Graphics card and Trainz 12

[trainbrain98]

Hi everyone, I am going to get Trainz 12 soon but need to know which graphics card supports it good. My computer that I will use it on is a dell inpiron 530. It was a vista computer but my dad installed Windows 7 onto it. The current graphics card (Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset family or Intel(R) GMA 3100, whichever it the actual graphics chip) in it is good enough for TRS 2006, but in TRS 2010 speedtree eats the heck out of the FPS. I was just wondering if anyone knows what would be a good graphics card that will fit into my computer and run TS12 nicely. Any help will be appreciated as I need the graphics card before I buy the game.

Thanks, Brandon :wave:

 

[shaneturner12]

Intel graphics cards are known for not working correctly with Trainz due to limited OpenGL support.

Shane

 

[whitepass]

You have ether a 300w or 350w PS witch is very low now days so only low end graphics cards will work without adding a new PS.

 

[mrscsi]

Actually the specs say that it is a 250 W power supply.

Now as someone who took a Dell studio XPS 435 MT and practically rebuilt it (okay I'll admit the processor and the DVD drive are the only two Dell parts left) I can see certain pitfalls just looking at the specs of this machine. First off it's using an onboard video chip. Secondly it is a slimline case that is only 3.9 inches wide (according to the specs) which may mean placing a full-size card even if you were able to replace the power supply might be a challenge. My suggestion if the original poster is cash-strapped would be to re-case the machine.

The motherboard appears to have a PCIe 16 slot so it's capable of running a higher-end video card in theory anyway. But at the very least I believe users going to have to re-case the machine in order to replace the power supply and a new video card.

 

[tomurban]

Hi everyone, I am going to get Trainz 12 soon but need to know which graphics card supports it good. My computer that I will use it on is a dell inpiron 530. It was a vista computer but my dad installed Windows 7 onto it. The current graphics card (Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset family or Intel(R) GMA 3100, whichever it the actual graphics chip) in it is good enough for TRS 2006, but in TRS 2010 speedtree eats the heck out of the FPS. I was just wondering if anyone knows what would be a good graphics card that will fit into my computer and run TS12 nicely. Any help will be appreciated as I need the graphics card before I buy the game.

Thanks, Brandon :wave:

If you had done just a little searching, you would have found many references to the nVidia GT430 in these forums. The low profile versions are made for applications such as yours and it at 30W+/- it won't melt your power supply. However, you do need the x16 slot referenced above. The best source for obtaining one of these is newegg.com. They feature a dozen or so different makers at $70-75, with rebates offered on some. I run TRS12 with one at 30-50 FPS and no hiccups. The Intel chipsets are useless for running TRS10-12.

 

[kamran]

also mention ur budget so its easy to suggest the card u can afford

 

[trainbrain98]

Hey thanks everyone for the support. I'll look into the nVidia GT430. I considered another nVidia but that one is probably TOO powerful for my computer. mrscsi, the x16 slot is in the computer I run or I need to get it seperate? Budget: not over 100 dollars:hehe: I was looking at cards in the 60-70 dollar range anyway, but thanks everyone for input.

EDIT: I found an Asus GT430 on Newegg.com but the only thing is the fan area looks large. Would it still fit? (I'm not good at computer technicals) Asus GT430 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121397

Thanks, Brandon :wave:

 

[tomurban]

The x16 slot is part of the mother board. Check your specs to make sure that you have one. The x-1 and x-4 slots look exactly like the x-16 and the card will fit, but they do not have enough active contacts to run the GT430 or any other x-16 card for that matter. Also be sure to get the 128 bit version with 1GB of ram. The 64 bit versions are a little less expensive, but may not do the job

 

[Mouse84]

Is your computer a slim case or a normal case? I have two 530s that are a normal size cases. I added a bigger PS, a GT 8800 video card and more memory and it ran pretty good.

 

[trainbrain98]

Is your computer a slim case or a normal case? I have two 530s that are a normal size cases. I added a bigger PS, a GT 8800 video card and more memory and it ran pretty good.

Hi I believe it is a normal case. The pic is of the one I have. Did you need to do anything power supply related, modifications or anything?

Thanks, Brandon :wave:

 

[tomurban]

Look here. It seems that you have one of each slot, X-1 and X-16. Make sure that you use the correct one, It should be clearly marked. The x-1 slot may have a plastic insert to prevent installation of an x-16 card.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/inspd530/en/OM/HTML/appendix.htm

I just had a look at your mother board layout. In your Dell, the x-16 slot is the longer one. The short one next to it is the x-1.

 

[trainbrain98]

hey thanks for clearing that up. It should be easier now when I try to install it.

Thanks, Brandon :wave:

 

[Robert2d6]

I have a Dell Inspiron 620M with an I5 processor running at 3GhZ, that is about 2 months old. It came with an optional GPU by AMD that was terrible, but it was the only thing that would work with the 300 watt power supply it came with. I decided rather quickly to replace the graphics card with a GeForce GTX 550 TI which cost about $130. I upgraded the power supply to a 600 watt for about $60 ( 500 watt would have been OK, but I decided to get some surplus power). With T12, in most areas I am getting about 50-65 FPS. In very built up areas with all settings at max, I still get around 30FPS in the most dense scenery areas.

 

[tomurban]

For the record, I am getting the same FPS with a $70 GT430 and did not have to upgrade my 300W PS.

 

[JamZac]

I had a Nvidia GT220 which i got for around $70 AUD, which was really the only one i could afford back a year a ago. I had A intel core i5-650 3.3ghz with 8GB ram with the GT220 and with Trainz it ran around 30fps. Around christams time i bought a Radeon HD6950 for around $300 AUD and noticed the FPS doubled. In regard to the Power supply, i have a 650W and the PC ran fine.

 

[JCitron]

I had a Nvidia GT220 which i got for around $70 AUD, which was really the only one i could afford back a year a ago. I had A intel core i5-650 3.3ghz with 8GB ram with the GT220 and with Trainz it ran around 30fps. Around christams time i bought a Radeon HD6950 for around $300 AUD and noticed the FPS doubled. In regard to the Power supply, i have a 650W and the PC ran fine.

I have the same video card in my current system and it works great. I went from an NVidia GTX480 which was running really, really hot to a much cooler AMD (ATI) 6950.

John