Doubled My FPS In COD2!

After posting another thread here recently ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=87448) to see if my GPU was performing properly, I did a bit of digging around to see exactly what was going on...

Utilizing overclocking, I was able to score 2200 (2195 one test, 2212 another) on 3DMark05, so I knew everything was good there.

As I also mentioned in the other thread, disabling AA completely resulted in an FPS rate that virtually mirrored that of running with 4x AA, so I quickly concluded that this wasn't the performance bottleneck in my particular system/setup.

Just out of curiosity, I went to the graphical options page and enabled the "Force DirectX 7" option...

WOW...what a difference.

Before:

800 x 600, 4x AA ("Optimal System Settings"), Normal Detail: 20 FPS

Now:

1280 x 800 (native screen resolution), 4x AA, Normal Detail: 40 FPS!!

That just simply amazes me...same quality settings, but a drastic increase in resolution, and I get a doubling in FPS rate!!!

 

but doesn't force directx 7 make the game run in directx 7 graphics, making it look crappy which is giving you the huge bump in frame rates?

 

Cabral is right. DX 7 mode and DX 9 mode are not comparable. DX 7 gives you a boost because some features are disabled (I thought shadows or something).
But I prefer playing at native then at 800*600 (it looks so streched).

Charlie

 

Actually Cabral, that's the funny thing...graphically speaking, I think it looks just as good, and with the significant increase in resolution, I actually prefer it this way (even if there was no FPS increase)!

 

hmmm...i will have to check it out.

 

By switching to DX7 mode, you lose out on a lot of the graphical effects in CoD2. Environmental effects like snow and sun are dramatically reduced, as are shading and lighting. By utilizing DX7 mode, CoD2 looks much more like a computer game. In DX9 mode, it looks more like a movie (if your system is good enough to run it at a decent fps).

 

Switching on DX7 mode just make the game resemble CoD1 in graphical terms, not that I mind, I played through the whole game in DX7 mode on my laptop. You lose all the fancy lighting and shading, bump mapping etc, but it makes the game playable on low end systems.

 

The Direct X 7 rendering option has been there the whole time, and you just now noticed it?

LOL I with Infinity Ward had done a better job with game and graphics optimization so you could subract/add the features you want when optimizing the graphics details for your system. I have to run in DX7 and I can live without all the bumpmapping but it would have been nice to still have shadows, even if they're non-soft or not so high in quality.

Infinity Ward shame on you >= \

 

I always knew that it was there, but I had never tried utilizing it before...made all the difference!

To address some other replies: Yes, to the trained observer, the differences between rendering in DX7 vs. DX9 are abundant and obvious, but when I go from 800 x 600 in DX9, to 1280 x 800 in DX7, while also maximizing the graphic quality choices at the same time, the better option for this particular system, IMHO, is DX7...

 

Has anyone played Call of Duty 3 on the 360? The Graphics are un-frickin believable, far better then COD2 at high detail.

Pity it's not getting a PC port at all...

 

yea that was a shame, good thing i bought a 360 2 weeks ago!!!

 

Hmmm.. online screenshots don't do it justice then because what I have seen didn't impress me much over 2 at high dx9 settings (could have just been the display that was being used for the shots). Well alas I have been a loyal cod player (if that wasn't obvious) since 1 first came out but with 3 only being on consoles (which I detest) and the fact that they are saying 4 (which IW is working on) is going to be modern combat which I think completely ruins it IMO.

But on the note of the thread I kinda like being able to turn everything to max on native (aa and aniso) in dx7 mode and get 60 fps. There are still some shadows and I actually not having the snow when you are trying to snipe in mp is an advantage (albeit a cheap one )

 

As any notebook gamer knows, shadows are a big drain on performance. I turn em off because of this and because, frankly, F.E.A.R. scares the hell outta me.

 

I guess like you said it does actually look better running then in screens.....but here are some screens of COD3 anway for those who are interested. I think personally this first one, even in still photo form, looks better then COD2 in high DX9 mode. Check out the extreme up close of the German soldier in hand to hand combat mode...

Call of Duty 3 was developed by Treyarch, and not Infinity Ward who made the other Call of Duty games.

 

I would rather have a good game than a crappy port. Call of Duty 4 is coming out for pc's, of course it'll takea while, but it might be worth it. COD2 was kind of boring for me because it was similar to COD1 and its expansion. I hope they do something cool in 4.