Device information and tips

Good day,

As i played some co-op campaigns with other Alserv members we came with an idea about posting information(s) here about the device used to play Left 4 Dead 2 (laptops, PC).

Here is mine:
Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2Ghz, 4 Gb of Ram, 1Gb of video memory from Nvidia GeForce 430 GT, normal SATA disk, normal speakers and of course headphones for the moments of deep zombie killing .

My personal tip for users with a configuration as mine: playing with low settings for graphics, Vsync and Trilinear for the GPU is not bad at all. Give it a try.

So if I get it right the sole purpose of this thread is to give advice to those who browse the forums about recommended game graphical settings for optimal performance? Doesn't sound bad. I will also write down my specs here:

Motherboard : Gigabyte m61pme-s2
GPU : Gigabyte Radeon HD 5770 1gb ddr5
CPU : Amd Athlon x2 255 3.6 ghz OC (had a phenom ii x4 965 BE but it died 2 months ago , but luckily got my hands on this one for free thanks to one of my friends.At least I didn't need to spend money on this one so I could spend it on my car instead )
RAM : 2x2 gb Kingston DDR2 800mhz
Headset : Speedlink Coniux Gaming Headset
Mouse : Gigabyte M6900 gaming mouse
Mousepad : Razer Sphex
OP : Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
HDD : Hitachi 1TB
The rest doesn't count IMO.

Used settings in game :  
Resolution : 1280x720
No MSAA
Anisotropic Filtering x2
Shader : Medium
Models/Textures : High
Quality of Effects : Low
Avg fps : 40-80
Min :  39
Max : 140
But these fps numbers highly depend on the map / the number of zombies.

Hello VIVONX,

That is correct. Different configurations use different settings (according to how the owner set it) so a nice head`s up about devices is useful IMHO.

creationn wrote:

Hello VIVONX,

That is correct. Different configurations use different settings (according to how the owner set it) so a nice head`s up about devices is useful IMHO.

Strangely different systems behave differently. I just tried the game with Anisotropic Filtering turned at maximum and the fps was still the same. Of course MSAA sucked off my fps at quite a high rate but it strangely didn't apply to Anisotropic Filtering.
Also I had difference in fps when I turned the res to 1080p, guess will stick to that.

Hello,

I was a bit curious too, i have modified the game resolution to 1080p as well (native resolution of my monitor) and to my surprise it all went well.

Will check this more when playing

For sake of entertainment here are my configurations..

Device: Laptop
Model: Sony VAIO SR-26MN (2008)
CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz
GPU: Mobility Radeon HD3470 (256MB )
RAM: 4GB (but one module is for replacement so 2GB now)
Storage: Samsung EVO 840 SSD (120GB)+200 GB SATA
OS: Windows 7 32bit (Secondary OS: Kali)
Headphones: Cheap USB headphones
Mouse: Cheaper than imagination
Network: Usually 512Kb/s with worst latency and frequent disconnections and random IP changes as a bonus.

Game Configurations:
800x480 etc too low to mention
FPS: Better not comment on that LOL but I can see in slow motion when using fire ammo that's awesome.

Sandeep wrote:

For sake of entertainment here are my configurations..

Device: Laptop
Model: Sony VAIO SR-26MN (2008)
CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz
GPU: Mobility Radeon HD3470 (256MB )
RAM: 4GB (but one module is for replacement so 2GB now)
Storage: Samsung EVO 840 SSD (120GB)+200 GB SATA
OS: Windows 7 32bit (Secondary OS: Kali)
Headphones: Cheap USB headphones
Mouse: Cheaper than imagination
Network: Usually 512Kb/s with worst latency and frequent disconnections and random IP changes as a bonus.

Game Configurations:
800x480 etc too low to mention
FPS: Better not comment on that LOL but I can see in slow motion when using fire ammo that's awesome.

Now I see why you were experiencing fps problems. That system is really outdated (mine too ) , it's not for gaming purposes that's for sure.

Sandeep wrote:

...

Thanks for sharing Sandeep, hope you get money for an upgade or a better laptop

Back with an update,

I don`t know about you, but at this resolution my eyes don`t feel that good. The graphics are good but my eye feel strain so i guess i will get back to 4:3 format, 1152 x 864 just to be on a safe side.

Don't want to trash it. Its my first laptop which I actually bought so sentiments attached :-D (Others were all from employer). And it has no no purpose at all, have other laptop for work but without windows and hardly carry it home. I usually just switch this on for joining this server.

Even with this hardware I play OK, better than many players. I just need better connection and would kill tank with one hand :-P

Whole system in my signature except 2x4 gb 2000mhz adata ram. Run pretty well with all settings max out.
L4D2 is not really hungry for hardware resources.

Funny Update from me

I changed game resolution to 1280x800 (native) and game didn't slow down for almost 2 hours (else I can only play smoothly only like half an hour etc)

May be Graphic Driver renders game properly for native monitor resolution, and I am sure previously it was not the case.

Can play smoothly only half hour? What happens after that?

Few problems like system overload, overheat, teleportation, I can see mouse pointer behind cross hair, can not aim properly in such situation, and things get worse if fire, smoke in game or voice chatting... except this everything works perfectly

Sandeep wrote:

Few problems like system overload, overheat, teleportation, I can see mouse pointer behind cross hair, can not aim properly in such situation, and things get worse if fire, smoke in game or voice  chatting... except this everything works perfectly

Its really funny, did you ever considered getting an extra-cooler, the ones working o USB should help, and since when gaming the laptop gets power and not from battery it should not be a problem.

Its not funny :-P anyways problem seems to be driver related, mostly it couldn't manage graphic memory properly (which is already very low) so problems were due to less memory after half an hour. But now it seems that problem is solved so it must be because driver facing problem with screen stretching, my low game resolution to full monitor resolution.

I tried usb cooling pad but that doesn't show any change and apart from that, just two usb ports and I use usb mouse and usb headsets (Sony used to provided useless firewire ports :-()

Anyways waiting for you to catch in game :-)

Sandeep wrote:

...

I see... for the moment stick with low settings and no Vsync

I say the same thing to anyone who have fps issues with old systems.

• Remove any files who modify your game a.k.a. Mods. (But keep the custom maps of course)
  
• Run it on low settings on the lower resolution.
  
• Close any background aplications
  
• Restart your Modem/Router and PC. <-- Yep
  

Nestor wrote:

I say the same thing to anyone who have fps issues with old systems.

• Remove any files who modify your game a.k.a. Mods. (But keep the custom maps of course)
  
• Run it on low settings on the lower resolution.
  
• Close any background aplications
  
• Restart your Modem/Router and PC. <-- Yep
  

Also you forgot one more imporant step : Set the 3d gaming options/graphics options in the GPU driver application to low, this can significantly increase performance (such as CCC , or Nvidia's control panel or dunno how it is called)
Anyway I can't see how restarting your modem/router can speed up your pc, it's only able to fix connection issues , but it doesn't work every time.

VIVONX wrote:

Anyway I can't see how restarting your modem/router can speed up your pc, it's only able to fix connection issues , but it doesn't work every time.

Yeah exactly.