Biting the bullet after newest patch- I need to upgrade.

[MB_Avro_UK]

Last week I spent over £900 on an upgrade. ($1,350 US).

With every game setting at maximum, I achieve 60 fps.

Best Regards,
MB_Avro.

[Blackdog_kt]

A lot depends on what settings you want to achieve.
I'm running the sim fine on mostly medium settings on this:

i7 920 @ 2.7 GHz (the very first that came out, no overclocking at all)
Ati 4890 1GB
3GB RAM
Windows 7 64-bit.

I'd say my main issue the low RAM. There was no win7 when i got it and i didn't want to install xp 64bit or vista, so i stayed with xp 32 bit and got just as much memory as it could utilize.
I think that installing another 3GB of RAM would cure a few small problems and help loading times.

Apart from that, if you want to run higher settings then of course you will need a new graphics card.

Just like everyone else pointed however, the system components must match each other. You don't want to spend money on a fast card if it's going to be held back by the rest of your system, or if your OS can't utilize at least DX10.

As also pointed out already, make sure you have a good power supply. Graphics cards can be very power hungry beasts when working at full load and if your PSU isn't up to it, it could lead to crashes.
In my experience, looking only at the nominal wattage for a PSU isn't enough. It's best to get a unit with a slightly lower nominal wattage from a reliable manufacturer and be sure that it achieves it, than get one of dubious quality just because it quotes more watts on the box.

Also keep in mind that bigger wattage doesn't necessarily mean bigger power bills. In fact, it's usually the other way around because most PSUs start to have increased thermal losses the closer they are to their limits. For example, if you have a PC that requires 400Watts and you try it on a 500Watt and a 700Watt PSU, most of the times the 500Watt PSU will waste more power because it's operating closer to its limits.

Generally speaking, most of the PC components can be upgraded with budget solutions, but there are three things you should generally not skimp on: motherboard (for upgradeability), PSU (for optimal power delivery and fail-safe features) and monitor (for easy and tireless viewing).
These are not only important for your day to day PC usage, but also don't require as frequent upgrades as other components, so it makes sense to pay a bit extra and be set for a longer time. I've had a case where my PSU saved my system, when a power surge/spike occured. The PSU died and got replaced thanks to warranty, but everything else in my system survived.

[SlipBall]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

A lot depends on what settings you want to achieve.
I'm running the sim fine on mostly medium settings on this:

i7 920 @ 2.7 GHz (the very first that came out, no overclocking at all)
Ati 4890 1GB
3GB RAM
Windows 7 64-bit.

I'd say my main issue the low RAM. There was no win7 when i got it and i didn't want to install xp 64bit or vista, so i stayed with xp 32 bit and got just as much memory as it could utilize.
I think that installing another 3GB of RAM would cure a few small problems and help loading times.

Apart from that, if you want to run higher settings then of course you will need a new graphics card.

Just like everyone else pointed however, the system components must match each other. You don't want to spend money on a fast card if it's going to be held back by the rest of your system, or if your OS can't utilize at least DX10.

As also pointed out already, make sure you have a good power supply. Graphics cards can be very power hungry beasts when working at full load and if your PSU isn't up to it, it could lead to crashes.
In my experience, looking only at the nominal wattage for a PSU isn't enough. It's best to get a unit with a slightly lower nominal wattage from a reliable manufacturer and be sure that it achieves it, than get one of dubious quality just because it quotes more watts on the box.

Also keep in mind that bigger wattage doesn't necessarily mean bigger power bills. In fact, it's usually the other way around because most PSUs start to have increased thermal losses the closer they are to their limits. For example, if you have a PC that requires 400Watts and you try it on a 500Watt and a 700Watt PSU, most of the times the 500Watt PSU will waste more power because it's operating closer to its limits.

Generally speaking, most of the PC components can be upgraded with budget solutions, but there are three things you should generally not skimp on: motherboard (for upgradeability), PSU (for optimal power delivery and fail-safe features) and monitor (for easy and tireless viewing).
These are not only important for your day to day PC usage, but also don't require as frequent upgrades as other components, so it makes sense to pay a bit extra and be set for a longer time. I've had a case where my PSU saved my system, when a power surge/spike occured. The PSU died and got replaced thanks to warranty, but everything else in my system survived.

Adding some flash drives devoted only to memory helped my system...I bought them when at 1/2 price, BestBuy.

[jamesdietz]

I'm no PC wizard- I mean I can install a new Graphics Card , but I have no idea how to figure out what my system will handle - that's sort of why I thought dropping it by Best Buy & their Geek squad might be the best thing to do.My system was set up nearly 3 years ago & modified to Win7 & 64 bit when I bought CloD nearly a year & a half ago.I have no problems really except for slow FPS numbers in all the usual places.No patch so far has made much of a difference.The guy that built it is no longer around and so I guess I need some concrete advice on what to do next with what i've got.

[Kittle]

I am running a 9800GT as well and I get better then 4 - 20 FPS. The system is a Dual core AMD @ 2.5Ghz, 3 GB RAM, and the 9800GT 512MB (EVGA model). I get dips from time to time, but manage to enjoy my dogfighting and it looks better then IL2 Granted, most everything is turned way down, but it does run at a playable FPS.

My mother board will support up to Quad-Core AMD chips (I do have the specifics, just not off the top of my head). I run Vista 32-bit so 4 GB RAM is the most I can use anyway. I do plan on getting a 550 at some point, but it can wait till I get a good deal. I only paid $20 for this 9800, so who knows

[tk471138]

Originally Posted by jamesdietz

I'm no PC wizard- I mean I can install a new Graphics Card , but I have no idea how to figure out what my system will handle - that's sort of why I thought dropping it by Best Buy & their Geek squad might be the best thing to do.My system was set up nearly 3 years ago & modified to Win7 & 64 bit when I bought CloD nearly a year & a half ago.I have no problems really except for slow FPS numbers in all the usual places.No patch so far has made much of a difference.The guy that built it is no longer around and so I guess I need some concrete advice on what to do next with what i've got.

DO NOT drop it off at best buy.....DO NOT!!! putting in a new video card is slightly more involved than putting in ram, both are easy...and may start you on the road to computer competence and soon you will be building your own system as you learn....

[robtek]

And try for a card with more than 1 GB Video ram.

[Stublerone]

Better say try a card with more than 2gb! 1.5 perhaps won't make you happy.

Concerning 2.5k or even other cpu: If a cpu is too slow, it bottlenecks, but a 2500 k doesn't need to be running on 4,2ghz as it perhaps gains 1 or 2 more fps in clod in comparison to tweaking it to 3.3 or up to 3.7. From then on, the cpu should not bottleneck and mor cpu power do not gain much more fps. To gain fps and performance, better buy a video card with more than just 1 gb. I would say, that 2gb is minimum in my point of view!
all additional stuff helps you stabilizing like better ram or an ssd drive, as streaming engines are performing better, when u use ssd. Even your general experience of your whole pc will invrease.