Moving From PC To Mac

I hope this is the right part of the forum to post this question...apologies if not.

By the end of the year I will switch from running a PC at home to a Mac. I presume that a different MAC version of Trainz will be required and that one exists both for TANE and Trainz 19?

My main question is confirming that my existing routes and all those thousands of assets that I have accumulated over the years will still work in the MAC version of Trainz?

Finally (and I know I may be opening up a tastes great/less filling debate here in terms of platforms...that's NOT my intention), is there anything specifically related to Trainz that would make this a particularly difficult transition? The new computer is going to have MUCH better graphics, RAM and processing, so I'm hoping for an overall improvement. Just wondering if there's any history of any hidden problems related specifically to Trainz that I may be walking into.

Thanks in advance.

Hello,
You will have no migration problems from Windows to Mac. Just download and install Trainz to your Mac and then you'll have to redownload all your DLC items. I have Trainz on iMac, MacBookBook Pro, but my main install in on Win10.

I wonder about your thinking Trainz will run better on the Mac. What are you getting and what are you running on now? Running Trainz on my two Macs is less than what I'd really want to see, even at lowest settings. Especially in large yards and map view.

My hopes for increased performance comes from a significant overall upgrade between models more than a change in platforms from Windows to OS. I'm running a 5+ year old Lenovo machine with adequate, but limited graphics and processing capabilities now. It was purchased for my work projects (spreadsheets, Word, Powerpoint) and my use of it for Trainz is very much 'using what I've got'.

I'm purchasing the new Mini M1 with 16gb of RAM. I suspect a similar upgrade to a new Windows machine would produce the same--or even more--increase in performance with Trainz. My improvement hopes are tied to a better machine, not necessarily the move from Windows to MAC. My need to incorporate a lot more graphics into my work drove my decision on the new box. Trainz will just be along for the ride and hopefully will benefit (some!).

Since a lot of my routes are those that I have built, I presume I can migrate them...(and their related assets) machine to machine vs having to download them all again?

Thank you very much for your quick and helpful reply!

I trust you have seen the good thread in this forum about the new M1/Mini's. Let us know how it goes!

Actually I have not...I scanned the topics on the first page...and presumed that since this is a new product any discussion would be in the last 30 days or so...nothing obvious found. I've been following the typical 'it's trash/it's perfect' debate on You Tube and other places--opinions from the non-Trainz community-- but didn't see anything here. Any help pointing me in that direction is much appreciated! I'm always willing to consider another opinion. Clearly Trainz will not be a major factor in the purchase of a computer to support my vocation, but the change in technology will be a big step overall so all opinions are worthy of consideration! Thank you.

Thank you.

Sorry, it's in another forum:
https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?161383-TRS19-on-the-M1-Mac-Mini-first-impressions

geno1005 said:

Actually I have not...I scanned the topics on the first page...and presumed that since this is a new product any discussion would be in the last 30 days or so...nothing obvious found. I've been following the typical 'it's trash/it's perfect' debate on You Tube and other places--opinions from the non-Trainz community-- but didn't see anything here. Any help pointing me in that direction is much appreciated! I'm always willing to consider another opinion. Clearly Trainz will not be a major factor in the purchase of a computer to support my vocation, but the change in technology will be a big step overall so all opinions are worthy of consideration! Thank you.

Thank you.

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just remember that on the mac turf fx will not work as it relies on direct x , however, now there are new gpus in the mac M1 lineup, the future of this aspect is still uncertain. The gpu in the mac mini was compared to a rx 570 in one review I read, this is not too bad a result, I use an rx580 on my 2010 mac pro and it works ok, but it does have 8gb vram , just what the m1 gpu has an equivalent of I don't know as yet. . At the moment we can but presume it will work pretty well. the only way to tell is when someone with trainz buys one and reports on how well it works. a number of apps aren't working well on the m1 units as yet, including microsoft edge and one variant of adobe acrobat, but no doubt these will be sorted eventually.

You can move your stuff over and it will work, even on the M1. Trainz on the Mac doesn’t perform as well as Windows because Mac GPUs use Metal and they are working on converting Trainz to use Metal. TurfFX is not on the Mac. They are working on ARM versions of Trainz, I’m not sure if it is ARM versions of Windows or Mac. This means there is no native version of Trainz 2019 for Apple Silicon(M1) so it will run slower because it uses Rosetta 2 to run. Now the M1 does have a much increased CPU and GPU than they have had, so Trainz does run with enough performance to more than make up for it. You cannot run Windows on the M1 Macs at this time. There is Crossover, which allows you to run some Windows programs on the Mac, including the M1, however that also uses Rosetta 2. I bring this up as there is no Mac Trainz utilities.

The bright side, is they could allow their mobile versions to run on the new M1 Macs as that is Native code to the M1. Trainz Driver 2 is free.


I don’t mean to be a downer, just wanting to make sure you know what you are getting in to. I run Trainz on the Mac and will be getting the M1.

capdiamont said:

You can move your stuff over and it will work, even on the M1. Trainz on the Mac doesn’t perform as well as Windows because Mac GPUs use Metal and they are working on converting Trainz to use Metal. TurfFX is not on the Mac. They are working on ARM versions of Trainz, I’m not sure if it is ARM versions of Windows or Mac. This means there is no native version of Trainz 2019 for Apple Silicon(M1) so it will run slower because it uses Rosetta 2 to run. Now the M1 does have a much increased CPU and GPU than they have had, so Trainz does run with enough performance to more than make up for it. You cannot run Windows on the M1 Macs at this time. There is Crossover, which allows you to run some Windows programs on the Mac, including the M1, however that also uses Rosetta 2. I bring this up as there is no Mac Trainz utilities.

The bright side, is they could allow their mobile versions to run on the new M1 Macs as that is Native code to the M1. Trainz Driver 2 is free.


I don’t mean to be a downer, just wanting to make sure you know what you are getting in to. I run Trainz on the Mac and will be getting the M1.

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I agree with most of this with the proviso that if you have a powerful enough Mac trainz pretty much runs as well as it does on windows , if I could get a 16gb got on my Mac Pro, I'm sure I could run most routes on ultra settings. Even with 8gb vram, i can run most routes on top setting, it with reduced frame rates . Why d I continue with the Mac ? Well, I have had several windows machines with high specs and I've had lots more issues with getting stuff to install and run well than I've had on the Mac, it's generally reliable on Mac OS X depending on the version you are using, however the lack of turf fx may be a killer for some people . Capdiamont, do you have a link to anyone who has run trainz on the m1 as I've not seen anything so far ?
I'd need a first hand account before I was assured it was going to be ok, I made the mistake of installing a gtx 970 on the basis that I'd heard that it worked well on the Mac ( could not find anyone who was playing trainz with the setup ) only to find it worked well on everything I had installed APART from trainz , and since nv3 would not support it with troubleshooting , that was $499 down the drain.

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?161383-TRS19-on-the-M1-Mac-Mini-first-impressions

That is a thread with someone who ran Trainz on M1 Mac mini.

capdiamont said:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?161383-TRS19-on-the-M1-Mac-Mini-first-impressions

That is a thread with someone who ran Trainz on M1 Mac mini.

Click to expand...

Goes to show how bad my memory is getting, I've been commenting on that one just a few days ago , I was probably so busy complaining about the number or ports i forgot the person who started the thread had bought one and tested the app, yet another Homer Simpson moment !. DOH !!!!
so yes ,it sounds like the mac mini is a suitable substitute for a mid range windows unit as long as you don't challenge it too much. Pity the egpu option has been removed tho.... drat.

Just wait for M1X and then get your MAC.

From what I have read on mac forums, the egpu option is not written off for the M1, just awaiting ARM based drivers for the video cards. Can't find the link now, but the M1's detect the egpu hardware just as with the Intel model.

To the OP - I would absolutely recommend getting a RAM upgrade. I've just put an extra 32GB into my 2018 Mini and it has transformed how the machine handles the bigger routes - surprise! I used to get a lot of lagginess, which turned out to be simply the RAM struggling to handle it all despite running off the fast internal SSD, rather than the egpu and RX580 bottlenecking. Now running large routes with decent framerates, High shadows and just about everything else high. I do leave the PBR Shaders option lower as this seems to kill framerate quickly.

Tim12Rob, the new M1 Macs are limited to 16GB ram. I expect future versions to have increased ram. Though the ram usage is more efficient, some use cases will need much more ram.

To switch from Windows to Mac OS, you need to buy an Apple computer and start using it. It sounds simple, but newly minted Mac owners face many different difficulties. The most popular question among beginners is the installation and removal of programs. After the monstrous Windows installers with many agreements and treacherous checkmarks of additional software, it cannot be believed that applications can be installed by simply dragging them into the "Programs" folder. In macOS, applications are distributed in DMG images — a kind of archives in which the application files are located. You just need to open the image and drag the selected icon to the "Programs" folder to install. After a few seconds, the application will appear in Launchpad and be ready to use. When I switched from windows to mac, I didn't have so many answers on the Internet, so I had to ask professionals from https://www.salvagedata.com/apple-mac-recovery /. They helped me gradually so that I wouldn't have any more questions.

pdkoester said:

Just wait for M1X and then get your MAC.

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And when that comes out, it'll be wait for M2.

Apple are having an online 'event' on March 8, it may be worth waiting to see if information about future Apple Silicon is released during that event.