Well, If an 8800GTX SLI setup does not run BoB fairly OK - then Oleg is in big trouble even if the game ships late 2008, otherwise the target audience is getting narrow. I think that it really has to run well on normal/high settings on an 8800GTX (or two) to succeed, but naturally it would be nice with some beefy maximum settings that gets a rig like that "up against the wall" - for future "lebensraum" ;) There is no game today that does not run well on my 8800GTX system (accept Combat Mission Shock Force ;)). I'm running all the lastest great looking games at maximum settings without any problems (Crysis demo, World in Conflict etc).

As the fps has always been good in IL2 (even on the rig I had when v 1.0 was released - with a Geforce 2 Ultra if I remember it correctly), I'm not that worried actually...

/Mazex

Saqson posted on SimHQ that he thought a system that was cutting edge at the time of release would be unlikely to play BoB at maximum settings and that it would probably be a further six months before such a system was available. Oleg's posted that the game's full potential won't be realised or realisable until the series and computer systems are more mature which makes sense.

I am not worried about playing BoB in this system. How well and on what settings is anyones guess. What I do know for certain is that another high powered system will be purchased after the Sow:BoB release just to fly it. :wink:

Speaking in timeframes, that sounds like a three years in the future PC configurations from now to me........

Then again, I could be wrong.

TBH FB took even more...............................

Because I don't wanna waste my money on the last possible hardware configurations, those are really pricey...... after 6 months or one years price drops noticeably so it sounds more reasonable to get it then.

If the game/sim releases Q1 2008 as they say, I'm confident my one 8600GS and Athlon x2 4200+ will run it nicely - certainly not at the highest settings though.
They would´nt want to release a game that 1% of the market can play... So don´t worry me thinks :)

I do not believe the 8800GTX will be enough for BOB. Whenever BOB will arrive is written in the stars. Two yrs delay and I expect it to hold another year until the Dix10.1 story has cristalised...

The future is Dix 10.1 The 8800GTX is NOT Dix10.1 compatible therefore dead end.

Why I buy 2 of them now? Because:
1- I have been waiting for 12 months for BOB to arrive in order to see what kind of HW will be required.
2- I have been waiting for a card to be Dix10.1 compatible
3- I realised that BOB will take months to turn up
4- the 8800GT and 8800GTXver.2 are very good cards but still do not reach the power of the 8800GTX at ultra high resolutions (I fly 3072x768)
5- IL2FB is the only game I play (so I do not care about performance in any other game)
6- ultra high resolution can only be played at SLI mode
7- I got fed up every year listening to ATI anouncing a super dupper card for after Xmas (the twin 3870X2 this time)

~S~

with limited treasure...
 

I hope when I buy a new system it will run SoW_BoB fairly well, but I feel the need to make certain compromises. I have only limited treasure in this life, and where it gets dispensed in sane proportions is always a challenge. So I figure I'll put more money towards the processor, while forgoing a top line gpu. I hope an 8800gt will be sufficient. NO SLI plans here. It's all compromises for me. I played IL2 and LOMAC at 1280x9xx, and on a 2.8 processor, and 6800 ultra that was fine for me.So I figure the laws of lcd purchasing will be duly effected by that rez setting. A good mobo that will allow me to upgrade the processor, and some fast ram should give me a system with a bit of longevity.
I sincerely hope Oleg remembers the average sots who bought his sims, and flew them on moderate systems, and so optimizes the codes for SoW to allow this center of fans to enjoy a bit of it at moderate frames. I am one of them, and I need to use my limited treasure for eevryday living too. ;)
Flyby out

I've been looking into a new system as well. The one thing that I am having a hard time with is motherboards. How do you compare them with all of the specs? Should I start by picking a cpu and video card(s) setup, then just find a mb that works with that? Or get a better one that let's me have a better upgrade path? And how much of a geeg do I have to be to compare all those mb specs?

All good points guys, there is no easy answer, it is a question of philosophy rather than budget.

The only recomendation I can do is:
IF you want to invest, buy a quad Core processor.
Rumors had it that new games (inkl BOB) can use 1 CPU for the AI, 1 CPU for the Graphics and 1 CPU for the remaining functions. This leaves you 1 CPU for the operating system as well so, Quad core is a reasonable investment.

My personal philosophy is: Buy what you need for that very moment (interpret that as "3-5 month horizon").
Any longer time frame is not worthwhile:
Every 12 months there is graphics card with double performance at the same price.
Every 12-18 months there is a new CPU with approx. 50% more performance at the same price.

Do not even think therefore to buy a CPU for EUR 1000,-- unless if oyu absolutely necessary need it right now...

my 2 cents...

my upgrade thinking is...
 

First, I want to go quad core, but whether or not that's a 65nm or 45nm depends on the price of the mid-range Penryn (45nm) quad cores when they come out in the next 45 days or so. Either way, the mobo I select will support both. Asus is a leader. Gigabyte touts sturdier components for longevity. I'm not going for SLI with two gpu cards, so I settled for the 8800gt. It should still be a relevant card by the time I'm readdy to buy. Prices should be down a bit for most components by then too. Ram looks like DDR3 if the prices of that ram drop, DDR2 if not. Again, I'm not investing in a top-of-the-line system.
As for sorting out which component (cpu, mobo, ram, gpu) to buy, I visit the following sites:
www.tomshardware.com
www.firingsquad.com
www.extremetech.com
www.sharkyextreme.com
www.anandtech.com
Most of these sites test equipment and make comparisons,and recommendations. Then there are motherboard forums, but I haevn't checked out many of those lately. I once had an ABIT IS7 mobo, the ABIT's forums are a very good sourceto find out what life is like living with it's products. People there were very helpful.
One thing for sure, I hope to score a mobo that has a Windows-based bios update. ABIT had one, and it made updating the bios an absolute breeze.
Flyby out.
PS I'm leaning towards either an ASUS or a Gigabyte mobo at present, based on tech reviews.