Train Simulator computer games - which one?

I got into the MicroSoft based simulator a few years back and was surprised at how involved the hobby was. You are right, a simulator can have major memory demands depending on the level of graphic definition you want. There are actually simulator geeks using water cooled processors to give them what they want. I didn't go that crazy but I did do memory and video card upgrades. I would suggest a simple version of the Trainz software. There should be a preferences section that allows you to by-pass the memory and video processor intense features. I eventually got bored once the bells and whistles wore off. Instances of moving a large consist up mountains can take many hours. To "play" the game you must know how to interpret all signals and abide by all speed limits and train orders. It can get quite complicated, more so for the young guy. With MS Train Sim (MST) you get into setting the load weights for every car (box, tanks, hoppers) and this effects front end power etc. There are some (can't tell you the names) of some entry level simulators more age appropriate. I guess my point is you may want to go with a simple simulator than the power hungry apps, especially on a laptop, which would run very hot.

Rich 

I have been looking at TS 2017. I don't know if it is yet available as all I can recall seeing are beta versions being demonstrated on youtube. Looks very nice, but I don't know if it will run on your laptop? I may spring for that one myself, but I will probably have to buy a video card for my desktop PC if I do.

My grandson has an xbox, I think it is, and he has some pretty amazing games on it. I don't know if there is a train simulator available though? Maybe something you to check into? You would not have to worry about it running on your laptop, but you might have to buy an xbox. On the brighter side, the xbox would be far less than a gaming computer.

I haven't seen any recommended versions of rail sims on gaming systems... and even if there was something like that, I'd think it would be less capable than the PC version.

Rich, you're right that my son would not be all that interested in the REAL simulations of physical mass and train loading, etc.  He'd just want to be able to lay down some track and a few railroad crossings, "build" a passenger or freight train from pre-designed equipment, and let it go so he blow the horn and watch the gates go up and down.  Or make a train and cruise along some pre-programmed route with scenery, likely not actually build his own complex world from scratch.

Computer-wise, I was thinking of picking up one of the newer style all-in-one PC's (basically the monitor contains all the computer components, and you just connect keyboard & mouse via USB) but those may not really be any more capable than a laptop.  I don't know how "upgrade-able" they are.  I've built my own PC's in the past, but I really don't want another tower PC + monitor if it's not necessary.

I don't know about the xbox being less capable, but some of the games my 11 year old grandson has are pretty amazing, to me anyway. No idea which ines he has and I am pretty sure he doesn't have a train sim game. 

Back to the PC versions, I took a look at purchasing TS 2017 and here are the minimum PC requirements needed to run the game as listed on their web page:

Not as bad as I was expecting, but more would probably be better. Laptop just might fit the bill if it has a graphics card?

There are "gaming" laptops. You pay as much as you want.

Some new video games are pretty dynamic... we have a Wii and PS3, which meets our kids' needs just fine, but both are a couple generations behind the latest and greatest (XBox One S, PS4).

I'm trying to figure out if I can make it without a gaming computer, laptop or desktop.

Thanks for posting those TS2017 minimum requirements, and I assume TS2016 is similar.  Our "best" laptop in the house (less than a year old) just meets the RAM guideline with 8GB, which still seems pretty standard as I peruse some affordable computers online.  Lower end budget computers are still coming with 4GB RAM in some cases.  RAM can be easily upgraded of course, but if that area is just passing muster then the processing capabilities may be lacking too.

I like Trainz for the ease of use and building routes, and there is a good amount of content,  RR mods and Jointed Rail for good diesel and freight content, and K&L Trainz for steam and excursion sets. Most of that is payware. DLS has a ton of free content. The newer train sims like Railworks with Amtrak and NJT routes look good, though.

scottydl posted:

...... I'm trying to figure out if I can make it without a gaming computer, laptop or desktop. ....

.....  Our "best" laptop in the house (less than a year old) just meets the RAM guideline with 8GB, which still seems pretty standard as I peruse some affordable computers online.  Lower end budget computers are still coming with 4GB RAM in some cases.  RAM can be easily upgraded of course, but if that area is just passing muster then the processing capabilities may be lacking too.

Yea, you really need to know what video (graphics) card is in the computer. It is as important as memory and the main processor, for playing games. Many computers touting a good amount of memory and a relatively fast Intel processor, are lacking a good (for gaming) video card.

Powerful video cards require more electricity. So, upgrading one is often difficult in a laptop.