Custom L4D Computers, Hardware Info - 11/29/08

GameRigs has released Left 4 Dead-themed gaming computers ranging from $1500 to $3800. The case alone is available here. This is the same company that released the L4D gaming mousepad.

It looks pretty nice, put it on your list for Santa - if Santa has $350 for a case.

To find out how different hardware setups will run Left 4 Dead, [H]ardOCP has posted an in-depth L4D gamepaly performance article. Anybody looking to purchase some hardware for L4D should check this out. It concludes with the following:

Finally we come down to it: What is the best value in a video card right now, for Left 4 Dead? As much as we hate to sound like a broken record, we must give credit where credit is due, so we have to give the nod to the original, 192-shader NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260, at least while you can still buy it. You can still buy one at Newegg for $209.99 USD plus shipping. If you are leaning in that direction, you need to act fast, because when they are gone, they are gone, and they aren't coming back.

The next best value for Left 4 Dead would have to be the Radeon HD 4870, in any flavor. Though we would highly recommend the 1GB version for the best performance on other games, we did not find it to have a significant impact on performance in this game. You can get a 512MB HD 4870 right now for $199.99 USD after MIR. A 1GB version is a better choice for broader performance gains, and you can buy one of those right now for $269.99 USD after MIR. Alternatively, the new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 with 216 shaders can be bought for $229.99 USD after MIR and should provide you with performance roughly equal with that of the 1GB Radeon HD 4870.

If you're not looking for new hardware and just want your current rig to run better, PCGamesHardware has a Left 4 Dead graphics tuning article up, showing what video options improve your framerate the most.