Equipment needed

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"Equipment needed"

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fredrea (2 posts)
Jun-03-01, 10:33 AM (EST) "Equipment needed" I am buying a new computer and want to be sure it runs MSTS well.
One set of choices are from Dell. I have a Dell laptop and I like it and their support. Of course no good graphics adapter.
I have put off purcase of a desk top to replace my 486/Win3.1 until MSTS came out.Here are some trade offs:P4-1.7GH,256K RDRAM,32MB DDR NVIDIA GeFORCE2 $2400
P4-1.4GH,256K RDRAM,32MB DDR ATI Radeon $1999
P4-1.4GH,128K RDRAM, 32MB NVIDA GeForce2 $1499There are other differences Hard Drive monitor etc.An other option is to walk in to a nearby "We Build Em" place and spec my system.MSTS is not my only application. It is, however, the tall pole in the requirements tent.I have written software for 35 years but am really ignorant regarding modern PCs and hardware options. Reliability and support are important to me.Any advice?Fred ReaPS If I try to load MSTS on my lap top (128k P3 450 Mhz 4 or 8 M graphics card)will I mess up my system? I would expect lousy graphics/frame rate but would I be able run it? Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Equipment needed shannon Jun-03-01 1 RE: Equipment needed sprior Jun-09-01 7 RE: Equipment needed SoRwy471 Jun-03-01 2 RE: Equipment needed Cocidius Jun-07-01 3 RE: Equipment needed fredrea Jun-07-01 4 RE: Equipment needed White_Dragon Jun-07-01 5 RE: Equipment needed SoRwy471 Jun-07-01 6 RE: Equipment needed jnickw Jun-09-01 8

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shannon (54 posts)
Jun-03-01, 01:33 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Equipment needed" If it runs on that laptop it won't run well. I personally wouldn't do that. Get that 1.4 gig p4 geforce 2 but get 256ram and you will run msts very well!!! high 30's and even into high 50 fps with a system like that. athlon cpu's are cheaper and as fast as P4 but cheaper. get one of them simular specs if you want to save even more money. I would make sure I got atleast a geforce2 and 256ram and 600mhz cpu minimum. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
sprior (1 posts)
Jun-09-01, 10:18 AM (EST) 7. "RE: Equipment needed" Does MSTS code require the pentium processor?I have read that the FS is optimized for the pentium line and thus the AMD K6 380 mhz I have will not respond to all "features" although it will run OK. The current set up has 196 ram and a 3dfx Voodoo3 graphics card. Any comments on this config will be appreciated.Any one heard of this unstated "system requirement"Thanks Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SoRwy471 (30 posts)
Jun-03-01, 01:56 PM (EST) 2. "RE: Equipment needed" LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-01 AT 02:00 PM (EST)LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-01 AT 01:59 PM (EST)Consider this--instead of buying a "boxed" computer--figure out what you want. Then write it down and visit some local PC shops and get quotes.Know what you want when you walk in and present it on paper--have him give ya a quote.Get a good mobo, cpu and video card. For instance, read abt video cards here:

http://www.sharkyextreme.com/hardware/hardware_video.shtmlI'd get a GeForce2 32 or 64 card. As for the GF3, a lot of current games are not set to use them and get good results.I always do it this way--haven't owned a "boxed" computer since my first--Packard Bell.
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Cocidius (2 posts)
Jun-07-01, 09:24 AM (EST) 3. "RE: Equipment needed" If you don't want/know how to build a computer, then I
would definately suggest you get one from an oem; like dell or gateway.
You get better maintenance, support and components.There are basically 2 options for those with a need for speed.1)
Intel Pentium4 >1.5GHz(400MHz bus)
High price
Expensive Memory upgrades
Very fast in some openGL and DirectX games
(Assuming you get a GeForce2 64Mb card)

Price: 1500-40002)
AMD Athlon >1.2GHz(266MHz bus)
Low price
Cheap Memory upgrades (check out mushkin.com 1.5GB $389)
Very Fast in OpenGL and DirectX games
(Assuming you get a GeForce2 64Mb card) Price: 1500-3000Basic needs)The video card is key.GeForce2 Pro or Ultra is probably the better idea. (64Mb)
GeForce3 is the absolute fastest card out now. (Also the most
expensive)Get at least a 19" monitor. Hands down the wisest move you can make.
Remember to increase the refersh to at least 85Hz so you
don't go blind.Systems of mine.I have 2 Athlons (@work gateway,@home build by me) both >1.1GHz
both with Windows 2000 Professional, much more stable than
98,ME though not as fast.
both with GeForce2's.I have a dell laptop 600Mhz PIII decent but NO 3D game platform
only 2D.
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fredrea (2 posts)
Jun-07-01, 10:33 AM (EST) 4. "RE: Equipment needed" I response to my own post, two big things have happened. 1-I now have MSTS, and 2-I have ordered an new machine from the local computer shop.The laptop:The graphics are terrible and the frame rate is low, but MSTS runs on my laptop. The simulation seems fine, just the bad gaphics. All in all much better than I had expected!The new machine:1.5 GHz, P4 with 256 Meg, 64 Meg GeForce 2, 40 Gig drive, and 17" monitor. Tried MSTS on a similar machine (then uninstalled it). Runs great! $2K. Remember my old desktop is a 8 year old 486. I didn't get it just for MSTS. Well, the GeForce 2 is just for MSTS but that is a small part of the purchase.I get the new mzchine in a week, then I will pull MSTS off the laptop as it is hoging all the hard drive space.Thanks for the advice guys, even though I ignored some of it. <gr>Fred Rea
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White_Dragon (2 posts)
Jun-07-01, 10:41 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Equipment needed" First things first.How much are you willing to spend and are you skilled enough to build your own. It is far better to build your own PC, like what I do, but alot of the people out there don't have that sort of expertise or courage. So get someone you trust like a local shop to build your PC, this way you will get a system suited precisely to your needs, but what you must remember is to ask what sort of cover you have on the PC if anything goes wrong.If you want to know what sort of hardware I would recommend, then please tell me how much you are willing to spend on that hardware, but the more you spend the faster your PC will be. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SoRwy471 (30 posts)
Jun-07-01, 06:53 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Equipment needed" Fred:Good move on buying local. That way components can be switched out when the need arises. No worry abt void' warranties & etc.Those specs will rock MSTS, NASCAR4 or just abt anything.Congrats! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
jnickw (4 posts)
Jun-09-01, 06:51 PM (EST) 8. "RE: Equipment needed" for now Do NOT get the P4 ...
this is from one of the many tec sites out there...
I use a AMD 800 mhz cpu and Ge force vidio card
and run MSTS with the options maxed and still get 15 FPS +
by the by I am haveing toooooo much fun... love the train sim.
"The Verdict
If it isn't clear already, the Pentium 4 is a terrible choice for PC users. It is a severely crippled processor that does not live up to its original design specifications. Its makes inefficient use of available transistors and chip space. It places a higher burden on software developers to optimize code, contrary to the trends being set by AMD and Transmeta processors. It reverts to 10 year old techniques which Intel abandoned and apparently forgot why. And it just plain runs slower than existing Pentium III, Celeron, and AMD Athlon chips.
Intel needs to heavily beef up the L1 cache size, add the missing L3 cache, add more decoders, raise the transfer rate from the trace cache to the core, lower the cost of shift operations, and add additional FPU and MMX execution units. Once these changes are made, and only then, will the Pentium 4 begin to even be a threat to its own Pentium III and Pentium III Xeon processors and be a viable contender for the speed crown currently held by the AMD Athlon.
Intel, Dell, Gateway, and other computer manufacturers have intentionally misled consumers about the performance of the Pentium 4 processor and are currently involved in selling useless overpriced hardware to unsuspecting consumers. Do what I did with my two Pentium 4 machines. Send them right back to Gateway and Dell and let them know they're selling crap. A $1500 Athlon system is a far better choice of computer than a $4000 Pentium 4 system. No doubt about it and I challenge anyone from Intel, Dell, or Gateway to prove my statements wrong.
Comments? Flame mail? Got a Pentium 4 horror story to share? "Email darekm@emulators.com
<mailto:darekm@emulators.com>;sounds like the P4 will rock once they build it right,
but for now stick with P III or AMD.nick
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