Hey everyone, So I am running a Dell Desktop, 16gb of ram i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz AMD Radeon HD 5450 Windows 10 x64 I do find struggles from time to time..and sometimes takes 2 or 3 minutes to load or edit an scenario. I am able to currently run Train Simulator 2024 comfortably on 32 bit. But looking for recommendations for a better graphics card. Being honest not a gamer, this is really the only game I be playing for the feasible future. Cheers Halil
Sorry, but this isn't easy! Your processor is simply outdated, which is why I’d recommend replacing your entire PC. With this processor and modern GPUs, you're definitely going to experience bottlenecking. It's also a waste of money to buy just a new GPU as a standalone upgrade. Sorry if that's not pleasant to hear, but I'm trying to help you make a smart purchase!
Important question: do you mean the Alder Lake 12400 or the Sandy Bridge 2400? I ask because the 2400 is so old that I'd be surprised if anyone is still using it, and if you've got the 12400 then TS (which is CPU dependent) should not be running like that at all.
The 2400 does indeed run at 3.10 Ghz, so it looks like not a typo. The Radeon 5450 is also very old and limited to max 1 Gb VRAM. Sorry to say, but this PC is way below the minimum needed for TSW. jesper2805 is right; you're going to need to replace it entirely.
Don't be silly, no need to say sorry. Your being totally honest. To be honest, I run it currently in 32 bit and loads fine but yeah as mentioned I do experience bottle necking a lot when loading the scenario or amending a scenario. I had this pc recently given to me by a close friend. Many thanks again
Cheers everyone for your honest opinion, no seriously I am because you guys play this game on a regular basis and it's basically a close friend of mine donated me a desktop pc and thought let's give Train Simulator another go after a 6 year or even more longer hiatus and I am hooked more than ever on this simulator and having a blast. So investing into a more powerful pc as a whol is nothing when it comes to ensuring I can enjoy my hobby as best as possible & give myself a better simulator experience. Many thanks everyone Halil
When it comes to TSC the GPU is the least important link in the chain. Even an decade old GPU can run TSC on ultra easily... as long as the CPU can keep up and the storage can load the assets fast enough. TSC simply loves single core IPS performance so if you building a new system for the sole purpose of playing TSC that metric is the only metric that should be of intrest of you when looking for a new CPU. Invest in fast NVMe storage, it will noticeably decrease the loading time for scenarios and editor. And it will help against frame drops while driving as the system will be able to load required assets faster. For TSC: Reserve a good portion of your budget for a good CPU, it is the biggest factor for performance in TSC Reserve budget for NVMe storage, it won't improve fps (it will help against frame drops) but it will decrease loading times quite a bit Spend whatever is left on a new GPU, again you don't need an $800 GPU to play TSC on ultra.
Thank you for beeing so reflective to the problem! I was a little carefully with my words because there are enough people the do not understand their problem and beeing negative to such reactions.
Ok great, really helpful as always this forum! I am based in the UK, so currently using a Dell Optiplex desktop. So for a CPU, minimum would you say is i7 ? or what CPU would you recommend? Yeah I do have a alot of assets / DLC probably well over 60gb so yeah will invest in a faster HDD, anyone you would recommend? Not an issue for budget, but would be the minimum and high spec range for cpu and hdd? Many thanks again
60gb is not a lot so allow for expansion My Railworks Drive is on a Samsung EVO SSD and is 695gb But I have a Desktop which is better for gaming as it allows other drives to be fitted.
As I said TSC only cares about the how fast a CPU core is, not how many there are, as TSC is not multithreaded to any meaningful degree. Terms like i5, i7, i9 are (mostly) used to differentiate between models with varying core counts. Intel actually does very well when it comes to single core performance so an 245K/265K could be an option. Personally I can't get myself to seriously consider anything from team blue. To have a better allround gaming experience besides just TSC i would go for a Ryzen 5/7 X3D in the 7000 or 9000 series. AM4 platform is on it's last legs by now but because of that there are some great deals to be found on AM4 CPU's and motherboards, even more so if you would consider 2nd hand and if you don't mind being on a "dead" platform. I have used different evolutions of Samsung EVO NVMe SSD's and I neve had any problems with them. I could see the point of an PCIe 5.0 drive to be used as boot/system device when budget allows it. As a game drive i think it is just wasting money imho. I would much rather have a 4TB PCIe 3.0/4.0 SSD to throw my games on than a 1TB PCIe 5.0 drive. Most mid-tier modern laptops nowadays have room for 2 NVMe SSD's. High(er) tier laptops can hold up to 4 NVMe SSD's. That being said I don't think that laptops are the ideal gaming platform. Components have to be smaller and thermals are a serious challenge. In the end you pay more for less with a laptop compared to a desktop.
Well i used to work in IT for 17 years, left in 2013, so i am more software than hardware, but i am sure i will be fine. At this stage i am just reviewing the options and may indeed get myself a higher spec desktop or laptop.
Ah okay nice! Whats youre budget? So maybe i can help to find something or give some inspiration. And whats the purpose for youre pc? Gaming only or also workload things and what type of games are you in?
Jesper Another thing to keep in mind wrt updating Dell PCs many of the componrnrnts are specific to DELL and many graphics cards may not fit into their motherboards so check any upgrades to your PC if you are going down that route. Lupin gives some good ideas on AMD cpu's etc. If you go the Intel route the i5 series are fine for TSC. My veritable i5 7600-K + GTX 1080 runs TSC just fine. Remember if buying a gaming system it needs to balanced just having a fast cpu will not be enough if its not balanced with the gpu, mobo, cooling, psu, and so on. Yes a fast cpu is important but IMO one of the biggest TSC fps killers (besides the base code generated page faults) is the latency between the cpu and the gpu to the display. TSC should run smoother with a balanced system. I'm about to acquire an AMD Ryzen 7 Mini PC NUC and run TSC via a SSD enclosure through one of the fast ports - should be fun! pH
Peter Hayes Yeah a new system for sure! It not worth to change stuff. Everything new is the way. And yes you need a balanced pc. I have a system thats perfect balanced. AMD Ryzen 7800X3D AMD Radeon 7900XTX The processor need to be in line with the GPU. Offcourse a cheaper pc is also perfect so thats wy im asking for his budget
Cheers to everyone who has offered their advice and suggestions. I cannot express my appreciation. So properly £300 - 600 This desktop will soly be used for train simulator as i have a lot of assets and DLCs. I am not a gamer at all but just fell in love with Train Simulator in a big way in the last month. Also be using it for general browsing and maybe teams meetings for potential future job interviews and thats it. I am currently looking on Amazon at present. But yeah looking for a hdd which is fast to handle the data. Some suggested NVMe for storage (are we talking externally like a passport drive) where you just connect to your desktop when you need to etc? AMD Ryzen 7800X3D AMD Radeon 7900XTX
No Nvme is connected in a Motherboard slot. Every modern one has at least 2 Slots. But beware 300/600£ is not much... You need: - power supply £85 - Motherboard £85 - CPU £250 - GPU £450 - RAM £100 - Nvme £150 Total £1120 So this is a cheap summary what you should expect. And i calculate low mit range now.
Many thanks again everyone for giving their suggestions and views. Really a wealth of knowledge on this group. I have a lot of options and thoughts on what sort of desktop pc I need to get to really enjoy this game at the highest level. Sadly I only stretch to about £600 But many thanks again for your all your input
I think its best for me to buy a pc which is already spec up for this.. Not really that confident of building a custom desktop even if I did work in IT many years ago lol But ideally a desktop that is of a gaming standard. I think I will look at maybe getting a second hand or refurbished desktop to bring the cost down. I do love this game, but not sure i can justify myself to spend over a grand for one. But I may change my mind on that. Anyway again thanks everyone and really appreciate all your suggestions, a lot to think about. Cheers
That is not balanced, that is just high end I'm a Linux person so I'm completely team red, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with a AMD Radeon RX 9070XT Yes generally you want the CPU and GPU to be inline with each other. However the OP states that the system would be solely used for TSC. In this edge case I would tip the scales towards a better CPU and take one step back on the GPU. With a tight budget like that I personally feel you have 3 options: Don't buy anything yet and save up to increase the budget Go the 2nd hand/refurbished route. As i said great deals are to be had but it can be "dangerous" if one is not tech savvy enough to be able to spot potential pitfalls like misinformation or even scams. Last and worst option imho buy something that fits in your current (tight) budget with the chance that you will regret it 3 months from now
Ah okay, you meant a balance between price and quality. When I hear "in balance," I think of a PC with balanced components like a CPU that can keep up with the GPU, and vice versa to avoid bottlenecking. I’d actually recommend increasing your budget. If you buy something just because it's within budget, you might end up regretting it, and you won't really make a meaningful upgrade. But that's just my advice.
I have an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 processor and a GTX 1660 graphics card, and TSC works without any problems.
