I have an idea.

[JonMyrlennBailey]

Please tell me what you think.

The motherboard in my gamer has slots for not one but TWO M.2 solid state drives. Right now, I have Windows 11 on the SATA solid state drive but have TANE, TS2022 as well as their respective data folders on the only one M.2 drive I have right now and that drive is in the slot closest to the CPU on my MSI motherboard.

I have been playing around with my machine and it seems that Trainz graphics quality worsens if both TANE SP4 and its data folder are installed both on the single M.2 drive I have. There was not as much frame shudder when TANE SP4 was on the C/SATA drive along with Windows while the TANE data folder only was on the M.2 drive. I believe the data in the data folder is all the information Trainz uses to render images of the Route world while a Session is being driven.

I believe the graphics-rendering performance goal is to configure Trainz on the hardware so that the data folder where all the Route map information is kept has as little bottleneck as possible.

I am thinking about buying a SECOND M.2 drive to put in the vacant slot.

I am thinking about then

1. using the SATA drive for Windows 11
2. using the M.2 drive in the slot closest to the CPU strictly for Trainz data
3. using the SECOND M.2 drive for the Trainz installation only

Is this a smart scheme for hardware usage to maximize Trainzing graphics performance on screen? My goal is to have those images of railroad trains moving across the screen as smoothly as possible thus minimizing jitter. I want the most fluid on-screen animation.

Is it just as well to install Trainz on the C Drive along with Windows while having a single M.2 drive dedicated for the Trainz local data?

A few other questions about Trainz settings.

How do the following settings, all else equal, affect smoothness or fluidity of image movement on screen?

1. post processing?
2. anti-aliasing?
3. vertical sync, full or half?
4. render behind camera?

Is half sync preferred on a Trainz route heavy in 3-D content as dense forests?

 

[wilts747]

Assuming the M2 slots are PCIe and not SATA, they could be either or even a mix, I would install the OS and the 'core' of Trainz on the fastest drive/slot and Trainz data on an alternative drive, preferable the 2nd M2 if it is PCIe. If it's SATA your SSD if relatively modern is likely just as good. I would also reduce the OS to a minimum uninstalling all the 'features' and bloatware you never asked for or use, disable all the junk running in the background. Update your graphic driver as necessary and ensure that the refresher rate matches that of your monitor. A good quality video cable also helps. If you are using a TV as a monitor, however good the TV, perfection is a challenge.

As for the settings its a case of try it and see. I personally use all four but it was a case of trying various combinations until I found which worked best with my setup. I have found that Clutter and TurfFX, however realistic comes at a cost even with a respectable graphic card. You may also care to note that the angle you actually view a moving train can also affect the quality of the displayed video. Peter

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

I'm using a 2014 Samsung Smart TV (it's a 40" LED HD 1080p television set, not a monitor) connected to the GPU via HDMI cable. The computer is connected to my 2024 Marantz stereo receiver via the 3.50 mm line-out/lime green jack. The card is a Zotac NVIDIA GeForce RXT 4070 Super Twin OC. The CPU is AMD Ryzen 9 12-core. All hardware is brand new in 2024. How would the TV set and the GPU both be set for optimum gaming performance?

Right now, my 2024 MSI mother board has a 2024 SSD connected by SATA cable. I can't see why my mobo's two slots for M.2 drives would not be both PCIe.

 

[JCitron]

I'm using a 2014 Samsung Smart TV (it's a 40" LED HD 1080p television set, not a monitor) connected to the GPU via HDMI cable. The computer is connected to my 2024 Marantz stereo receiver via the 3.50 mm line-out/lime green jack. The card is a Zotac NVIDIA GeForce RXT 4070 Super Twin OC. The CPU is AMD Ryzen 9 12-core. All hardware is brand new in 2024. How would the TV set and the GPU both be set for optimum gaming performance?

Right now, my 2024 MSI mother board has a 2024 SSD connected by SATA cable. I can't see why my mobo's two slots for M.2 drives would not be both PCIe.

The V-Sync and resolution have to be set on your RTX 4070 Super to be the same as what the TV supports.

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

The V-Sync and resolution have to be set on your RTX 4070 Super to be the same as what the TV supports.

Here is a link from Samsung.

Game with your Samsung TV and NVIDIA graphics card

The NVIDIA RTX 30 Series graphics card can be used with a PC and TV for extra powerful gaming. An HDMI 2.1 cable and compatible Samsung TV are needed for it to work.

www.samsung.com

So, how might one set his RTX 4070 Super graphics card as well as Trainz settings to best accommodate this old-fashioned Samsung Smart TV as I have? is my old Smart TV just flat out no good for the very best Trainzing experience?

 

[wilts747]

A 2024 motherboard will be PCIe perhaps even PCIe 4 and your graphic card I'm sure the envy of many a Trainz user. Modern top end TV's can achieve a response time of 1ms comparable with a respectable gaming monitor, not sure about one 10 years old model without seeing the specification first. A good quality HDMI 2.1 cable or better would be an investment if you do not already have one. To optimize your TV and graphic card, when you installed the drivers you likely installed a number of utilities at the same time. Settings are achieved using these utilities. Peter

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

A 2024 motherboard will be PCIe perhaps even PCIe 4 and your graphic card I'm sure the envy of many a Trainz user. Modern top end TV's can achieve a response time of 1ms comparable with a respectable gaming monitor, not sure about one 10 years old model without seeing the specification first. A good quality HDMI 2.1 cable or better would be an investment if you do not already have one. To optimize your TV and graphic card, when you installed the drivers you likely installed a number of utilities at the same time. Settings are achieved using these utilities. Peter

The exact Samsung television model I have is Model UN40H6350 built in 2014.

Here are tech specs from this link:

https://www.crutchfield.com/S-1W1RmIcXCI5/p_30540H6350/Samsung-UN40H6350.html

• Clear Motion Rate 240 blur reduction (120Hz refresh rate plus backlight scanning)
• 40" 1080p LED-LCD HDTV with Wi-Fi®

I don't know what the specs are for my HDMI cable but I believe it is even older than the TV set. Can I set my graphics card to match my TV specs? What Trainz settings are best for my TV's 120 Hz refresh rate?

 

[wilts747]

Unfortunately I cannot see the refresher rate in the specification but when purchased I guess it would have been a top of the range model. To set the resolution you only need to right click on the desktop and select 'display setting' followed by the resolution drop down menu (1920x1080). To set the refresher rate however you will need to go into the Nvidia Control Panel via the Windows Start Menu. Select Display Resolution from the menu on the left hand side and from there select resolution and refresher rate. Run up and down those offered for interest but it is likely the default is already selected but by all means experiment with other setting close to those of the TV.

Under 3D setting in the Nvidia Control Panel you may also consider looking at the Adjust Image Settings with Preview. I leave it on 'Let the 3D application decide' others may suggest differently but its worth a fiddle if only for interest. When setting up your system it is also worth running the same route/session so your not trying to compare apples and pears. I personally use Kickstart Country perhaps the unofficial Trainz default route. I think it may be also reasonable to suggest that however good your setup Trainz settings cannot be maxed out without a degree of compromise between performance and video quality. Peter

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

The ultimate test bed for rendering quality is running a TANE SP4 route I made with heavy 3D scenery. There is about 300,000 3D hemlock trees on this particular layout. Regardless of FPS counter indications, my aim is to get the smoothest (most fluid) graphics rendering possible thru various settings and hardware selection. I've seen sloppy rendering with an indication of 60 FPS and smooth rendering with only 30 FPS. Apples to apples, Trainz tends to run smoother in a world less 3D-content intense.

Trying to tune equipment for optimized Trainz play requires a lot of guess work. Trainz, out of various gaming sim products on the market, isn't the most stellar performer for on-screen graphics fluidity. Trainz might suffer from a less-than-top-drawer game engine.

 

[AFdude06]

@JonMyrlennBailey - Note that while how your storage is set up will influence installation speeds, map loading times, and content loading times, storage speed does  not directly affect graphics and frame rate. After reading this thread, it seems you want to smooth out the frame rate as much as possible, no? In that case, you mentioned post-processing, anti-aliasing, and render behind camera. With your 4070, I would recommend having the former two on, as they help with visuals even if the graphics are turned down. The latter should definitely be on because it reduces stutter and pop-in of scenery. As far as V-Sync, that is a setting designed to reduce screen tear, and has no affect on graphics or stuttering at all. You only need it if you get screen tearing at all (I have). For your TV, if you want to make use of 120Hz, you would leave it off and set the Trainz frame rate to 120. If you don't mind 60 fps, and you have some screen tear, set it to Full. I wouldn't see any reason to set it to Half, as that locks it to 30, without any change in what it does. You can also try some techniques from this thread to see if that helps as well.

Cheers

 

[JonMyrlennBailey]

@JonMyrlennBailey - Note that while how your storage is set up will influence installation speeds, map loading times, and content loading times, storage speed does  not directly affect graphics and frame rate. After reading this thread, it seems you want to smooth out the frame rate as much as possible, no? In that case, you mentioned post-processing, anti-aliasing, and render behind camera. With your 4070, I would recommend having the former two on, as they help with visuals even if the graphics are turned down. The latter should definitely be on because it reduces stutter and pop-in of scenery. As far as V-Sync, that is a setting designed to reduce screen tear, and has no affect on graphics or stuttering at all. You only need it if you get screen tearing at all (I have). For your TV, if you want to make use of 120Hz, you would leave it off and set the Trainz frame rate to 120. If you don't mind 60 fps, and you have some screen tear, set it to Full. I wouldn't see any reason to set it to Half, as that locks it to 30, without any change in what it does. You can also try some techniques from this thread to see if that helps as well.

Cheers

I want to smooth out the actual movement of animated objects during game play reducing the shakiness of moving objects as much as possible. This includes moving trains, passing telegraph poles and viewing a moving train in chase mode while passing parked box cars in the yard. You can tell animated smoothness level by seeing how stable markings (words, letters and numbers) are on moving rolling stock units while in lineside camera mode. The idea is to get these moving objects to appear stable and not jitter like a person who is shivering. Yes, I have to have vertical sync on full to stop screen tearing (where images seem to have nasty ripples in them near the bottom of the screen).