johnwhelan
Well-known member
We used to run TRS2004 on machines with much less powerful graphic cards.
Cheerio John
New PC - Mac or Other?
- Thread starter angelah
- Start date
We used to run TRS2004 on machines with much less powerful graphic cards.
Cheerio John
amigacooke
Well-known member
I appreciate that you've delivered to the specification. However, if N3V come to their 'senses' and produce 'SuperTrainz' an Intel 4000 is not very future proofed.
johnwhelan
Well-known member
And I totally agree with your statement or even if Angelah decides that TS12 SP1 is worth moving to given the performance improvements etc again it would not be the wisest move. A better balanced system would be something like an i3, with a GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB graphics card, a decent power supply and a UPS but digging around the UK sites isn't as easy as newegg.com etc.
Cheerio John
Run belarc www.belarc.com/free_download.html that will give you the serial number of your XP and lots of other junk, print off the results.
Then reinstall Windows XP. If you have picked up something nasty then reinstalling the operating system is the best way to clear it. It should also make the machine run significantly faster. With the updates XP prefers more memory than it used to get by with if you have less than 4 gigs I'd add memory to take it up to 4 gigs.
Do the reinstall even if you give the machine away. You should be able to get a suitable machine for 600 if you keep the existing monitor.
Zoostorm Desktop PC
- Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz
- 16GB RAM + 2TB HDD
- DVD Writer
- Intel HD
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64bitZoostorm Desktop PC Intel Core i7-3770 3.4GHz 16GB RAM 2TB HDD DVDRW Intel HD Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit reviews
£579.00inc vat
Looks quite a respectable system to me. The CPU is probably more than you need and it has more memory than I think you need as well but its within your budget. The Intel integrated graphics shows up quite nicely on Tomshardware list of graphics cards.
Cheerio John
Dear John,
Thanks for the info. I have been and collected Belarc and run and printed it out, 7 sheets in all so quite a lot of data, but goodness knows what I shall do with it all....
The PC you suggest looks about right for what I want to do. I shall never buy a later version of Trainz so that is not a concern and I have Win 7 on my laptop so am familiar with it and normally use a mouse rather than that tiny pad. I had my eye on a Zoostrom anyway but wasn't sure if it would be good enough to run a game. Price seems about right as well so all I have to do is bite the bullet.
But first I need to backup any remaining data on this C:/ drive onto E:/ and then reinstall Win XP Home. It looks as if I have collected some nasty that McAfee is not picking up as I did another scan and it came up clean.
Is the free AVG any good? I think my nephew might have used it but he's gone to Belgium for the Waterloo re-enactment bash and then on a tour so will be away for 10 days. I cannot get in touch which is a little silly because I am looking after the house so if anything happened I would be stuck..!
In the end McAfee failed me so I shall look for another AV program.
One question - would this PC run Railworks 3? Just curious.... I might have a peek at it one day out of curiosity.
This PC has 3 Gig RAM by the way.
Cheers for the help,
Angela
Mmmm... my C: is less than a quarter full and E: is less than an eight, so maybe it isn't this? I think McAfee has let me down and allowed a virus to get past it.. but the latest version still isn't finding it, whatever it is.
Angela
Angela,
What you've provided has been very helpful. My, not so complicated questions, I hope were helpful for you since they narrowed down your purchasing scope and gave us something to work for. This is what I used to do for a living, and being a pensioner myself, I know full well what it's like to watch a budget.
Water cooling... Who would of though of mixing electrical stuff with liquid. It's a new thing with cooling. People build special radiators and plug them into the heatsinks (the metal fin-things sitting on the graphics card and processor) to help them over clock and over speed their machines without cooking them. I know it's a bit much for you, and a bit of an over kill for many of us.
I know you have no plans for going past TRS2004, but keep in mind future-proofing your purchase. You want to get things to a point where you won't have to do this for at least a couple of years.
John
What you've provided has been very helpful. My, not so complicated questions, I hope were helpful for you since they narrowed down your purchasing scope and gave us something to work for. This is what I used to do for a living, and being a pensioner myself, I know full well what it's like to watch a budget.
Water cooling... Who would of though of mixing electrical stuff with liquid. It's a new thing with cooling. People build special radiators and plug them into the heatsinks (the metal fin-things sitting on the graphics card and processor) to help them over clock and over speed their machines without cooking them.
I know it's a bit much for you, and a bit of an over kill for many of us.I know you have no plans for going past TRS2004, but keep in mind future-proofing your purchase. You want to get things to a point where you won't have to do this for at least a couple of years.
John
johnwhelan
Well-known member
CaptEngland
Trainz Engineer
Hi Angelah
OK, watercooling may be over the top for you, at the time I was assuming that you was starting to move up to TS2010 - upwards!
That Zoostorm Desktop seems about right for you. I must say that I was sure that you was one of the top players on Battlefield 3, though! :hehe:.
As for AV software, NOD32 is very good (I used to use it myself), but now-a-days I only use M$ Security Essentials which is good (just be careful looking at those sites with naked men! :hehe if updated each day after you turn on your P.C.
At the end of the day, it's what you can afford and what you want to do with your P.C. Mind you, if you had a high spec P.C, just think of the fun you could have beating all those teenagers on-line, playing something like Battlefield 3
:mop:
As for Railworks 2013 (or whatever it's called this month/year), That P.C. should be okay. Settings would have to be low for the graphic's to get a good performance (I do use it now and again
).
Best regards.
CaptEngland.
OK, watercooling may be over the top for you, at the time I was assuming that you was starting to move up to TS2010 - upwards!
That Zoostorm Desktop seems about right for you. I must say that I was sure that you was one of the top players on Battlefield 3, though! :hehe:.
As for AV software, NOD32 is very good (I used to use it myself), but now-a-days I only use M$ Security Essentials which is good (just be careful looking at those sites with naked men! :hehe
if updated each day after you turn on your P.C.At the end of the day, it's what you can afford and what you want to do with your P.C. Mind you, if you had a high spec P.C, just think of the fun you could have beating all those teenagers on-line, playing something like Battlefield 3
:mop:As for Railworks 2013 (or whatever it's called this month/year), That P.C. should be okay. Settings would have to be low for the graphic's to get a good performance (I do use it now and again
).Best regards.
CaptEngland.
wheelsonfire
68 years - still learning
I also agree with this statement. I've never had any problems - in fact I've installed Trainz time and again without switching it off. Still no problems.
I'll go along with this too. I've had good luck with this already built-in and free AV package.
The original engine for this, by the way, was something that came out of GFI Software's Sunbelt Software, so it's not as bad as people make it out to be, and the best part is it's free.
John
Hi all,
What an amazing response to my (I thought_ simple request. In the end anything to do with a PC is for me, not simple at all....
However John (JCitron I think), your post that listed the questions made me stop and think and from that I do believe the posters that came after my reply have had a much clearer view of my situation and needs, so thanks for that and I am sure everybody else is too as it makes choices a lot more simple.
I do believe that a PC I had many years ago - or at least it seems so after all the things that have happened in my life since - so possibly nearer between 8-10 years, had a graphics card in it, a GeForce something or other and that worked very well with 2004, it ran superbly in fact. After Alan passed over that very PC gave up the struggle also which is why I have the present one which certainly does not have that sort of card in it, there is no card at all.
What I might do is phone the company and have a chat and see what we can come up with, snag is I am unsure what I should be talking about...!! But if I explain the need to run a lot of graphics on screen they might well help. The cost may rise of course so it won't be this month as I have enough on my plate sorting this PC out. With this fault I am terrified to do any transactions online with my debit card.
Bear with me, I must get a new PC so it is in the pipeline. Any ideas are still welcome. By the way, I have the Free AVG on my Laptop and that has been fine, although TBH I don't use it all that much.
Bless you all,
Angela
What an amazing response to my (I thought_ simple request. In the end anything to do with a PC is for me, not simple at all....
However John (JCitron I think), your post that listed the questions made me stop and think and from that I do believe the posters that came after my reply have had a much clearer view of my situation and needs, so thanks for that and I am sure everybody else is too as it makes choices a lot more simple.
I do believe that a PC I had many years ago - or at least it seems so after all the things that have happened in my life since - so possibly nearer between 8-10 years, had a graphics card in it, a GeForce something or other and that worked very well with 2004, it ran superbly in fact. After Alan passed over that very PC gave up the struggle also which is why I have the present one which certainly does not have that sort of card in it, there is no card at all.
What I might do is phone the company and have a chat and see what we can come up with, snag is I am unsure what I should be talking about...!! But if I explain the need to run a lot of graphics on screen they might well help. The cost may rise of course so it won't be this month as I have enough on my plate sorting this PC out. With this fault I am terrified to do any transactions online with my debit card.
Bear with me, I must get a new PC so it is in the pipeline. Any ideas are still welcome. By the way, I have the Free AVG on my Laptop and that has been fine, although TBH I don't use it all that much.
Bless you all,
Angela
If you think you have a virus start the computer in safe mode ( no networking), then run an AV scan (full system).
Ms. Angela.
I'm a Mac guy, but, if your intended purpose is to run TRS2004, I would stay with a PC. The switching back and forth through bootcamp would be irritating. I don't know much about antivirus, but, wouldn't it make sense to load your programs an the new PC and laden your old one with antivirus to connect to the internet? Another pain but your game computer would run better. The old one can pick apart the bad stuff.
Just a thought.
Dave.......
I'm a Mac guy, but, if your intended purpose is to run TRS2004, I would stay with a PC. The switching back and forth through bootcamp would be irritating. I don't know much about antivirus, but, wouldn't it make sense to load your programs an the new PC and laden your old one with antivirus to connect to the internet? Another pain but your game computer would run better. The old one can pick apart the bad stuff.
Just a thought.
Dave.......
ray_whiley
Active member
Angela - a further comment from me, this time on Microsoft Security Essentials. This came ready installed on my new computer, about two years ago, and I have updated the database daily, immediately I connect to the internet. It takes a few seconds. Also installed were Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, which monitors all incoming things, and Super AntiSpyware, which seeks out and eliminates cookies (not the sort one can enjoy with the morning coffee!) These latter two I also immediately update daily. MSE failed me only once, when it reported a connectivity problem, but there was a way round this - going to the website and downloading the whole database rather than the daily update - this took two or three minutes. A Windows update cured the problem. Super AntiSpyware finds a lot of cookies, when I scan the computer, and removes them on command. All three of these are free. When I download Trainz content, I do it via the ftp which I save to a folder for checking for nasties before importing into Trainz. Something, by the way, tells me that any file I am downloading has been checked and no problems have been found - this is called SmartScreen Filter ( I think) and must be part of one of the above. I also use these programs to check my CDPs before uploading to the DS.
Incidentally, my old computer had integrated graphics, 250MB only, and I had no problems running TRS2004. This would not have been adequate for TS2009 or 2010 and my current spec is:
Craftsman Elite computer
Intel Core I5 650 3.2ghz Dual Core
4gb DDR3 1333mhz RAM
1tb SATA + card reader
Bluray ROM +22x DVD Rewriter
Nvidia Geforce GT220 Synergy 1gb
Integrated 5.1 support
Integrated Ethernet LAN
Windows XP Home
(Copied from the maker's list - the maker being the computer section of our local independent department store; Windows 7 was offered but I asked for XP as I understood that GMax (which I still use quite happily!) was not compatible with W7. Someone will now prove me wrong! - but I'm happy with good old XP.
Hope this is of some interest and doesn't add to any confusion!
Best wishes for your eventual decision.
Ray
Incidentally, my old computer had integrated graphics, 250MB only, and I had no problems running TRS2004. This would not have been adequate for TS2009 or 2010 and my current spec is:
Craftsman Elite computer
Intel Core I5 650 3.2ghz Dual Core
4gb DDR3 1333mhz RAM
1tb SATA + card reader
Bluray ROM +22x DVD Rewriter
Nvidia Geforce GT220 Synergy 1gb
Integrated 5.1 support
Integrated Ethernet LAN
Windows XP Home
(Copied from the maker's list - the maker being the computer section of our local independent department store; Windows 7 was offered but I asked for XP as I understood that GMax (which I still use quite happily!) was not compatible with W7. Someone will now prove me wrong! - but I'm happy with good old XP.
Hope this is of some interest and doesn't add to any confusion!
Best wishes for your eventual decision.
Ray
Sorry Ray, going to prove you wrong.
Gmax works quite happily in Win7 64 bit without any need to fiddle with anything, if anything it seems more stable in Win7 than in XP. I have three win7 PC's all have Gmax on them and a lot of other old stuff the "experts" on the web say doesn't work.Sorry Ray, going to prove you wrong.
Dear Ray,
I am afraid Clam is correct. My laptop has W7 and I have used Gmax on it very sucessfully, so I am not conerbed about W7. What I don't like is the way many things that were easily accessinle in XP have been hidden away in W7 and it just makes it harder to use - for me anyway - I spend most of the time just trying to find things.
Still getting all the icons dumped on the left side, tried several things and am now running the Malware program. Downloaed AVG and that gave a clean bill of health.
Spent until 0100 hours this morning transferring files over to E:/ drive ready for the Big Hit on this PC. Found a few installation programs off the Internet for things I use as well so they can be reinstalled after it is all over - if it ever is..!! I am beginning to wonder....
Blessings,
Angela
ray_whiley
Active member
Malc - no need to apologise! - I fully expected someone to say this - it was just something I had heard or read somewhere at the time and didn't want to take any risk. I'm really glad that this misconception has been scotched - at least for the benefit of others - I have XP, as I said, and will stick with it until I have to fork out for W7.
Angela - no need for you to be sorry either! I'm really glad to have the confirmation that GMax is OK in W7, with support for XP ending soon and the (possible) need for me to learn something new again! Rather W7 than Blender, I think. (Now I'll wait for the comments about Blender - but I've heard them all before, especially from someone I have known very well for many, many years ...)
Ray