Devhux

I just read LPMiller's take on benchmarking (News page on G|A, scroll down a bit), and just wanted to say that I agree 100%.

Far too many sites focus on image quality and such, when the average user isn't even going to notice a difference when actually playing the game. While IQ is important, it's not the "be all / end all" decision when buying a graphics card.

Keep up the great reviews LPM -- yours (and LegendKiller's) are some of the few reviews that I actually read through in their entirety, simply because you guys address what I want to see in a review.

LPMiller

Thank you kindly, sirrah!

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lpmiller
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LegendKiller

Good to know somebody reads them .

I agree with LP. Many sites have been focusing on IQ far too much. When you are playing Q3arena you may say "Wow, that looks f'in awesome" for the first 30 seconds, but if you go any further than that, your going to be fragged. Using greatly enhanced IQ properties has helped games tremendously, it has developed the worlds in which we game and has enabled us to be further emmersed.

However, comparing bitmaps of corners to find subtle differences, or showing how one card has a 1 pixel less jaggy when using AA isn't going to make a HUGE difference to the average, or even above average gamer.

I regret that I haven't been able to do any reviews lately, I am being hammered by a new job, studying for a massive certification exam, and looking for a place to live. I hope to return to it soon and at least get one reader some new stuff .


LK

Cantacuzene

I dunno. I used to think that way until I started using 4x AA with most games. I tried going back to no AA and it was impossible. I would notice substandard anti-aliasing if I saw it and it would impact my buyign decision.

Devhux

The difference between 4x AA and no AA is quite noticeable, regardless of the game. Seeing the difference of ATI's 4x AA and nVidia's AA in a fast-paced shooter like UT2k3 or Quake 3 is much much harder.

...but I will admit some people are able to notice these things a little better -- these are the same people that say that no LCD is good for gaming (I myself don't see a huge problem with them; I notice a little ghosting if I'm really watching, but it doesn't impact gameplay for me).