Mac System Requirements

[Snug]

Hi,

Have been waiting for Trainz to come to the mac for years and now it's finally here i'm just wondering if it will actually run on my MacBook. The system requirements for the graphics card are a little vague

• MacOS X 10.5
• 2GB RAM
• Core 2 Duo, Core i5, or better
• nVidia or ATI graphics card.
• 20GB available disc space.
• Internet connection recommended.

Really, just any nVidia or ATI??? Does it matter if it's integrated, what about VRAM?

I bought my current MacBook this January and it has:
OS: 10.6.7
NVIDIA GeForce 320M
256mb VRAM (Integrated)

 

[WindWalkr]

Really, just any nVidia or ATI??? Does it matter if it's integrated, what about VRAM?

Performance will obviously depend on your hardware. We'll run on nearly any intel mac, but that doesn't mean you'll have a good experience.

We believe that any nVidia or ATI card should give reasonable performance at appropriate detail settings. The weaker intel GPUs (eg. early mac minis, etc.) might struggle a little too much.

I've heard a few reports of people with 9400m and shared ram having performance issues. We are collating information on this currently; if we determine the card to be problematic then we may issue a software patch to specifically address that card.

As with the PC version of the game, if you want high-end performance then you should use a gaming rig. Trainz runs wonderfully on an i7 iMac.

hope this helps,

chris

 

[Snug]

Hmm doesn't sound so promising for me then!

Thanks for the reply though.

 

[Snug]

hmmm ok so it seems nVidia have changed the way they number things and the 320m is better than the 9400!

Maybe I can run Trainz after five years of waiting!

 

[amigacooke]

Trainz runs wonderfully on an i7 iMac.

I don't suppose N3V are offering any such machines at a discount?

 

[Chris455]

I bought my current MacBook this January and it has:
OS: 10.6.7
NVIDIA GeForce 320M
256mb VRAM (Integrated)

The specs for Trainz (I believe) are all based on how well OpenGL performs on Mac Hardware. Older systems (integrated graphics, or intel-GMA graphics) are notoriously horrible for their OpenGL speed - Hence why N3V is asking for an Nvidia or ATI Chip. (At least OpenGL will work..!)

The MacBook you mention simply doesn't have a proper discrete graphics chip with it's own VRAM; so your speed will definitely be lower than say a MacBookPro with a discrete Nvidia 330M, or the newer MBP's with the ATI 6750.

Even the new MBA's with the Intel Sandy Bridge simply don't have the "umph" to push those pixels as fast as you want.

Basically, you should be running a Desktop system (iMac, MacPro, etc...) to get the speed. (Just like you would on the PC side of the world - you wouldn't run Trainz on a Mediocre Graphics Dell laptop either).

You can probably also get away with a higher-end MacBookPro (2011 model), which has a reasonable gfx chip. Trainz *should* work on you MacBook, but don't expect any speed miracles.

BTW, Another popular Mac-based simulator (X-Plane 9) also is a heavy OpenGL program - you may be interested in the X-Plane Benchmarks run by barefeats here to see the Graphics Performance differences between all the MacBook/MacbookPro/MacBookAir Models.

Check:

http://www.barefeats.com/mbps04.html
http://www.barefeats.com/mbps03.html
http://www.barefeats.com/nehal07.html

- CK.

BTW, here's my system specs I'm using Trainz on:

MacbookPro 2010
Core i7 @ 2.66 Ghz (Build-to-order)
6Gb DDR3 (Added myself)
Nvidia 330M 512Mb VRAM (Build-to-order)
HiRes AntiGlare 1680x1050 Screen (build-to-order)
OSX 10.6.7

It's "not bad" but not "flaming fast" either... and note the MBP is the suped-up 2010 model. I expect that your experience with Trainz on your MacBook will be pretty marginal.

$0.02, for what it's worth.

 

[Snug]

Thanks for the detailed answer Chris. Certainly saved me from wasting my money.

Might have to dig out my wifes 5yr old acer and my copy of Trainz 2006... always ran very well on that!