Killing Floor Vs. Team Fortress 2 Graphics Card Question...

[MrEco]

OK, so after Team Fortress 2 was released for free I tried the game and to my delight I found that the game actually runs on my computer (Barely, but still.). Now, with Killing Floor being $5 for today only on Steam I'm considering buying it, but I don't know if Killing Floor will run on my computer. So I compared the minimum system requirements of both games and one thing is confusing me. For TF2 the minimum required graphics card is a "DirectX 8.1 level Graphics Card" according to Steam and for Killing Floor the minimum graphics card needed is a "64 MB DX9 Compliant" and I have no idea what either of those two things are. So I'm wondering, which of the two games requires the more powerful graphics card? I already know that TF2 needs the more powerful processor but I wan't to be sure on all the points before I decide on the purchase.

[jeffro11]

TF2 requires more horsepower. Killing Floor is built on Unreal 2 engine (ut2004)

[coastercrazy10]

DirectX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DirectX is a graphics package used by software (particularly game) developers to streamline the development process. It has libraries that allow the programmers to concentrate more on design instead of the nitpicky physics and graphical details. The reason games have DirectX X.X ratings is because the libraries they used must be supported by your video card (DX is backwards compatible). Even though Killing Floor may be less CPU intensive it appears to be more GPU intensive.

To check your DX compliancy do this (for win7, if you're running XP or Vista just get to Device Manager any way you want and this will work, I don't know how to get there off the top of my head):
Start>Control Panel>System>Device Manager>Display Adapters
This will tell you what graphics card you have. A quick google search should yield your version and you can likely find a full-spec page somewhere (possibly on wiki). That should help you make your decision.

BTW if you're in the market for a cheap upgrade look at the GeForce GX 430 line. They're pretty much at the same compatibility level as the gaming and professional graphics cards but cost significantly less due to the slightly lower horsepower. The one I'm looking at is DX11 compliant, OpenGL 4.1 compliant (similar deal to DX, and this is the current version), has 1 GB of memory and has PhysX. And for $50 after rebate this is a steal.

/long post, sorry about that!

-Ben

[MrEco]

@Coastercrazy10
That was actually really helpful. It seems I have the Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family graphics card which (After a quick Google search) several sources confirm is good enough for Killing Floor. Thanks a bunch!

[coastercrazy10]

Good deal. Glad I could help you confirm!

-Ben

[Erik_Twice]

A note, you can lower TF2 graphics so much that your eyes will bleed so it runs faster. So if it runs poorly, try a FPS config.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

If you want to substantially boost your TF2 performance while keeping it from looking TOO ugly, go right click on TF2 > Properties > Launch Options then type "-dxlevel 81" without quotes. That will force the game to run in Direct X 8 and it will run amazing on just about anything recent.

[Hobie-wan]

A note, you can lower TF2 graphics so much that your eyes will bleed so it runs faster. So if it runs poorly, try a FPS config.

Back in the bad old days of Quake 1 and 2 and older video cards, competitive players would purposefully lower resolution and settings so that the game would run smoother and be less likely to lag, choosing gameplay over visual quality

[Niode]

I have a HD6950 and I STILL use an FPS config and DX8 mode. Just so I get a solid 121FPS everywhere, improved my game tenfold just for eradication of input lag. It's non-existent, coupled with my Mionix Naos 3200 means I'm just a bit more lethal on the battlefield.

If in doubt, use this: http://clugu.com/tf2mate/

You want the 'max frames' config, full screen, and set your maximum refresh to your monitor's refresh rate multiplied by 2 and then plus 1. So mine is a 60Hz screen, it's set to 121. (60 x 2 = 120 + 1 = 121).

Enjoy.