Most up to date processer, and suitable other above recommend specs for TS12 (NOTE)

[Red_Rattler]

NOTE: I don't have TS12, but we're going to use that as minimum/recommended specs.

1. What is the most up to date processer available at the moment?
2. How much RAM would be suitable
3. What type and size (such as GB) dedicated graphics card would be suitable?
4. While probably not related to trainz, I know their are 2TB hard disk drives available, but would 1TB be sufficient?
5. Almost forgot, I have been told by a retailer that specialises in computers that towers perform and are better than the all-in-one computers. They said the reason was due to all-in-ones having similar hardware to laptops?

 

[fran1]

1-intel I7, but an I5 2500k is ample.
2-8 gig unless your into cad or design work.
3-1g but folk use some that have 2g memory.
4-your better off not relying on 1 large hard drive, 3@500gb for eg would be better, use 1 only for backing up the system in case one fails. The back up drive would also be better as an external drive then it's not spinning when you turn the comp on.
5-he's probably right

 

[kamran]

the most upto date processor is intel core i7 extreme edition
6 gb ram is enough
gtx 670 or atleast gtx 660 if released'
i tb is more then enough

 

[johnwhelan]

The memory depends on the motherboard etc. 6 gigs is enough but many motherboards need 8 for dual channel. Typically 6 needs triple channel and thus is more expensive.

Are you buying a package from a retailer or having something built? Trainz runs the cpu fairly hard so typically the cooling is a problem which affects the reliability. tomshardware is a good place to compare, when you buy a video card try to get one that draws not too much current. Typically AMD cards draw less current for the same performance but check tomshardware.

APC make very nice UPses and they keep the number of software problems down.

Cheerio John

 

[JackDownUnder]

NOTE: I don't have TS12, but we're going to use that as minimum/recommended specs.

1. What is the most up to date processer available at the moment?
2. How much RAM would be suitable
3. What type and size (such as GB) dedicated graphics card would be suitable?
4. While probably not related to trainz, I know their are 2TB hard disk drives available, but would 1TB be sufficient?
5. Almost forgot, I have been told by a retailer that specialises in computers that towers perform and are better than the all-in-one computers. They said the reason was due to all-in-ones having similar hardware to laptops?

This is what I decided upon about 12 months ago, if I was ordering today I would change as noted "XX"
PC Specification

• 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Generation Intel Core i7 2600 (Sandy Bridge) "latest design if affordable, this gave me a 7.6 win score. Remainder of PC was 7.9"
• Mother Board P67 Extreme6 LGA1155
• Ram Corsair 16GB DDR3 2000 XMS3 Dual Channel
• Video Card GeForce GTX 580 "There are higher # available now with more Ram"
• Primary Hard Drive Corsair Force Series 2 x 60GB 2.5” SSD RAID0 "change to 2 x 256GB or larger"
• Secondary Hard Drive WD 3.5” Black HDD 2TB 7200RPM SATA3!
• Optical Drive 22X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW/DL Drive
• Case Thermaltake Element G Pro Gaming Mid Tower
• Power Supply Corsair TX850 max. 1044W PSU
• CPU Cooler Master Hyper 212+

 

[RRSignal]

NOTE: I don't have TS12, but we're going to use that as minimum/recommended specs.

1. What is the most up to date processer available at the moment?

Mind if I read that as the most cost-effective CPU for Trainz use? The i7-3820K. There are higher-benchmarked processors, but raw CPU speed is important in Trainz.

2.

How much RAM would be suitable

4Gb should be enough, though I'd get 8 if you have a 64-bit OS. Memory is cheap.

3.

What type and size (such as GB) dedicated graphics card would be suitable?

1Gb. Apart from that, how much do you want to spend. Although a bit old, GTX280/5, 460 (256-bit), etc. can be had for under $100 if you know where to look.

4.

While probably not related to trainz, I know their are 2TB hard disk drives available, but would 1TB be sufficient?

Definitely. Bear in mind that SSDs have come down to under $1 per Gb, and Trainz benefits considerably from them.

5.

Almost forgot, I have been told by a retailer that specialises in computers that towers perform and are better than the all-in-one computers. They said the reason was due to all-in-ones having similar hardware to laptops?

I'm not sure what you mean by "all in ones" but probably yes. You're not going to beat desktop-grade hardware in a big, well-cooled case and you'll probably do it several orders of magnitude cheaper than a gaming laptop.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Mind if I read that as the most cost-effective CPU for Trainz use? The i7-3820K. There are higher-benchmarked processors, but raw CPU speed is important in Trainz.

Not just for simulator use. It's for other use as well, & would anyone know if MSTS is able to run on similar specs on today's computers (NOTE: And no replies about which simulator is best)

I'm not sure what you mean by "all in ones" but probably yes. You're not going to beat desktop-grade hardware in a big, well-cooled case and you'll probably do it several orders of magnitude cheaper than a gaming laptop.

It seems that a lot of computers are coming out with no need for towers, the "tower" equilavent is built into the back of the monitor.

Would these two computers be sufficient (remembering it's not only for Trainz)?

1. What about THIS COMPUTER?
However if you click on the features, the graphics card is GeForce GT 520

2. Or may THIS ONE
(Although now I've read through the specs more carefully, and it doesn't state what sort of graphics, if it's dedicated or shared. All it states is "onboard" graphics)

 

[RRSignal]

MSTS will run well on pretty much any machine. Even on my old 2.2GHz Dual-core, I could always get > 30 fps (probably over 60, but I'm eyeballing it as opposed to using FRAPS) even when running the PRR Megaroute in center-city Philly, which AFAIK is about as scenery-dense as it gets. The point being that MSTS should run fine. I can run a quick test on one of my machines if you want a FRAPS number.

Yes, the ASUS Vento has an integrated graphics card. No good for Trainz. Also, the version of Windows claimed to be offered with the Vento does not exist: It's either Win 7 "Ultimate" or "Starter", nor is there any data about this machine on ASUS' site. The other one, the Essentio, as you noted, has a GT520. That's an extremely weak card. Worse, the weak power supply (300W) pretty much prevents upgrading to anything decent - you might be able to fit a GT430 but that's about it. Also, even if you do want to upgrade video in the future, you have to be sure that a slot on the motherboard actually exists - don't take this for granted, as many OEMs don't come with one, or at least not one that's adequate. According to ASUS' website, the Essentio does have the correct slot. Again, the Vento doesn't even show, as I have no way of knowing about that one.

As for the "towerless" computers, yes, then, many (if not most or nearly all) run only laptop-grade hardware. Even those that don't (if they exist) will suffer from most of the other drawbacks of mobile machines e.g. poor cooling, inability to upgrade, proprietary parts, etc. And, remember, most OEMs (pre-builts) come loaded with crap software that just bogs the system down.

Unfortunately, you'll find anything close to a pre-built gaming machine to be very expensive and/or uses marginal parts. FYI, for comparison, I just built a Trainz machine for $599. Granted, I had my own retail copy of Windows, and rebates played into it saving me about $150, but it's still less than either of these machines and much faster. So, if you either want to try building yourself, or have a local computer shop built you a machine to a list of specifications, you can probably do it for around the same price (if not cheaper) than any of the machines you're looking at, and you'll get a far better machine out of it.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Okay thanks, but I'm unable to at the moment (?), have you got the link to what the minimum specs are for TS12 (Yes I know I haven't got TS12)

Edit 2nd link in my previous post: I note they say With the Intel core i3 quad-core processor, but then below that in the specs it shows an i5 processor.

 

[RRSignal]

Here you go:

http://www.auran.com/shop/display_product.php?PID=362

 

[Red_Rattler]

I just found a link with the the required specs in it - but my link forgets the sound card.

 

[KenGreen]

Irrelevant post

 

[TramDU1214]

A build, that should run MSTS, Trainz, and other games without any problems http://pcpartpicker.com/au/p/ayjW.
And as usual

 

[Red_Rattler]

Their is one that states "Blu Ray & DVD +/- & CD Player". They're not sure whether this means a burner and/or player, or just a player, or if it is just an error and missed out on the word "burner"

 

[peghorse]

Hi! Your name indicates you might be from NSW correct?
If so.. and if you want to compare component prices have a look at:
http://www.computeronline.com.au/desktop_list.php?C_ID=75&PHPSESSID=b4c3d27d675ce5d4bd9f9d81b425946e
I build my own but have been using these folks for about 15 years now.
Extremely competitive and in all that time I have only had 1 stick of ram fail.
Thats about 12 builds so far.
The folks are a bit quiet as they are chinese or something, But I do manage to get a smile out of them.
Just use that data as a reference to make sure you're not getting ripped orf
Or take the advice of the good folk here, make a list, ask more questions,
then give it to ACO to quote, then build for you if you are happy with it.
They stress test every comp they build. My first one, built by them, lasted three years before I gutted it
and started building my own.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Johnwhelan said for my last point in my original post, that a computer store said that desktops are probably better and perform better, but now we are getting that an All-in-one (those that don't have a tower, but is in back of the screen) are just peform equally as well as a tower, even though they said to us that a tower version is most likely easier to repair, if or when it needs it.

Sounds like these towerless all-in-ones are rather newish.

 

[Red_Rattler]

Quote from a website:

Graphics: Intel Onboard Graphics

Would anyone know whether that would mean shared or dedicated graphics?

 

[RRSignal]

Shared. Also, disregard whoever told you that all-in-ones run like a desktop. As mentioned before, many if not most have mobile parts, essentially making them laptops, and those that do use desktop CPUs lack the cooling and/or run inferior CPUs like Celerons. Also, none I've seen have decent discrete/dedicated GPU which rules out their use for Trainz or most modern gaming anyway even forgetting about the CPU issue. I'm sure they exist, but, the point is, you're essentially getting a laptop without laptop portability.

 

[Red_Rattler]

(rotten new forum pages - retry)

Both of what we found are towers, just a question about both types.

That's a shame, as the one with shared graphics has a i7-(mid 3000's) and USB3, where the "slightly" dearer one has i7-(mid 2000's) but only USB2 (forget the exact four digit number after i7 at the moment.)

Also one shop says that AMD is better than Intel, but the other says that AMD is no where as near as good as Intel processors.

 

[RRSignal]

Unfortunately, no, AMD is several generations behind Intel. As much as I'd love to kick Intel to the curb for incorporating DRM and a potential backdoor into their newest chips, the reality is that AMD really messed up with their Bulldozer product line and has effectively exited competition for the desktop market to concentrate on mobile devices.

There really isn't a big difference between the second-generation (-2xxx) and third-generation (-3xxx) Intel CPUs (Sandy Bridge versus Ivy Bridge) aside from the improved integrated graphics with the newer processors. However, that doesn't help for Trainz.