When I'm on the field, I want max performance out of my paintball marker.  Part of this though depends on what type of hopper you're using.  If you've got a super fast Dye paintball marker, it would be ridiculous to load your paintballs with a simple gravity fed 200 round hopper.  That would be like putting average, low-end tires on a race car; you would find out soon enough the cheap tires are holding you back.

It has often been said that a well coached team with excellent field communication skills can triumph over a collection of players with superior talent and paintball gear (but poor communication skills).  In most paintball games, there are several positions you can choose to play on your team.