JK wrote:
Doom 3 requires a powerful cpu as well as a high quality video card
to run well.


http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets...spx?i=2149&p=7

The Athlon XP chips aren't so great for Doom 3.

They aren't that bad either. I have a couple fo friends who have been
running it on XP's. One just upgraded his graphics card yesterday and said
it made a huge difference and that the game doen't seem to be CPU-bound (in
his case). He's running a Barton 2500+.

If you have a reasonably modern Athlon XP (2100+ upwards, 2500+ upwards is
better) you should be fine. Sure, the FX 53 will give you massive
frame-rates but the XP2000 gives you 46.1 FPS at 1280 x 1084, high quality.
(According to that link) Plenty fast enough.

People get too carried away by the latest and greatest, often overlooking
the fact that 46 FPS is more than adequate.
--
~misfit~

The Athlon 64 chips
are superb for Doom. You might be able to boost the performance a bit
if you buy a better video card, however your processor and ram will
definitely hold you back. Buying a very expensive video card for your
system is a waste. You might want to buy a new system with an Athlon
64 processor and a high end video card.

James wrote:

Hi
I want to get doom3 to experience those amazing graphics but know
that my system wont really show it to its full (see system details
below).
I'm not really that well informed on PC hardware and wondered if
someone could please advise me.
I'm not sure what motherboard would be in my system, so dont know
what extra ram i could put in it yet.

I also want to purchase a new graphics card, possibly a BFGtech
GeForce 6800 Ultra but can someone tell me,
1. would it simply slot into my system or would i need a new
motherboard? Someone told me i'd need a water cooling system!
2. Would it be a waste of money because my processor wouldnt be able
to keep up with the graphics card?!
3. Does anyone know a good online store to order such a graphics
card? i'm in the UK
4. What RAM is the best to buy?
5. Will Half life 2 be better graphics/gameplay?

Also, does anyone know any software online that can tell me exactly
whats inside my PC without me having to open the box?

My system is a Compaq Presario 6540 uk
AMD athlon XP - 2600+ (2.13Ghz)

512mb ddr-sdram

80gb ultra dma hard drive

ATI Radeon 9000

64 mb dedicated video memory

-----------------

The system is about 18 months old

Many thanks for your help