on my g4 4200 64mb, what level FSAA should i use?

[gaterl8r]

I only have a 504mhz p3 so it can get slow sometimes... I tried 4x and it slows down my games...
I tried 2x and I can deal with it, but what exactly is "Quinqunx?"

 

[John]

Quincunx is an anti-aliasing effect that comes close to the quality of 4x AA, but it only requires the generation of two samples (4x AA). Quincunx is the reason why the GF is able to provide excellent AA performance with good AA quality.

 

[AnAndAustin]

Short answer, most likely QxAA with any Aniso or else 2xAA. 4xAA is a big hit and QxAA is a bit too blurry without Aniso, you may find 4xS-AA a nice mode to use, very slow but very pretty . For more info on both Aniso and AA check this out:

AA & Aniso on a GF4

 

[BFG10K]

Don't use FSAA at all. Crank up the resolution and then if you've got fillrate to burn start turning up anisotropic filtering.

 

[AnAndAustin]

A lot of people like to do that, but it may be a limitation of the monitor, if so AA will do no harm, as I said on the link, it is subjective, but on a GF4 card try either 2xAA (10% perf hit) or QxAA&Aniso (20% perf hit).

 

[AnAndAustin]

Oh man, running any gfx card with a 504mhz PIII is pretty pointless, you'll need about 1ghz to even start getting the potential out of that 4200, even a GF2MX would be crippled on your CPU. Do yourself a HUGE favour and upgrade your CPU, mobo and RAM ... you'll probably need a better PSU and case though, in fact you really need to sell your existing PC (but keep that 4200) and then buy a more capable 1ghz-ish second hand or new entry level PC, it won't cost you a whole lot, but you will see the returns for your $150 gfx card ... why didn't you ask for advice before making the purchase?

 

[AnAndAustin]

3Dmark2001SE benchmark results for different configurations at 1024x768x32 (gfx card: total marks, games1-4 high detail FPS):

PIII 500mhz:
GF2MX400: 2000, 10, 14, 20, na
GF3TI200: 3500, 11, 37, 21, 27
GF4TI4200: 3900, 10, 42, 20, 35

PIII 1ghz:
GF2MX400: 3200, 20, 26, 29, na
GF3TI200: 6200, 31, 54, 45, 38
GF4TI4200: 7400, 29, 83, 43, 43

AthlonXP1800+:
GF2MX400: 4000, 33, 34, 36, na
GF3TI200: 9000, 53, 75, 67, 53
GF4TI4200: 11000, 56, 112, 69, 61

And here's a link, notice how all gfx cards converge with slower CPUs throughout each game, and how the faster cards are able to pull away when a CPU is able to feed them the info quick enough.

AnAndTech CPU Scaling test using many games

 

[AnAndAustin]

It is worth considering whether or not you can afford a mobo and CPU, if not a RAM upgrade too, then you would have a whole load of extra speed and upgrade options open to you, it might not be as expensive as you think. As a rough and quick guide to US pricing (I'm in the UK) here's some www.pricewatch.com prices ...

MOBO:
SktA KT133 $36 (Use current SDR PC100/133, unlikely to work with AthlonXP CPUs)
SktA SiS735 $55 (This ECS mobo allows SDR & DDR, nice for a future upgrade)
SktA nForce220D $82 (Very good if you need great 5.1 Dolby o/b sound, LAN and also has GF2MX o/b for free)

CPU:
Duron1.2ghz $42 (Should work in all above mobos but worth checking)
AthlonXP1800+ $78 (Should work in all mobos, certainly ones newer than KT133A)
Decent SktA HSF $10
Very good HSF $25

RAM:
256MB PC2100 $50
512MB PC2100 $98

So providing you're in the US and the Pricewatch price relates to a reputable company and product then if you were to consider upgrading you may be able to do so from $88 for KT133 & Duron1.2ghz & HSF (effectively DuronXP1400+ before o/c'ing). An SiS735 & AthlonXP1800+ & vg HSF will knock you $158, while an extra $50 or $98 would net you 256MB or 512MB PC2100 respectively. KT133 only uses SDR, however some mobos (like SiS735 and KT266) allow SDR as well as DDR (not simultaneously but very handy on a tight budget). You should be okay with a Duron, but an Athlon and 4200 will surely need a new PSU and prob case too, that could add on $50-100. As a rough guide a Celeron 1.7/1.8ghz (Duron1.3ghz-ish perf) or P4 1.8ghz (tad below AthlonXP1800+ perf) would add on about $100 to the prices above and certainly would need a new PSU. In any 'case', HTH.