Atomic Systems

Since the latest updates, ECML won't even load on my pc, let alone run at a low frame rate, so I'm having to bite the bullet and invest in a new rig dedicated to running TS2012.
Having read all the threads on upgrades etc., I'm utterly perplexed as to what hardware is required as a minimum in order to run the sim in TSX mode as it was intended with all graphics and sound settings at maximum.
My choice would be Intel i5 2400 3.1GHz cpu.,650W psu, Asus P8Z68 vlx mobo, AMD Radeon HD6970 gpu, 8Gb (2x4) DDR3 1333 ram, 500 Gb HDD, Windows 7 64bit Pro.
Would this be an ideal spec?

I'd recommend going for an i5-2500k if your budget allows, probably around £20 dearer but would allow for any future over-clocking, may be worthwhile looking at RAM that is rated to run at 1600MHz too in case you decide to push things a bit (it'll default to 1333MHz, you'd have to tweak things to hit 1600)Other than that minor point there's nothing amiss in your 'wish list'

Is overclocking really necessary?

grahamje wrote:Is overclocking really necessary?

No, but in a few years time you might need/want to eke a bit more out of what will then be an ageing system.

If it helps you a little, I'm running an i5-2500k at stock speeds (3.3GHz), 8GB RAM, nVidia 550Ti GPU --- full screen at a resolution of 1920x1080, Anistropic x8, MSAAx8; view distance, object texture, terrain texture, scenery detail, shader quality, water quality and shadows all on full, with particle and passenger density both at low. Low detail shadows, procedural flora, adaptive bloom and depth of field all off. FPS limit of 30 set in the shortcut with the "-FPSLimit=30" switch.
Most of the time the FPS sits at 29, game play is smooth except for the usual tiny pause when tiles are loading.

Good point. But I'm ageing faster than any system.
However, many thanks for your recommendations and observations. Computer store here I come!