IMac spec for Trainz 22

Forgive me if this is old hat but I am very new to Trainz.

My iMac has spec:

21.5in late 2013
Drive: WD Blue 1TB SATA SSD
Processor: 2.9GHz Quad-core Intel Core i5
Memory: 8GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 1GB
Mac OS Catalina v10.15.7

Am I pushing my luck to expect Trainz 22 to perform on my ageing machine?

Thank you in anticipation of any assistance.
Tom.

TomB said:

Forgive me if this is old hat but I am very new to Trainz.

My iMac has spec:
-snip-
Am I pushing my luck to expect Trainz 22 to perform on my ageing machine?

Thank you in anticipation of any assistance.
Tom.

Click to expand...

Hello. I have a Late 2013 27" iMac, 3.2 GHz, i5, 24GB 1600 MHz DDR3, SSD and Nvidia GeForce Gt 755 1 GB

Trainz Graphic settings are all on lowest setting.

I deem my iMac unacceptable for TRS19/22. It will do OK running a single line with some routes but as soon as you hit a yard or something with a lot to render it stutters. Scrolling of medium to large maps is unacceptable too.

I used my iMac for a couple of months then gave up and built a gaming computer (Windows) for my sims. I just got a new Mac M1 mini yesterday. I'm in the process of comparing it to my Win machine. But I fully expect my Win machine to out perform the M1 (in gaming) simply because of graphics hardware.

To be clear... the M1 mini is going to be an awesome Mac and I can't wait to get it all loaded up for my daily work.

I am a hard core Mac user since 1980's. I had an an Apple computer before there was a Macintosh. But let's face it. iMacs are not designed for gaming.

Besides, gaming on a Windows computer helps me to appreciate my Macs (I now have 5 of them), OSX, and the awesome Mac GUI.

(My opinion only.. no rebuttals please... everyone should use and love what works for them! )

Trainz 2019 SP3 and above added Metal optimizations and requires OS Big Sur and above. I don’t think your 2013 machine will run Big Sur. Not sure what your software needs are, however if you don’t need old software, I would get one of the ASi Macs. The CPU and GPU have increased in power a lot, while reducing power consumption and are on the low end of cost for Macs. The Mac Mini, iMac, MacBook Air and the small MacBook Pro all use the M1 chip, so they all pretty much preform the same, however on some of the forms, you have a choice of GPU cores. If you choose the newest MacBook Pros, their CPU and GPUs are much faster. I have the mini and the iMac. I can run Trainz 2019 either on ultra with all the details on, or down a little and get 60FPS.

capdiamont said:

Trainz 2019 SP3 and above added Metal optimizations and requires OS Big Sur and above. I don’t think your 2013 machine will run Big Sur. Not sure what your software needs are, however if you don’t need old software, I would get one of the ASi Macs. The CPU and GPU have increased in power a lot, while reducing power consumption and are on the low end of cost for Macs. The Mac Mini, iMac, MacBook Air and the small MacBook Pro all use the M1 chip, so they all pretty much preform the same, however on some of the forms, you have a choice of GPU cores. If you choose the newest MacBook Pros, their CPU and GPUs are much faster. I have the mini and the iMac. I can run Trainz 2019 either on ultra with all the details on, or down a little and get 60FPS.

Click to expand...

Thank you both for your replies. It was what I feared but I’m grateful for you both being very clear that my present iMac is not up to the job.
Now have to look at a new iMac or Powerbook as I am firmly wedded to OSX.

Thanks you both again,
Tom.

You might pick up a copy of TANE (Trainz: A New Era) just to experience Trainz. You can get Tane for $7.00 now and it would also run better on your iMac I believe. Just get the app (don't buy any routes until you see how it will run). It will come will Kickstarter Route which you can try and then there is all kinds of free routes to download. There are plenty of Tane routes. In fact, some of the best routes are for Tane.

Or.. You could do a subscription to TRS19 for a month just to try it and see forself.

If you do either one let us know. (Look for free "Model RailRoad" routes in Content Manager.)

They list a 2Ghz i5 as minimum requirement for Tane (Mac).
https://store.trainzportal.com/collections/best-sellers/products/trainz-a-new-era

Try Trainz: A New Era

Thanks for that suggestion it seems worth a try to get me started.
I have now downloaded Trainz: A New Era but can't open because "Apple cannot check it for malicious software". A response I have never seen before after downloading. Searching for a fix.
I'll get there.
Thanks,
Tom.

In system prefs check "Security & Privacy" and "Allow apps download from:" - Is "App Store and identifed developers" selected?

Edit: here's one web page also: https://www.tenorshare.com/mac-os/apple-cannot-check-it-for-malicious-software.html

Also... once you have Tane working and you learn how to download free routes from "CM" (Content Manager) look for philskene layouts and other model railroad layouts. You can set a filter in CM to look for author and/or search for "route" and "model train", etc. You will read in forums of "DLC" and "DLS" - DLC is Payware. DLS (Download Station) is freeware. Stick with small freeware until you see how things workout. There's a LOT to learn. Don't be afraid to ask...

Edit: also, when searching for routes in CM you need to stay with routes that are done in "Build Version" 4.5 and below. Anything above that is getting into TRS19 and TRS2022 which won't workin in Tane. Here's a wiki page with "version" (build) numbers for each "product."

https://online.ts2009.com/mediaWiki/index.php/"trainz-build"_number

Well I'm up and running folks thanks to the advice on here. As I'm in UK just been using the ECML route to find my way around. Bit flaky on High Performance Output but seems okay on Medium.
As I've been dabbling with Trainz on my iPad not surprised that the picture quality is much worse on my iMac. Just have to move up to a M1 chip .
I know i'm at the bottom of a very steep learning curve but I've started.

Thanks again guys,
Tom.

Glad you are up and running. For performance, there is a catch-22. Games perform better if optimized for Metal, which has been out for a while, however Trainz wasn’t optimized for Metal until Trainz 19 SP3. Trainz 2019 SP3 dropped old code, supporting old OSs below Big Sur.

RE: Well I'm up and running

Wonderful. In a way I think it's good that you have a start with Tane. It simpler in some ways and can help prepare for your '19/'22 experince later.

I just got a new M1 mini up and running (Big Sur) to go with my other Macs and my Windows 10 gamer. Anxious to compare the M1 Mac to Win10 with GTX1060-6. I tried the TRS-22 beta but game would not launch. Installed 19 and it seems to be working OK though I have not had time to evaluate or compare much yet.