Catalyst feedback thread anyone ?...

[yamangman]

I use the original ATi control panel instead of the 'CCC'. Partly because I hate .NET and refuse to install it until Microsoft forces me to upgrade my OS again. I agree with Deck above, we need external-to-game functions to disable Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering. Other than that I'm pleased with (control panel) Catalyst drivers. All I want is 'Catalyst-for-Nix' with bi-monthly driver updates.

[exAndrzej]

...we need external-to-game functions to disable Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering...

This has me confused

Enabling AA and AF makes your game/life experience better

If you choose to let the application decide - then you can choose (within the app) to have no AA or AF

In what circumstances would you need no AA/AF the rest of the time ?

Any thoughts/feedback welcome !

[TiG]

I've been gaming pretty much all my life from BBC micro's, games have developed over this time without the concept of AA or AF for years. All we are talking with these technologies is making the edges more rounded. To add realism if you will.

The problem is that if you don't have a system that is capable of running this properly, you end up with gameplay that is sub standard and will affect your enjoyment of the game.

I think the games industry has become lost in that idea that the games graphics should come before its gameplay. I'd rather play a game that looks less pretty but actually inspires me to play more.

I've got a 9800Pro and i still choose never to have AA or AF on. If i want to look at pretty graphics i go outside heh.

TiG

[yamangman]

In a fair few of the games I occasionaly play, there is actually no option to turn down the filtering settings IL-2 has AF set to 4x or 8x (I think) with no option to turn it off in-game or an option for trilinear or bilinear filtering, the same with Lock-On. I prefer fluid framerates over the eye candy, and disabling AF in these titles would make them more fluid, they are very demanding on resources.

[Zak33]

true....in Pacific Fighters and Aces Expansion pack, the game defaults to a basic level of AA even if you dont want it too.

[Stoo]

odd, I've never had that trouble, if I set AA/AF to off in the driver it stays off..

[iranu]

Installed 4.12's (CCC) as soon as they came out and noticed an improvement over the 4.11's in a lot of games; HL2 and Rome Total War.

However there did seem to be a couple of anomalies one of which was very strange.

Firstly my monitor was "stuck on" 60hz at 1280 x 1024. Monitor does not support DCC (what ever that is) and I think this is an xp issue.

Secondly, and this is bizarre - when right clicking desktop > properties > settings > advanced, my machine would reboot

So I changed to Omega 4.12 beta driver (cos I like the overclocking facility) and all is well!

9700 pro, xp2800, asus a7n8x, 1gb mushkin level 1, win xp pro SP2.

[exAndrzej]

This answers someones question but - if you put a gun to my head - I can't for the moment remember who's !

"4.12 focused on improved game play in Half Life 2 - with nothing specifically for performance. Choosing Control Panel or Control Centre won't impact gaming performance... but CC does have Catalyst AI which the Control Panel does not. Catalyst AI will give you the performance gains"

[Ruggerbugger]

I'm using the 4.12 betas at the moment, is there any benefit to installing the official release and should I use Driver Cleaner to get rid of the betas first?

[exAndrzej]

...is there any benefit...

Almost certainly 'yes'

We would have put the beta out before the final package came back 'approved' from the WHQL test programme

The only reason the beta was out there was to enable some 'next generation' hardware that we had just released to the press

Additional work on stabilty and compatibility would have happened before the public release of 4.12 was put on our site for general consumption

As many other (non-ATI !) people have already posted here... few users ever encounter an issue when installing one ATI driver over another

However, that is probably more true when moving from one 'full release' to the next...

...so, in the case of betas, I would suggest that you uninstall all of the previous set and reboot before installing

It may take a minute or two longer - but could have a number of benefits

[Tumble]

Before me HDD died I was using the 4.2's.. tried the 4.12 and tbh it didn't really feel as smooth (this was in IL2) the fps meter showed this too - was down to about 25fps average whereas on 4.2's I could just about hold 35 (9800pro on 2xAF & 4xAA). I'm doing a new install next week when my new faster HDD gets here, so I'll try the CCC 4.12s and see what happens.

[exAndrzej]

...new install... ...next week... ...CCC 4.12s...

"We, as a company, do not comment on unannounced products"

However, if you wait until the right day next week...

...you will probably have something 'more advanced' than the 4.12s to play with

[ed^chigliak]

Why does enabling vsync kill the frame rates. I can have 120 refresh on my monitor with FRAPS reporting 90-110 FPS in game yet with Vsync it drops to 60-61 FPS and never fluctuates. The dilema is do you choose high frame rates with visible screen tearing or lower frame rates with no screen tearing. Probably nothing to do with the drivers just the way the hardware works.

I like AA btw and the 9800 was the first card I owned that I could enable this feature without killing the frame rates. I don't have any problems with the 4.12s so feedback is positive.

[Zathras]

Surely vsync syncs with a factor of the refresh rate of your monitor, so you'll get 60fps if your monitor's doing 120hz and your card can't manage a constant 120fps?

[Applecrusher]

V-Sync limits the framerate to the highest divisor of the refresh rate.. i think..

So if you have a 60htz monitor, your gc will only render 60 fps..
and if it cant do that itll go down by 1/2 to 30 fps and if it cant do that itll go to 1/3 which is 30 fps...

With you only getting 100 - 110 fps, its gonna send you back to 60 which is 1/2 of 120 htz..

Get me??
I think someone can explain it better than i..

[exAndrzej]

...The dilema is do you choose high frame rates with visible screen tearing or lower frame rates with no screen tearing...

Nail: In position
Hammer: Held high
Head: Hit square on