Thanks Ritalin,
Funny thing.  I played a few games tonight on a server I usually have issues on.  I ran straight (no dodging), chased players and fired at nothing in particular.  I won a couple of times and went top 3 in a few more. What a weird game....lol. 

Alright I found this and from a hardware perspective it seems quite logical through and through, there is a definitive reason why older machines do it so well & this is really nothing new when it comes to "old games" -by todays standards....however it would seem UT shows it & it's associated problems to a much stronger extent, I found this & will be trying it on and off throughout the day, best of luck m8, lemme know how it works for you! 

http://coding.hanfling.de/launch/

highlight over the [Unreal Tournament 436] and click it to download.

Interesting. I downloaded it and will keep it to try for when I get a new comp. Thanks!

I have to guess at 1 & 2.

Client: your box.
Server: box with server on.

1. And this is also guessing at exactly what you mean. It probably depends on how much your client is allowed to replicate what you do when it comes to moving/firing/changing weapons. So I'm guessing that when moving, your client will draw/move you right away because it is immediately allowed to do these actions without awaiting instructions from the server. So conversely weapons have less freedom to replicate their actions, they must wait for more instructions from server.

2. Good question, I can recall experiencing this on FMJ, and, who knows. Ok we could say it could be because of a cheat somehow. Like they are somehow hammering other clients with more info, thus lagging us. Or it could simply be they are validly providing more info, like they are moving/doding/firing much more than others, or the fights are in close where client/server lag would be more perceptable. Like I said, guessing.

3. Technically no. But setting it as high as that (or higher) will bog you down and cause you be slower to process everything in general.

I quit UT often, but I always come back... which is why I never delete it.

Personally, I see them as mini-vacations.

Will do Herm!   Lol.....

Me either, 99 is still the most "Fun" for me, I'm not the biggest fan of dodging, or jumping, or any of the specialty techniques in any of the Unreal games, however lately i've been playing some 2003, 2004 & UT3, mostly because i own them, kinda miss them now & again, but 99 is the only one that keeps me coming back because of how stellar the gameplay is. Hope to play against you again soon Red! Cheers!

Pretty much my story with UT is similar to all of your stories.
Only one I play, and I still am Pumped to play it! (every night!)