# My VGA has something against anti-aliasing...



## Flatline (Aug 8, 2010)

I looked everywhere, but no one else seems to have this problem... (Or I just didn't look hard enough)

Anyway. My GeForce GTS 250 _hates_ AA. I can play almost any game on maximum settings, but without AA. If I turn it on in any game (Except in some older ones), the FPS drop makes it unplayable. It doesn't matter if I use a 2x 4x, or Whatever-x option, or lower the other settings to minimum. Anti-aliasing technically rapes my card.

Even games that doesn't have a built in option to turn AA on and off had somewhat smooth edges when I used my old 8400 GS. They look like shit with this card.

I tried NHancer on those older games, it had no effect on them. =/

To be more precise, this is an XFX card, with 1GB of memory. (Core Edition Lite).

Halp?


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## Carenath (Aug 8, 2010)

We cannot help you unless you provide more details.
Did you download the latest drivers for your version of Windows from the nVidia website?
What operating system are you using?
What games are you trying to play?

The more details you can provide us about the setup you have, the better any of us would be able to help you.


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## Flatline (Aug 8, 2010)

Alright then, sorry.

Yes, I'm using the newest available driver, as far as I know (258.96) - Correct me if I'm wrong

I'm using Windows XP Home (32 bit)

Pretty much every newer game is unplayable when I turn on AA (GRID, DiRT 1&2, Crysis, Alien Swarm, Left 4 Dead 1&2, etc.) - Some older games, like HL2 and its Episodes, and Portal are playable with Anti-aliasing enabled, but there is a noticeable FPS drop in those games too.

My motherboard is an MSI P43T-C51, CPU is an Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 (2.66 GHz).
I have 4 GB of RAM, but my OS only recognizes 3... From what I've heard, that's because I'm using a 32-bit version (Again, please correct me if I'm wrong)

That's all I can think of right now, I'm just tired =P I hope this helps.


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## CaptainCool (Aug 8, 2010)

what kind of graphics card are you using? fullscreen anti aliasing needs a TON of power, usually this would mean that your card simply isnt good enough, especially since games based ont he HL2 engine wont run well like that


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## Flatline (Aug 8, 2010)

CaptainCool said:


> what kind of graphics card are you using? fullscreen anti aliasing needs a TON of power, usually this would mean that your card simply isnt good enough, especially since games based ont he HL2 engine wont run well like that


 
I have an XFX nVIDIA GTS 250 Core Edition Lite with 1 GB of memory.

Actually, the HL2 games and Portal are the only games that run quite well with AA enabled.

And of what I've heard of this card (reviews, opinions, etc.), it SHOULD handle it...


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## CaptainCool (Aug 8, 2010)

which display resolution are you using for games? and you did plug the card into the PCs power supply, right?^^
you should also be aware that the gts 250 is based on the 9800 GTX+, which again is based on the 8800 gt. nvidia essentially just recycled the chip from around 2007  that was not a bad card but it MIGHT be the reason why its not quite as powerful.
another problem is that you cant use the full potential of the system since you are using a 32bit OS.
the FPS drop is normal though. like i said, AA needs a LOT of power. as far as ive seen left for dead should be playable though...


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## Runefox (Aug 8, 2010)

If the card wasn't plugged into the power supply (and if it needed it), the computer wouldn't boot. Either there would be a high-pitched squealing, or there would be a flashing warning on the screen reminding you to connect the cable (or there would be nothing).

The GTS 250 isn't exactly a powerhouse card. It should be able to enable 2x anti-aliasing in many cases without slashing performance so greatly, however. Since you have the latest drivers, what resolution are you running your games at? That will have a major impact.

There's also another thing you can try - In your NVIDIA Control Panel, look under 3D Settings->Manage 3D Settings. Look for *Antialiasing - Transparency*, and set it to off. Also, make sure *Ambient Occlusion* and *Antialiasing - Gamma correction* are set to Off; *Antialiasing - Mode* and *Antialiasing - Setting* should be set to Application-controlled. Under *Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration*, choose Single display performance mode.


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## Flatline (Aug 10, 2010)

I use 1440x900 as my resolution (if it's available in a game) - I know it has a huge impact on performance, but I rather use a larger resolution than play with AA.

I guess my card just can't handle it (but I think it's still worth the money)... But that weird issue is still there - Some games without a built in option to turn AA on and off had smoother edges when I used the 8400GS =/

Thanks for the replies.


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## Nineteen-TwentySeven (Aug 11, 2010)

At 1440x900, you don't even really need AA. AA is good on low-res monitors like the old 1024x768 CRTs, but the LCDs are now high-res enough that you would barely know the difference between no AA and 16xAA.
S'all about object smoothing. Low res, you need more object smoothing; high res, little or no object smoothing.
I know Crysis and Sniper: Ghost Warrior look gorgeous on my 1440x900 monitor with no need for AA. 

And yes, it does take a fairly powerful card to be able to handle anti-aliasing


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## Lapdog (Aug 18, 2010)

I use a 1440x900 Monitor, but I have 8X AA on, because my Card is EPIC!!=D Its a ATI radeon HD 5770 with 1GB of memory. I also have AF set to 16X and it all looks awesome. I make alot of Garry's Mod movies, and when filming, it looks horrible with no AA or AF. My card does suck up a lot of power when I'm using it under full load.


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