Building a PC

[ES44AH]

I've been looking at some PC builds for about $300-400 (my sweet spot is $350) that claim they can "run the most graphics intensive games on high setting", like GTA V. How is GTA compared to TS2016 in graphics intensity? What is your opinion on this? I'm looking to run routes like NJCL on high settings with about 35-40 fps on high/highest settings, although I know that one is especially frame rate intensive...

[buzz456]

My first question is what video card does this include? A good one is a must for all demanding games.

[ES44AH]

This one I thought was the best

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Npx2ugLFDIo

[buzz456]

That will do just fine.

[ES44AH]

So do you think this is a solid build and could train TS on high/highest settings?

[buzz456]

Someone more knowledgeable than me would have to comment on that. All I can tell you is that I ran for several years with a setup like that and it was most satisfactory for me. Some people are in the pursuit of perfection and think they need to spend thousands. When it comes to all the anti-aliasing stuff I have played around a lot and I can't see much difference with the highest settings and a slightly lower one except for a loss of frame rates. In any event it should serve you well and as funds permit it's a great foundation.

[ES44AH]

Thanks for the input. This is my goal for the sim, maybe a slight bit smoother

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cIKgBOk-AqU

[NYWhiskey]

I've been looking at some PC builds for about $300-400 (my sweet spot is $350) that claim they can "run the most graphics intensive games on high setting", like GTA V. How is GTA compared to TS2016 in graphics intensity?

GTA blows Train Sim away for looks. Remember though, today "high settings" is more like medium settings. Ultra is the new high. This guy is running GTA V on medium settings and it looks it. One thing is true in the computer world, you DO get what you pay for.

Train Sim is old so you might get away with it, any new games......

[ES44AH]

I don't plan to use anything other than TS anyway, so I should be good.

[SkittlesConsist]

Looking at the build you posted, here's my two cents...

1. The CPU / Processor isn't necessarily bad. Mid-level Haswell is somewhat dated but will probably work more than good enough.
2. Questionable motherboard (known to have problems)
3. The RAM is decent for a budget build, but you'll still have slow loading times - good enough though
4. 1TB Hard Drive - totally average
5. Graphics Card is low end 700 series and low "clock speed"... but uses newer technology (things like smoke or weather should be less taxing on the GPU) and will probably work good enough
6. As for the case, be prepared to make fixes and to make modifications - cheap and easy if you're handy though (it seems to have bad air flow)
7. Power Supply seems alright

Seems like an okay build. Like said before, computers are a "get what you pay for" kind of thing - just keep it in mind and be prepared to dish out a little bit extra. With a game like TS RAM and graphics cards seem to be the limiting factors usually.

[buzz456]

The GTX750ti is a wonderful vid card and even though some will sniff that it's not state of the art it is what it is and for the price a great product. I have always purchased MSI motherboards and some say they are bad however I have four computers the oldest one being almost nine years old now and no MB failures. Just remember the number one failure of components is caused by heat so as well as putting enough cooling in to start out with a simple dusting every few months will do wonders for the health of any computer.

[peterhayes]

Buzz

Just remember the number one failure of components is caused by heat so as well as putting enough cooling in to start out with a simple dusting every few months will do wonders for the health of any computer.

I agree that's why you should always go for a full-size ATX mobo and mid to full tower with balanced fans. IMO The micro-ATX board in the above rig is better suited to business needs.
The 750Ti is a great card - doesn't need an extra power supply but the 950 (960 even more so) are much better buys - with a significant increase in memory bandwidth over the 750TI. Plus that cpu will need overclocking to get the best out of it - hence a good full size ATX motherboard and faster RAM, and a video card capable of using the overclock.

The big question will it be any good for TSUE4?
pH

[trev123]

I see that amount converted to NZ$ is about $550 NZ. You couldn't buy a cheap gaming PC for that much here, will you could but it wouldn't be much good maybe play cards on. As a base I wouldn't start looking at a gaming PC for under about 1200$ NZ that is just the box and what you have inside it.

[SkittlesConsist]

The GTX750ti is a wonderful vid card and even though some will sniff that it's not state of the art it is what it is and for the price a great product.

Yes, state of the art isn't required - I may have been a bit harsh. Heck, even a GTS 250 is still a GOOD card (7 years old) - it benefits from things such as a higher GPU clock speed. On the other hand, although it has a lower clock speed, the GTX750 benefits from updated hardware and firmware. There's a lot of minutiae, but some cards can outperform others in some cases, but under-preform in others. Overall the benefits from newer firmware and the graphics processor micro-architecture most likely outweigh its lower clock speed. Not a bad card by a long stretch... hopefully that clarifies what I was trying to say!

I have always purchased MSI motherboards and some say they are bad however I have four computers the oldest one being almost nine years old now and no MB failures.

Yeah, for the most part you are good and safe. Most non-moving components rarely fail, and MSI has a good track record. The catch is that every manufacturer has problems in some capacity, and some specific problem product runs or skews are known to make it to market on amazon.