As far as I know, the shared VRAM at 1.5GB is as much as that processor can handle even with your extra RAM. It is shared with the main processor-that will always be a handicap. Our MBPs don't have separate graphics hardware like my iMacs. It may be useful to try that, not so much as a cure but as a test. I noticed in the Sims 4 Support site that there is something called "laptop mode." It is mentioned at the bottom of this EA support page: That suggests to me that the programing of the smoke is different. Now I have a 5K iMac with a 4.2ghz quad-core i7 and 4GB of hardware-based VRAM and guess what? The same spot still stutters to the same degree on a computer that benchmarks at 2.4X faster than the old one! The rest of the game runs fine. What is new This driver includes security updates. See the release notes and readme files for installation instructions, supported hardware, what is new, bug fixes, and known issues. My old iMac with a 2.93ghz i7 quad-core processor and 1GB VRAM of hardware acceleration stuttered a little every time the smoke effect appeared, even though that computer exceeded all the sysreqs by a mile. This download installs the Intel® Graphics Driver for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows® 10.
I have a naval warfare sim that, at certain stages, produces a transparent smoke effect. Latest Intel HD Graphics Driver - How to Install or Update Latest Intel HD Graphics Driver in Windows 7,8 & Windows 10.Use the link below for Official Intel. You may have something that can't be improved upon at your end because it could be the programming. Installs the Intel® HD Graphics Driver intended for use with the Intel® Compute Stick STK2M3W64CC when running Windows 10 Version 1709 and newer. To my sim experiences and that rang a bell. Find support information for Intel® HD Graphics 4000 including featured content, downloads, specifications, warranty and more. and I am still seeing lag in a particular section of my game.
In the following window, select 'Browser my computer for driver software' and then select 'Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer'. HD P4000 is featured on the Ivy Bridge E3 Xeon processors with the 12X5 v2 descriptor, and supports unbuffered ECC RAM. I've looked up sysreqs and compared you comment: In Device Manager, expand Display adapters, right click the Intel 4000 device and select 'Update Driver Software'. Is Sims 4 a native install (like from the App Store) or are you running it through Steam?
With 16 GB RAM your VRAM-from-RAM is very good. I did the SSD switch about 18 months ago on mine and it was like getting a new computer.