Open Rails Freezes In Between

**ebnertra000** · 02-01-2018, 10:55

Two things:

One, I think what you mean by "in between" is when loading the next tile or another train?

Two: The best thing you can do is attach the Open Rails log file. It will tell us what OR is doing, and was developed for just this kind of thing

**derekmorton** · 02-01-2018, 14:41

Hi Karthick,

You are always going to have trouble with that cpu as its 10 years old.
You also only have 2GB of ram.
Only the oldest routes are going to run acceptably.

**sumitsingh** · 02-03-2018, 13:39

2GB is not enough RAM.
Some RAM is used by operating system, some by other services.
In the end you are left with probably in MB not GB for OpenRails.

Also check minimum system requirements statement for running OpenRails from Manual and compare it with yours.

**weejam** · 02-05-2018, 12:28

The bigger and faster the better for Open Rails. My windows 7 computer is 3 gig processor with 4 gigs or ram and Open rails sux on it. It runs MSTS great mostly. My new computer is Windows 8 with 4 gig processor and 6 gigs of ram and runs Open rails excellent and smoother than MSTS on my old computer. Both are Radeon video cards. MSTS won't even work on my more powerful computer with Windows 8.

One problem is that you only are pushing 2.6 gigs on your processor and 2 gigs of ram. The cure is a new computer with a lot faster processors.

One question, is this a laptop? If so then get a desktop that has a lot of processor speed and a 64 bit operating system because with 32 bit you are limited to 4 gigs of ram which is plenty. Unfortunately desktops are getting harder to find unless they are specifically for gaming and they can get quite pricey.

But ram is only part of your problem, it is your processor speed that is the big one. You may be able to add more gigs of ram but that is not going to do it for you. What will is your hard drive RPM and your processor speed and for that if you have a desktop you will have to change both your hard drive, processors and even possibly your power set up. It is way cheaper to get a newer computer. And that is if you can find a desktop now days that is descent without paying out the butt for one specifically for gaming. It is not much different than a car. Build one or learn to build one you can play with but have the old daily driver to get you from point a to point b.

You should have four slots for ram cards on a 32 bit operating system with a desktop. Adding more RAM probably won't help much though. It is not to hard to change your processor/s. But you need a newer computer and then tweak the old one as time and money allows. Then you may need a faster hardrive and then you will probably need to buy the operating system/systems if you partition the hard drive for different versions of Windows. So you will need terabytes instead of gigabytes for the hard drive. Hard drives are pretty cheap but the OSs are not. Try to buy Windows XP now. Hell Microsoft don't even support it now I don't think. But some games and sims work really good with that OS.

If you have an old computer laying around then build it if you want to get your hands dirty. Parts are usually interchangeable so...

**qballbandit** · 02-05-2018, 13:27

Sorry to hear that weejam - my Win7 machine with a 3.2 gig AMD Phenom II processor (about 8 years old) and 4gig ram, with an ATI 9700, runs OR pretty sweetly. I have some slow downs in my most dense areas of scenery, but overall get decent performance. I admit, mine is a gaming rig, and I shutdown everything but Windows essential services prior to running OR, but still enjoy nice runs.

**csantucci** · 02-06-2018, 09:01

2 Gigs RAM is the bottleneck.

**mikeebb** · 02-06-2018, 21:11

2GB RAM is *a* bottleneck, but it's not the main one in the OP's system. His problem is the CPU and GPU - especially the latter, which is just standard Intel CHIPSET graphics (not even HD in the CPU). With 32-bit Windows, more than 2GB RAM is usually worthless anyway, and OR will run as a pure (2GB-limited) 32-bit Windows application.

The real problem is the other stuff. *Any* Pentium Dual-Core is insufficient for OR, which really needs at least 4 pseudo-cores (i.e. 2 cores w/ hyperthreading) and prefers at least 4 real cores. The next thing is the graphics: Intel graphics of any age, if they work at all, will work poorly; what's really needed is a separate GPU card with a decent chip (for nVidia, prefer 750ti as the real minimum, and 1050 or 1050ti as a practical minimum; for AMD, anything similar to those AS A MINIMUM) with at least 2GB of video RAM. Intel graphics - ANY version - don't work well.

Example: I have an old (age isn't the issue here) gamer box with a 3 GHz Core2 Extreme (4 real cores), 8GB RAM (really only need 4 for the 64-bit OS for OR but more is better to give background tasks what they need too), GTX 750ti GPU, SSD boot/game disk, and hard disk for data. It delivers 60-90fps in ORTS. I also have a ASUS laptop with a i5 2.53 GHz (4 logical cores, 2 real), 4GB RAM, Intel graphics, and a hard disk for everything. It also runs ORTS, but frame rates are usually in the 15-20 range. The difference is almost entirely due to the graphics - nVidia vs. Intel - because in terms of raw computing power the i5 is the equivalent of the Core2 if not better, while the SSD vs. spinning rust disk contributes a little to the difference.

So the OP's problems with OR are related almost entirely to inadequate CPU and Intel graphics. OR does run in 32-bit Windows in 2 GB, and with adequate system power otherwise will run OK if maybe not really quickly. Though of course running in 64-bit (with access to the full 4GB of 32-bit address space) is better. You need at least 4GB to run 64-bit Windows adequately (can boot in 2GB, but can't do anything else). Neil doesn't mention what's in his Phenom for GPU, but it's almost certainly not chipset graphics like Intel's - and that makes a difference. It's possible that adding a semi-modern GPU to the system would allow the OP to run ORTS without crashing too often, but realistically a whole new system should be considered.

We've discussed $500ish computers around here before. That's probably still a good budget for the basic box (reusing monitor and other external peripherals) with a system that will provide adequate (not fantastic, but adequate) ORTS performance.

**mikeebb** · 02-06-2018, 21:33

Originally posted by sumitsingh

2GB is not enough RAM.
Some RAM is used by operating system, some by other services.
In the end you are left with probably in MB not GB for OpenRails.

Also check minimum system requirements statement for running OpenRails from Manual and compare it with yours.

That's not exactly how it works. Windows, like other operating systems these days, uses virtual memory. 32-bit Windows will run in 1GB of RAM, though slowly due to constant paging to/from disk. The maximum virtual address space allowed for software in unmodified 32-bit Windows is 2GB, and in fact things run OK in 2GB of actual RAM (system data structures use less than 1/2 GB). The system as a practical matter can't use more unless you make modifications that have side effects.

64-bit Windows bumps everything up a notch. The maximum virtual address space for 32-bit software in 64-bit Windows is 4GB (minus a 1/4 GB or so for system bookkeeping). 32-bit software needs to be "Large Address Aware" to run in more than 2 GB of virtual address space - which ORTS is. So if you replace the 32-bit Windows machine with one running 64-bit Windows (practical minimum of 4 GB RAM, more is better and TBs are possible if the hardware supports it), no changes will be needed for OR to use 4GB instead of 2. Having more memory (real or virtual) to use speeds up access to a lot of things and improves your frame rates as well as scenery and other details. Having more than 4GB (requires 64-bit Windows for most people

) also provides more space for background processes to run and reduces paging to disk - and staying in RAM for virtual memory greatly improves speed and stability.

**sumitsingh** · 02-07-2018, 12:55

It is great detail explaination.
I wrote a small answer for OP only.

**weejam** · 02-10-2018, 14:08

Originally posted by qballbandit

Sorry to hear that weejam - my Win7 machine with a 3.2 gig AMD Phenom II processor (about 8 years old) and 4gig ram, with an ATI 9700, runs OR pretty sweetly. I have some slow downs in my most dense areas of scenery, but overall get decent performance. I admit, mine is a gaming rig, and I shutdown everything but Windows essential services prior to running OR, but still enjoy nice runs.

Yeah me too. It runs MSTS like a dream on one core with the 7 machine but I really think it is the video card. But I have will admit that I really don't miss MSTS much because the benefits of Open rails far outweigh MSTS from changing times and so on. I kind of miss the editors though but all my routes are just right for me anyway and creating activities since I like run through road trains better than switching anyway is no problem as long as the path runs from the beginning to the end. Actually I find it easier to copy an activity and adding it to play. It is actually easier than the using the MSTS editor to create an activity. So with open rails I can run one activity an time of day or night and still have AI traffic. But really I think my old video on my Win 7 is like an ATI 4000 something My new one is in the 5000s and runs OR at a steady 60FPS and has never dropped below 48 even in high scenery areas.

But any sim now you need high processor speeds, enough ram to handle it and everything else and so on. What were the specs of MSTS? Pretty crappy because anyone that has went back and saw the original routes and content can tell the difference between what we have today for add ons.

I love Open Rails but most old machines like Win 7 won't run it right and I think it is due to the video card. No problem because I got my new one for Flight Sim.

I think the bigger issue is what is happening with Microsoft. They were supposed to work on FS11 yet gave us Flight. Yeah that was a bust is seems. To gamey for simmers. Were were supposed to have TS2 yet they dropped that project. Yeah we have Rail Sim but I have invested so much time and money over the years with MSTS that it is really nice to have a better sim that I don't have to repurchase all that I want. BTW I do have Rail Sim but it seems so limited and generic. I mean what rail company don't use articulated units on Intermodal trains?

Microsoft seems to have forgotten about simmers and for Flight seemed to focus on gamers. I have been in commercial flight simulators and it is pretty bare compared to FSX or now Lockheed Martin's P3D. I have been in UP's simulator and it is bare even for original MSTS standards. Hell on my Windows 8 machine MSTS won't even run with ATI graphics but open rails runs really smooth with all scenery maxed. Hell FSX runs really smooth with the sliders turned down a tiny bit from max.

But seriously though if I want to tweak a route then I just hook my old one up and put it on an External hard drive and create a path and do the same and then add to my Train Simulator folder on my new machine. Creating activities or even changing consists, I have plenty that I can copy, rename and add or subtract from. Hell my Train Sim file that Open Rails uses is over 50 GB. Hell MSTS has a hard time with the number of consists and not to mention newer Trainsimulation's products.

Hell my first computer had only a 250 gig hard drive then when it wore out I got one with 500 gigs then after that one a one TB and my new one costs less than my first one and it has a 2 TB hard drive. and my newest one costs less than my first one. Times change and I just bought my wife a laptop and I do not like laptops other than being mobile. But my phone is pretty "dumb" because I can;t see carrying a phone everywhere either.

But I do appreciate, respect, admire and thank all the people that are involved in Open Rails and if there is never another update from them because of real life, it is far better than what Microsoft ever gave us. This also goes for everyone releasing new content for either or platform. If I have to buy a new computer then oh well. I will enjoy the sim for as long as the computer lasts and then fix it. A movie to be entertained is only roughly two hours. I have been enjoying trainsimming since 2005 and have only went to see a movie in a theater 4 times during that 13 years. Some of us are older and slower and have actually carried weapons into battle on foot instead of in a chair. Some of us grew up with Tetras when we were bored waiting so matching candies and jewels are pretty boring to me. I like the sims and not the games. Open Rails provides simming more than what the original MSTS ever did. Hell the original Whitefish route you always broke a coupler until you adjusted the breaking points to unrealistic levels.

Open Rails Freezes In Between

Open Rails Freezes In Between

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