Hi, I want to upgrade...

[Alex DI]

Hi man
I've read all your post. It's really interesting. I looked for some ATI 2900 PRO price online and I discovered it costs about 280-300 euros. There aren't too many 'cause, as you told, they are selling out. If I catch one, I'll flash it. Too bad I gott wait, I CAN'T wait . Otherwise, I'll go for a 8800 GTS or GTX in the next months. Thx man.

[3NVY]

Just a recommendation on the GFX card...the ATi 2900 XT 1GB is raping this game - and that's WITH 8xAA & 16xAA turned on; not to mention that it's also the current record holder for 3DMark '06 & 3DMark '05 (and that's just the 512MB version) <-- click for direct links to scores.

Actually, the new Sapphire 2900 1GB PRO version is EXACTLY the same card as the 1GB XT for $100+ less...you can easily flash it to XT to get the default XT clock levels or raise them using ATi Tool. The PRO, for almost HALF the price of an 8800, will get you the same (or better) performance for UT3. I can run this game up to 2048x1280 at 60-80fps on a slightly above average setup (see my system setup below) which is totally playable, but since I like staying over 100fps, I normally run at 1680x1050 or 1400x900 (and that's WITH all all the AA/AF eye candy maxed out)...and at 1024x768, well, fuggetaboutit...fps bliss. I only paid $385 for this card and have it clocked at 820/1125!! The Sapphire PRO is such a steal right now (but that's if you can FIND one, as they are selling fast)...I know it sold out here locally in no time flat after it was discovered that is was actually an XT with lower clocks. Good luck!

For those interested in flashing the PRO, you will need the ATI 1GB Bios, ATi Flash, and for further tweaking fun - ATi Tool.

To make it easy, here is what you do:

1. Download ATi 2900 XT 1GB bios here: http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/9...24.070425.html and rename it to "2900xt.bin" as the original file name is long and you will need something easy to remember when you go to flash it.

2. Downlaod ATi Flash here: http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads...lash_3.43.html

3. Download ATi Tool .27 b2 here (for later use, not necessary for this PRO -> XT flash upgrade): http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=2&gl=ca

4. Extract the ATi Flash program AND the ATI 2900 XT 1GB Bios to a floppy

5. Boot up with a DOS diskette (Win '98, ME, DR-DOS, etc.) ...you can get one here if you don't have one: http://www.bootdisk.com/

6. Once in DOS, insert the ATI flash diskette you made and type: atiflash -s 0 a:\ (this will back up your existing bios to the floppy...it's downloadable from techpowerup.com anyways so no worries.

7. Now flash the XT bios by typing: atiflash -f -p 0 2900xt.bin ...the process take less than 5 seconds, and when you boot back into windows it will be detected as a 2900 XT card (see photos).

8. Go RAPE UT3

[shot]http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/voodoopros/Misc/2900_xt_1gb.jpg[/shot]

System Specs: AMD Opteron Dual Core 185 @ 3GHz / 2GB Corsair XMS 4400PRO / DFI Lanparty NF4 SLI-DR Expert / Raptor RAID / Audigy X-FI / 24" Sony FW-900 / MX-518 @ 1000Hz polling / XP32 + 64 (upon official support) ...will be doing my major UT3 upgrade upon AMD Phenom architecture release.

[oldkawman1]

I've compare prices and noticed a friend of mine does 8600s in SLI, which is cheaper then getting an 8800 and is actually pretty equal on power consumption, but you need a case large enough to properly support them.

Forget the 8600 cards. They only have 128 bit memory and 32 pipes, while the 8800GTS has 320 bit memory and 96 stream processors. That's 6X better than the 8600.

The 8800 series out classes all else. Best card under $200 is the ATI X1950XT or PRO with 512mb. All this will likely change buy Feb or March when new models come out.

[Alex DI]

Go a for a nice 775 mobo, my choice was a Gigabyte 965P.
Choose a E6600 or a Quad processor to go with that.
Grab a 8800GTS or GTX if you can afford it.
Get 2GB of good DDR2 stuff.

Thank you all.
I got a job, money won't be a real prob in the next months. In the end, I know I have to put together a mobo that supports dual core cpu and pc6400 ram, and, obviously, an 8800 GTS. The GTX is a no-go...It takes too much cash actually and maybe still in the next months. Gotta save moneys .
The 1st rig you suggested me is a good idea, I think that the prices will drop down after this Xmas; anyway, it takes about 650-700 euros to buy the mobo, cpu, rams and the gfx.
THX Mysti

[Psycho1989]

Not the 8600. Just save up for the 8800. I did that and I'm only 14 making no money what so ever!

lol they have set a bad example for you. Things are not free.

As for your setup, your system is fine. The quad core is pricey however still top of the line. I would save up an extra hundred and definitely go for the 8800gts 320.

[MysTikal]

Not the 8600. Just save up for the 8800. I did that and I'm only 14 making no money what so ever!

Wish I had parents like yours, lol..

[Nacher]

Would this run it ok?

Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3

im not expecting to max everything out. i dont mind playing with low graphics settings cause hey im a q3 player we play with **** graphics. I just want it to run smooth. Will this be suffecient?

You should rather buy a fast dualcore, like E6750, and overclock it. Better price/performance ratio for UT3. Also, get 800mhz ram. Memory is really cheap right now, so buy quality.

Do not get GF 8600. Get a 8800, it's aeons faster.

[wingzeroismine]

Not the 8600. Just save up for the 8800. I did that and I'm only 14 making no money what so ever!

Well... I didn't suggest one... I suggested two.

[REMiXED]

Not the 8600. Just save up for the 8800. I did that and I'm only 14 making no money what so ever!

[wingzeroismine]

I've compare prices and noticed a friend of mine does 8600s in SLI, which is cheaper then getting an 8800 and is actually pretty equal on power consumption, but you need a case large enough to properly support them.

[avatar9]

Would this run it ok?

Intel® Core™ 2 Q6600 Quad-Core (8MB L2 cache,2.4GHz,1066FSB)
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz - 2 DIMMs
500GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT-DDR3

im not expecting to max everything out. i dont mind playing with low graphics settings cause hey im a q3 player we play with **** graphics. I just want it to run smooth. Will this be suffecient?

[rumon]

not necessarily good advice on the graphics card though since there are ati/amd RV670 and the 8800GT coming out November

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...ase-dates-ahoy

[Brutal]

Go a for a nice 775 mobo, my choice was a Gigabyte 965P.
Choose a E6600 or a Quad processor to go with that.
Grab a 8800GTS or GTX if you can afford it.
Get 2GB of good DDR2 stuff.

Good advise

[MysTikal]

Go a for a nice 775 mobo, my choice was a Gigabyte 965P.
Choose a E6600 or a Quad processor to go with that.
Grab a 8800GTS or GTX if you can afford it.
Get 2GB of good DDR2 stuff.

[Alex DI]

Hi all
I actually have an old pc : 3 Ghz P4 HT, P4S8X-X, 1 Ghz Ram pc2700, ATI 9600 pro. Well, It doesn't take too much to understand that I can't play this game with a decent resolution. Since I read some of your posts about fps, gfx etc...Well I'd like to know what cpu, ram, motherboard and gfx I should buy to make this game run smooth at 1024 x 768 with high details. Considering my budget at the moment, I have to wait a couple of months or so, but I really care about some hardcore gamer's opinion. Thx in advance.