Building a computer

[msey0002]

Many thanks guys . I'll definitely have a look around for PSU and see what I come up with and come back here to consult

So just to confirm, that GPU works for Mothrboard?

I ask because the GPU is a DDR5 while the motherboard actually has DDR3 in its name. Probably a stupid question, shows how new I am to this

[theokus]

Many thanks guys . I'll definitely have a look around for PSU and see what I come up with and come back here to consult

So just to confirm, that GPU works for Mothrboard?

I ask because the GPU is a DDR5 while the motherboard actually has DDR3 in its name. Probably a stupid question, shows how new I am to this

Aah
No problemo on that.
RAM memory = DDR3.
That's the memory on sticks you euh...stick in the motherbord.

To put it simply: There is no direct link between the two.

[msey0002]

Excellent thanks guys

[theokus]

I have just purchased a new computer from Quiet pc, ordered on Monday and being delivered tomorrow (Thursday). Fantastic service.
The spec is:
Quiet PC Serenity range with:
Nexus Thrio 310 accoustically lined case.
Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H motherboard.
Intel core i7-3770K 77w CPU.
8Gb Corsair (2x4Gb) XMS3 DDR3 memory.
Zalamn ZM500-GS PSU.
Crucial 256Gb SATA 3.0 M4 SSD as OS disk.
Sony AD-5280 24x DVD writer.
Sapphire ATI HD7870 Flex GHz edition 2GB GDDR5 graphics card.
Windows 7 64-bit Pro.

I intended to transfer across from my existing computer.
1 x 256 Gb Crucial SATA 3.0 M4 SSD as a Data disk.
1 x 500 Gb Seagate Momentus 500 Gb hybrid drive used mainly for photographs.
1 x 2 Tb Seagate Barracuda Green SATA II 7200rpm HDD.

My existing computer will then be transferred to my wife to replace her older machine. Both machine are networked together.

I'm hoping the new machine will run quietly but be powerful enough to run Train Simulator 2013 at maximum settings as well of course all my other software.
For backups I use Macrium Reflect to produce a daily image of the OS and Data drives which are stored on the 2Tb HDD. I also take a backup to an external Buffalo MiniStation 500Gb USB 3.0 portable hard disk approximately once a month, which is kept by one of my neighbours as an off-site backup. I also have a 30Mb cable internel connection.

I guess you're all right
Perhaps there could be a small problem with the OS and NEW hardware.
I had the same thing going on and I have had to call Microsoft for a new serial number. (It's free with no extra costs he).
But I'm not sure because I do not quite understand your explanation.

[h5djr]

Tip.
IF you use Outlook for e-mail etc. Place the pst-file on your data HD (the internal HD).
Never on the C-drive. If you have a crash of the OS > "it's a gonner" he, all lost.

Another Tip for using Outlook.
Rather than put the pst-file on your data HD you could put in on the same physical disk but in a separate partition. That way you can back up the file on it's own and if you ever need to restore the data drive, you don't have to remember to make a copy of your current pst-file so that you don't lose any emails since your last backup before you do a full restore.

[dlljones]

Forgive me for hijacking this thread but I have a similar problem to address - I think I need to change my graphics card because I'm only getting around 20fps (or less) on decent settings without TSX and shadows and I've tweaked and tweaked Catylyst CC till the cows come home. I've read all the threads on this subject which have been most helpful but before I spend quite a bit (certainly for me at any rate!!) on a new card I would welcome some input from the experts out there. My current specification (which I assembled myself about 2 years ago) is as follows:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965
Motherboard: Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
RAM: 8GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD5770 1024MB
Windows 8 64 bit installed on Samsung SSD 830 122GB
TS2013 installed on WDC 715GB conventional HD
Coolmaster 700W Siler Pro PSU

I am thinking of buying an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Gigabyte OC Edition for under £200 which scores 10 out of 10 on http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/ind ... st=bestGPU whilst my current card scores 7. This site also tells me that my current card is 134% less powerful in comparison so on paper it seems a good investment and should enable me to get much more from the game than SBHH's.

Am I correct in making this assumption or am I wasting my cash? Any help would be appreciated please.

Thanks

Llew

[lemberg]

Save some money and get a ATI Sapphire 7850 .

Keith

[gptech]

Save some money and get a ATI Sapphire 7850 .

Keith

I'd second that, up to a point, but isn't 'Sapphire' just the manufacturer?

TS2013 seems to hit a performance ceiling past which no amount of 'throwing money' at the hardware gets round. Once you get to a point where you can, for example, run with shadows on you can go from the lowest settings to the highest without a significant performance drop--this 'ceiling' will differ for each combination of CPU, GPU, RAM, configuration etc so it's impossible to say exactly what you should aim for but having a balanced system is paramount. There's no gain from having a GPU thet overpowers the CPU for instance, and as your CPU is the weaker link in your system and a 5770 hits the 'magic number' of more than 50Gb/s of bandwidth a newer GPU could bring some boost but not, I'm afraid, as big a boost as you're hoping for.

[dlljones]

Thanks guys for your comments.

I think I'd have to change my motherboard too if I went for a more powerful CPU as I think my current one is close to its limit with the one I already have. I targeted an Nvidia GPU rather than an ATI because that appeared to be the preferred choice of forum members to run TR but I am willing to be persuaded otherwise. My current GPU is shown as 92% less powerful than the 7850 so on paper that's still a significant gain (albeit probably with a better CPU).

Still can't make my mind up what to do next though but I agree that my original choice is probably too big a leap for my system.

Cheers

Llew

[gptech]

I targeted an Nvidia GPU rather than an ATI because that appeared to be the preferred choice of forum members to run TR but I am willing to be persuaded otherwise. My current GPU is shown as 92% less powerful than the 7850 so on paper that's still a significant gain

Yeah, most seem to use nVidia and switching wouldn't be a problem---the only caveat being you might have to give the system a good clean to get rid of any driver files that refuse to budge. A card thats 92% more powerful sounds great, as long as that power can be used and TS2013 is more CPU dependant than GPU.

I run an nVidia 550Ti which on paper (bandwidth wise) gives 20Gb/s more than yours and gets a score of 8.63 in the game-debate list you linked to. TSX on, 1920x1080, all graphical settings on highest (procedural flora, depth of field, and adaptive bloom off) FXAA=2x1MSAA and anistropic filtering at x8---that's asking a reasonable amount of a GPU and I'll get 25FPS at Glasgow Central when loading the free roam scenario.

Behind all the 'final polish' that the GPU does is an i5-2500 which is responsible for the greater part of the graphics rendering.

The graphics card cost about 95 quid; there's no point in spending a lot on a GPU for railworks as the money should go on the CPU

[dlljones]

Thanks again for your comments, which I have found really helpful and on reflection make more sense than what I had in mind.

I think I'd probably be better off in the long term if I invested in a new CPU and motherboard to go with it. I'll undertake some further research on this - the CPU on your system looks like a good choice

Regards

Llew

[gptech]

Just to complete the circle of cost and performance..... the GPU's you've been looking at are about £100 more than the GPU I bought; the CPU I bought though is about £100 more expensive than the one you have so the total cost is about the same, just split differently.

[theokus]

I am thinking of buying an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 Gigabyte OC Edition for under £200 which scores 10 out of 10 on http://www.game-debate.com/hardware/ind ... st=bestGPU whilst my current card scores 7. This site also tells me that my current card is 134% less powerful in comparison so on paper it seems a good investment and should enable me to get much more from the game than SBHH's.

Am I correct in making this assumption or am I wasting my cash? Any help would be appreciated please.

Thanks

Llew

Dare to compare
Have a look :
http://www.hwcompare.com/13165/geforce- ... tx-660-ti/
Fill in what you want
If have a 470, a 9800 and an GTX660.
No much difference in performance....
That is why I like to agree with gptech.
The CPU counts. Always was with RS.

[msey0002]

This is all great info, cheers guys .

So is the MSI R7750 - 1GB GDDR5 GPU card powerful enough for this game? I'm sure 2GB would be better, but it is quite a bit more expensive. Would the 1GB DDR5 version render quality results?

[rkk01]

I seem to have badly lost touch with PC specs....

My last re-build saw the installation of an Abit IX38 QuadGT Socket 775 m/b

I can't remember what cpu is in it at the moment. I'm fairly sure that it started out with a Core 2 Duo E6600, but have it in mind that I swapped that out for something around 2.9 gig, possibly an E7500.

No idea how that compares, performance wise, with today's offerings. Always intended to overclock, but never got around to it because the OC Guru utility was reporting some fairly high temps (which I didn't really trust...)

Are there any 775 based CPUs still on sale that would offer a quick and relatively cheap speed increase?