nVidia GeForce NX7600GT is also a very good choice. High in the middle-class. I'm very satisfied with her.

It is actually very easy once you figure out it is just a plug in. Dell support should be able to help you. I say this because I do not know if your x300 is onboard or an actual card and if onboard, built in it has to be disabled. This usually happens by simply installing a new card in the slot but you should ask Dell first their opinions on your system.
If it is a regular x300 VC when you open your case you will see that there is a little lever that locks the VC and (after you have removed the set screw that hold the VC to the back of the case) when you push that in you can slip the x300 out of the PCIex slot.
Putting in the new VC is even easier. You just slide it into the slot (carefully making sure it goes in straight, no hard force is required). Screw in the screw again and if it has a separate power cord (X800 usually do not) then make sure that is attached.
I suggest when you put in the CD Drivers you click uninstall all ATI drivers first, restart the PC (it will look terrible) then run the ATI express install. Your CD should also have the ATI tool which you can over clock the VC with simple sliders. Post what you buy and we can suggest or simply post at the geek site where I run to get help.

http://forums.firingsquad.com/firing...rd.id=hardware

The 7600 is a great card as well. I would simply look at price verses performance per dollar. Compare pipes core interface etc.
For some reason ATI works better on SH3 than Nvidea. Other games it is the opposite. SH3 is very sensitive to different Nvidea drivers and properly done it works fine but ATI has had much less difficulty in SH3.
I have the X850XT and it runs everything maxed including CoD2 and MoHPA. I have it slightly over clocked. It has 16 pipes compared to 12 for the X800 and a little more speed. It has dropped a lot in price and you can save more by getting the OEM rather than the "retail" boxed which gives you stuff you usually do not need extra.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102483
This is $145.99 OEM compared to $169.00 for retail box
Note, this card comes with the fan set at a low speed and some freek on this because they don't know how to open the ATI Tool and set the fan. Once one learns how to do that it is super because you can set the speed of the fan for a variety of temps allowing it to be near silent when not taxed but revving fast when your graphic require more cooling. This scares some but is much better after it is understood. Poor explaining by ATI on this, IMO
Wulfmann

Wulfmann have had a short look but this one caught my eye. What do you think?

ModelBrandSAPPHIREModel100106SR-RDInterfaceInterfacePCI Express x16ChipsetChipset ManufacturerATIGPURadeon X850XTCore clock520MHzPixelPipelines16MemoryMemory Clock1080MHzMemory Size256MBMemory Interface256-bitMemory TypeGDDR33D APIDirectXDirectX 9OpenGLOpenGL 2.0PortsD-SUB1DVI1TV-OutHDTV/S-Video/Composite OutVIVONoGeneralTunerNoneRAMDAC400 MHzMax Resolution2048x1536@85HzCoolerHeatsink and FanOperating Systems SupportedWindows 2000/XPSystem Requirements300-Watt Power Supply or higher recommended
Intel Pentium 4 / AMD Athlon or higher CPU
One available PCI Express x16 slot
One power extension cable
128MB system memory
CD-ROM drive

I assume you posted this before you saw my reply.
Since that is the card I have.
It does everything great and cost 3 times as much a year ago.
If you buy that card when you install the driver, install the ATI Tool and set the fan speeds before you run any games.
Click the ATI tool open.
At the bottom right of the box click "settings"
The small window at the top (likely will say "Overclocking") click the pull down arrow which will open a window.
Click "Fan Control"
It will start with 5% on the first line (dumb, IMO). Simply change that and save the changes. Play with it.
I have it set at 31% start with
50% above 60C,
60% above 65C
70% above 70C
80% above 75C

It never reaches 75 in SH3 (Usually about 60-65) but can in CoD2 and MoHPA with them set at absolute max settings for everything (except bodies I have set to average in COD2).

Don't let this fan control scare you. This fan exhaust out the back of the case (it takes up two slots) and that is better for your case temps and the control allows you to dictate your noise and cooling levels as you require.
When you start playing with the OC sliders just turn on the 3D image and do it slowly making sure there are no anomalies. If you start seeing any back off 10 points lower.
After you save the new setting you must go to that same window where the fan control is (settings) open "start up" and then put the saved new speeds name (You save your speed changes and name them) so when you start up the PC that set of speeds will run. Or, you can let it default and go to the ATI tool and run the higher speeds when you play a game.
You have choices in control you never imagined with the X850XT and the ATI Tool.

Wulfmann

Why not do like many of us are...make the game into what you want?

Using Mission Editor and as many of the smaller individual mods as you like you can make it into anything that suits your fancy.

The mega mods are mostly conglomerations of individual contributions that have been coming out since the game was first released. You don't have to settle for one over the other.

It does require a certain level of understanding of how the mods interact with each other to affect the game as a whole but it isn't difficult....and if you are unsure about anything there are many on this board more than willing to explain things for you.

Way back when I first downloaded RUB 1.45 I opened up the readme and started going through it file by file. There were parts I didn't want and parts I did. I then put HT 1.47 on top of it, as all it changed were the Campaign, Sea and Roster files.

When NYGM Tonnage War came along I took a look through it and started doing the same thing.

Grey Wolves? I took the Campaign, Sea and Roster files from that, since that's where the latest Harbour Traffic mod lies.

I've also taken the Bordinstrument mod (included in GW but I installed it separartely) and a host of different graphics and sound-related mods.

Like JayW, I suffer from slow, choppy frame rates when the graphics first start up, but within a minute everything is fine.

I have a Gateway Pentium 4, 3 Ghz, ATI Radeon something video card (I'm not in a position to look it up right now), onboard sound only and only 512 MB RAM.

It can be done.

I realy realy think these suposed "State of the Art" PC's must be CRAP ! Why - Because I'm playing SHIII + GW + My own Mods on a PIII 1.2GHz PC. I have AA @ 8 and AF @ 8 and I get 24 FPS in Port as I sail out to sea. Once at Sea I get 50-70 FPS and when I come across a large convoy (40 plus ships) I get 30-40 FPS.

So with my measley 133 FSB an 1.2GHz CPU an 4 x AGP slot I'm basicaly wondering why I should invest in a P4!

My CyberPower computer, and not trying to brag here:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+
2 GB DDR400 RAM
NVidia GeForce 7800GT

I have no problems with Grey Wolves. Then again, my specs should be more than good enough anyway. 2 GB of RAM is apparently unnecessary, as is a 4800+. Before I get ridiculed for getting this computer to play SH3, I didn't. I got it because my previous Dell overheated (105 degrees C for the X600 graphics card) and also to play Battlefield 2.

Well I'm running a 2.4 gig Northwood clocked at 2.75 and stable with air cooling 2X120mm fans and a 80mm cut into the side to provide air to the cpu.
PNY Gforce 6600gt stock running at core clock 500mhz and Mem clock at 900mhz.
To this I have 1 gig of branded Adata pc2700 Ram.
Mobo is a gigabyte GA-8IPE-1000G Rev 4.

This rig is by no means "State of the Art" yet leaving port with AA@4S and anisotropy @forceware 8 I get FPS at between 20-30 in mid ocean 12m waves and driving rain I still get a decent 40fps .....Its only when I'm zoomed in quite close to burning wrecks that I get a frame hit using Dowleys Oblivion smoke mod where it will drop to about 17-19 fps but that's still very playable.

Just one thing to add get yourself a little program still out there on the net called "End it all", great little app for closing down all those unwanted programs running in the background.



Cheers

Deep Six

When you're out on the bridge, tell the Watchman to take a break and hit the sack for a while. I've found he can slow things down, especially in harbor; too much activity up top. I'm running Pascal's smoke and splash with GW, which probably doesn't help matters. Just keep activity to a minimum and work with it to find some stability; the old turn the camera around can help.

You don't think it could be the dual core and the ageia physx card making the difference?
:hmm:

I have no real issues except with the map (running GW). When I take a look at the nav map, it can kill my fps (down to 27 from 70 in the control room). It only seems to be here in the control room where I notice the difference. The bridge would still run smooth (70-120 depending on a number of factors, most notably the direction I'm looking out to sea). Has anyone else found the same problem with the nav map lagging things running GW?

Manages to run SHIII+GW pretty well... though i cant go over 64 tc in port its no problem I can place my camera right in buring ships with no loss in frame rate though :D

also this is my vid card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121544

Try a video card with 256 or 512:yep:

Hi SkvyWvr, Thanks for your post, Have ordered a new graphics card.
ModelBrandSAPPHIREModel100106SR-RDInterfaceInterfacePCI Express x16ChipsetChipset ManufacturerATIGPURadeon X850XT
Hopefully this baby will do the trick, should with some luck get me back up and running by the middle of next week, am just waiting for it to arrive. Then the real fun will begin as i have never installed a new graphics card before, so god know what i will do wrong:oops:

I don't think that will ever happen. The personality conflicts between the two teams is in all likelyhood unrecoverable. I can't say i like it that way, but thats just how it is. Acutally, i think the only way that would happen, is if a 3rd party did it. Im also pretty sure much forum drama would ensue, and if it did, id just sit on the sidelines iwth a big bowl of popcorn and watch the show. Im a little burnt out on it all.

@mr chris: If you have enough to spend, I have Nvidia´s GF7800GTX and I´m very pleased with it. GW runs at 40fps in ports and 60-80fps when no ones around. :up:

how about my graphics card?
 

I was wondering about my graphics card. Could it handle Grey Wolves without the major fame problems??? It's a Radeon 9600.

Same here ducimus..same here