Sims 2 Not SLI Compatible? XP x64 Compatible?

[pandasan]

Okay so I dropped like $2k on having dell build me a badass gaming computer. And what do I get? Nothing but problems, of course!

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2
       System Manufacturer: Dell Inc.                
       System Model: Dell XPS720                  
               BIOS: Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A04
          Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU    Q6600  @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs)
             Memory: 2814MB RAM Note~I actually have 4GB installed! asdfjklhsdljfh windows XP 32bit dosn't see it all...
          
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
     Manufacturer: NVIDIA
        Chip type: GeForce 8800 GT
         DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
         Display Memory: 512.0 MB
     Current Mode: 1680 x 1050 (32 bit) (60Hz)
         Note~ With SLI I actually have 2 of those installed... problem is it's not working!!!


Long story short, I bought a quad-core 4GBRAM dual 512.0 MB  NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT videocard computer that is playing TS2 no better (and probably worse) than my old computer. When I load up the game with SLI up (with if you didn't know, uses the power of 2 video cards to render video quicker or better or whatever) and it does run faster for a while... but maybe 15 min later, the game takes a dump and reverts to crappier graphics AND weird 'artifacts' as my bf describes them appear on the screen. See attached.

Is SLI not compatible with Sims2 or are my settings just bad?

And I'm having resolution issues too.. I can't seem to run the game at as high of a resolution anymore.. is that a monitor issue?  *cry* I'm just so upset that I've spent so much money only for more trouble then it's worth. That seems to be the trend with me in life... *sigh*

/end rant

Oh and one more question.. does anyone know if sims2 is compatible with xp x64 edition? I remember having a problem running the game but I can't remember if the problem was caused by the craptastic ea downloader thing (I downloaded a stuff pack with that, never again!!!) or the game itself. I want to install x64 edition again so my PC can actually use all 4GB that I paid big $$ for but I dont want to go through the trouble of backing up and reinstalling my entire OS only to find I can't play TS2 on it at all...

Any help is most greatly appreciated.

*attached image removed*

[Me2]

Panda.. I am so sorry you are having problems.. I wish I knew ,but I don't sorry , have you tried callign dell back or maybe talking to a cert techincian

[snapzit]

I just got one of those fancy badass computers from Gateway. I had a bunch of problems, too, only I attributed them to Vista, so I'm a bit surprised that XP is weird, too. As it turns out, I uninstalled the game and all of the EPs and stuff packs, and searched around in the depths of the computer for any fragments of Sims 2, deleted all of it, re-installed everything, ending with Seasons, and Voila! She works. Not just works, but works beautifully. Yes, it will take a lot of time, but you probably don't have to do a system restore just yet.

Have you updated your drivers? They aren't necessarily the most recent ones out of the box, even if it's a specially built computer. Go to the Nvidia site -http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us and check for updates. Go to Microsoft for theirs, too. Sometimes this alone will resolve an issue.

I'm beginning to think some of it is just a new computer thing, like having a badly behaved child who has more power and goodies than she knows what to do with, so she resorts to throwing her food and pitching tantrums....I say ask a tech for some help, and beyond that play around with it yourself. Be advised that you will be blessed if you find a tech that knows this game. I did, after several who didn't, and she made all the difference in locating the problem.  

I can't begin to explain what I ended up doing that resulted in success, but it took hours of poking around, reading forum posts, applying appropriate suggestions, asking for help, and walking away from it when it got too intense.

This site is exceptional for finding detailed and helpful information if you take the time to look. Fixing the issue will take some time, no escaping it. Good luck. ...turns to go and fix my own badass computer problems....

[eaglesoccer016]

When I have my graphics card in SLI I get problems on Sims 2. You should be able to deactivate SLI whenever you play Sims 2 and then just whenever you're going to play another game that needs SLI, just re-activate it.

I didn't have quite the same problems as you, but every thumbnail of any custom content just looked like fuzz until I deactivated SLI and restarted the computer.

[dtbronzich]

I'm running everything up to OFB on a HP a810n, unmodified which uses SIS mirage graphics and an athalon 64 3300+ and it works fairly well. I have no idea how many downloads I have, but if it's something that would slow the system down, i probably have it. I have for instance, "lot full of sims" which is a downloade that allows any number of sims to move in. I have the insimenator and all of it's accessory downloads, etc. I have tons of custom content, but the main reasons my system is working, and not jamming up (although it slows down when using anything that creates a sim in game, like christianlov's sim cloner) is that I compress my files, put lots of files in folders, and have increased my memory paging file to 2,000. Before I did those three things, if my game loaded at all, it would freeze on lots with 2 sims starting any interaction at all, like chating, teen first kiss, etc. my ingame graphics are set mostly to medium, with clickable neighbors and free will set to on.