Updating my computer for MSTS

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:25 pm

Hi, I have finaly got fed up with the stuttering as MSTS moves from tile to tile, I have decided to give my 'puter more ram. Trouble is I'm scared stiff of opening the tower, I have read all the anti-static precautions and the instructions for installing a 512MB, 184-pin DIMM upgrade for my Dell 2350 system. Should I also repace the standard 256 module with a 512 to keep them even or will 768MB be accepted by my pentium 4? I only have the two slots so I can't add another 256MB, just replace the original. Should I wear rubber gloves to touch anything inside? (surgeon type not Marigold. LOL) I am told to press hard to click the new module in place, will pressing to hard bust what is already there?

Any thoughts and advice very greatfully appreciated.

Dave

leezer3 · Post by **leezer3** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 2:45 pm

Hiya,
I've delved in the innards of many computers over time, including 4 desktops and a couple of laptops.

1. 768MB will be no trouble at all, just replace one of the 256mb chips.

2. I would not advise wearing rubber gloves or anything else, bare hands have never done me any harm

All you have to remember is your PC MUST be unplugged before you start. Then touch a metal part on the outside of your case to disperse any static electricity in your body before putting in the RAM (Purely precautionary)

3. You shouldn't need to push that hard to fit the module

The most common mistakes actually come from trying to push it in at the wrong alignment, or with the catch down. Basicially, if you have read the instructions and know which way it goes in (Make sure it's the right way round, RAM will only go in one way, try to force it in the other way any you will break it) you will be fine.

Edit: While they advise doing things a little differently to me, here is a good pictorial guide to the installation of memory and the precautions to take:
http://www.crucial.com/uk/install/dimm.asp Even though this guide doesn't seem to mention it, the PC MUST be unplugged before ferreting in the innards- If it isn't, then its a sure way to either shock yourself or bust the PC- I speak from experience

Cheers

Chris Lees

OTTODAD · Post by **OTTODAD** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:09 pm

Hi Dave !

The more RAM you can afford to put into your computer the better. But from what I remember, having build countless ones for my clients, the modules should be of the same type. So if you are only adding another RAM module to the existing one then make sure that they match ! If you do mix them then RAM will run at the speed of the slowest module and nothing other than more of it will be gained !

If replacing both with newer, faster ones then make sure that the MOBO supports them !

As for eliminating stuttering, that I am afraid will not improve much ! That is caused by MSTS having to load scenery and objects from your hard drive during running a route. The more there are in a scene the more stuttering there will be. You would need a faster drive, SATA, SCSI or RAID, to improve on that !

O t t o

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:47 pm

Thanks Cris, from the crucial guide I got the idea that the mains plug was left in (for som silly reason I thought that may help to earth the computer)

Otto, please explain how ram will not improve stuttering, surely if more can be held in ram then less has to be read from the HD. If I need additional hardwear would you please tell me what SATA, SCSI and PAIT are?

Dave

Lad491 · Post by **Lad491** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:57 pm

Thanks Cris, from the crucial guide I got the idea that the mains plug was left in (for som silly reason I thought that may help to earth the computer)

This is quite correct. You should leave the mains lead plugged in so that, when you are touching the case, you are earthed via your household circuit.

Im running 768mb RAM on my Dell, swapping 1 256mb stick for a 512mb stick. Almost certainly your Dell will be running PC133 memory (unless its very old) so make sure you buy that. Dont buy it from Dell, Crucial or Kingston are the best, but i got mine from a local PC shop for only a few pence more than on the internet and wherever possible i like to give the small business my trade

Otto Dad is right, adding memory rarely improves stuttering. In fact my Dell never gets above 268mb ram usage when running msts, so my existing 512 was more than adequate. The stuttering is almost always caused by tileloading delays and the best solution to that is the fastest hard disk you can afford, or just turn your settings down a tad.

jonrach73 · Post by **jonrach73** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:03 pm

Actually, that's what I did when I built my current PC - plugged in the power supply, but with the switch off at the wall - still connected to earth though!

Then, just touch any part of the metal casing to de-static yourself.

It's not the official way, but there you go!

jonrach73 · Post by **jonrach73** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:07 pm

Ah - delayed while posting and someone else already said it...

leezer3 · Post by **leezer3** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:10 pm

Odd. What I've always been told, and done is to unplug, as otherwise there may be power from the PSU, which may cause problems & damage stuff, & indeed the only time I ever tried it with the plug in, I fried a 486Dx

Have a look at this Kingston page- Seems to back me up:
http://www.kingston.com/tools/umg/umg07.asp

Personally, I would always stick to Crucial memory, as they give a lifetime warranty, and source all of thier chips from a single source (Micron), as opposed to the various different sources Kingston get thiers from.

Edit: Drat, yet more cross posting

Cheers

Chris Lees

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:27 pm

OK, I'm totaly confused. Either I'm about to crack open my pride and joy to introduce "Frankenstine's monster" which will do me no good, or I trust others which say it is a good move. My CD/DVD reader/writer is not the problem, it works faster than the computer can assimulate the data. I don't think I can get a faster processor than P4 at the moment, I just want to drive a train smoothly. I will report back on any improvement if I don't mess my system. LOL

Dave

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:30 pm

Sorry about the "e" on Frankestine. Typo. LOL

scorpion71 · Post by **scorpion71** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:49 pm

Hi,

don't expect to get rid of stuttering completely.

I used to run my MSTS on a 1meg, P4 2.26ghz, 7,200rpm Drive and achieved max fps of 19 at full settings (major stutterings at Crewe, Willesden, Warrington Bank Quay)

I have since bought a 1meg, P4 3.4ghz, 10,000SCSI Drive and although I'm getting max fps of 60 on full settings, I do get the odd stutter (though not major anymore, less frequent too) - more Cache space on HD

anyway, matching ya current memory chip will improve things for you - Happy driving

OTTODAD · Post by **OTTODAD** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:54 pm

Dave1955 wrote:Otto, please explain how ram will not improve stuttering, surely if more can be held in ram then less has to be read from the HD.

MSTS is not very good at housekeeping in memory, loading the first World tile and it's surrounding 8 tiles into RAM when starting a route. As you drive along and your train approaches a tile boundary, the tile you are about to drive onto is already in memory and then gets it's 8 surrounding tiles loaded into it, some of the ones previously loaded into RAM and no longer needed removed again. Theoretically there should never be more than 9 World tiles in memory.

But the latter does not always function properly after lengthy sessions in a route, World tiles no longer needed being left in RAM which is getting choked and MSTS hangs !

A faster graphics card with 256 Mb of on-board RAM will speed up the numbers crunching creating the images to be displayed, but the data for which however still needs to be retrieved from the hard disk first.

If I need additional hardware would you please tell me what SATA, SCSI and RAID are?

SATA are the new SERIAL hard drives, said to be faster than the previous PARALLEL IDE ATA ones, faster SATA drives being on the horizon ! By FAST I mean that data can be written to and read from them faster, apart from higher spindle speeds and bigger disk caches, which also help speed up disk accesses !

SCSI have been the fastest hard disks and still are, used in Servers and other high-performance hardware.

RAID are drives where forinstance 2 drives are used in tandem, splitting the workload between them, data being written to and read from both and theoretically making data retrieval twice as fast as from single drives. One of their downsides is that if one of the two drives goes kaput, the data on the other becomes useless !

All these hard drive versions need Motherboards which can use them or add-on PCI cards which is second best now that newer Mobos are fitted with faster PCX-Express slots, replacing the slower PCI ones.

A computer with insufficient RAM and many other than MSTS programmes running in memory will force MSTS to access "Virtual RAM" on the hard drive, which is obviously much slower than RAM itself ! So shut down all other programs when running MSTS !!!

Hope all this make sense to you !

O t t o

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:24 pm

Ok, I also have and run FS9 from time to time, nope I have never been a pilot but I engoy crashing a Cessna from time to time. I want MSTS to take precedence over and have first go at available memory, I have shut all programs and services down. My computer is virgin except necessary support, I have just cleared virus/spy/malware. In other words the only thing stopping it is hardware. I can't see Norton/AVG stopping things on disc to question them about validity.

Dave

jbilton · Post by **jbilton** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 6:58 pm

Hi
I'll just add.....mains power lead plugged IN.....mains socket definitely switched OFF.
That gives the chassis an excellent earth....but there's no trickle 5v running through the buses (soft off since Pentium 2s).
This is where you can damage the boards(although not RAM).
(Also would leave 240v on the primary transformer windings...which you obviously don't want to be touching).
Confirmation can sometimes be seen by the monitor LED finally going out after a second or so.
Much older 486 computers were totally different, and often had a 240V cable running all the way through to a 240v on/off switch on the front of the case....this was not very safe.
Cheers
Jon

Dave1955 · Post by **Dave1955** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:31 pm

Ok, as I see it so far; for my near Â£40 I will get hassle, not a lot of improvement and the chance of saying "good night" to my computer. I think getting MSTS to run better is worth the risk. (at least something should work faster. LOL)

Let me summerise please;

1) plug in but no power on.
2) no gloves, touch a part of the chassis before anything else.
3) Don't touch the pins.
4) Don't press hard, just enough for the locks to set.
5) Hope my computer works after that.

OK, if I'm here on Friday you will know it worked and I am shunting my fave consist. If anyone could tell me how to make it presentable as an upload, I will share.

Get yer Nene Vally route out.