Best Options for My Windows 10 Desktop PC/HDTV Combo with Open Rails Version X4083

[ZachBell4400]

Acer Aspire X
500GB Hard Disk Drive
4GB DDR3 RAM Memory
Intel Celeron J1900 Processor with HD Graphics
HDMI Port (1080p Resolution)

Currently my computer has been lagging on the ORTS platform since last year. I was just curious what my options are and what can be done in the customization menu ("Options"). My FPS have been poor and yet I don't have MSTS installed on my OpenRails X4083 profile. Some of the lags were caused by something. Please assist me if you have a chance. Thank you!!!

[derekmorton]

Open Rails drives the video system hard.
Intel HD will most likely be the problem.

You need to install a real video card for better performance.

[mikeebb]

More than the video, that's just a very low-end system and is likely to be unsatisfactory for Open Rails.

The Celeron J1900 (https://ark.intel.com/products/78867...up-to-2_42-GHz) is Atom-based, and doesn't support enough PCIe lanes to handle an upgraded video card. It's a very low-power option, usually used for embedded or zero-fan solutions (like a home theater PC which will be used mainly to access a content server with light web surfing on the side, or possibly a network-attached storage device). It's also a fairly old product (released in 2013) so I'd be surprised if it's being offered in a new system at this point in time.

The other specs of the Aspire are also very low-end.

In all, you should probably look at a new system a couple of steps up. The latest-model "8th generation" Intel chips have shifted things a bit from the past, and the i3 series now mostly has 4 cores/4 threads (up from 2 cores/4 threads in previous generations) and is probably usable where an i5 was needed in previous generations. That's probably a response to AMD bringing the Ryzen series with high core counts to the market at competitive prices (Intel tends to have fewer cores but higher clock speeds and a few extra instructions, so it's slightly better for single-core performance - which is preferable for things like Open Rails as long as you have at least 4 real cores). Intel, of course, also tends to cost more than AMD.

The new system should have at least one 8 or 16-"lane" PCIe slot for a separate graphics card; even high-end Intel graphics in current chips doesn't work well with ORTS. Even a fairly low-end GPU card (such as nVidia GTS 750 or 1050 series) will dramatically improve ORTS performance compared to using Intel graphics.

Bottom line: that Aspire is not going to run Open Rails very well, due to lack of CPU capbility (Atom-based chip), inadequate graphics capability, and very basic storage capability. It will run OR - but then, I was able to start and run OR in a Atom-based tablet, though it wasn't playable. OR is playable, barely (at low frame rates - 15-20 fps), in my old Gen 1 i5-based (2 core/4 thread) laptop with 4GB RAM, 500G hard disk, and Intel HD Graphics. It plays well (60+ fps frame rates) in a desktop with a Core2 Extreme (3 Ghz, 8G RAM, solid-state boot/apps/working routes collection disk). The Celeron system you're looking at is slightly below my i5 laptop in overall capability - so it would run ORTS, and it would be marginally playable (like my laptop), but I don't think you would be happy with it.

[geepster775]

Open Rails drives the video system hard.
Intel HD will most likely be the problem.

You need to install a real video card for better performance.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't count on there being a slot for a video upgrade on that motherboard. That unit has more in common with a Nettop than a Desktop.

About the only settings you can do to improve performance would be to disable dynamic shadows under video tab and uncheck Automatically Tune Performance and Extend Object Maximum Viewing Distance under the experimental tab

[Erick_Cantu]

Honestly, you could get a refurbished i5 or i7 system (just make sure it has four cores) on the cheap if you do a little searching. Then you could pick up an el cheapo GPU and use your existing peripherals with that.

[Don6218]

I just had to get a new system, old one had a meltdown after 11 years of faithfull service.

Mine is also an ACER Aspire TC-780 with I5 7400 cpu @ 3.00GHz, 3000 Mhz, 4 Cores, 4 Logical Processors and it was on sale at a very attractive price. It only has one slot, now filled with a Nvidea GTX 645 Gforce Card. I am now running Open Rails at 80-110fps.

I am slowly getting most of my routes back operating. Just to show some good deals work out.