My Pc - Should I Upgrade My Processor?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by raretrack, May 24, 2021.

  1. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Hi

    A couple of months ago after both Windows 10 and TSW2 updates were released, I started getting graphics-related crashes on the desktop PC that I run TSW2 on. I turned the graphics setting down from high to medium which stopped the problem, but I'm missing the quality I used to get. So I'm wondering if I should consider upgrading my PC?

    I've got 48GB of RAM and my graphics card exceeds the spec:
    • Recommended spec: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 with 4 GB VRAM or more
    • My spec: 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070
    so I'm really just concerned with my processor:
    • Minimum spec: Intel Core i5-4690 @ 3.5 GHz
    • Recommend spec: Intel Core i7-4790 @ 3.6 GHz
    • My spec:Intel Core i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
    What do people think? Should I upgrade my processor? And if so, what to? Or is there something else I can try first?

    Many thanks
     
  2. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    You processor is well over the minimum spec. If you want to upgrade it go for an i7 8700K.
    If you do not have an SSD yet you might want to consider that first. The game used to crash on me if it took too long to load the next tile.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  3. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2019
    Messages:
    1,484
    Likes Received:
    2,265
    Sorry for replying to your question with a question.... but....

    .... why have you got 48Gb of RAM.... (you did mean to type "forty-eight", right...?).

    and what kind of RAM is it (speed/latency...?).... You would get on perfectly fine with 16Gb of RAM with the 8Gb GPU with the vast majority of the software made for normal consumers (including MS FS 2020 at full chat)...... and instead of the additional 32Gb RAM you could have upgraded elsewhere....? Are you rendering a CGI film for Dreamworks, or something, in your spare time...? ;-p

    I would make a serious point though (even though this will sound like I am kidding you.....).... if you want to run the other circa 2012 "Train Simulator" software made by DTG (currently marketed as and often referred to as "TS 2021").... then you will need to significantly downgrade your CPU, because 2.8 Ghz will give you a crippled experience, irrespective of your core count. You'd get on better with a 3.6 Ghz CPU from ten years ago.... - it would actually work better. (Or you could get a modern 4.3 Ghz...). You need just one core - but at a high speed.(with compatible RAM), for TS.....

    But for TSW 2 - the i5-8400 should be fairly good. If you upgrade it, then make sure you get RAM that is well matched to it and your (presumably) new motherboard, in terms of speed, etc. Maybe your bottleneck now is that you have oddly mixed RAM modules......?

    Exactly what RAM do you have now?
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2021
    • Helpful Helpful x 2
  4. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Good question. I sometimes wonder myself. I needed more RAM for photo and video processing, and there was a 2-for-1 sale on when I got some more!
    My RAM is 2x8 and 2x16, both of which are matched pairs.
     
  5. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    To answer this more specifically: they are all Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000MHz modules.
     
  6. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2019
    Messages:
    1,484
    Likes Received:
    2,265
    Yeah, but what are the RAM specs, exactly....? You might find that the pair of 16s are slowing down your pair of 8s.... making your 48Gb system slower than a 16Gb one....

    If you are doing lots of video processing, as a job, and processing time impedes your workflow, then the 32 GB pair would come in handy..... if they are faster than the pair of 8s.

    And what motherboard do you have, exactly...?
     
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  7. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Thanks for these replies, much appreciated.
    All 4 modules are DDR4 3000MHz.
    Motherboard is a ASUSĀ® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs. I bought the PC in early 2018.
     
  8. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    That is a nice motherboard. If you have the bios version 1803 or higher (download free from Asus) you can use i7 9700+ processors, which are newer and better than the 8700 series. In that case you can choose between the following:

    9700
    9700K
    9700KF

    9900
    9900K
    9900KF

    All chips have 8 cores. The 9900 series can run 2 threads per core, for a total of 16. The 9700 can not.

    The chips that end with K are overclock friendly (you do not need this is you are not an overclocker) and have a bit higher turbo clock.

    The chips that end with an F do not have the integrated gpu (you do not need it as you already got the 1070, but might be good to have as backup and the price difference is not much).

    Anything above the 9700 is a good upgrade. If you choose to upgrade, select one of the above based on the price tag that fits your budget.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2021
    • Like Like x 1
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  9. synthetic.angel

    synthetic.angel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2019
    Messages:
    1,484
    Likes Received:
    2,265
    If you can pick up a cheap i7-8700K, then you'd get about 25% more power out of it, and I think these can safely push over 4.0 Ghz from 3.7 GHz. I actually think that you would realise the benefit of this CPU's higher speed as well, despite the sheer power of your GPU, even for stuff like TSW 2.

    The 48Gb RAM should be fine, if it is all matched at 3000. Not that you will ever use it. Maybe, in MS FS 2020, if you have an internet connected to Elon Musk's satellites.... ;-0)

    -------------------------
    EDIT - Scratch what I have just said - go with Inkar ...and the 9700, .......if you have the cash at hand..... ;-)

    In short - your system is worth keeping (overall), even if you spend a bit of cash on the CPU (this is rarely true, in my experience, but in your case - you could go for it).
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2021
    • Like Like x 1
  10. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Great thanks. I'll look into this, probably at the weekend now.
    Many thanks, especially for your patience, and sorry for not being clearer in my earlier posts!
     
  11. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    Keep in mind that upgrading the bios usually resets everything to defaults, so make sure you know what you are doing. If not at the very least take pics with the cellphone or write down the values for the different options before you do it.
     
    • Helpful Helpful x 1
  12. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Good tip, will do. Thanks.
     
  13. mariussoare_84

    mariussoare_84 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2020
    Messages:
    346
    Likes Received:
    781
    If you haven't tried it out yet, see if an OS reinstall helps to restore the previous level of performance together with other members recommended such as BIOS update and new drivers.
    This is the free solution for your situation and it's worth trying before committing to buying new hardware.

    In these times with the high demand and very low supply, it's best to absolutely buy new components if it's a must, otherwise, the overpriced hardware is not worth the gain in my opinion. Not right now.
     
  14. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    Another tip. Always try to buy all your memory modules in a kit. Only those bought in a kit are guaranteed to work well together. Sometimes modules that are the same on paper do not work well together in practice if bought separately just because it was not built exactly with the same process even if it keeps the same part number. Thats why there are so many kits around, and not just single modules that users could buy x2, x3 ,x4 ...
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2021
  15. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Messages:
    4,528
    Likes Received:
    10,147
    I have 64 GB of ram. Yes, it's overkill right now but I'd rather have too much than too little. Someone once said that 640K was all the memory anyone would ever need.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  16. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2018
    Messages:
    1,638
    Likes Received:
    2,844
    With a Z390 motherboard you could theoretically move all the way up to a i9-9900KS if you really wanted to, though I would advise against it for severely diminishing returns. Either a i7-8700k or i7-9700k would suit you just fine for a top-tier chip without going overboard. The i7-9700K in particular has seen lucrative prices recently. I'm seeing prices on eBay as low as $250 USD. I am not certain how that stacks up in your location but it is not bad at all.

    In my opinion, a good SSD is more important for this game than the CPU, though the latter definitely helps in areas with a lot of tracks or consists. Your GTX 1070 should also be perfect for 1080p on most routes, if I remember correctly from when I used one for TSW2020.

    I run 32GB of RAM (4x8GB), not because I ever need more than 16GB, but because I run them in quad-channel for maximum performance and 4GB RDIMMs are a rare sight.

    Cheers
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2021
    • Like Like x 2
  17. Luke8899

    Luke8899 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2020
    Messages:
    604
    Likes Received:
    1,697
    Does all this ram mean you can use google maps without your browser exploding? :o
     
  18. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    Welcome to the club.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  19. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    I did a clean re-install in January, so should be OK with that.
    I've got an M2 SSD, which seems very fast
    LOL, well that depends on internet latency I guess!
     
  20. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2016
    Messages:
    2,488
    Likes Received:
    3,270
    I think investing is a waste of money. You will gain a little, but not very much. You have good specs already.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  21. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2016
    Messages:
    4,528
    Likes Received:
    10,147
    I agree. The OP has approximately the same specs as I have and I get very good gameplay at high and ultra settings. The problem is something other than his specs.
     
  22. mariussoare_84

    mariussoare_84 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2020
    Messages:
    346
    Likes Received:
    781
    One thing that I noticed was when I had the game installed on an HDD (7200 RPM). I was running it using DX 12 and some changes made to the engine.ini file. I had many micro lags and stuttering. I replaced the HDD with an NVMe SSD and guess what, no improvement despite the massive increase in read/write speed.

    I removed all the modifications from the .ini file. I did not have anything pushed up to any extreme there, I had them a notch or two above their default values. Before moving to DX 12 I used to run with those modifications fine so apparently in combination with DX 12 things are not working as smoothly.
    I chose DX 12 over editing the file in the end, at least for now until I will find the mood to test some more.

    In case you have not yet tried DX 12 raretrack I recommend trying it to see how your fps goes. Many people got better fps than with DX 11.
    Simply add -DX12 in your Steam launcher, some more guidance here -https://steamcommunity.com/app/1282590/discussions/0/2842291719985745485/

    As you can see, optimization is not a strong point of this game.

    I run the game on a 3070 and at the start of each scenario when I go to camera 2, I get heavy freezes for a few seconds as if it's buffering heavily or something but after that, all is smooth till the end.
     
  23. conniethunder

    conniethunder Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2020
    Messages:
    342
    Likes Received:
    334
    Depending on your motherboard BIOS, you will probably have to enable XMP 2.0 for the DDR to run at 3000
     
  24. mancunian#7861

    mancunian#7861 Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2021
    Messages:
    234
    Likes Received:
    109
    Whether or not this will add anything useful or helpful to the discussion I'm not sure but I have an Intel (R) Xeon (R) CPU E5-1620 @3.60 GHz, 16GB RAM, an NVidia geForce GTX970 gaming graphic card with 4GB video Ram (overclocked version) and no SDD drive but I still get good graphics/gameplay on TSW2. I sometimes (rarely) get a moment's 'glitch' or stutter but most of the time it's as smooth as a baby's btm! :)
     
  25. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Here's hoping! I will try some of the tips from this thread first.

    Will check that out, thanks.

    Will check that out, thanks.
     
  26. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2020
    Messages:
    11,729
    Likes Received:
    17,941
    I don't see why you should be crashing, since I don't have that problem and have far less horsepower than you do (and FAR less than 48GB of memory!)
     
  27. ralphy_porter2000

    ralphy_porter2000 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2020
    Messages:
    110
    Likes Received:
    82
    I7 2700K OC 3.4GHz from 2011 32gb ram and ssd no crashes and av. 40fps fine
     
    • Like Like x 1
  28. cwf.green

    cwf.green Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 4, 2019
    Messages:
    815
    Likes Received:
    1,346
    Maybe try to troubleshoot the crashes by taking out the 8Gb RAM sticks and upping the graphics to what it was before and see if there is a difference (or vice versa). I was always of the impression that mixing RAM of different brand/capacity/latency/frequency was a bad idea but maybe I was misinformed.

    Also, regarding upgrading the CPU. Isn't TSW2 primarily GPU dependent?
    My CPU (was/is) good and it is overclocked to 4.6 Ghz (4.8 in the winter lol) but it is "quite old" (i7 7700K) if you compare it to the newer ones with more cores. My GPU is new though (RTX 2070 Super) and I feel like I gained a few tens of fps after switching from my GTX 1070. Currently I have 35 fps at Munich Hbf (all maxed TAA and 150% SS) and usually around 100-110 fps outside large yards.

    Although, I upgraded the GPU for other games. I still think you'd have perfectly fine FPS with a GTX 1070 (or even older).
     
    • Like Like x 2
  29. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    This evening's task was to update my BIOS. Phew, that was tense (!) but it went OK. Will try some of the other tips at the weekend.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  30. hyperlord

    hyperlord Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2019
    Messages:
    1,245
    Likes Received:
    1,270
    Your PSU is strong enough and the system temperatures are stable?
     
  31. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    Yes, good PSU and good cooling.
     
  32. raretrack

    raretrack Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Messages:
    336
    Likes Received:
    285
    I've been running on DX12 today with no issues so far.
     
  33. mariussoare_84

    mariussoare_84 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2020
    Messages:
    346
    Likes Received:
    781
    I'm glad to hear this! Have you noticed any improvements in the fps area?
    The newer API should be better optimized for more cores and threads/queues but as I have read, for some it brings improvements, for others crashes.
    With the possibility to add ray tracing and DLSS in Unreal engine 4.26, DX 12 becomes a must in order to be able to benefit from these features. We'll see what this year's core game update will bring us.
     
  34. toggle

    toggle New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2021
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    2
    Good day folks, While I'm new to the forums and I would like to know which processor of AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3970X or Intel Core i9-9980XE would be the best option?
    My current specs:
    OS: Windows 10 x64 Mobo: MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon CPU: Intel i7-6700k GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 Monitor 1: ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q Monitor 2: Benq GW2760s RAM: 2 x 16GB CRUCIAL BALLASTIX DDR4 2400 SSD: Samsung 250GB Evo HDD: WD 2TB Blue SATA
    I also study various benchmark tests:
    https://versus.com/ru/amd-ryzen-threadripper-3970x-vs-intel-core-i9-9980xe
    https://rankquality.com/en/processors/
    https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i9-9980XE-vs-AMD-Ryzen-TR-3970X/m652504vsm970030 let's go on talking about it and find the best option...
     
  35. Inkar

    Inkar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2016
    Messages:
    1,417
    Likes Received:
    2,335
    None of them is a good option for playing TSW2. Both are old models, both are better suited for heavy threaded applications like video editing and rendering and will not do great for gaming, both are HEDT platform models that will cost you a ton of money (unless you can find a really good second hand deal on ebay, etc).

    I would be looking at Intel's 12900K or AMD's 5950X if I were you.

    Also, looking at your system I would be thinking about buying a bigger SSD, 32 GB of RAM and a new Nvidia 30x0 graphics card before I changed the CPU. Changing any of those parts will improve your TSW2 performance much more than changing the CPU.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2021
  36. lucas_5_5

    lucas_5_5 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2019
    Messages:
    185
    Likes Received:
    317
    I have an Ryzen 5 1600AF. 16gb RAM. Rx560 2gb. And im runing all in ultra and i think shadows in medium. I have no tweaks on the ini settings.
    My recent upgrade was buying an SSD and i havent test this so much but i think i have less stuttering.
    All in all, i think you have more than capable PC for this...
     

Share This Page