Do I really need the recommended specs?

[Greenvwbeetle]

Hello I already have a post about building a budget computer but I have been told not to get the minimum requirements because It would have low framerates (I don't mind low framerates on train simulators unless it is like 1 frame per minute or really low like that I wouldn't mind 10-15 fps on average at medium setting except maybe for render distance which I would make low) I am wondering does it really matter if it is the minimum versus the recommended? (I probably will only run the default routes and ones I make)

 

[shaneturner12]

A lot of people have said that the bare minimum is not a good idea, and I tend to agree with them.

Shane

 

[johnwhelan]

TS12 will give better frame rates than TS2009 on the same hardware with the same assets. Unfortunately content creators are tending to add polys to get more detailed assets but if you choose your items carefully and ease back on the performance settings you can get by with a slower machine.

Cheerio John

 

[lewisner]

In computer games the "minimum recommended" usually means that the game will "just about run". If you spend money on such a PC and find that Trainz will barely run, then you will find yourself having to spend/waste more money to upgrade the substandard components instead of buying decent gear to start with. A bicycle with octagonal wheels will work, but only just.

 

[johnwhelan]

Perhaps a better question is what hardware do you have at the moment and what do you want to run? Why are you thinking of buying a new machine? $500 is tight with the operating system upgrading if its a desktop might be better.

Cheerio John

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

the current specs of the computer I can play trainz on are

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 2.60 GHz
3 GB RAM
NVIDEA GeForce GT 610

A little slow for trainz 2010 and newer (and it is my dad's computer that now is mostly used by me and my brother now that he has a laptop)

(if you wan't to know what the model is it is a dell inspiron 531)

 

[tomurban]

If you want TS10/12 to run smoothly, As a minimum, I recommend a desktop computer running latest Intel i5/i7, a discrete video card nVidea GT630/40 or AMD HD 6670 and 8GB of RAM. A rig like this should give you a consistent 25-40 FPS on just about any route, built-in, custom or downloaded. Estimated cost $700 - $800 with DVD/RW, card reader, USB ports, 400W PS, etc.

 

[nugget2225]

i agree with what everyone has said above, its better to save for a faster rig and enjoy the sim , than get aggravated and trying to run at min hardware, i saved for 4 months to get what i have together.

 

[fran1]

To give you an idea hopefully, compare my (non to modern but quick enough) set up to the recommended specs whatever they are.
I get 15-30 fps on a big route with 6-12 Ai's on schedules hauling 70-100 cars each consist.
Intel QX 9650 quad extreme @3ghz, MSI 560 ti 1gb ddr5, 8 gb ram.
You don't need the biggest and the newest gear to run trainz just a decent rig.

 

[johnwhelan]

the current specs of the computer I can play trainz on are

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+ 2.60 GHz
3 GB RAM
NVIDEA GeForce GT 610

A little slow for trainz 2010 and newer (and it is my dad's computer that now is mostly used by me and my brother now that he has a laptop)

(if you wan't to know what the model is it is a dell inspiron 531)

Specs first http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-inspiron-531/4507-3118_7-32486097.html I strongly suspect its an integrated graphics card which doesn't work at all well for Trainz.

If you have a look here:http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html you'll see the integrated graphics card is a 6150 and just about the bottom of the list.

So I'd be tempted to add a graphics card something like a Radeon HD 7750 with a low Max. TDP of 55 watts. Since you have nVidea rather than AMD you may need to either reinstall the operating system or there are some tools for cleaning out bits of old drivers. Have a look at the 64 bit operating system upgrade at Microsoft. Is it XP or Win 7?

Crucial.com shows that it can be used with 4 gigs of memory but you'll need a 64 bit version of the operating sytem for that. At the back of my mind I think Microsoft have some method of upgrading the operating system that isn't too expensive. Trainz can make use of more than 2 gigs of memory under a 64 bit operating system.

With a new video card and memory it won't be top of the line but it should still have some life left in it.

Cheerio John

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

Well about the graphics card it is not integrated in fact it is only like a month old (my dad got it since the old card died) but, it is still running vista so If it gets windows 7 (my dad probably wouldn't get 8) I will try to make sure it is 64 bit so it can get a memory upgrade which will help since the graphics card will probably stay for a while because of how new it is.

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

Well how much did yours cost? It takes me like 5 months just to get $100 since all I get is my allowance

 

[johnwhelan]

Well about the graphics card it is not integrated in fact it is only like a month old (my dad got it since the old card died) but, it is still running vista so If it gets windows 7 (my dad probably wouldn't get 8) I will try to make sure it is 64 bit so it can get a memory upgrade which will help since the graphics card will probably stay for a while because of how new it is.

Apologies your graphics card is a relabeled GT 520, or about the lowest of the low, Vista doesn't help. Win 7 and 64 bit with extra memory isn't going to make that much difference. Talk it through with your dad, show him the table here: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html with the video card you have and the one I suggested. There are no guarantees that you'd be happy with the performance with an upgraded video card but its probably the cheapest reasonable option.

Win 7 upgrade for Vista will cost you $99 at amazon.com and includes both the 32 bit and 64 bit operating systems. Win 7 generally has better drivers for games but the difference often isn't that much.

So basically your options are throw $200 at the existing box and cross your fingers or save up for a new one. You could put a better video card in but that would probably entail switching the power supply. If you go for a new computer desktops offer better performance than laptops but in my opinion to run Trainz reasonably well you're looking to spend at least $1,000 including the operating system.

The other option is to build a small route with just track on it and stick a loco etc on it and see if the performance is acceptable. If it is then just be very very selective on what you run. Different assets have very different computer demands and even the built in routes can be demanding for some computers.

Cheerio John

 

[lewisner]

Or the other option is to go to ebay and bid for a used gaming PC with decent specs. Set your budget and ensure you don't exceed it unless the PC is better than you want by a fair margin.Make sure the seller has good feedback too.

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

well I am looking at making my own cheapo computer (I don't wan't to spend a ton and screw up since it will be my first build) that can at least run trainz 2012 and this is what I have found

AMD Athlon™ II X2 270 Box
MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 AM3 Motherboard
Cooler Master Elite 311 Blue with 420w PSU ATX Case
GIGABYTE GT630 1GB

which for those parts it is about $200 but it still would need a few more parts so it will cost more than that.

also this is where I am looking for the parts http://www.frys.com/

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

well I am looking at making my own cheapo computer (I don't wan't to spend a ton and screw up since it will be my first build) that can at least run trainz 2012 and this is what I have found

AMD Athlon™ II X2 270 Box
MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 AM3 Motherboard
Cooler Master Elite 311 Blue with 420w PSU ATX Case
GIGABYTE GT630 1GB

which for those parts it is about $200 but it still would need a few more parts so it will cost more than that.

also this is where I am looking for the parts http://www.frys.com/

 

[johnwhelan]

well I am looking at making my own cheapo computer (I don't wan't to spend a ton and screw up since it will be my first build) that can at least run trainz 2012 and this is what I have found

AMD Athlon™ II X2 270 Box
MSI 870A-G54 AMD 870 AM3 Motherboard
Cooler Master Elite 311 Blue with 420w PSU ATX Case
GIGABYTE GT630 1GB

which for those parts it is about $200 but it still would need a few more parts so it will cost more than that.

also this is where I am looking for the parts http://www.frys.com/

The video card is IMHO a pile of junk. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5845/...ased-geforce-gt-610-gt-620-gt-630-into-retail

You want 28 mm process not 40 mm process these days. The power draw is important, you'll need an Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM $99 from newegg.com.

If you are switching everything then have a look at http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106.html I'd look at the Intel i3 as a minimum. Go with things that have many solid reviews on newegg.com whether you buy from newegg or not. In general Newegg prices are fairly good.

I don't think the performance on the new CPU will be much different to the old one. Basically a $55 CPU isn't going to cut it.

Oh and before I forget don't go with a power supply of less than 550 watts.

Cheerio John

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

well I know that it wouldn't be that great but it wouldn't be that bad for what I would do with it since Trainz is the most demanding thing I would do on it since really I would mainly use it for Minecraft, bad piggies, angry birds, Trainz, and a few other things so i really don't need a fancy computer just something that would run all those things (and i don't need trainz to run really fast (used to play Microsofts train simulator a ton at somewhere around 10 fps on the default routes with fairly low settings and was happy with it)

 

[johnwhelan]

well I know that it wouldn't be that great but it wouldn't be that bad for what I would do with it since Trainz is the most demanding thing I would do on it since really I would mainly use it for Minecraft, bad piggies, angry birds, Trainz, and a few other things so i really don't need a fancy computer just something that would run all those things (and i don't need trainz to run really fast (used to play Microsofts train simulator a ton at somewhere around 10 fps on the default routes with fairly low settings and was happy with it)

It would be cheaper to upgrade the existing machine with a semi-decent video card or even just use the existing machine the performance will be much the same. New does not mean better, sometimes experience is the best teacher. In general the flasher the web site the worse the bargains are by the way.

Good luck

Bye John

 

[Greenvwbeetle]

I know It might be better to upgrade this computer but i think I would rather build my own computer than upgrade the current one partially since it is fairly old and is noticeably slower than a few years ago and that if I upgrade it to be able to run trainz 2012 my brother would be a pain when I install it (he wasn't happy when I installed 2009 and the service packs because It was a day that he could barely be on it, and 2012 is even bigger than 2009 but has less patches currently) so I think it would be better for me if I just built a new machine for myself.

Edit: after some research all those parts look like they have decent reviews except the case since people are having problems hooking the motherboard to the psu so I am going to look around more for a case and a psu. The other thing is the motherboard has some bad reviews but it looks like most of those were non functioning when they arrived and those whose did work gave it decent reviews.