stores & the prices are typically a little lower also.