Hardware upgrade suggestion?

[Karson]

So with my current rig I can run UT3 at a steady 20fps at 1920x1080 with max settings, I was planning to get a new comp specifically for UT3 but I'm in the middle of building a house so frankly there are other priorities. I'm currently running an FX55 with a BFG 7800 GTX OC, my question is would swapping in a new graphics card like the BFG 8800 Ultra (http://www.bfgtech.com/bfge88768uoce.aspx) be able to get me the ~60fps I'm looking for, or is UT3 heavily CPU-dependent for good framerates?

Any advice would be helpful, thanks much!

[juneau]

Firstly the Ultra is a waste of time. Just get the GTX and clock to and past Ultra speeds. It will certainly give you a massive bump, and shouldn't be bottlenecked too much by your CPU at that resolution.

In contrast, my rig A64 3200+ and a 8800GTS 320 @ 1680x1050 hits around the 40fps mark. But my CPU causing is causing a small bottleneck.

[Prey_for_Death]

I get 55FPS and my Screen Res is 1400x900 WITH MY Core2Due E6750 and 8800GTS 640meg and I'm running it on VISTA to :D so save your money and buy a 320 or 640 meg Card.

[juneau]

I get 55FPS and my Screen Res is 1400x900 WITH MY Core2Due E6750 and 8800GTS 640meg and I'm running it on VISTA to :D so save your money and buy a 320 or 640 meg Card.

There is a big difference between 1440x900 (which is less pixels than 1280x1024) and 1920x1080. A GTX is a must.

[Prey_for_Death]

I don't know because my friead run the same card at 1920x1080 and he as no problem.

[juneau]

Actually i was wrong. I was thinking that the FX55 was dual core but it isn't. So even if it's clocked to 3.2ghz it's still going to be quite a bottleneck.

It might be wise to start from scratch and grab a C2D setup. And if your feeling adventurous, get a e2180 or similar and clock it to 3.2ghz.

You could always just try the 8800GTX for now as it will be a big improvement, and then upgrade the rest of your PC somewhere along the line to unleash it's full potential.

[Nomadicus]

Not sure how long you can wait, but according to the UT3 forums at Epic, the demo does not include the highrez textures. My only point is that it may be prudent to wait until the full retail comes out and see what the impact is.

[MajorDeath]

Not sure how long you can wait, but according to the UT3 forums at Epic, the demo does not include the highrez textures. My only point is that it may be prudent to wait until the full retail comes out and see what the impact is.

+1 It's always better to hold off as long as you can. I'm actually in the same boat you are. I'm waiting until I can see how the full game/warfare stacks up against my current set up.

MD

[Karson]

Not sure how long you can wait, but according to the UT3 forums at Epic, the demo does not include the highrez textures. My only point is that it may be prudent to wait until the full retail comes out and see what the impact is.

Good point, I'll do that and wait for some people to post real-world results before I upgrade. Thanks for the tips all!

[juneau]

Waiting is a very good idea. But to be perfectly honest i still think that your only option will be a 8800GTX. :D :D

[T5K Dozinator]

+1 nomad
I have the 8800GTS 320 ACS KO on FX 60 machine. The 22" LCD with 5 MS has a hard time at 1680 x 1050. When you get into a DM 1v1 its a little lag and once I took the Res down to 1280 X 1024 it played better.

It was posted that 512 MB will be needed for UT3.

I did some Beta testing for Crysis and it was the same problem and it played better at 1280 X 1024.

There are many new cards coming out.

I am building a new machine with the E6850 sometime in March 2008.
I figure by that time. All the new stuff will be out and prices lower.

Shop online for the best price. EVGA, BFG have lifetime warranty and you can overclock them with no problem.

Good luck in your search. :D