Budget: Left 4 Dead

Left 4 Dead (DirectX 9)



Developed by a new team of Valve’s, Left 4 Dead is a single or multi-player game that encompasses the most automatic story for a shooter: zombie apocalypse.  The team aspect of the title, based on Valve’s Source engine, really makes this a unique gaming experience that I think all PC gamers should be required to play.

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 250

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 251

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 252
  Left 4 Dead settings

The Valve: Source engine supports in-game demos that can be played back as fast as possible (fixed frame count) or in real-time (variable frame count) to simulate a more real-world experience.  I chose the last stage of the Farm House “movie” and played through the cornfield section to get the majority of the level in the FRAPS run through. 

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 253

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 254

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 255

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 256

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 257

Windows 7 series: NVIDIA and AMD Graphics and Gaming Performance - Graphics Cards 258

This is the first time we see a negative result with the different NVIDIA driver versions: the Windows 7 performance is slightly slower on the GTS 250 1GB while the results on the Radeon HD 4870 512MB are basically dead even between the two operating systems.  And again, the AMD solution appears to be the better value for your gaming dollar.

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