Ram question

[davesnow]

I recently added 2 more Gigs of Ram into my old Dell 8300 (total of 4 Gigs now). I saw a definite improvement in frame rates. However-----

I have a Logitech G15 Keyboard which allows me to see the CPU and RAM usage while playing the game. During a Trainz session, the CPU runs about 96-100% all the time, but my Ram usage hovers around 40-45%. Why isn't Trainz using more of my Ram to increase FPS even more?

 

[GP_38-2]

This would depend on what OS are you using?

Vista/XP 32-bit will recognize a maximum of 3.5GB (Though it seems to be randomly between 3.25GB and 3.5GB). Vista/XP 64-bit will see well above your 4GB.

Trainz really isn't that much of a memory hog though. I've seen it spike to around 70% of my 4GB.
On the other hand my CPU will go to almost 100% as does the video card/VRAM.

What are your full system specs?

 

[john259]

Have you tried experimenting with different values for -ResourceMemory in trainzoptions.txt?

John

 

[ex-railwayman]

Depends what other items are on your Hard Drive taking its toll on your RAM, things like Yahoo Messenger and anti-virus installations, they all absorb energy to run in the background, leaving less for your Trainz......

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[johnwhelan]

I recently added 2 more Gigs of Ram into my old Dell 8300 (total of 4 Gigs now). I saw a definite improvement in frame rates. However-----

I have a Logitech G15 Keyboard which allows me to see the CPU and RAM usage while playing the game. During a Trainz session, the CPU runs about 96-100% all the time, but my Ram usage hovers around 40-45%. Why isn't Trainz using more of my Ram to increase FPS even more?

A 32 bit program can only use a maximum of 2gigs. Your operating system can use about 512mb. Trainz memory usage is dependent on the layout size and complexity and the rolling stock being run.

Cheerio John

 

[llebrez]

So: it brings the next logical question: Since 32 bit only "sees" 2 g's, if we want to use more RAM, we should use 64 bit. Can Trainz run with Vista or XP running at 64 bit? On the same front, I had 4 gigs in my system using XP 32 bit. It detected 3.2 g's! but I saw no improvement on Trainz. Anyhow, at 32 bit with 2 G's I run extremely well with little frame rate degeneration. Maybe because I use a 45 nm CPU?

 

[Wessex_Electric_Nutter]

So: it brings the next logical question: Since 32 bit only "sees" 2 g's, if we want to use more RAM, we should use 64 bit. Can Trainz run with Vista or XP running at 64 bit? On the same front, I had 4 gigs in my system using XP 32 bit. It detected 3.2 g's! but I saw no improvement on Trainz. Anyhow, at 32 bit with 2 G's I run extremely well with little frame rate degeneration. Maybe because I use a 45 nm CPU?

Vista 64, xp 64 = yes, quite happily. There maybe an increase or decrease in quality, but thats system dependent. On mine, I noticed a slight decrease on my Asus Z92T laptop.

 

[StorkNest]

How much of your memory is used by Vista for video? As you can see in my post here:
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showpost.php?p=339717&postcount=5
My system uses more memory than the video card has. Is yours only using the video card memory or also adding some of the RAM?
I should also note on a computer support board, one user posted that when he added RAM, Vista allocated more RAM to video memory so he didn't get the full benefit of the RAM upgrade.
My point here is RAM allocation may be done wrong. If Vista puts too much into video, you may not have enough for processing.

 

[Captain_Collins]

So: it brings the next logical question: Since 32 bit only "sees" 2 g's, if we want to use more RAM, we should use 64 bit. Can Trainz run with Vista or XP running at 64 bit? On the same front, I had 4 gigs in my system using XP 32 bit. It detected 3.2 g's! but I saw no improvement on Trainz. Anyhow, at 32 bit with 2 G's I run extremely well with little frame rate degeneration. Maybe because I use a 45 nm CPU?

What Johnwhelan is saying is the Trainz is a 32-bit program, so it can only use 2GB whatever you do with it. If you upgrade to a 64-bit OS then the extra RAM will just be sitting around waiting for something to do just like it would be in a 32-bit OS.

 

[johnwhelan]

How much of your memory is used by Vista for video? As you can see in my post here:
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showpost.php?p=339717&postcount=5
My system uses more memory than the video card has. Is yours only using the video card memory or also adding some of the RAM?
I should also note on a computer support board, one user posted that when he added RAM, Vista allocated more RAM to video memory so he didn't get the full benefit of the RAM upgrade.
My point here is RAM allocation may be done wrong. If Vista puts too much into video, you may not have enough for processing.

There was an undocumented system feature with Vista that meant it duplicated what was in video memory in main memory unlike XP. My understanding is the latest drivers and windows update have resolved this particular system feature.

Cheerio John