Hi all! Hope you are all well I was unsure of which thread to post this in but decided to post this here as it’s mostly to do with TSC. I’ve been looking at moving to PC over the last few weeks so that I can try out TSC, but I’m pretty much new to PC, so I want some advice from the community, if that’s okay! Right now, I currently play TSW5 on Xbox series X, been stuck with TSW since the first release. I do enjoy the game a lot and have spent a lot on the game but I really want to explore better route and locomotive opportunities that TSC has to offer, especially AP. For PC specs and type of gameplay, I’m aiming to build a setup that can do between 60-100FPS (just smooth, not like TSW currently with its core issues) and ideally 1440P. Overall, smooth and vibrant gameplay, something you don’t get often in TSW. Nothing too stuttery although I do understand some routes in TSC with many packs/mods will have a demand on the PC I know that a lot of TSC routes require additional content meaning I will need a good load of RAM and storage, as I’ll definitely be buying AP packs if I can make this PC happen. as for PC parts & specs, I’ve been watching TSC videos, from the likes of RailSim gamer & Joe Dobson, as their gameplay looks really good. Getting into the main 3 components I believe which are: - GPU - CPU - RAM I’ve been looking at the RTX 3060TI and the 3080TI, as some videos I’ve seen using this GPU does look great and smooth. For CPU, I’ve been recommended the Intel core i9 12600K, don’t know if it’s good or overkill. For RAM, ChatGPT suggested between 16GB and 32GB of RAM, which I suppose is reasonable? I am not familiar with what’s good so I am just looking for anyone’s recommendations, what their setups are and how they look (feel free to post pictures) so that I can not only learn, but get a idea of what I want and look deeper into the price and budget! thanks all, take care!
Hello Dion Flannery welcome to the wonderful world that is TSC. With regards a suitable PC, the question is what else do you expect to use it for? TSC is essentially a decade old in terms of its technology and it won't take advantage of the features of latest hardware. If you just want your PC to play TSC, there's a case to be made of only buying medium spec components (by current standards). The most important features are an Intel CPU with great single core performance and an M.2 drive. nVidia graphics cards are said to be better with TSC, but I've no comparison as I've never used anything else. Good luck!
Being a sim game, you really don't need TSC to run at more than 60fps. As said above, it's a fairly old game, but it also depends if you plan to use mods that enhance graphics. It also depends if you want to use your PC for other games, or just general internet/word processing etc. What I would consider the main thing regarding TSC is that there is a HUGE abundance of content available compared to TSW, both freeware and payware (most of the free stuff requires payware assets to work). So my tip would be, is that the more storage you have, the better. Go for at least a 2TB nVME m.2 drive.
If Money is not an issue for you, you have pretty much nailed it CPU - The highest single core performance cpu you can get (I say Intel but I havent really had any experience with AMD), with TSC its brute force so while people say an i7 variant cpu is overkill they are technically right but the higher cache and other bits and pieces all contribute to a better overall performance specially if you start running live maps, raildriver software and other such things alongside TSC. GPU - Again with the GPU brute force is good, I too have only really used nVidia so would recommend that, go at least a xx70 variant or higher, I think you would be disappointed with a xx60TI or lower. I found one of the things that made TSC look good was a GSYNC monitor, they are pricey but they make it smooth as butter, maybe adaptive sync monitors have come along in the last few years but I have never tried one as I got burnt with them a few years back, others might be able to elaborate if they use them. SSD - As others have mentioned an M2 drive for storage is essential but make sure to get one that is nvme, not all M2 drives are equal, you generally tell by there sequential read and write speeds (this is not as important to TSC as internal operations (IOPS) but an increase in one usually comes with the other), have a chat with ChatGPT to make sure that the M2 drive you are getting is definitely the speed you are expecting. I would also get one dedicated solely to TSC as well, once you start collecting DLC you will be surprised how quickly they fill up, start with at least 1TB, I am now up to my 3rd 1TB drive, I run them in raid to create a single 3TB drive. You will not necessarily need the top of the wazoo motherboard but get at least a Z series chipset if you are going intel as the extra PCIe lanes will come in handy if you start running multiple M2 drives, and minimum 16GB RAM but its pretty cheap these days why not get 32 and I would use all slots as 4 x 8GB sticks is faster than 2 x 16GB sticks In the end it will all come down to budget, but if you focus on these 3 main areas you should be alright, when running TSC I would stick to 2x2 SSAO in the settings as I find it gives the best compromise between graphical performance and quality, alot of people say they are running TSC at the highest graphical setting but when you dig down they arent as to run 3x3 SSAO well Im not sure there is a PC that can do that reliably on a modern released route and still maintain decent FPS throughout an entire run of the route. I have probably raised more questions than I have answered for you but in the last 15 or so years I have been playing Railworks / Train Simulator and chasing the mythical hardware dragon that is decent performance in this game those are my observations. Below is my setup which I would consider medium to high end if it helps at all, I run nearly all routes on TSC at higher than 40fps dipping in only some of the highest populated areas on routes. CPU - Intel i7 13700K MOBO - Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master RAM - 32GB Corsair Vengance 6000mhz GPU - Gigabyte RTX 4070TI Aorus Master SSD - Gen4 M2 1TB drive for Windows (WD Black SN770 - transfer speeds upto 6GB) SSD - 3 x Gen3 1TB M2 drives in Raid for TSC ( 2 x Samsung 970 EVO + 1 x Crucial P1 - Transfer speeds upto 2GB or 6GB when in raid) I have no doubt missed something so chuck my answer into ChatGPT and see if it can elaborate some more or maybe turn it into a coherent answer for you lol.
Hi Iron Bladder! Thank you for your reply At the moment, it’s just TSC I’m aiming for although I know myself for a fact if a game that I see that is familiar, I’ll most likely end up buying it. could also use it for work as well as I work with Northern Rail, could use it to read emails, check my roster, and access my work portal etc! My mission is to build a PC for TSC, then hopefully having learnt a lot, can then upgrade parts in the future if I am looking to expand my games! when it comes to parts, I only know little lol! I’ve been using chatgpt to help me build a spec list and it’s actually been good helping me. I am familiar with Nvidia and intel in terms of brands and know what they are capable off, and I’ve been watching many videos of people building PCS so I have a decent idea of what is what but yeah at the moment for me. All eyes on TSC! man I love those Armstrong powerhouse packs, so much more immersion than TSW. thank you for your reply, will definitely take it into consideration! Take care
Hello Sir, thank you for your response you have a great point with FPS. As someone who’s played TSW for years, I have had the problems with FPS issues and memory as that game right now is not in the best form, and I don’t want TSC to be the same which I know it won’t with the right parts! I do plan to get mods/packs to enhance my experience, especially with Armstrong powerhouse packs as well as community projects people have worked on! Will definitely be a expensive journey, that’s for sure at the moment, I want the PC for TSC first and then as I develop myself into the PC world, will more than likely be getting other games but not too many, as most of the games I play are on my Xbox! and yes I understand that there’s a lot of add ons for TSC! This is an area I have been looking at to see how much storage and RAM I would ideally need. I’m mostly into my British routes as those are the ones I enjoy the most! there is definitely a good amount of rolling stock I would definitely want, so as you said, a 2 TB drive would be great for a starter drive. will probably last me a very long time considering I have work life as well. I work on the railways so I won’t always be on my gaming stuff anyways until my days off! thank you for your response, will definitely take it into consideration!
hello Bekns, thank you for your reply! yeah my budget should not be a issue, as long as I spend right and not like a kid in a sweet shop lol! I get paid twice in august which is really good for me. One at the start of august and at the end, as well as my birthday in August so I’m hoping I should be good! Yeah, wow, you’ve explained a lot! yeah I won’t be using live maps or raildrivers, my main focus is getting TSC and building upon it in terms of mods/packs and rolling stock, I already know that it’s going to be a hefty amount lol! would the Intel i9- 12600K be good for TSC? As chat GPT recommends me that. It’s definitely affordable for my budget so I have it saved on PcPartPicker.com For the GPU, what do you mean by “xx70 or higher”? Do you mean for example, the RTX 3070, RTX4070 etc? The 4070, I will have a look at! as part of my PC plan, I am looking at getting a new monitor, just for the inbuilt speakers. I currently have a MSI 1440P 144hz 27’ inch gaming monitor for my Xbox series X, really nice monitor but it has no speakers which means I have to wear a headset constantly which I get bored off lol! as for the drives, yes, I’ve done my research on them, with making sure it’s NVME and M2. I already know that I will need LOTS of storage eventually! 32GB, yes I have been looking at that! overall, you have provided me with lots of information and it has really helped me, so thank you sir! Since it’s a lot of information, I’m going to come back to this chat, copy your PC specs into PCPartPicker.com to get an idea of the price and any adjustments and run it through chatGPT! thank you for your time, everyone has been friendly and welcoming here which I appreciate! I’m looking forward to hopefully, starting this journey soon! thanks, Dion
I can only echo what has been said. With emphasis on the “get the fastest single core performance you can afford” part.
Bekns has given an excellent set of specs - I would just add: Case: buy a "roomy" case with good fans to distribute air flow. Mother Board full size - make sure it can handle (Space wise) today's modern GPUs many are wide and long! WIFI capable. Power Supply: At least 600 w (7/800w preferable) and rated Silver, Gold, etc CPU cooling: I prefer liquid cooling - any good one, just make sure it can do the job. GPU: I would start at least with the 4 series the RTX4070 is pretty good. Monitor: high refresh rate eg >120Hz GSync or FreeSync pH
Hi Peter, thank you for your response! Yeah I think my main priorities for this pc plan I have is the Graphics card, CPU, and RAM, as I want to get those right. Budget shouldn’t be a issue, I get payed twice in August plus my birthday so I’m thinking of buying the cheaper parts in the first pay with the big boy stuff in the second pay, then when my birthday arrives, see what else I need. just gotta make sure I have money left to last through the month obviously as I need to survive lol! Especially when I work on the railways on night shifts, this weather can drain you been so hot. I hope by maybe end of September, I should have a working PC. If not, October LATEST. I’ve been using PcPartPicker.com to help me build a pc with parts that work with eachother so I’ll definitely build something with the GPU you recon and build something that fits my budget! thank you all for your time, it has been really helpful!
lol, i think hot has a different meaning where Peter and myself are from down under. I am a fellow railways man myself in Western Australia but I am on the freight side of things, mostly intermodal work out of the port these days but every now and then works trains out in the countryside as well
Oh from Australia? Very nice dude! Definitely hotter than over here in the UK just sticky and humid here. Intermodal sounds very fun and different, how is it? im a TPO (Train presentation operative), basically a train cleaner. My job is just to clean trains ready for service the next morning at my depot! Only started 4 months ago but going well!
TSC requires a more powerful machine than TSW does. It's not a truly multi-threaded application, so you'll need very good single core CPU performance, so when selecting components, it is SINGLE CORE performance that matters, not overall CPU performance in multi-cored tasks. Look at single thread results on a test score... don't ask chat GPT LOL.... watch some test videos on Gamers Nexus. Just go for as much grunt as you can when it comes to GPU, but TSC is sensitive to VRAM, and I really, really wouldn't like to go below 8GB. 16GB of system RAM should be OK, but really, you'd be silly to build a system with so little RAM these days... 32 should be the minimum anyone chooses when building a new PC. You will almost certainly not get 100FPS in Train Simulator Classic no matter what you build. To be honest, you don't need it. TSC is fine once you pass 30 or 40fps... you're just looking ahead at oncoming scenery. "For RAM, ChatGPT suggested" I've been dying to know why people do this for ages. Seeing it a lot lately. (particularly with gen Z and younger millennials, so would be interesting to know how old you are)..... Using Chat GPT as a search engine... why? Genuinely curious... not criticising. You get one answer to a question, and if it's wrong (which is often is) you go away with that one single answer to your question, thinking it's correct. In this instance the information it gave you wasn't actually wrong - 16 to 32 is fine, but that's only because it's an easy question to answer, but one day, you'll ask Chat GPT something more nuanced, it will hallucinate, and then you'll go off armed with something that could be at best embarrassing, or at worst dangerous. AI is actually rubbish as a substitute for a search engine/research tool.
Fellow Aussie here too, except I'm on the east coast - up here in QLD, hot is an understatement - at least over in WA it's dry heat depending where you are - it gets bloody humid in summer up here, and I'm not even from north QLD. On the subject of computers, I'm thinking of upgrading, but am leaning toward switching to an AMD processor but still keeping with NVIDIA for a Gpu. I'll most likely go for the following: CPU AMD AM5 9600X Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomohawk Wifi AM5 ATX GPU: Gigabyte GeForce Gaming OC RTX 5060Ti 16GB RAM: Corsair 32GB 6000mhz DDR5 Storage: 1TB Crucial P310 (or T500), 4TB Crucial P3 Plus (or P310) Gonna keep my case, PSU and cooler (unless they should be replaced as they are 5 years old now.) Won't just be for TS classic, but hopefully better than what I have already (my current specs are in my signature block)
CPU great. Ram definitely go for 32gb ddr5 GPU I would go for a 4070 minimum. Overkill for most TSC routes but with enhancements etc some routes will need it. Besides as I see you are a Xbox user you can install Xbox live on the new pc and try all your games on it. Some games you probably won't see any advantages and others you will be surprised.
Heya mate! yeah my work colleague told me last night when we was working to go for a very good CPU AND GPU as I’ll be getting enhancements when the time is right! He sent me a prebuilt pc build he found that he said would be perfect for me. Was expensive, can’t remember the specs but they looked very good! As it’ll be my first time moving to PC, I think I might go with the prebuilt as it’s my safe option and then when I’m comfortable in the future, start building on to it!
I can highly recommend Wired2Fire for pre-built PCs: https://wired2fire.co.uk/ I've used them since 2010 or so and find them approachable, helpful and professional. My current PC dates from 2020 and has three hard drives, C SSD 500GB for Windows and general programmes, D SSD 500GB for TS mostly, and E HDD 2TB for general Documents etc.. I would definitely have a bigger D if I set it up today. I use only UK routes currently and at the point I reached I there were still large chunks of the network not installed, not to mention assets. The size of my Railworks folder at its max was 243GB. Some people on here probably have nearly everything UK and it might be interesting to know what size their storage is. Having said that, if you follow the idea below you may not need such a big 'D' drive - see Bekns post, 1st July and my questions lower down here: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/tsc-v-tsw-rolling-stock-performance.92278/#post-1016206
