Antialiasing / Anisotropic

I'm playing around with my system and benchmarking it with 3DMark03.
Its an older P4 slightly overclocked to 2.86 gzh. 1 gig of RDRam 800.
Geforce 5900XT. This is a new graphic card for me & I'm unfamiliar
with Antialiasing/ Anisotropic settings.

I note I score about 4000 in 3dMark03 with Antialiasing & Anisotropic
set to 2x. But when I set it to "Application Controlled" I score about
5400. This raises a few questions:

1) Can someone tell me what the settings should be at? I'm a gamer and
high framerates are my main priority. Leave it at application
controlled? (does this mean it will be off unless the game is brand
new, like Doom3?)

2) Does it basically just sacrifice framerate for image quality?

3) For AntiAliasing, whats the difference between 2x and 2xQ?



Thanks in advance guys

1. Off

2. Yes

3. Q stands for Quincunx and is a special higher level of quality, leading
to lower frame rates.

--
DaveW



"Dennis" wrote in message
om...
I'm playing around with my system and benchmarking it with 3DMark03.
Its an older P4 slightly overclocked to 2.86 gzh. 1 gig of RDRam 800.
Geforce 5900XT. This is a new graphic card for me & I'm unfamiliar
with Antialiasing/ Anisotropic settings.

I note I score about 4000 in 3dMark03 with Antialiasing & Anisotropic
set to 2x. But when I set it to "Application Controlled" I score about
5400. This raises a few questions:

1) Can someone tell me what the settings should be at? I'm a gamer and
high framerates are my main priority. Leave it at application
controlled? (does this mean it will be off unless the game is brand
new, like Doom3?)

2) Does it basically just sacrifice framerate for image quality?

3) For AntiAliasing, whats the difference between 2x and 2xQ?



Thanks in advance guys

1) Can someone tell me what the settings should be at? I'm a gamer and
high framerates are my main priority. Leave it at application
controlled? (does this mean it will be off unless the game is brand
new, like Doom3?)

The higher the number the better graphic quality with loss of speed. Newer
video cards lose less speed having them enabled.

2) Does it basically just sacrifice framerate for image quality?

Yes


3) For AntiAliasing, whats the difference between 2x and 2xQ?

2X is real antialiasing, where 2XQ "quincunx" is another way to do
antialiasing, it offers almost the same quality but is much faster then regular
2X antialiasing. I find when using quincunx that text in games tends to be
blurry so I avoid using it even though it might be faster.


AntiAliasing is smoothing the digital stair step effect you see in straight
lines so they look more like straight lines.

Anisiotropic filtering is how the textures are displayed. The easiest way I can
describe it is when your looking at the ground in a game it is in focus close
to you but blurrier farther away. When you add more anisiotropic filtering it
makes the textures more in focus farther away from you.

If you play Half-Life try the game with no anisiotropic filtering and look at
the ground and the walls. Then increase anisiotropic filtering to a high
setting then play the game again. The ground and walls will be clear farther
away from you.

It also helps with flight sims by making the ground textures clearer and not
shimmering.

3. Q stands for Quincunx and is a special higher level of quality, leading
to lower frame rates.

I disagree.

Quincunx is a faster way the video card does antialiasing, with almost the same
quality. One problem it had at the beginning was making the text in games
blurry. I don't know if that has been fixed with the newer cards though.

Quincunx was supposed to be a big selling point when it first came out because
it was supposed to offer decent antialiasing with less hit on the ramerate.

I think you are not a gamer if you dont know those settings,


Just kidding

PRIVATE1964 wrote:

1) Can someone tell me what the settings should be at? I'm a gamer and
high framerates are my main priority. Leave it at application
controlled? (does this mean it will be off unless the game is brand
new, like Doom3?)



The higher the number the better graphic quality with loss of speed. Newer
video cards lose less speed having them enabled.



2) Does it basically just sacrifice framerate for image quality?



Yes




3) For AntiAliasing, whats the difference between 2x and 2xQ?



2X is real antialiasing, where 2XQ "quincunx" is another way to do
antialiasing, it offers almost the same quality but is much faster then regular
2X antialiasing. I find when using quincunx that text in games tends to be
blurry so I avoid using it even though it might be faster.


AntiAliasing is smoothing the digital stair step effect you see in straight
lines so they look more like straight lines.

Anisiotropic filtering is how the textures are displayed. The easiest way I can
describe it is when your looking at the ground in a game it is in focus close
to you but blurrier farther away. When you add more anisiotropic filtering it
makes the textures more in focus farther away from you.

If you play Half-Life try the game with no anisiotropic filtering and look at
the ground and the walls. Then increase anisiotropic filtering to a high
setting then play the game again. The ground and walls will be clear farther
away from you.

It also helps with flight sims by making the ground textures clearer and not
shimmering.