New Computer

H

happyj

New member
I am running all versions of Trainz on a Dell DXP 061 computer equipped with an 8800 GTX graphics card. Results so far excellent.

Am considering replacing an older computer with one that will handle future requirements for Trainz. As the 8800 GTX card is no longer available it has been suggested thar I install a GTX 260 1792 mb graphics card as a suitable replacement.

Any comments will be appreciated. Cheers.
 
Well, if money is not an issue, then:

Intel Core i7 920 (Overclocked) or 965 or 975
9-12 GB DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5850 or 5870
2 x 256 GB Solid State Drives (SSD's)
Liquid Cooling
30" monitor at 2560 x 1600 resolution

Now, I realize that very few can afford a system so elaborate and state-of-the-art, so for a modest Trainz build:

AMD Phenom II or Intel Core i5 or even a Core 2 Quad with DDR3
4-6 GB DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5770 or 5850 (both are faster than a 260)
500 or more GB hard drive, or even a 10,000 or 15,000 RPM hard drive (regular hard drives are 7200 RPM) if funds permit, that is.
Standard air cooling
20"-22" (1680 x 1050) or 23"-26" (1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200).

And obviously go for Windows 7 64 bit, but whether you want Home Premium or Ultimate is your choice. Both should work in all Trainz (But don't hold me to that...).

Also, if you're looking for lower priced computer parts, check out Newegg. They even ship to Canada.

Just my thoughts.

Kyle
 
Last edited:
Also have a new PC and have questions

Thanks to saintjimmy for his recommended PC specs (I wish I had read them three months ago). In line with the "new computer" thread, I am a
relatively new to Trainz , running TC2.7 (Modula City) and TRS 2006, with a fairly new PC (with integrated video, unfortunately). I don't play more
demanding games, so I didn't get a higher-end gaming PC, although I probably should have.
What I have:
Model: HP s3270y, slimline case
OS: Vista Home Prem 64-bit
RAM: 4GB PC-2-6400 SDRAM
CPU: Pentium E5200 Dual Core 2.5GHz
Video: NVIDIA GeForce7100 Integrated
Trainz runs well until I get carried away with building urban environments, with rail, rapid transit, bus lines, etc etc with the predictable result of
jerkiness and program crashes. I can find low-profile video cards on Newegg to fit a slimline case, but I'm limited by the 160 watt power supply in
my PC and haven't been able to find better PSUs that will fit in a slimline case.
Questions:
1. Will I improve performance when I upgrade to Windows 7 Home Prem 64-bit?
2. Will I improve performance by turning off antivirus (Trend-Micro PCcillin) while running Trainz?
3. Will things get better or worse when I buy TRS2010 when it hits the stores?
4. Any other ideas?
Thanks for your help
 
schweitzerdude said:
I'm limited by the 160 watt power supply in
my PC and haven't been able to find better PSUs that will fit in a slimline case.
Questions:
1. Will I improve performance when I upgrade to Windows 7 Home Prem 64-bit?
2. Will I improve performance by turning off antivirus (Trend-Micro PCcillin) while running Trainz?
3. Will things get better or worse when I buy TRS2010 when it hits the stores?
Click to expand...

1. No
2. No
3. I doubt it.

It's the lack of a decent graphics card that is you main problem and with that 160w PSU (are you sure it's that low?????) you are *!*!*!*.

Only thing I can think of is to buy another case and PSU and a Graphics card - basically a rebuild of the PC. Probably best to suffer for now and save up for another PC.

I hope somebody has a better idea and proves me wrong!

Cheers

Chris
 
Yeah, that wasn't HP's smartest move, and 160 watts would be pusing it, especially if the CPU is a higher wattage (say, over 65W). I just now thought of it, and 160 really won't power much more than a CPU, RAM, and hard drive, so a 4650 would be taking a chance, but a worthwhile one if it worked.

Kyle
 
I run Trainz on a 4350, which uses only 20 watts. You might get away with that, even with a 160 watt supply. I have a somewhat similiar config to yours (E5300 2.6 and 2gig with XP, although I have 450 watt supply). TS2006 runs OK, although built up city areas are still a challenge. TS2009 compatability mode is not quite as good as TS2006. 4350 cards are cheap, silent, and commonly avalable in a low profile form suitable for your case.
Phil
 
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saintjimmy said:
Well, if money is not an issue, then:

(snip over the top system) so for a modest Trainz build:

AMD Phenom II or Intel Core i5 or even a Core 2 Quad with DDR3
4-6 GB DDR3
ATI Radeon HD 5770 or 5850 (both are faster than a 260)
500 or more GB hard drive, or even a 10,000 or 15,000 RPM hard drive (regular hard drives are 7200 RPM) if funds permit, that is.
Standard air cooling
20"-22" (1680 x 1050) or 23"-26" (1920 x 1080 or 1920 x 1200).

And obviously go for Windows 7 64 bit, but whether you want Home Premium or Ultimate is your choice. Both should work in all Trainz (But don't hold me to that...).

Just my thoughts.

Kyle
Click to expand...

Since Trainz does not use over 2GB Ram/Memory, I would not bother with 6GB, stick to 4GB at this time.

Do you work for ATI? Anyway, going by hardware specs, the 5770 is actually slower then the GTX260, while the 5850 is about on par with the GTX275.

With SATA/SATAII these days 10,000RPM hard drives will give you a speed increase but a 7,200RPM hard drive will do the job fine. Even though 10,000RPM hard drives have come down in price over the last year.

Last thing, Windows 7 has only just been released, even though it is better then Vista I would not "rush" upgrade just yet, hold off for a while and let it settle. Once more and more people get hold of it and start using it the "bugs" and other problems will start to rise.
 
Okay, so then let me refine the build...

AMD Phenom II, Intel Core i5, i7, or Core 2 Quad with a faster DDR3 motherboard
4 GB DDR3
Depending on resolution, go for a 4870, 5770, or GTX 260 for a 1680 x 1050 monitor, a 4890, 5850, or GTX 275 or higher for 1920 x 1080 or 1200.
500+ GB hard drive any speed 7200 RPM or higher
A screen between 20 and 26 inches in size

And you SHOULD have a decent build to tackle anything in current Trainz, and I would suspect even in Trainz 2010.

No, I don't work for ATI, but I trust their products just a little more than nVidia (just my opinion, so don't fight over it). I realize I didn't look at many reviews or comparisons or benchmarks before I made that post, hence the slight mistakes.

Finally, from what everyone is saying over the internet, Windows 7 is sometimes regarded as "the best thing since sliced bread", but I know that every OS isn't perfect when it first hits stores, with updates followng after it (happens every time). But what I meant is I thought happyj would be building the computer maybe at the end of the year or next year, when more bugs would be worked out of 7.

My thoughts this evening before the day of Halloween (in America)

Kyle
 
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saintjimmy said:
No, I don't work for ATI, but I trust their products just a little more than nVidia (just my opinion, so don't fight over it). I realize I didn't look at many reviews or comparisons or benchmarks before I made that post, hence the slight mistakes.

Kyle
Click to expand...

That was said "tongue-in-cheek", some people like ATI and some like nVidia, I am the other way, I prefer nVidia. All my systems except one have nVidia cards in them, the one that has ATI is a X300 Mobility in a Laptop, I have never been able to update the drivers because they will not install or there are none that are "compatible". But as I said, it is down to what you have used in the past and experience with.

Finally, from what everyone is saying over the internet, Windows 7 is sometimes regarded as "the best thing since sliced bread"...
Click to expand...

Funny, I have been hearing the opposite, most people think its good, better then Vista as the "UAC" has been tamed down a lot, but it still uses way too much resources and you still do not have complete control like XP. So customizing the system to what you want is still no go.

Anyway, have fun on Halloween... :)
 
To Itareus, Footplate Phil, and saintjimmy

Itareus: I'm coming to the same conclusion as you - a rebuild in a new case/PSU

Footplate Phil: HP says any PCI-Express card you add should be <25 watts.
So your recommendation would work but then would it be much of an improvement over what I have, since you are challenged in City areas as I am.

Saintjimmy - thanks for your your recommendation re ATI Radeon HD 4650 - when I go on Newegg I can't see power rating but my guess is its >25w. I'll do some more research on it to see if I can determine power requirement.

Thanks for all your help.
 
schweitzerdude said:
:

Footplate Phil: HP says any PCI-Express card you add should be <25 watts.
So your recommendation would work but then would it be much of an improvement over what I have, since you are challenged in City areas as I am.

Thanks for all your help.
Click to expand...

A complete rebuild is probably your only option if you want screaming Trainz performance, so maybe its not worth throwing good money after bad. But I think the 4350 (or 4550) would give you some noticeable improvement over your current setup (I suspect I'm not as challenged in City areas as you are !). But I'm not familiar with the Geforce 7100, and couldn't find it in Toms' Hardwares Graphics Hierarchy chart. The 4350 rates quite a lot higher than the 7200 GS, which I assume is a near relative to the 7100. Real problem might be swapping from Nvidea to ATI - sometimes clearing out the old drivers can be a bit problematic.

Best of luck which ever way you go.
Phil
 
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