Ok here's just a quickie...

I mostly play Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament2k4, and Battlefield: Vietnam. The problem I have with all three is that it takes me forever to load maps in multiplayer (and even to some extent in single player). However, once in the game I have little to no lag (usually a ping of 45). Is there anyway to boost these loading times? More RAM, more powerful processor, a better videocard.

RAM, however, would MAKE the most notable difference IF the rest of your system is up to date.

A faster connection would also help reduce loading times.

But unless you post your computer its specifications I cannot help you.ok well here are my specs:

win xp
pentium 4 2.40ghz
256mb of ram
128 DDR ATI Radeon 9800

well, im looking at several right now.
Here is what I'm trying to figure out.

Bestbuy has a 512 DDR for $90
they also have a 256 DDR for $135 and $120 (one is slightly fster). However the last two have a higher speed.

So which is better? More memory or the higher speed?RAM is your bottleneck.

Increasing your amount of RAM will decrease loading times.

I donot know what kind of RAM is installed currently, but if your mainboard supports Dual Channel I suggest you remove your current RAM and INSTALL two identical RAM sticks.

You will want at least 512mb DDR RAM. I donot know what the maximum amount of RAM is that your mainboard can coop with and neither do I know what clock-speed is sufficient. You will have to look into this. Either consult your MANUAL or contact your mainboard's manufacturer tech support.

thanks for all the help . I'll let you know how it goes.Just another thought, in addition to what everyone else has already recommended. If your hard disk drive is a 5400RPM drive, getting the game onto a 7200RPM or faster hard drive will DRAMATICALLY increase the load time of a game.RAM has a much greater effect on loading times than the hard disk does. In my experience, it did.Quote

256mb of ram

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256mb of ram

:-/ I'm no expert, but you may wan't a little bit more RAM for gaming.