UT2K3 Hardware Realization

[Cheep]

So I got UT2K3, and it's great. Well, I probably won't play it for years like I did UT (maybe I'm outgrowing mulitplayer FPS?), but it is a very impressive game. So here's the surprise. I've been planning on upgrading my GF2 GTS to a GF4 4200 for awhile, mainly to play this game. (I have a Tbird 1300.) But now, I'm playing it, and it's absolutely beautiful, and framerates are perfectly acceptable, and I'm thinking, "why bother"? I have all the detail settings on "low" or "normal", but the game sure looks great to me. Why should I spend the $150?

 

[HendrixFan]

If you are wondering why you should upgrade, that is the surest sign you shouldnt upgrade. Wait until you get to the point where you feel like you need to upgrade, and you will get a better deal, and end up more pleased with the purchase.

Personally, playing with details on high and at 1280X960, I feel like I need to upgrade. I have a 21 inch monitor, so that resolution doesnt look as good as it would on a 17 inch (like my buddy has). I get good framerates, but I just would like to run it at 1600 and be able to run more ansio.

 

[LarryXtreme]

It's okkkk.... you don't reeeeaaalllllyyyyy have to update...

From your post it seems like you are just trying to convince yourself not to upgrade.

 

[teng029]

deciding when to upgrade is very tricky to say the least. considering the speed computer technology moves these days, it's almost a guarantee that by the time you decide to upgrade, the newest technology is just around the corner. it does sound like you are convincing yourself that you need an upgrade. think of it this way; UT2003 is the only game that will tax any system for a while. games like doom 3 and such are still months away from being released and by the time they do, that card you wanted will be cheaper and/or a newer video chip will have been released.

for what it's worth i saw the preview to doom 3 more than a year ago when the first incarnation of the ge force 3 was released. well fast forward to today and we still have no games that take full advantage of the features the ge force 3 had, let alone the newer cards.
moral of the story? stick with your card until someone releases a game that brings it to its knees.

 

[vash]

Upgrading for UT2003 is a mixed bag. I have an Athlon XP 1800 and it works quite well and if I were to get a Radeon 9700 pro, I would get about 7 more fps at a given resolution. However, if I get a faster CPU, the increase is much more noticeable, but still not what I want.

My next upgrade will be an eclipse over what I have now. My existing sytem gets ~44fps in the botmatch demo and I want in excess of 90fps in the botmatch for my next box. It will probably be over a year before I upgrade, but I can hold off and play games like CS, where my existing hardware just shines.

vash

 

[ai42]

It's okkkk.... you don't reeeeaaalllllyyyyy have to update...

Too many speed demons around these parts...

*begin sarcasm*
Oh man you don't have a 9700 yet? Its been out a couple of weeks what are you waitting for, you can't do anything on a GeForce4 anymore. Go play your Pong on your worthless GeForce 2.
*end sarcasm*

 

[xXgambitXx]

Originally posted by: ai42

*begin sarcasm*
Oh man you don't have a 9700 yet? Its been out a couple of weeks what are you waitting for, you can't do anything on a GeForce4 anymore. Go play your Pong on your worthless GeForce 2.
*end sarcasm*

haha, i heard someone trashing GF4's in the Video section the other day, hilarious stuff.

yeah, i upgraded from a GF2 Ultra to my 4400 for Grand Theft Auto 3. don't fell like you have to be pressured to upgrade. if i were you, i'd only upgrade if you want the higher resolutions which i think make it a better experience. but i don't think that the new unreal is a good enough game to upgrade for. i'd wait.

 

[krackato]

I also take forever to upgrade. Went from 50mhz to 400mhz to 1700mhz. Hell, my next box will probably be around 7-8ghz. That's insane. But seriously, if you don't want to upgrade, then don't. I always upgrade the video card when a game comes out that just can't run well at 1024x768. My Geforce2 GTS is due for an upgrade, but all I'm playing right now is Warcraft 3 and UT2003 and everything is running fine.

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: krackato
I also take forever to upgrade. Went from 50mhz to 400mhz to 1700mhz. Hell, my next box will probably be around 7-8ghz. That's insane. But seriously, if you don't want to upgrade, then don't. I always upgrade the video card when a game comes out that just can't run well at 1024x768. My Geforce2 GTS is due for an upgrade, but all I'm playing right now is Warcraft 3 and UT2003 and everything is running fine.

50 mhz to 400 mhz? wow! Were you using a 486 then went to a pentium II 400?

 

[krackato]

Yep. 486 to a PII 400mhz. That was quite the rush. I went from 8 megs of ram to 128. God, 50mhz... I think my PDA has more power than that now.

 

[obeseotron]

If you can run it fine with low detail and low resolution, and you're wondering why upgrade, turn up the detail and resolution just to see what the game looks like. If the difference is enough, upgrade so you can actually run it at that detail/res.

 

[Cheep]

Now there's an idea. I didn't even think of doing that. Can I see all the cool visuals on my GF2 with everything cranked up, just with a slideshow framerate?

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: krackato
Yep. 486 to a PII 400mhz. That was quite the rush. I went from 8 megs of ram to 128. God, 50mhz... I think my PDA has more power than that now.

hehe...I usually try to go at least 2x power when I do an upgrade...but going to 8x power..thats pretty amazing