Can I run Trainz 12 efficiently on my laptop?

E

ethor

New member
Hi, after trying an older version of Trainz I am now hooked. Digital download here I come. Question:

Can I expect to run Trainz 12 efficiently on my 'Sony Vaio Core i3 350M / 4GB / 500GB / 15.5" TFT / ATI HD5650 / Win 7' laptop?

If not, would you recommend me to get an older version of Trainz (which?), or a new PC (which specifications?).

Feedback much appreciated. / Swedish railway enthusiast
 
My limited research on the net shows that your laptop has this card:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5470.23698.0.html

But you have stated it's the HD5650, so I'll believe that.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

Generally speaking laptops with built in graphics chips won't run Trainz or any other graphic games well, a dedicated graphics card is needed.

Check out the reviews above.

There is a 75% off sale of some Trainz stuff until the 26th/27th (end date depends on where in where in the world you are!) - and Trainz 12 is included at AUD $12.48 (GBP £8), a bargain.

http://www.simulatorcentral.com/index.php/trainz/special-offers.html

At that price I would get and try TS12, if it does not perform well you could then consider a new PC, you will get the best performance from a high end desktop.
 
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Good advice above, but I use a lesser laptop with integrated graphics and am able to run 12 satisfactorily, if I stay away from certain demanding routes.
 
itareus said:
My limited research on the net shows that your laptop has this card:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5470.23698.0.html

But you have stated it's the HT5650, so I'll believe that.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

Generally speaking laptops with built in graphics chips won't run Trainz or any other graphic games well, a dedicated graphics card is needed.

Check out the reviews above.

There is a 75% off sale of some Trainz stuff until the 26th/27th (end date depends on where in where in the world you are!) - and Trainz 12 is included at AUD $12.48 (GBP £8), a bargain.

http://www.simulatorcentral.com/index.php/trainz/special-offers.html

At that price I would get and try TS12, if it does not perform well you could then consider a new PC, you will get the best performance from a high end desktop.
Click to expand...


I bought a $450 Desktop from Dell about 3 months ago, updated the graphics card and power supply for about $200 and TS12 runs very well with good frame rates.
 
Robert2d6 said:
I bought a $450 Desktop from Dell about 3 months ago, updated the graphics card and power supply for about $200 and TS12 runs very well with good frame rates.
Click to expand...

"Dell Inspiron 620, I5, GTX 550 TI" - How would that compared to my system? What does updating the graphics card and power supply imply?

/ Eric
ps. Thank you all for great feedback.
 
itareus said:
My limited research on the net shows that your laptop has this card:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5470.23698.0.html

But you have stated it's the HD5650, so I'll believe that.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mobility-Radeon-HD-5650.23697.0.html

Generally speaking laptops with built in graphics chips won't run Trainz or any other graphic games well, a dedicated graphics card is needed.

Check out the reviews above.

There is a 75% off sale of some Trainz stuff until the 26th/27th (end date depends on where in where in the world you are!) - and Trainz 12 is included at AUD $12.48 (GBP £8), a bargain.

http://www.simulatorcentral.com/index.php/trainz/special-offers.html

At that price I would get and try TS12, if it does not perform well you could then consider a new PC, you will get the best performance from a high end desktop.
Click to expand...

I see Trainz 12 at 49.90$ in simulatorcentral.com, maybe because I'm situated in Sweden.

Yes, last option is buying a new PC. Looking to get an older version of Trainz for my current laptop at first in that case.
 
ethor said:
...What does updating the graphics card and power supply imply?...
Click to expand...

Most prebuilt PCs like the Dell have a Power Supply Unit (PSU) that is matched to the system as built, in other words there is little spare capacity. A more powerful graphics card will, normally, require more power and so one goes with the other. Swapping the graphics card is usually a straightforward task in terms of the hardware - take out the old card, put the new one in. Graphics card drivers can be a problem, especially if you change from ATI to NVidia or vice versa. The physical work of changing the PSU can be more difficult, on some PCs this may involve drilling the case to make new mounting points etc. cable lengths can also be an issue. There are normally no software issues with swapping the PSU.

If you do decide to get a desktop then, I would say, shop around for something that meets your needs "out of the box". Alternatively there are companies who will build a PC to you specification for a reasonable price, at least there are here in the UK, and that may be the best course of action. Some people build their own PCs, which is a bit cheaper and if you are confident and happy to do this it's an option.

I would still buy TS12 at the sale price and give it a go on the laptop, if it does not work you have lost nothing as you can always use it on your new PC.
 
ethor said:
...I see Trainz 12 at 49.90$ in simulatorcentral.com, maybe because I'm situated in Sweden...
Click to expand...

That's very odd, this is what I see on the website:

SImulatorCentral_zps0566daf6.jpg


Edit: Just a thought, it's not likely to be your location, but it might be that you are not already a registered Trainz owner.
 
Last edited:
itareus pretty much covered things but I'll also mention, in my experience, that OEM (pre-built, usually name-brand) PCs usually don't perform as well as DIY or custom-built machines, primarily because OEMs tend to be very overly tight with part specifications, timings, available options, etc. and also they tend to load their PCs with all sorts of unwanted and unnecessary software e.g. trial copies of this and that. But as noted above, you can have a machine built to a parts list as many independent shops and perhaps some sort of equivalent to Geeksquad here in the U.S. Mind you, when I talk about "custom built", I'm NOT talking about how Dell, HP etc. allow you to "custom build" your machine; I'm talking about using parts from other vendors like Gigabyte, ASUS, Biostar, etc. For a gaming-type machine, it's usually cheaper to build a custom one than buy an OEM gaming machine anyway.

FYI, the Inspiron 620 you have as a DESKTOP isn't too shabby though.
 
Last edited:
ethor said:
"Dell Inspiron 620, I5, GTX 550 TI" - How would that compared to my system? What does updating the graphics card and power supply imply?

/ Eric
ps. Thank you all for great feedback.
Click to expand...

Hello Eric,

It's always a bit difficult to compare desktops with laptops. Some trainzers will say I have ... and it runs ok, others will say - oh no not in my case.

Therefore, here is some info about my systems.

With your 'Sony Vaio Core i3 350M / 4GB / 500GB / 15.5" TFT / ATI HD5650 / Win 7' laptop, I'm not sure that Trainz 12,10 and even 09 will run smoothly.

Why ?

The info hereunder is from the second link ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mob...0.23697.0.html ) in post 3.

The AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 is a middle class DirectX 11 graphics card for laptops. Its based on the Madison (LE, LP or Pro) chip and is produced in 40nm. Like its predecessor, the Mobility Radeon 4650, the HD 5650 features a 128 Bit memory bus for dedicated DDR3 and GDDR3 memory chips. GDDR5 is not supported on the HD 5650 (only in the higher clocked versions like the 5750 or 5770 cards based on the same chip).

I haven't got a Sony with I3 processor but I do have an Acer aspire 7540G laptop with the ATI radeon HD 4650 GPU, and I can say - the graphical card ( GPU ) is not good enough.

If you buy trainz ( 09,10,12 ), you want to know and explore all routes within the game. Perhaps later on, you will decide to build your own route.

Anyhow, when exploring the routes in the above versions, I my case, especially when exploring the routes with larger size, at some point the images stopped for a fraction of a second, before contuining. In my case, this was not enjoyable.

Now, about the desktop pc - the Dell inspiron 620 with processor I5 ( probably I5 2500 ) and GTX 550 Ti, should at least have a power supply of 550 Watt and 4GB ram.

I have no Dell PC but I do have a desktop with the I5 2500 processor and the graphical card Nvidia geforce GTX 570 (the recommended minimum power supply was 550 Watt). I have placed a 600 Watt power supply in my PC.

And my trainz version ( 09,10, 12 ) are running fine in "normal" conditions.

Best regards,

Kurt :wave:
 
Last edited:
belgian46 said:
Hello Eric,

It's always a bit difficult to compare desktops with laptops. Some trainzers will say I have ... and it runs ok, others will say - oh no not in my case.

Therefore, here is some info about my systems.

With your 'Sony Vaio Core i3 350M / 4GB / 500GB / 15.5" TFT / ATI HD5650 / Win 7' laptop, I'm not sure that Trainz 12,10 and even 09 will run smoothly.

Why ?

The info hereunder is from the second link ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/ATI-Mob...0.23697.0.html ) in post 3.

The AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 is a middle class DirectX 11 graphics card for laptops. Its based on the Madison (LE, LP or Pro) chip and is produced in 40nm. Like its predecessor, the Mobility Radeon 4650, the HD 5650 features a 128 Bit memory bus for dedicated DDR3 and GDDR3 memory chips. GDDR5 is not supported on the HD 5650 (only in the higher clocked versions like the 5750 or 5770 cards based on the same chip).

I haven't got a Sony with I3 processor but I do have an Acer aspire 7540G laptop with the ATI radeon HD 4650 GPU, and I can say - the graphical card ( GPU ) is not good enough.

If you buy trainz ( 09,10,12 ), you want to know and explore all routes within the game. Perhaps later on, you will decide to build your own route.

Anyhow, when exploring the routes in the above versions, I my case, especially when exploring the routes with larger size, at some point the images stopped for a fraction of a second, before contuining. In my case, this was not enjoyable.

Now, about the desktop pc - the Dell inspiron 620 with processor I5 ( probably I5 2500 ) and GTX 550 Ti, should at least have a power supply of 550 Watt and 4GB ram.

I have no Dell PC but I do have a desktop with the I5 2500 processor and the graphical card Nvidia geforce GTX 570 (the recommended minimum power supply was 550 Watt). I have placed a 600 Watt power supply in my PC.

And my trainz version ( 09,10, 12 ) are running fine in "normal" conditions.

Best regards,

Kurt :wave:
Click to expand...


MY Inspiron came with a I5 2500 running at 3.1 GB, and a 300 Watt power supply ( no optional PS available from Dell). This caused the only GPU that was available from Dell to work with that power supply to be an AMD HD 6450 which was a total waste of the $70 upgrade they charged over the motherboard GPU that was standard. The GTX 550 TI, as with most better GPUs required a 500 watt power supply. I went to Microcenter , where I bought the GPU and spent $60 on a 600 watt power supply that was fairly simple to install and had all the cables that were needed and fit right where the original PS was mounted. Took me about 15 minutes to replace the GPU and the power supply, taking my time doing it. The new PS has a 5 year warranty too.
 
I am not a Trainz owner. Is that a condition for purchasing TS12 in the sale? By the way, I see the reduced priced add at 12.50$, but as soon as I put it in my cart (whether I'm logged in or not) price changes to 49.90$.

itareus said:
That's very odd, this is what I see on the website:

SImulatorCentral_zps0566daf6.jpg


Edit: Just a thought, it's not likely to be your location, but it might be that you are not already a registered Trainz owner.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you all for great feedback. Attempting to purchase TS12 for 12.50$ but price changes to 49.90$ once I proceed to cart or payment.

Anyways, will test TS2012 on my laptop once I acquire it and if it doesn't run well enough I'll look into purchasing a new gaming PC. Looking forward to joining you on the rails.

/ Swedish railway enthusiast
 
ethor said:
...Attempting to purchase TS12 for 12.50$ but price changes to 49.90$ once I proceed to cart or payment...
Click to expand...

That web site is very new and there are some bugs, if you are seeing the prices as $12.50 and then it changes then I think that's a bug as well. This really need bringing to N3Vs attention. You could try posting a question in the shop Support section of the website.
 
I run Trainz Simulator 2010 on this mediocre laptop (see the specifications in my signature), and it's performance is not too shabby, but I don't expect to get awesome 30+ f.p.s. framerates all the time either, and it can't really handle very high-detail routes. Your mileage may vary.
 
Last edited:
Great news! Trainz 12 now successfully purchased (12.50$), downloaded and installed. Runs very well on routes, surveyor and tutorials, with steam locomotives being the exception. Cannot run steam locomotives smoothly in any external view, obliged to stay in the cab and map-mode for scenarios containing steam locomotives.
 
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