Minimum Spec's to play source engine on high?

Hello hello, I was wondering what the minimum GPU and CPU to play the source engine on high for all games (is HL2:EP3 source engine?) I think the ATI 3200 HD is close but not quite good enough. Also think the nVidia 9300m is very close to the ATI 3200 so don't think that would do it either... Resolution 1280 x 800....

 

My honest advice is go for a mid-level GPU like a 3650 // 9600GT in case Valve decides that once its time for HL2:E3 to come out they won't upgrade past the bare minimum you've set for yourself (cause then you'd be screwed). They did upgrade the requirements for Ep2, so you never know what Ep3 could hold!

If you've got to go low for some reason, I guess a 9300M GS or 9400M GS could suffice.

 

How about 9600m GS or 8600m GS

 

9600 GS would work, I think.
It would also do more demanding tasks quite a bit better than the lower level cards you suggested before!

Edit: 8600GS may as well, but from what I'm seeing the 9600 has double the amount of shaders the 8600 has and therefore a much better buy.

 

Alright well I'm looking for something under 14.1" So options are limited...

 

^^ this one if HL2:EP1/2/3 etc.

lower options (like ATi 3200) are only ok if you go for Counter Strike.

 

Which one? He mentioned two cards

 

get the asus n80 9650gt

 

don't forget with Valve games, they are pretty hard on the processor aswell, might not want to get the bare minimum

 

I've got a 9500M GS, and it's handling everything fine at High/Very High in TF2.
Even moreso now that I've OC'd it a bit.

 

I played Half Life 2, Episode 1, and 2 on my T61 and that had a Intel X3100, I have to run the game in DX 8 mode but it ran at decent frame rates.

 

Going by the minimum requirements for Valves latest game, Left 4 Dead, you can expect that Half Life 2: Episode 3 will at least have those requirements. Therefore you will need a decent C2D processor of 2.4ghz+ or equivalent and at least a 9600GT to get to high settings on a highish resolution.

 

you'll need to get the fastest gpu you can in a 14".

looking at a 9600m gt as the optimal target here.

 

An 8600M GT would do it too, but there's the risk that its faulty.
9600M GS/GT would be the best option

 

anyone of them.

 

I can play Source Engine games on max with a ATI X800 XT.

 

I can play TF2 on high and at 1280x800 on my tablet (12") with the ATI 3200HD just fine... Left 4 Dead is a bit more demanding, more in the medium/ and or dropping the resolution a bit, especially when it all goes crazy with the horde, but still totally playable and enjoyable.

HL2, EP1,2 run fine, Portal as well. So, ATI 3200HD if HL2 is you thing just fine, but as mentioned, won't be maxing out EP3 or L4D on it.

Great performance for an integrated, and I flat love it and play more on it than I do my SLI rig anymore, but still integrated and have to tweak settings a lot more.

 

Yes I actually had a tx2500z for awhile and was impressed, I am looking at the Asus n80vn right now but am trying to find more info on it, great price - performance

 

Counter Strike will lag a little (everything high @1024x768)
and HL2 episodes will lag even more.

with a few options toned down, will be smooth.

 

That is seriously overkill. I can TF2 at 1920x1200, everything on high, 4xaf and no AA fine with my hd3650 with some rare stuttering in choke points, so I'm fairly certain that any recent midrange notebook GPU can play on it on high at lower resolutions.

 

uh just get a 9800m gts graphics card laptop. ONly a little more than 1grand.

 

With my rig:

HL2- 60 FPS (VSync) @ 1650x1080, 2x AA, Trilinear AF everything else maxed
HL2 ep 1- 40-60 FPS @ 1650x1080, no AA, Trilinear AF everything else maxed
HL2 ep 2- 25-30 FPS @ 1650x1080, no AA, Trilinear AF everything else maxed

The requirements are getting steeper haha. I'd fully expect to have to scale resolution down for ep 3.

 

I'm assuming your using a monitor to get that resolution? I'm expecting 1280 x 800 so that is not a problem, how do TF2 and L4d treat that?

 

I can max TF2 out (2x AA, 2x AF) at 1680x1050 no problem (40-60 FPS).

L4D however is much more intensive, I get maybe 30-40 at 1280x800 (from memory its been a while since the demo)

 

TF2 is CPU limited even on my 3.2 GHz Q6600 with HD 4870.

I get up to around 180 FPS with everything in game maxed at 1680x1050 but as soon as I get into a heavy choke point I drop to 50-70 FPS. Essentially identical to what i was getting with my HD 4850.