These specs

[rgcx]

Looking into an upgrade for 2010 copy that was gifted awhile back.

Specs
Processor !7-2600 (8mb cache) overclocked to 3.9 Ghz
Memory 6G Dual Channel DDR3@1333mz
Card Dual 1.5 GB GTS 450 SLI enabled

-is the Alienware Aurora capped by a $1500 budget

Not a guru and I know that I am overpaying, but so is everyone that has a mortgage

I am interested in buying a machine that is ready to go and will handle the demands of Trainz.

 

[bunkerrattmk2]

you said alienware....................................:hehe:

 

[tomurban]

That is overkill. I am running 2010 @ 20-50 FPS on a $600 SSF desktop.

tomurban

 

[johnwhelan]

First understand that it is impossible to build a machine that the wrong content in Trainz can't bring to its knees.

Second tomshardware is a reasonable place to get information on cpus etc.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-llano-processor,2989.html

Their suggestion would be an i5-2400 and if you look at the Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart on the last page its up there with the fastest cpus.

The compilers that N3V use are probably optimised for Intel cpus. There has been some discussion about whether or not SSDs are worth having for Trainz, they do load small files quickly and the price of a 128 or 256 gig drive is falling. Otherwise use a Raptor, I'd use one as a second drive anyway to put everything else on.

Graphic cards http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997.html thing to watch out for is power consumption. A Radeon HD 6870 would be overkill.

I'd buy an Antec case the Sonata comes with a nice 500 or 620 watt power supply and its quiet.

I like ASUS motherboards but Intel make some very nice ones. Memory just fill it up to 6-8 gigs with either dual or triple channel depending on the motherboard. 4 gigs should perform quite well but TS2010 on a very crowded route could use 4 gigs so add in half a gig for the operating system it depends how much you want to spend remember more memory means higher hydro bills and more heat.

www.NCIX.com used to assemble custom PCs for $50 but a local store might work as well.

Oh and I'd add an APC UPS, not so much for the peak protection but for the brown outs or low voltage when the fridge kicks in, it can save a lot of software problems as a low voltage can cause miss writes to the hard disk.

Watch the monitor, the more pixels the more computer you need. 1440 by 900 should be fine, more pixels mean you need a more powerful cpu and GPU to give the same frame rates roughly proportional to the number of pixels.

Cheerio John

 

[bunkerrattmk2]

build your own....it's worth the effort,i upgrade various parts every 2-3 years

..INTEL e6750 core2 duo 2.66@2.75/thermaltake big typhoon cpu cooler
8gb OCZ pc2 6400 ram in dual chanel
TWIN 100 GB HDD'S IN RAID 0
twin asus A T I eah 3850's in crossfire@718/998

dual asus dvdr rw optical burnner drives drives
asus p5q deluxe mobo
collermaster 850watt psu
thermaltake full armour full STEEL case
creative x fi extreme gamer sound card/5.1 surround.
acer x213h 22 inch ws lcd 1920x1080
windows 7 64 bit

 

[RRSignal]

Looking into an upgrade for 2010 copy that was gifted awhile back.

Specs
Processor !7-2600 (8mb cache) overclocked to 3.9 Ghz
Memory 6G Dual Channel DDR3@1333mz
Card Dual 1.5 GB GTS 450 SLI enabled

-is the Alienware Aurora capped by a $1500 budget

Not a guru and I know that I am overpaying, but so is everyone that has a mortgage

I am interested in buying a machine that is ready to go and will handle the demands of Trainz.

That's a fine machine you are considering. I do agree you can build a faster machine for much less - a lot of the problem comes from all the crap Dell (owner of Alienware) and other OEMs pre-install on your OS. And, for that reason, I'd look at a computer with NO pre-installed OS, either there if available or at Tigerdirect. But, yeah, to answer your question, you've got a good Trainzing machine. It would help, however, to keep your existing machine as a general internet machine and run the new one offline (except on-demand to access the DLS.) That way, you don't have to run any anti-virus or firewall, which are terrible for performance.

 

[johnwhelan]

Just a comment on requirements, my auran folder is currently just over 100 gigs and I don't have everything on the DLS by any means. So if you go SSD 256 gigs would probably be the size to go for and they aren't that cheap yet.

Cheerio John