Upgrade

[macneil]

Looking at upgrading in the next few months have found a few systems within my budget but since im A bit behind these days was hoping someone with more knowledge could take a look and share what one would best suit trainz out of the pick had to paste links hope that's ok.

http://www.mwave.com.au/cpc/configure/23

http://www.mwave.com.au/cpc/configure/51

http://www.mwave.com.au/cpc/configure/48




Cheers.

[Mightyena]

I would say that the FX6300 build is probably better out of those options, however I would swap the PSU as Raidmax PSUs seem to have a bit of a reputation for being of rather dubious quality (see this page for an idea of quality PSUs that won't make your PC explode).
Also consider getting an aftermarket cooler, which would allow you to overclock the FX and get more performance out of it, swapping the R7 360 for a GTX 750ti, and going for the ASUS M5A97 motherboard, since its only $4 more and from what I've heard, is a much better board than the Gigabyte you selected.

If you wanted an intel build, the Pentium G3258 would probably be ok for Trainz (other than T:ANE in its current state of course) , but it depends what else you want to do with it. I'd reccommend at least an i3, with an i5 being my preference, just for ensuring the PC still has enough power to keep up with whatever you want to use it for in the future. What would you actually be using this PC for, other than Trainz?

Hope some of this was helpful

[cyberdonblue]

Your 3rd option (listed below) would be the one I personally would prefer but I would choose to have an Intel i5 CPU at least rather than the i3, as Mightyena says. If you could stretch to the i7 that would be even better and would future-proof you to a large degree. I think the i3 would struggle more than a bit when T:ANE is in full flight. You may have to go up a grade on the Motherboard if you have an i5 though. I may be wrong, but I'm fairly sure the latest generation i5's are now LGA1155 (the 2nd gen were LGA1150.) I would also be looking at at least 16 Gig of RAM if you have got T:ANE in mind. The graphics card sounds good though (I have a GTX780Ti myself and it copes with T:ANE no bother at all.)

I have, in the last few months, built two computers for friends both using the Zalman case (Zalman Z1 Midi ATX/M-ATX.) For a midi case these things are huge and you won't struggle for room if you need to upgrade in the future. They are great cases and don't cost the earth.

At the end of the day though, Mac, it's a personal choice. You have to decide what suits you and what's within your current price range. Good luck in your search. I hope you find something you're happy with.

Dave

Zalman PC Cases: 1 x Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower PC Case - Black
Intel Processor: 1 x Intel Pentium G3258 Dual Core LGA 1150 3.2GHz Unlocked CPU Processor
Motherboard: 1 x Gigabyte GA-H97-Gaming 3 LGA 1150 Motherboard
DDR3 Memory: 1 x G.SKILL RipjawsX 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Desktop Memory F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
Video Card: 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC 2GB Video Card
Zalman Power Supply: 1 x Zalman ZM600-GV 600W ATX 12V Two Forward Switching Circuit Design Power Supply
Storage (SSD & HDD): 1 x WD WD10EZEX 1TB Blue 3.5” 7200RPM SATA3 Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 1 x Lite-On iHAS124-(OEM)(BLK-SW) 24x Internal OEM DVD Burner Drive - Black

[macneil]

Thanks guys I have TANE but it is unusable on my currant computer and I want to be able to run tane well besides trainz I like a lot of open world survival games mainly one called ark survival evolved which I have to play ok the lowest settings which don't do the game justice.

[cyberdonblue]

Have a look at this bloke, Mac. I love his channel. He plays ARK too. Just scroll down the page a bit for his ARK videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW07al ... o7RgEDtBcQ

Dave

[Mightyena]

Your 3rd option (listed below) would be the one I personally would prefer but I would choose to have an Intel i5 CPU at least rather than the i3, as Mightyena says. If you could stretch to the i7 that would be even better and would future-proof you to a large degree. I think the i3 would struggle more than a bit when T:ANE is in full flight. You may have to go up a grade on the Motherboard if you have an i5 though. I may be wrong, but I'm fairly sure the latest generation i5's are now LGA1155 (the 2nd gen were LGA1150.) I would also be looking at at least 16 Gig of RAM if you have got T:ANE in mind. The graphics card sounds good though (I have a GTX780Ti myself and it copes with T:ANE no bother at all.)

I have, in the last few months, built two computers for friends both using the Zalman case (Zalman Z1 Midi ATX/M-ATX.) For a midi case these things are huge and you won't struggle for room if you need to upgrade in the future. They are great cases and don't cost the earth.

At the end of the day though, Mac, it's a personal choice. You have to decide what suits you and what's within your current price range. Good luck in your search. I hope you find something you're happy with.

Dave

The most recent core i series (skylake) uses socket 1151, the sockets are (for the mainstream at least) as follows:

1st gen - 1156
2nd/3rd gen - 1155
4th/5th gen - 1150
6th gen - 1151

I have to say I disagee over the i7, in my experience the performance gains (unless you're doing something like video editing) from going from a 4/4 i5 to a 4/8 i7 is minimal, and they're significantly more expensive. The only way an i7 dramatically increases performance would be if you went for one of the ridiculously expensive 6 or 8 core socket 2011 chips... one of which actually costs more than my entire i5 rig!

Zalman PC Cases: 1 x Zalman Z5 Plus ATX Mid Tower PC Case - Black
Intel Processor: 1 x Intel Pentium G3258 Dual Core LGA 1150 3.2GHz Unlocked CPU Processor
Motherboard: 1 x Gigabyte GA-H97-Gaming 3 LGA 1150 Motherboard
DDR3 Memory: 1 x G.SKILL RipjawsX 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz Desktop Memory F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
Video Card: 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC 2GB Video Card
Zalman Power Supply: 1 x Zalman ZM600-GV 600W ATX 12V Two Forward Switching Circuit Design Power Supply
Storage (SSD & HDD): 1 x WD WD10EZEX 1TB Blue 3.5” 7200RPM SATA3 Hard Drive
Optical Drive: 1 x Lite-On iHAS124-(OEM)(BLK-SW) 24x Internal OEM DVD Burner Drive - Black

Although that build you've listed sounds good, as it gives you the option to upgrade to an i5 later, should you get additional funding.

As for memory, more is definitely good, but I only have 8GB and I rarely see over 70% used, unless I'm running lots of memory intensive programs at once. T:ANE only uses around 3GB for me...

[clam1952]

i7 comes in handy if you are running T:ANE and or TS12, with 3ds Max and PSP or even Transdem at the same time, no performance loss. I tend to have most open when I'm working on stuff. Besides it adds a bit of future proofing.

[macneil]

hello again I got A new graphics card and fancy new case for it and transferred everything into the new case all went well then came to installing the graphics card with the cd again all went well until it said it needed to restart and then crashed.


Had to reset the computer everything seemed installed but would like to no if it would be best to reinstall the software for the card I have had A couple of unwanted freezes since changing over and such.

New card is A Gigabyte GTX 750 Ti Windforce 4gig




Cheers

[cyberdonblue]

...Had to reset the computer everything seemed installed but would like to no if it would be best to reinstall the software for the card I have had A couple of unwanted freezes since changing over and such.

New card is A Gigabyte GTX 750 Ti Windforce 4gig

Cheers

It can't hurt to try reinstalling it, Mac. Check the manufacturers website for any updates too. You mentioned a couple of "freezes." Are your PSU and CPU up to the task? Might be worth checking.

Dave

[macneil]

Hi Dave psu is 250w more than card requires will reinstall and see how it goes also noticed the freezes are only tane so that could be the issue.

[clam1952]

Hi Dave psu is 250w more than card requires will reinstall and see how it goes also noticed the freezes are only tane so that could be the issue.

That sounds like the drivers are not anywhere near up to date, a symptom of early Win10 drivers and T:ANE.
Just install the current Win 10 drivers from Nvidia, not MS or Gigabyte. I doubt the drivers from the CD for a 7XX card which is pre Win10 are anywhere near as good as the current ones which work properly. If it has Win10 drivers on the CD they are probably effectively beta ones.

Hint, I've never installed Graphics drivers from disk or Microsoft with a new card, always get the current ones from Nvidia.

[macneil]

Thanks clam im running windows 7 at the moment I can upgrade to windows 10 for free still does it run better with tane than 7 ?

[PFX]

Ah, the great Windows upgrade dilemma.

I'll admit now that Win10 was shaky when I first installed it but it seems to have stabilised considerably since. It also uses less space on the system disk.

One thing I never encountered was the graphics stuttering but I didn't update my GPU drivers straight away. Again, I think this is an issue which has been addressed. I'm not going to advocate Win10 or not, that's a decision for you (it also absolves me of blame if it didn't work ).

Unlike most it seems, I run an AMD CPU (FX4100 quad core) with nVidia GPU (GTX 760) and 16GB RAM. I've been getting good results with sliders not quite maxed out but I'm considering upgrading my GPU to an nVidia GTX 970.

It might be worth running a system monitor while you have T:ANE open and seeing what the demands on your system are and if any are taking a particularly heavy hit. I'd still check the nVidia site for a driver update.

Innis

[cyberdonblue]

Personally, I think T:ANE runs better with Windows 10. Just beware of Microsoft's spyware and turn off/get rid of as much of it as you can - ESPECIALLY that bloody Cortana crap. Using that gives Microsoft free access to your computer and all of your files. It says so in the small print and using it says that you are happy with that. My advice is get rid.

The latest Nvidia driver has a T:ANE SLI Profile in the 3D section. Since installing it T:ANE feels better but it is still prone to random unexplained crashes to desktop. The latest beta is said to have finally fixed that though. We'll see.

I've got the Intel i7 4790K and a GTX780Ti with 32 Gig of RAM installed. Even that struggles in Driver with T:ANE maxed out, but mostly in areas of high detail if I'm honest. Again, though, the Service Pack beta is reported to have made some great impacts on FPS and such so I await that with interest. I WAS beta testing myself but ditched it when we had the wonderful comments from Tony Hillier over the Interlocking Towers and VSR signals debacle.

As Innis says though, it's your machine and your choice.

Dave

[macneil]

Thanks for the replies I upgraded to windows 10 but at this point Im thinking of going back since I haven't noticed any difference when running games but have had lots of problems with programs not responding and such will see how it goes for awhile longer then maybe switch back.