I always build my own PCs. I come in here frequently and always see people wondering about upgrading their computer. While the minimum specs have been bumped up, I swear I can remember the Silent Hunter IV developers saying the game will actually run better than Silent Hunter 3 and load faster. If you think about it, it makes sense. Sure they have upgraded the graphics, better models, lighting, water effects, transparancy, shadows, more poly's in the crew models but it is still the Silent Hunter 3 engine and I am sure they have had a lot of time to tweek the code and improve the performance.
That being said I just set a friend up with the following system. I suggest using reliable suppliers like
www.newegg.com to purchase good computer hardware. I like newegg because they run deals all of the time and they often have free shipping for some items here in the States and they also have awesome rebates:
CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ Windsor @ 2.6GHz $229.00 at newegg with free 3 day shipping right now
Motherboard ASUS M2V Socket AM2 VIA K8T89 $74.99 @ newegg
VideoCard eVGA GeForce 8800GTS w/ 640MB $359.99 after a $30 mail in rebate @ newegg
Power Supply THERMALTAKE 500W Power Supply 59.99 after $20 mail in rebate free shipping
RAM OCZ Gold Series 2GB (PC2 5400) Dual 192.99 @ newegg
You can figure out the rest soundcard, harddrive, case etc........oh yeah here is an awesome computer monitor, perfect for this game:
ViewSonic VX922 Black/Silver 19" 2ms LCD $259.99 w/ 3 days free shipping.