Valve's Work on OpenGL Makes L4D2 on Linux Faster than Windows 7
Putting its work back into Windows 7 version.
It's been a long-held belief that PC games developed using Windows' Direct X platform would produce the best results. But Valve has been working hard on a Linux version of Left 4 Dead 2 on OpenGL, and has managed to get it running faster than the Windows 7 version.
The developer explains that, while the Windows 7 version of the game peaked at 270 FPS, its work on OpenGL has allowed the Linux version to scream along at 315 FPS. The team working on the project has since applied its learning to Windows 7, which improved its framerate to 303.4 FPS.
"Why does an OpenGL version of our game run faster than Direct3D on Windows 7? It appears that it's not related to multitasking overhead," writes Valve's Linux team on a blog post. "We have been doing some fairly close analysis and it comes down to a few additional microseconds overhead per batch in Direct3D which does not affect OpenGL on Windows.
"Now that we know the hardware is capable of more performance, we will go back and figure out how to mitigate this effect under Direct3D."
Valve president Gabe Newell has recently stated that the company will be focusing more on Linux support, following a slamming of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
Via GI
The developer explains that, while the Windows 7 version of the game peaked at 270 FPS, its work on OpenGL has allowed the Linux version to scream along at 315 FPS. The team working on the project has since applied its learning to Windows 7, which improved its framerate to 303.4 FPS.
"Why does an OpenGL version of our game run faster than Direct3D on Windows 7? It appears that it's not related to multitasking overhead," writes Valve's Linux team on a blog post. "We have been doing some fairly close analysis and it comes down to a few additional microseconds overhead per batch in Direct3D which does not affect OpenGL on Windows.
"Now that we know the hardware is capable of more performance, we will go back and figure out how to mitigate this effect under Direct3D."
Valve president Gabe Newell has recently stated that the company will be focusing more on Linux support, following a slamming of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
Via GI
Read More Like This