My new "Covid Boredom Buster" Trainz PC

pware

Trainz Veteran
After over a year of pandemic restrictions and doing "the right thing" by not travelling, partying, going out much, etc plus putting up with no working desktop for Trainz (and while my laptop did a great job it was not the same) I have finally received my new desktop. A Dell G5 5000 gaming desktop. All of my desktops over the past 10-12 years have been Dell.

Specs (all exceed both my laptop and previous desktop)

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700F CPU @ 2.90GHz, 2904 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Monitor: Dell S2721HGF (27" curved screen gaming)
Drive: Micron 2300 NVMe 1024GB

Trainz Performance (compared to my laptop and previous desktop) on Trainz Plus build 111951

NO STUTTERING evident in any of the TRS19 routes/sessions I have tried
Loads large routes much faster.
Wider screen is a dream for both route building and driving.

A great boredom buster!
 
After over a year of pandemic restrictions and doing "the right thing" by not travelling, partying, going out much, etc plus putting up with no working desktop for Trainz (and while my laptop did a great job it was not the same) I have finally received my new desktop. A Dell G5 5000 gaming desktop. All of my desktops over the past 10-12 years have been Dell.

Specs (all exceed both my laptop and previous desktop)

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700F CPU @ 2.90GHz, 2904 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Monitor: Dell S2721HGF (27" curved screen gaming)
Drive: Micron 2300 NVMe 1024GB

Trainz Performance (compared to my laptop and previous desktop) on Trainz Plus build 111951

NO STUTTERING evident in any of the TRS19 routes/sessions I have tried
Loads large routes much faster.
Wider screen is a dream for both route building and driving.

A great boredom buster!

Respectfully may I be a little Jealous here,,,,,:hehe:.......

Always wondered how a large Curved Screen would look running Trainz in it..........:p

Curious as too how much VRAM your NVIDIA is? Great GPU Card to have........

Enjoy your new Toy, you surely deserve it.....Happy Trainzing Sir.......:wave:
 
Always wondered how a large Curved Screen would look running Trainz in it..........:p

No comparison.

Trainz Plus scenes from identical POV running on 27" screen (below)...

Dell-G5-5000-SAR-Scene.png


.. and my Laptop screen

Dell-Inspiron-SAR-Scene.png


Both images resized to the same physical dimensions for this posting but the top image was 1920 x 1017 and the bottom image was 1536 x 841.

Curious as too how much VRAM your NVIDIA is? Great GPU Card to have........

I had to look that up - 8GB.

The main reason I went for the RTX 3060 Ti was that it was only slightly more expensive than the GTX 2060 Ti they were also offering (the 3060 was on sale). The next level up, an RTX 3070 Ti, was outside my price comfort zone.

Peter
 
Peter,
That's a great setup that you have now, it will make your experience so much better in Trainz.
I don't regret spending my kids' inheritance mony on my last upgrade :D
I wanted a 30xxx card but they were as rare as rocking horse poo earlier this year.

mine..
CPU: Intel Core i7-11700KF, GPU: Nvidia RTX 2070S (Super), MBD: Asus TUF GAMING Z590-PLUS, AM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB.
2 x LG 32MN500M-B 31.5" Full HD IPS Monitors (75mhz) with a res of 1920 x 1080 Full HD which means I don't have to lean forward to see the small print any more.


cheers,
Graham

P.S.
Don't you go and leave us, your input of opinions livens this forum up.
I will certainly miss J. Citron.
 
After over a year of pandemic restrictions and doing "the right thing" by not travelling, partying, going out much, etc plus putting up with no working desktop for Trainz (and while my laptop did a great job it was not the same) I have finally received my new desktop. A Dell G5 5000 gaming desktop. All of my desktops over the past 10-12 years have been Dell.

Specs (all exceed both my laptop and previous desktop)

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700F CPU @ 2.90GHz, 2904 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Monitor: Dell S2721HGF (27" curved screen gaming)
Drive: Micron 2300 NVMe 1024GB

Trainz Performance (compared to my laptop and previous desktop) on Trainz Plus build 111951

NO STUTTERING evident in any of the TRS19 routes/sessions I have tried
Loads large routes much faster.
Wider screen is a dream for both route building and driving.

A great boredom buster!

P,

As you may recall, I too indulged in a new sooper-PC recently. After a month or three fettling a serious technical issue, it now performs at that high level I was hoping for. Huzzah!

The new gubbins improves the workings of many programs, mostly in speed of execution though (and ability to easily handle 4K). Photoshop and Lightroom processes complete in no time; even video rendering of 4K is just a few minutes rather than the hour or more of the previous PC. Very good.

Trainz also runs far better .... but in more than just processing times (which are significantly shortened, as you have noted in your own post). The previous PC suffered crashes to the desktop and even BSODs when running demanding Trainz routes in both Driver and Surveyor. These are no more. The temperatures of the components used are no longer pushed up to their limits. I expect that this greater processing power of the new PC will therefore also avoid component-fry, which I deem the Trainz program responsible for with the old PC in that only their use during Trainz managed to blow up a GPU and boggle an SSD, as the fail-safes themselves failed to protect those components from their red-hot experiences induced by Trainz.

Of course, that Tony will pooh-pooh such a notion. Yet there is history in these very forums complaining of the savage demands made by Trainz on components, with those not absolutely resilient falling over in a faint or even (as in my own cases) dropping dead!

So, I am hoping my new PC will avoid those sort of incidents. Mind, it is possible now to "go-ultra" with no untoward effects other than improved visuals and no stuttering. I've tweaked those fan profiles to go full-blast well before the PC develops a "heat dome", though. :)

Lataxe
 
Enjoy pware!

I've recently been running some tests with my rig (not nearly as nice as yours) using MSIAfterburner checking fps, temps, and cpu, gpu utilization at all different settings, etc.

I was surprised to learn that the single setting that affected my stuttering the most (when it came) was whether or not Verical sync was on or off. I have a cheaper ASUS monitor with G-sync. I tried full sync, half sync, but things are smoothest with game and GPU Vertical Sync set to "None." With full sync I could get some stuttering even when CPU, GPU, Ram were not even being "challenged" that much.

Just wondering what you are finding with your v-sync settings and that monitor.
 
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Likewise as not spending anything much during the pandemic I splashed out a bit. Not a new PC as such but an upgrade of my Ryzen rig, now has a Ryzen 7 3800X 3.9 Ghz (8 cores 16 logical) to replace the Ryzen 5 1600 and 16GB of Corsair 3000Mhz Vengeance LP Ram to replace the 2133 stuff that was in it, coupled with the 1080TI from my Intel rig it flies! 3000 series cards are too extortionately priced for my liking at present but the 1080TI is still holding it's own.
Can run full settings and the CPU is at 65°C GPU at 70°C and haven't touched fan profiles, probably the large after market cooler and 5 case fans helps though! The CPU came with a AMD Stealth Prism cooler, works but is a horrible noisy thing not like the Spires and has annoying colours, so I replaced it, now all nice and quiet and no fancy colour display stuff here, PCs live under the desk so would be pretty pointless anyway.
I have 3 1920 x 1080 monitors haven't got the room to go any bigger than 24" but they are fine for me.
 
Just wondering what you are finding with your v-sync settings and that monitor.

I had not thought about testing that until your post. I had left it at Half Sync because that is what I have always used in all versions of Trainz. I just set the display to Full Screen, 1920 x 1080 at 120Hz and Full Sync. It ran very smoothly, better than my lower resolution 60Hz laptop at Half. Animation (motion of the driving rods) is the best I have ever seen. I am impressed.

As for the cooling fan(s), I have not heard them come on once. It might be a different story when we get into summer later this year.
 
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P.S.
Don't you go and leave us, your input of opinions livens this forum up.
I will certainly miss J. Citron.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I too will miss John but I hope he will be back. He has been heavily involved in beta testing and that can be very frustrating. It does take a lot out of you. I have been involved in beta testing in smaller doses plus I thoroughly enjoy using Trainz and don't let the problems bother me. I won't be leaving.
 
Hi pware. I am currently looking at a similar Dell config as an update to my current XPS 8920. I would be using it for Trainz, and other gaming. I have read reports of heat and noise issues with the current Dell cases. Have your had any such issues?
 
No noise issues whatsoever. I occasionally hear the fans working when running Trainz at max settings but it is always minor and easily drowned out by the loco sounds through the speakers.

I have only had the computer for a few months, winter and now into spring, and I have yet to see any evidence of heating issues. Summer may reveal a different story but my computer room/study is sheltered from the summer sun and the house is air conditioned so I am not expecting any issues.

I also upgraded from a Dell XPS (forgot which number) that would now be about 5 years old. I am very pleased with the Dell G5 5000 desktop.
 
Interesting your comments on the 3060 Ti as one is on my shopping list but having issues trying to justify the expenditure when because of the shortage in affordable high end graphic cards over the past year or so, there has been little practical evidence to support such a purchase. Enjoy, unashamedly green with envy. Peter
 
That's really what I expected to hear, but thanks for the confirmation.

Dell no longer list the G5 on their Australian site, however until today they had an XPS 8940 with basically the same config. Unfortunately this morning it no longer appears either. It was on sale, and seems to have sold out. The Alienware version is also on sale, albeit at a bit more of a premium price. I have decided to go with that - it has a liquid cooled CPU,a 1000 watt power supply, and some other tweaks to offset against the higher price.
 
After over a year of pandemic restrictions and doing "the right thing" by not travelling, partying, going out much, etc plus putting up with no working desktop for Trainz (and while my laptop did a great job it was not the same) I have finally received my new desktop. A Dell G5 5000 gaming desktop. All of my desktops over the past 10-12 years have been Dell.

Specs (all exceed both my laptop and previous desktop)

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10700F CPU @ 2.90GHz, 2904 Mhz, 8 Core(s), 16 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM): 16.0 GB
Video: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Monitor: Dell S2721HGF (27" curved screen gaming)
Drive: Micron 2300 NVMe 1024GB

Trainz Performance (compared to my laptop and previous desktop) on Trainz Plus build 111951

NO STUTTERING evident in any of the TRS19 routes/sessions I have tried
Loads large routes much faster.
Wider screen is a dream for both route building and driving.

A great boredom buster!

pware, welcome to the G5 Club! I too have my own G5 with your exact specs (aside from the SSD) for some odd reason! What a coincidence that you have the same computer I do! I will warn you, the Intel processor can get hot when installing large .cdp's.

(I'm a bit late to the party lol)
 
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