What is your FPS in TF2 ?

[leoftw]

I think something is wrong with my system . I'm getting an average of 80-85 FPS with Vsync off and max settings on everything .

8800GT/Q6600/4GB RAM

Sife told me he gets a 100+ with a ATI card so now I'm really worried . What FPS are you guys getting and I highly doubt it but can a monitor limit your FPS's ? thats the only thing that I think of holding me back but I doubt it has any effect on my system .

If anyone with a 8800GT could chime in please do so.

[leoftw]

type

net_graph 1

in console to get your fps

type

net_graph 0

to turn it off

[m_d_butler]

110-180 while alive
250+ while dead

All TF2 video options at highest, 1600 res, Hardware listed below, Steam, CSS, and TF2 only applications on XP machine, nothing overclocked past mfr shipped config (yet)

[leoftw]

Vista or XP ?

Our systems aren't too distant from eachothers so I'm guessing something is wrong :(

[leoftw]

Thanks butler I searched .

8800GT + TF2 LOW FPS in Google and I get a shitload of results.

[ikem1223]

i have a FireGL v5000 128mb VRAM and i get 200+ with everything max but AA (x4) :P

[The Penultimate Mohican]

I'm embarrassed to say. 30 under most ideal conditions, 5-9 when it starts to hit the fan. Gonna try Omega drivers, but I think I'm just playing on hardware that's too old.


Here's my config:

386 DX
2 meg ram
500 meg hard drive
EGA graphics
Win 3.1
Soundblaster PRO
14.4K modem



Of course I'm kidding, but not about the FPS.

[Herron]

I have a very similar setup to yours.

Q6600 / 8800GT 512mb / 3gb DDR2 RAM / Windows XP SP2

I play in 1680x1050 with everything set to "High," but I have color correction, Antialiasing, and HDR turned off.

My sound card is a SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro, so I'm not eating up many cpu cycles processing sound.

I get 250ish fps in spawn rooms and other enclosed areas, average 115-195ish when just randomly walking around a map, and the lowest I've seen it go in a super heavy fire fight was like 87.

None of my stuff is overclocked. I do not use mat_queue_mode 2. Vsync is off. I do, however, use -heapsize 786432 in my command line.

[Iron Lung]

I get about 20-60 fps

I play in a 900 by 600 window

I rock a 7900GS

[leoftw]

I have a very similar setup to yours.

Q6600 / 8800GT 512mb / 3gb DDR2 RAM / Windows XP SP2

I play in 1680x1050 with everything set to "High," but I have color correction, Antialiasing, and HDR turned off.

My sound card is a SoundBlaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro, so I'm not eating up many cpu cycles processing sound.

I get 250ish fps in spawn rooms and other enclosed areas, average 115-195ish when just randomly walking around a map, and the lowest I've seen it go in a super heavy fire fight was like 87.

None of my stuff is overclocked. I do not use mat_queue_mode 2. Vsync is off. I do, however, use -heapsize 786432 in my command line.

Damn I actually have a Auzentech Prelude Soundcard and it didn't make anything better too. I think something is wrong with the drivers :( I'm getting 15K in 3DMark06 so I know my system isn't screwed it just doesn't like steam games.

[Timmah!]

I'm afraid to look at mine. I'm rocking a GeForce Go 6800 Ultra (laptop). But I did just upgrade from 1G to 2G yesterday. :) Man, I hope the wife doesn't blow the entire $5k of our tax return+rebate.

But I can still pwn with about 2:1 kpd as a demoman (3+:1 with permamedic enabled) ;)

(Don't mind my stats; medic is my 2nd-most played class)

[JMaster299]

100-150+ running around, 200+ staring at a wall or when I am dead. All specs maxed with 4xAA 8xAF, no Vsync, no Motion Blur.

[m_d_butler]

I have not set anything on the current rig as I just built it. Anyone have recommendations on what they have turned on or off to improve FPS without degrading the visual to drastically?

[Dope a Rillo]

I average about 25 fps.

Pent 4 2.9GHz
768MB ram
x800gt
1440x900 w/ everything on low.

[Iron Lung]

I average about 25 fps.

Pent 4 2.9GHz
768MB ram
x800gt
1440x900 w/ everything on low.

I think you and I are proof positive you don't need a bitchin framerate to pwn

[JMaster299]

I have not set anything on the current rig as I just built it. Anyone have recommendations on what they have turned on or off to improve FPS without degrading the visual to drastically?

AA and AF are resource hogs and they are not that important in TF2. With it's cartoon style looks AA and AF don't make as much of a difference as they do in a more realistic looking games like Episode 2 or Crysis. I have my AA and AF set at 4 and 8 respectively just because I found I was able to turn them up that high with out a performance drop on my system.

The detail settings do make a difference. In the various spawns there is a chalkboard with some math equation written on it. Look at that chalkboard with the Detail settings on High, and then Very High, you will really see a difference.

[Timmah!]

I average about 25 fps.

Pent 4 2.9GHz
768MB ram
x800gt
1440x900 w/ everything on low.

Ouch. I'd recommend more ram, Dope. You can get 2g of ddr2 for <$50. Or is it a ddr (168pin) mobo? Little more expensive, then - but can still get 2g for ~$70.

Probably wouldn't help much on the smaller maps, but should make things smoother on the larger maps where you're probably hurting the most. At least maps should load a lot faster if nothing else.

[Ganwen]

15-30fps
Right now Im playing:
Pent 4 3.0ghz
1.6gb ram
Radeon 9600 Video card

Cause my other computers officially dead, gotta save up to make a new one, screw buying from dell from now on.

Oh, my Comp sounds like a jet engine when its playing TF2 (after about 5min to load to game) theres no ventilation on the case, just the back 2 spots for the Power Box fan and the 1 other fan in the comp, 90mm ftw!

[Dope a Rillo]

Oh, my Comp sounds like a jet engine when its playing TF2 (after about 5min to load to game) theres no ventilation on the case, just the back 2 spots for the Power Box fan and the 1 other fan in the comp, 90mm ftw!


lol...I know how you feel man.

Yeah Timmah, My wife said I can't buy anything new for my comp until I buy her a laptop. Which her b-day is in a month, so I dont have to wait too much longer. Once that goes through, I'll go ahead a build something nice for myself....Then it will seem like my b-day too...win/win

[Zappa]

Lets do this since the netgraph or the cl_showfps commands only give you what you are looking at at the time, lets use a control that everyone can gage off of.

I have a short demo that I made over 2 months ago of just me running around and rocket jumping in 2fort. I use this only to check average overall fps, by using this as a control and using the "timedemo" command. We can all see how our machines/video cards stack up in frames per second, by downloading the demo from here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3Q504XQ4

Then put it in your: C:\Steam\SteamApps\steam name\team fortress 2\tf directory.

Launch TF2, bring down the console with the ~ key. Then type in: timedemo test3 (test3 is the name of the demo, its about a minute long)

That will run the demo as fast as it can and at the end will give you an overall average FPS that it ran at. From here you can tweak your settings and see if they really make a difference by running the same timedemo again and compare your results. With everyone using this demo as a control and posting their results here we can gage how our fps really stack up, and help each other to figure out what we can do to increase our frame rates.

When I run it on my computer at 1600x1200 refresh rate 75hz
(The * denotes recommended video card settings)

Model Detail: Low
Texture Detail: High*
Shader Detail: Low
Water Detail: Simple Reflections
Shadows: Low
Color Correction: Disabled
Anti Aliasing: None*
Filtering Mode: Trilinear*
Waite for Vertical Sync: Disabled*
High Dynamic Range: None
Motion Blur: Disabled*
Use Bloom' Effect when Available: off
I get:

147.63 average fps

With mat_queue_mode 2 on (which uses both cores of my CPU)

I get:

206.26 average fps


With Everything set at High recommended settings at 1600x1200 refresh rate 75Hz

Model Detail: High*
Texture Detail: High*
Shader Detail: High*
Water Detail: Reflect World*
Shadows: High*
Color Correction: Enabled*
Anti Aliasing: None*
Filtering Mode: Trilinear*
Waite for Vertical Sync: Disabled*
High Dynamic Range: Full if Available*
Motion Blur: Disabled*
Use Bloom' Effect when Available: off

I get:

141.87 Average FPS

With mat_queue_mode 2 on (which uses both cores of my CPU)

I get:

177.14 Average FPS

My computer specs are:

Windows XP SP2
AMD Opteron 180 dual core CPU 2400 MHz (ovclocked @ 2706 MHz)
2 GB RAM OCZ PC 4000
PNY 8800GT 512MB GPU Clock 600MHz Mem 900MHz Shader 1500MHz
Sound Card SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio

[leoftw]

I'll try that . Are all your settings on high everything because mine are .

[Ginkan]

Goes from 3-50. More often than not, the average is 20 -- just don't ask me when I'm melee'ing what it is.. ugh.. :(

[Herron]

Lets do this since the netgraph or the cl_showfps commands only give you what you are looking at at the time, lets use a control that everyone can gage off of.

I have a short demo that I made over 2 months ago of just me running around and rocket jumping in 2fort. I use this only to check average overall fps, by using this as a control and using the "timedemo" command. We can all see how our machines/video cards stack up in frames per second, by downloading the demo from here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3Q504XQ4

Then put it in your: C:\Steam\SteamApps\steam name\team fortress 2\tf directory.

Launch TF2, bring down the console with the ~ key. Then type in: timedemo test3 (test3 is the name of the demo, its about a minute long)


1680x1050 with my normal settings:
5487 frames 29.088 seconds 188.64 fps ( 5.30 ms/f) 21.642 fps variability

1680x1050 with mat_queue_mode 2:
5487 frames 20.238 seconds 271.12 fps ( 3.69 ms/f) 27.835 fps variability

Makes me sad that I can't play with mat_queue_mode 2 enabled for more than an hour or so without crashing to the desktop. :(

[Zappa]

1680x1050 with my normal settings:
5487 frames 29.088 seconds 188.64 fps ( 5.30 ms/f) 21.642 fps variability

1680x1050 with mat_queue_mode 2:
5487 frames 20.238 seconds 271.12 fps ( 3.69 ms/f) 27.835 fps variability

Makes me sad that I can't play with mat_queue_mode 2 enabled for more than an hour or so without crashing to the desktop. :(

Wow thats nice 271 fps!!! Yeah mine may last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and then it will crash. I hope they fix this someday!!!

[JMaster299]

I did not even mess with the mat_queue 2 thing but I ran three demos to get an average with different classes. One with a Demo, a Scout and A Pyro. I kept switiching weapons, shooting everything and even did sticky jumps.

1680x1050 All models/details as high as they can go, 4xAA, 8xAF, HDR on Full, No Vsync, no Motion Blur
Results 148.58, 148.85, 152.54

Average between the three demos comes out to 149.99 so I'll call it 150 for my purposes. I tested on Badlands and capped all three points for each test.

[Zappa]

I did not even mess with the mat_queue 2 thing but I ran three demos to get an average with different classes. One with a Demo, a Scout and A Pyro. I kept switiching weapons, shooting everything and even did sticky jumps.

1680x1050 All models/details as high as they can go, 4xAA, 8xAF, HDR on Full, No Vsync, no Motion Blur
Results 148.58, 148.85, 152.54

Average between the three demos comes out to 149.99 so I'll call it 150 for my purposes. I tested on Badlands and capped all three points for each test.

JMaster, down load the demo I posted and see how it comes out with that. If we all do different maps and demos we will never know what the difference is. Each map and route on that map will make a difference, that's why we all need to use the same demo as a control.

[JMaster299]

JMaster, down load the demo I posted and see how it comes out with that. If we all do different maps and demos we will never know what the difference is. Each map and route on that map will make a difference, that's why we all need to use the same demo as a control.

Ok, did not realize the FPS would vary on a demo someone else made but I guess that makes sense since it is using your game engine to watch it. My settings are the same as stated before.

145.94 FPS

[leoftw]

well I found out what the problem was. First I installed Nvidias latest drivers then I went into the Nvidia Control panel and went into the TF2 game and set everything to MAX and I'm getting 170-210 FPS up and down :)

[Shadizzy]

I don't get how you guys get these high fps :( My machine is sorta old but meow?!?! I have it on 1680x1050 with everything on high and get 40-50fps :(

AMD Athlon FX-55
2 gig low latency ram
wd raptor drive
2 x 9600gt's
sound blaster x-fi elite



sooo yeaaaaaa I don't know anymore :(

[Timmah!]

Oh, my Comp sounds like a jet engine when its playing TF2 (after about 5min to load to game) theres no ventilation on the case, just the back 2 spots for the Power Box fan and the 1 other fan in the comp, 90mm ftw!


You need this: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16811103014
Check out the side fan!

Or you could just take the side off your 'puter case and position a box fan there. :p

[leoftw]

I don't get how you guys get these high fps :( My machine is sorta old but meow?!?! I have it on 1680x1050 with everything on high and get 40-50fps :(

AMD Athlon FX-55
2 gig low latency ram
wd raptor drive
2 x 9600gt's
sound blaster x-fi elite



sooo yeaaaaaa I don't know anymore :(


Make sure vsync is off and go into the nvidia control panel go to the team fortress 2 game section and set everything to "MAX" . Thats what worked for me , your video card setup kicks the crap out of mine and your processor is no slouch, I have a processor that matches the specs of that one but its socket 2218. Good luck and nice harddrive

[JMaster299]

I don't get how you guys get these high fps :( My machine is sorta old but meow?!?! I have it on 1680x1050 with everything on high and get 40-50fps :(

AMD Athlon FX-55
2 gig low latency ram
wd raptor drive
2 x 9600gt's
sound blaster x-fi elite



sooo yeaaaaaa I don't know anymore :(

Yeah, an SLI set up with two 9600GT's should be giving you some really good frame rates. We have been talking about the whole mat_queue_mode 2 issue since TF2 doesn't actually use more then one core with out crashing so your single core should not be holding you back that much. It's got a small shared cache since it's an AMD but that is about it.

Make sure you are not running any background applications like AIM, or iTunes or an Anti-Virus program. Even when Idle those programs are big resource hogs. Even with out ever opening iTunes, the stupid "iTunes Helper" process is one of my top 5 processes so I shut it down when ever I start my computer.

[leoftw]

I'm positive if he follows what I posted that should help him out big time.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

the stupid "iTunes Helper" process is one of my top 5 processes so I shut it down when ever I start my computer.

You are so right about that. That thing is a major hog. Sometimes I shut down my AVG and sometimes I don't. It doesn't make much of a difference with my hardware. I'm going to try Omega drivers tonight but I think I'm just going to have low framerates anyway.

How many processes are you running? Just curious how much you strip your system down before playing. I have a lot of stuff like device drivers that run and aren't needed but I don't think they make much of a difference like a virus scanner does.

BTW my config for reals:

Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz
1.5 Gig RDRAM
ATI AIW 2006 edition (I know, this is probably a major chokepoint)

I keep toying with upgrading but really the only thing that doesn't run well is TF2 and I can't justify the cost. I like the ATI card because of the video ins. I'd replace it but don't think it'd help much with my processor.

[Timmah!]

the only thing that doesn't run well is TF2 and I can't justify the cost..

Your stock is falling... and sold to JP Morgan for $2 a share.

[m_d_butler]

Lets do this since the netgraph or the cl_showfps commands only give you what you are looking at at the time, lets use a control that everyone can gage off of.

I have a short demo that I made over 2 months ago of just me running around and rocket jumping in 2fort. I use this only to check average overall fps, by using this as a control and using the "timedemo" command. We can all see how our machines/video cards stack up in frames per second, by downloading the demo from here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3Q504XQ4

Then put it in your: C:\Steam\SteamApps\steam name\team fortress 2\tf directory.

Launch TF2, bring down the console with the ~ key. Then type in: timedemo test3 (test3 is the name of the demo, its about a minute long)

That will run the demo as fast as it can and at the end will give you an overall average FPS that it ran at. From here you can tweak your settings and see if they really make a difference by running the same timedemo again and compare your results. With everyone using this demo as a control and posting their results here we can gage how our fps really stack up, and help each other to figure out what we can do to increase our frame rates.

When I run it on my computer at 1600x1200 refresh rate 75hz
(The * denotes recommended video card settings)

Model Detail: Low
Texture Detail: High*
Shader Detail: Low
Water Detail: Simple Reflections
Shadows: Low
Color Correction: Disabled
Anti Aliasing: None*
Filtering Mode: Trilinear*
Waite for Vertical Sync: Disabled*
High Dynamic Range: None
Motion Blur: Disabled*
Use Bloom' Effect when Available: off
I get:

147.63 average fps

With mat_queue_mode 2 on (which uses both cores of my CPU)

I get:

206.26 average fps


With Everything set at High recommended settings at 1600x1200 refresh rate 75Hz

Model Detail: High*
Texture Detail: High*
Shader Detail: High*
Water Detail: Reflect World*
Shadows: High*
Color Correction: Enabled*
Anti Aliasing: None*
Filtering Mode: Trilinear*
Waite for Vertical Sync: Disabled*
High Dynamic Range: Full if Available*
Motion Blur: Disabled*
Use Bloom' Effect when Available: off

I get:

141.87 Average FPS

With mat_queue_mode 2 on (which uses both cores of my CPU)

I get:

177.14 Average FPS

My computer specs are:

Windows XP SP2
AMD Opteron 180 dual core CPU 2400 MHz (ovclocked @ 2706 MHz)
2 GB RAM OCZ PC 4000
PNY 8800GT 512MB GPU Clock 600MHz Mem 900MHz Shader 1500MHz
Sound Card SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio


THANK YOU ZAPPA

ADMINS, STICKY THIS RESPONSE SOMEWHERE AS THE START OF A NEW KB FORUM. FILE IT UNDER TF. Seriously this is super helpful.

FYI, I will be doing this when I get home.

[JMaster299]

You are so right about that. That thing is a major hog. Sometimes I shut down my AVG and sometimes I don't. It doesn't make much of a difference with my hardware. I'm going to try Omega drivers tonight but I think I'm just going to have low framerates anyway.

How many processes are you running? Just curious how much you strip your system down before playing. I have a lot of stuff like device drivers that run and aren't needed but I don't think they make much of a difference like a virus scanner does.

BTW my config for reals:

Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz
1.5 Gig RDRAM
ATI AIW 2006 edition (I know, this is probably a major chokepoint)

I keep toying with upgrading but really the only thing that doesn't run well is TF2 and I can't justify the cost. I like the ATI card because of the video ins. I'd replace it but don't think it'd help much with my processor.

I just shutdwon my Webroot Anti-Spyware/Anti-Virus program and close both iPod processes "iTunes helper" and "iPod Service.exe" when I play. I have found no difference by turn everything to "High" in my Nvidia control panel. I have it set to use the Applications Settings so it will use the settings I have in game. Besides, turning everything to "High" in the control panel will crank up the AA and AF and that can hurt FPS if they are set too high.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

Your stock is falling... and sold to JP Morgan for $2 a share.

Whoops! Let me clarify - I can't justify the cost to my wife.

I've actually pitched buying 'her' a laptop so she can have her own pc (nevermind we have 3 in the house and there's only 2 of us there). It would be a great place for her to store her pictures and just 'happen' to run TF2 very, very well. Yes hon, you really do need an alienware laptop to be able to get your pictures transferred over in the safest possible manner.

[Zappa]

My Son {-SM-} Slash's computer (my old one) runs this demo at:

1024x768 with settings tweaked down

72.76 average FPS

AMD Athlon XP Mobile 2400 1800MHz (Overclocked @ 2400MHz)
1.5Gb RAM PC3200
ATi 1950GT 256MB AGP

The biggest problem is the MB/video card is AGP, thats where his bottleneck is.

[m_d_butler]

Whoops! Let me clarify - I can't justify the cost to my wife.

I've actually pitched buying 'her' a laptop so she can have her own pc (nevermind we have 3 in the house and there's only 2 of us there). It would be a great place for her to store her pictures and just 'happen' to run TF2 very, very well. Yes hon, you really do need an alienware laptop to be able to get your pictures transferred over in the safest possible manner.

The outside of my wife's new computer is a media center with LCD display in case connected to the 46" Bravia LCD. Wireless Keyboard, mouse and MS remote control. The inside of my wife's new computer looks suspiciously like the machine I played on until recently...

:D

[Zappa]

I don't get how you guys get these high fps :( My machine is sorta old but meow?!?! I have it on 1680x1050 with everything on high and get 40-50fps :(

AMD Athlon FX-55
2 gig low latency ram
wd raptor drive
2 x 9600gt's
sound blaster x-fi elite



sooo yeaaaaaa I don't know anymore :(

That is very strange, it has to be your CPU because it's definitely not your cards! My AMD Opteron 180 is also 939 socket as well and I know my bottleneck is my CPU. If I overclock my Video card 8800GT 512MB it makes no difference in FPS in TF2, but if I overclock my CPU more my FPS go up in TF2, its just not stable any higher than the 2706MHz that I'm stuck at.

What sucks is I bought this dual core opty so I could use the mat_queue_mode 2 command in TF2 only to find it unstable, and guaranteed to crash. My old Opteron 144 1800MHz default I could overclock to 2800MHz no problem. This dual core Opteron after some research (and after I bought it) I found out that the 180's in general (especially with my stepping) all topped out around 2700MHz, where the Opty 165s (default clock of 1800MHz) were pushing 3000MHz no problem.

I also found it strange when I ran everything on high it was only 6 fps different than when I tweaked some settings down, but when I ran it in mat_queue_mode 2 using both cores at high settings it was almost a 30 fps drop, thats where I think the overclock to my card would help, the bottleneck no longer being my CPU.

[Timmah!]

The outside of my wife's new computer is a media center with LCD display in case connected to the 46" Bravia LCD. Wireless Keyboard, mouse and MS remote control. The inside of my wife's new computer looks suspiciously like the machine I played on until recently...

:D

:eek: nice. I, on the other hand, am very jealous of the wife's puter. She's got a E6700, 4GB of RAM, 8800 GTS 640MB, and count 'em - 4 750GB drives (in RAID 0+1). She works with 3d models, making textures, etc. But I get to upgrade late summer this year :D

[Tippo]

definitly a graphic designer. hefty video card and unnecessary amounts of backup. :)


EDIT: I get about 160 average and drops to maybe 110 in high combat in TF2 16x10 with everything all the way up

[.eric]

85 fps for 3 weeks now, before that it was <30 with the old comp.

specs:

Q6600 / 8800GT / 4GB ram / XP sp2 ----


I guess I could up it by turning off alot of settings but I'd rather have it look good I think.

Is it even a noticeable jump from 85 to 200?

[Timmah!]

That is very strange, it has to be your CPU because it's definitely not your cards! My AMD Opteron 180 is also 939 socket as well and I know my bottleneck is my CPU. If I overclock my Video card 8800GT 512MB it makes no difference in FPS in TF2, but if I overclock my CPU more my FPS go up in TF2, its just not stable any higher than the 2706MHz that I'm stuck at.

What sucks is I bought this dual core opty so I could use the mat_queue_mode 2 command in TF2 only to find it unstable, and guaranteed to crash. My old Opteron 144 1800MHz default I could overclock to 2800MHz no problem. This dual core Opteron after some research (and after I bought it) I found out that the 180's in general (especially with my stepping) all topped out around 2700MHz, where the Opty 165s (default clock of 1800MHz) were pushing 3000MHz no problem.

I also found it strange when I ran everything on high it was only 6 fps different than when I tweaked some settings down, but when I ran it in mat_queue_mode 2 using both cores at high settings it was almost a 30 fps drop, thats where I think the overclock to my card would help, the bottleneck no longer being my CPU.

I have to agree with Zappa that's it probably the CPU. The other components aren't lacking much, but then again, the FX55 isn't exactly slow either. Got enough fans running (and not clogged up)? As I recall, these tend to run pretty hot.

Hey Zappa - about the X1950 AGP, I've read some articles arguing that AGP (though deprecated) still has enough throughput for modern video cards. That is, the latest high-end cards showed no noticeable improvement whether they are run in 16X or 8X. I'm tempted to upgrade my son's ATI 9600 Pro to buy the rest of his PC some time.

[Jokerz]

Intel core 2 duo 6400
8800 GTS
3 gig ram

180 fps 1680 x 1050

[Timmah!]

85 fps for 3 weeks now, before that it was <30 with the old comp.

specs:

Q6600 / 8800GT / 4GB ram / XP sp2 ----


I guess I could up it by turning off alot of settings but I'd rather have it look good I think.

Is it even a noticeable jump from 85 to 200?

No, the magic number is 30fps (sustained minimum). As long as you're not dropping below that (when there are explosions and pyros and such with a large map), then there's no reason to drop the settings. Your eyes can't process more fps than that.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

As long as you're not dropping below that (when there are explosions and pyros and such with a large map), then there's no reason to drop the settings.

Yeah, but what about bragging rights?

[Timmah!]

Yeah, but what about bragging rights?

Then by all means, uninstall all software except the OS, drivers, and TF2. And play at 640x480 and the lowest settings so you can brag about your 250fps. :p

[Dr. Acula]

No, the magic number is 30fps (sustained minimum). As long as you're not dropping below that (when there are explosions and pyros and such with a large map), then there's no reason to drop the settings. Your eyes can't process more fps than that.

You are right and wrong. While 30 fps is good for just playing the REAL magic number is 100 fps constant. That is for maintaining tick and really only useful in competitive play. So unless you're going pro I wouldn't worry about it.

[Captain Wiggles]

I sit with all settings as high as they can go, 1680x1050, v-sync, hdr, motion blur. 60 fps in enclosed areas, 30 otherwise.

Radeon x1900XT 512MB
Athlon 64 4000+
2Gigs of system ram

Any FPS over 60 (generally) is useless as your monitor does not refresh faster than that.

[JMaster299]

I sit with all settings as high as they can go, 1680x1050, v-sync, hdr, motion blur. 60 fps in enclosed areas, 30 otherwise.

Radeon x1900XT 512MB
Athlon 64 4000+
2Gigs of system ram

Any FPS over 60 (generally) is useless as your monitor does not refresh faster than that.

Not true as you need a higher average frame rate to make sure you maintain good frame rates when you have 29 other people on your screen all shooting at the same time as you. When you can run a higher average frame, let's say over 100fps, you stand a better chance of that frame rate not getting choppy when the bullets start flying.

Anything below 60fps and you can start notice a difference as that's what your eye naturally sees. If you are only hitting 60fps when you are by yourself and then that frame rate drops during a fire fight it will drop to a rate that looks slow and choppy.

[Captain Wiggles]

I prefer to play games with V-sync on so the 60 cap is self imposed as I absolutely hate screen tearing while playing a PC game and my monitors only have a 60Hz refresh rate at the resolution. So anything over 60 really is useless to run and in the 30-60 range screen tearing comes into play.

[Tippo]

vsync stops tearing so it caps itself a 60 fps... sigh that's the point


anything after that risks heavy tearing

[Captain Wiggles]

I've experienced tearing in the sub 60 area. Tearing occurs when the output from the program is not in a natural sync with the display device refresh rate. Generally 15, 30, 60 are all tear-free numbers.

[Herron]

85 fps for 3 weeks now, before that it was <30 with the old comp.

specs:

Q6600 / 8800GT / 4GB ram / XP sp2


Something's not right... even at max settings, you should be getting more than 85 fps. Does it ever go over 85? If not, make sure you have vsync disabled in both TF2 and the GUI for your vid card. What do you get when you run a timedemo on Zappa's demo?

[Tippo]

Something's not right... even at max settings, you should be getting more than 85 fps. Does it ever go over 85? If not, make sure you have vsync disabled in both TF2 and the GUI for your vid card. What do you get when you run a timedemo on Zappa's demo?

vsync stops at 60 FPS.


check your nvidia manager for specific settings. also latest drivers and double check if you have any programs open (may you not even see them) that hinder FPS

[leoftw]

Make sure vsync is off and go into the nvidia control panel go to the team fortress 2 game section and set everything to "MAX" . Thats what worked for me .

.eric please follow the advice above . I had the same problem as you yesterday and this fixed . Also make sure your driver is up to date . I went from 70-80 - almost 200 with this fix. Make sure your tf2 settings have vsync off too.


I have the same setup .


Edit: I also see Tippo offered somewhat of the same advice.

[Herron]

vsync stops at 60 FPS.

No. It's capped at your monitor refresh rate. If he has a CRT with a refresh rate of 85 (like I did for 4 and a half years), vsync will cap him at 85 -- not 60.

[Tippo]

who the hell uses crt

[Herron]

Possibly someone who didn't want to spend money on a new monitor when he got a new computer 3 weeks ago...

[leoftw]

I want a CRT dont bash on them.

[Zappa]

who the hell uses crt

I still do, I have a Hitachi 21" 1600x1200 @ 75Hz .22 dot pitch and .14 on the vertical, it's still very nice and clean. That's my main monitor and a old Sony 17" Trinitron as a second monitor that I extend my desktop on. I also have a Hitachi 19" on my sons computer also the same specs a my 21" but it can refresh a 85Hz @ 1600x1200. Wait there is more...between all these monitors in the middle of my desk I still have my old Commodore 64 monitor Model 1702 that I had bought back in like 1980. It's a Hitachi tube 13" and I just run video in it from my TV so I don't have to turn around to see whats on TV, and that thing still has an awesome picture after all these years. I have opened it up a tweaked and calibrated everything from the inside though too.

Soooo yeah, some of us old folks still use crt's :)

[leoftw]

I want a Sony KV-36FS70


Best CRT ever made :P

[JMaster299]

I prefer to play games with V-sync on so the 60 cap is self imposed as I absolutely hate screen tearing while playing a PC game and my monitors only have a 60Hz refresh rate at the resolution. So anything over 60 really is useless to run and in the 30-60 range screen tearing comes into play.

With Vsync off I don't get any tearing, you must have other issues. I have tried Vsync in different games and it seems to lag or jump every few seconds which is a known problem with Vsync.

[.eric]

This thread has sparked me to dive into FPS in team fortress 2.

As I said before, I was running at an average of 85 FPS. Dr. Acula pointed out that the FPS to aim for is 100. Anything above is bragging rights/overkill and anything below you are at some sort of disadvantage, some being a greater disadvantage than others.

I got on a quest to find the best combination of settings for the greatest graphics while also never dipping below 100fps.

I used Zappa's 2fort demo for comparisons. I started with max settings and reduced settings 1 at a time for the most part to see each ones effect on FPS.

specs:

Quad core Q6600 CPU
4 GB Ram(3.5 recognized)
GeForce 8800GT (Driver: Forceware 169.21)



Heres what I found:

Max settings:
All settings high
16x antrisc. filtering
16xQ antialiasing
motion blur enabled

95.12 fps

Lowest Settings on everything BUT antialiasing and antrisc. filtering - kept at 16xQ and 16x respectively

98.72 fps

Max settings - No antrisc. filtering

96.23 fps


Max settings - No Antialiasing

156.28 fps

Max settings - No Antialiasing and bilinear antrisc. filtering

155.78 fps

Max settings - 16x Antialiasing

118.19 fps

OK - Looks like I found the big winner -- Antialiasing.

Each of the texture, shadow, etc settings had minimal differences on my FPS. If you have a computer than is averaging above 40fps and care about the looks of the game -- don't bother reducing these. (note: This works for me, it may not work for you, every setup is different)

Some of you may may say 'duh' but I was surprised when I turned antialiasing to 16x, not 16xQ and got great results.

I am of confused on why bilinear antrisc. filtering would reduce my FPS, as I thought 16x required more cpu power. Maybe I'm wrong here and trilinear is the most powerful setting? I'd love some input on that.

I'm also including pictures of the ingame difference between the antialiasing settings of 16xQ, 16x and no antialiasing:

16xQ
http://cher-talk.net/tf2/16xq.jpg

16x
http://cher-talk.net/tf2/16x.jpg

none
http://cher-talk.net/tf2/none.jpg

These don't do complete justice on the visual differences, I could have picked a better spot. The only real way to know the difference is to play on both for awhile.

To those of you getting lower FPS than you desire but you still care about how the game looks -- moderate your antialiasing.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

Cripes. I've been running the demo with various variables - some virus scanner on/off, model/texture detail changed from default to low, unneeded services shut off etc...and every time the max I get is 40 fps. Four trials have all produced the same result.

I'm going to try Omega drivers, but with my hardware do you think I'm on a fool's errand?

Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
1.5 GB RDRAM
ATI AIW 2006 edition.

I'd be elated if 40 is what I could get under playing conditions, but in crowded maps, particularly the C Capture point endgame on gravel pit on 30 man, things bog to 7 fps. I've tried with the lowest video settings and it's not any different than higher settings so I think my processor is really holding me back...but after reading this thread I think I should expect more.

...later that evening...

I installed Omega drivers and now get 39.18 with a OS Paged Pooled Memory low error to boot. tl;dg (too late, didn't google) I'll look at it tomorrow.

[m_d_butler]

As is settings, all on recommended:

5487 frames 36.599 seconds 149.92 fps ( 6.67 ms/f) 13.971 fps variability

[RedSoxClone]

I still do, I have a Hitachi 21" 1600x1200 @ 75Hz .22 dot pitch and .14 on the vertical, it's still very nice and clean. That's my main monitor and a old Sony 17" Trinitron as a second monitor that I extend my desktop on. I also have a Hitachi 19" on my sons computer also the same specs a my 21" but it can refresh a 85Hz @ 1600x1200. Wait there is more...between all these monitors in the middle of my desk I still have my old Commodore 64 monitor Model 1702 that I had bought back in like 1980. It's a Hitachi tube 13" and I just run video in it from my TV so I don't have to turn around to see whats on TV[/COLOR], and that thing still has an awesome picture after all these years. I have opened it up a tweaked and calibrated everything from the inside though too.

Soooo yeah, some of us old folks still use crt's :)

Haha Zappa, man you can't really be THAT lazy...I bet you must have a little refrigerator next to you computer too :D

[RedSoxClone]

I play TF2 on a nice ancient system (relatively speaking) Its an AMD64 3500+ (2.2ghz) with 2 gigs of ram and a BFG 6800 Ultra. I guess thats why I like playing defense more :)

[m_d_butler]

I'm going to try Omega drivers, but with my hardware do you think I'm on a fool's errand?

Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
1.5 GB RDRAM


Sorry TPM, I had a 2.4 P4 prior to the new rig, and your fps are what I was getting... Really active times on 2fort would hit 10 fps sometimes. I also went from an ATI All in Wonder to the BFG 9600 Gt OC on the new machine (AGP to PCIe i think). If you are not building a new machine, what card type options do you have on your mobo? Is that the best GPU that it will support?

[m_d_butler]

Soooo yeah, some of us old folks still use crt's :)

NEC AccuSync 120 here... Not quite as old as Zappa (Sorry Z), but older than a number of you. Except for TPM who is far older than I am having graduated HS a year earlier than I.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

If you are not building a new machine, what card type options do you have on your mobo? Is that the best GPU that it will support?

I got 4x AGP, but I have the feeling upgrading to a better GPU wouldn't get me much with the same CPU, so I've done nothing.

This is good though. I know I don't need to knock myself out tweaking because it's just not going to get much better. It's pretty clear what I need to do to increase my FPS.

Except for TPM who is far older than I am having graduated HS a year earlier than I

Aw man.....at least I have a chance of collecting some social security before it's gone. Halfwit and I thank you for your contributions.

[Your Mom!]

I was considering upgrading to the bfg 8800gt 512MB. Right now I have the xfx 8600gt & get somewhere around 108fps average with most settings on medium to low. I run at 1680 x 1050. Anything else on my samsung 22" lcd is unacceptable, because the pic quality goes to crap.

[Zappa]

Haha Zappa, man you can't really be THAT lazy...I bet you must have a little refrigerator next to you computer too :D

Hehe, nope no fridge there I have kids that get me stuff, its even better :D

In fact I use to train them once they were able to walk understand me and open the fridge. I would tell my son what to get, an then tell him I was timing him to see how fast he could get it and get back. He really liked that game, and I didn't have to get up and get it myself, although the game wore off once he got older, but they still like to help there dad :p

[leoftw]

Hehe, nope no fridge there I have kids that get me stuff, its even better :D

In fact I use to train them once they were able to walk understand me and open the fridge. I would tell my son what to get, an then tell him I was timing him to see how fast he could get it and get back. He really liked that game, and I didn't have to get up and get it myself, although the game wore off once he got older, but they still like to help there dad :p

Hahahahahhahahah freaking nice lol !!

My daughter does what her mom does and says "get it yourself" lol

[ditship]

Pentium 4 2.4 GHz
1.5 GB RDRAM
ATI AIW 2006 edition.



Processor is your bottleneck, replace asap

[deathbycow]

I get around 50 fps and my game locks up a lot for an unknown reason.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

Thanks Ditship - that's pretty much what I figured but I wanted to hear someone else say it. I think I'm at the end of my upgrade options so it's going to have to be a new build to fix the problem. It's going to have to wait awhile though, promised the wife I'd take her to Ixtapa.

[m_d_butler]

Thanks Ditship - that's pretty much what I figured but I wanted to hear someone else say it. I think I'm at the end of my upgrade options so it's going to have to be a new build to fix the problem. It's going to have to wait awhile though, promised the wife I'd take her to Ixtapa.

Trip to Ixtapa = one nice rig... :rolleyes:

[The Penultimate Mohican]

Trip to Ixtapa = one nice rig... :rolleyes:

Yeah, but I'd have to deck the thing out with fans to drown out the noise.

[Timmah!]

Some options for TPM (other than a whole new PC):

According to reviews on NewEgg for the Radeon HD 3850, it has given life back to many-a-AGP system for ~$175.

If that alone isn't enough, you can still upgrade your P4 to a 3.0 GHz edition (I'm assuming you have a Socket 478 mobo) for $80 at NewEgg. Not only is the clock speed faster, but it also gives you SSE3 support and twice the L2 cache.

I think the question, though, is what your mobo will support. If the AGP bus is only 4X and/or the FSB is only 533MHz - then upgrading just isn't worth it, and your $$$ would be much better invested in a new PC.

[The Penultimate Mohican]

Thanks for the tips Timmah!

533 MHz FSB? I wish! Only running at 400. Also, it's a 4X AGP. Nah, I gotta face the music - it's time for me to upgrade. I'm not going to get anything else out of this machine.

Sad thing is, it's so much a matter of money but time. I need to research what it is that I want and then get everything swapped over. I've been thinking about doing some things differently next time around. I've been thinking about a notebook for awhile...

TF2 is really the only thing that I do that doesn't run well. That makes it so much harder to justify the purchase.

[Hellzarmy]

on fort2 i get about 160ish to 190 FPS

1400x900 res
8800GTS
4 gigs of DDR2 ram
q6600 CPU

not OCed, but water cooled

[Shadizzy]

I also found it strange when I ran everything on high it was only 6 fps different than when I tweaked some settings down, but when I ran it in mat_queue_mode 2 using both cores at high settings it was almost a 30 fps drop, thats where I think the overclock to my card would help, the bottleneck no longer being my CPU.

That is so right! I did notice that day when I turned everything on low 800x600 res I was getting like 50-70fps, which is roughly a 20 fps gain but with what I am running it should be a lot higher with my specs :X