My Sims pixelates, then crashes.

[Julia Dream]

I can usually run Sims for about 15 minutes before it spazzes out and a bunch of red, green, and yellow pixels cover it, then things like hair disappear from the sims and finally it freezes. No way to get to the start menu or CTRL-ALT-Deleting my way into canceling the program - I'm forced to restart my whole computer.

Before I get any answers to this, my graphics card, video card, and drivers are all up to date. My computer's specs are equal to, if not better than the specifications listed on the back of the Sims Apartment Life box. It isn't an issue of not having enough RAM, or memory, and it isn't an issue of graphics cards.

My brother thinks that the computer itself might be overheating due to bad NVIDIA (drivers) commands or something, but I'll deal with that when the time comes.

Note that I haven't downloaded any patches for any of my Sims, but when I re-loaded all the games on Wednesday the prompt said that "Sims 2 is up to date" or something like that so I assumed I didn't need to.

If I do need a patch, I don't know which I should get.  

[Menaceman]

The installer will always report that the game is up to date and so you will always need to patch. You will also need each patch for each game you own as a newer expansion pack does NOT include patches for previous packs.

I know you say your machine meets, if not excedes, the requirements but that could also be the problem. I know a few EPs back a problem was reported that the newest Nvidia card wasn't compatible and caused crashes. I am not aware if this issue was ever solved by either EA or Nvidia. I guess it would have been by now.

It could just bee that your machine is overheating as your brother suggests. If I end up using my laptop on a soft surface it will give me the blue screen of death after about 20-30 mins due to the fans not being able to do their job.

I hope some of this info has helped.  

[Blueman1027]

I would open up your computer and clean out all the dust and whatever gung you have in there. TRUST ME! It gets in there! Run tests on your fans and make sure they are producing enough wind to get to your chips. Even the newest chips cannot withstand heat.  

[Vilified]

That has happened to me. Does everything become obnoxiously larger, too? I think it's something to do with the graphics or the memory. But I ended up getting a new hard-drive (Because it died) so I no longer have that problem.

 

[Life Hath Immortality]

This happens to me as well.