Originally posted by TheWobble:
I have a V5 5500
128mb PC-133
T-Bird 800
POS HD
ok given that setup what are the best settings for the following settings on the V5 5500?
Refresh Optmization Enable/Disable??
This can mean a lot of things. Refresh, in this instance, sounds like it has to do with vertical sync. Easy enough to test this one. Try both settings and watch your frame rate. I would set the resolution to 640x480 for the test. If your frame rates go above what your monitors vertical sync frequency is with it disabled, but does not with it enabled, I would enable it or whatever setting might control it. It is a rather ambiguous term they are using here.
3D Filter Quality Automatic/Normal/High??
This will effect the overall visual quality of the image(s). It is generally up to the user, as everyone has thier own ideas of what looks best. Frame rates would be lower on the high setting, I would think, but depends on how they achieve the filtering.
Alpha Blending Automatic/Sharper/Smoother??
This feature is what is used by software to control the blending or fading of a poly to another different color poly. In Aces HIgh, I would think the most visual use of it occurs on the propeller, but cloud edges might be another place where it is used.
Setting "Sharper" would cause a more drastic change with less blending, "Smoother" would cause the blending to occur over a longer transient. Again, the visual image will dictate to the user which looks best.
The "Smoother" setting could lower frame rates, but look much better and more realistic. It depends on the algorythm used.
Geometry Assist Enable/Disable?? what does it do?
This could mean a lot of things. I would guess this this means the card will try to compensate for the curvature of the monitor screen by distorting the frame image to make it look more realistic and less curved. Removing the slight "fish-bowl" effect of large monitors that curve in both the vertical and horizontal.
The distortion would be very slight and I would bet it would effect frame rates. Lowering them with it enabled. Again, one of those options that would be dictated by the user and what he/she thinks looks best.
Level Of Detail Bias 0/ increments of .25 ??up and down.
This would effect how multi-frame images are merged in the frame buffer. In Aces High, the most common multi-frame draws occur when smoke is present at a field. The increments they suggest appear to be the measure of a pixel in the buffer, where, during the merge, they have the ability to skip pixels, which would speed frame rates at the expense of tossing some of the frame information. In other words, you could make your frame rates higher with a setting of .25, but the smoke would be less detailed.
This is a bit of speculation on my part, as I only have what you have presented and do not have a manual to get more details.
Maximum buffered frames Default/1/2/3/4/5??
Modern day video cards can create multiple frames to be displayed as the current frame is being drawn. They are allowing you to set the number of frame buffers to be allocated from video memory. The more frame buffers you allocate the less video ram you have for textures.
I am assuming they always have 1 frame buffer allocated for the current frame they are drawing and the above would add more frames (i.e. a setting of 1 actually creates 2 frame buffers).
If your CPU can generate data faster than the video card can render it (this is something you might have to play with to get right), I would disable "Triple buffering" in AH, and then setup 2 frame buffers on the card.
I have never tested a V5 card, and do not know if the 800Mhz CPU is fast enough to keep the card busy all the time.
Triple buffering in AH only helps when the CPU is faster than the video cards ability to get the information to the display.
Also note, what settings work well with AH may not work at all with another game. Every game has specific video requirements that are usually very different from game to game.
This is one I would experiment with by disabling the AH "Triple Buffering" and then set the frame buffer at 2, then 3 and so on until you get no perceivable difference in video performance.
Then try the same thing with AH "Triple Buffering" enabled.
My bet is you will get the best performance with "Triple buffering" disabled, and a setting of 2 or 3, but if your CPU is significantly faster than the cards ability to generate frames, none of the settings may be noticable.
MipMap Dithering Enable/Disable??
This usually will be displayed as how well shadows from lighting is done, but it has other effects too, which are visible, but hard to pick up with the naked eye.
Disabled should cause shadows to be more pronounced with less light blending. The overall image can be darker due to this. AH does not have many sources of light, but other games can have many and this is where it would be most pronounced.
If you run 3DMark2000 and look at the exhaust of the helicopter as it flies through the simulation, you should see the lighting difference there. With this disabled, the exhaust should be almost black, with it enabled, the exhaust shows some very soft light transitions in the exhaust. It is subtle, but can be noticed.
Z-Buff optimization Enable Im assuming?
You would want this enabled. It won't effect AH, but could have an impact in many other games.
I normally would trouble You with this, but since I keep seeing you in the MA making fun of Fat people and the elderly..i figure you have some time on yer hands 
LOL, I don't recall anything about fat people, and it is many of the other pilots that make fun of me being an old fart. Of course, I am proud to be an old fart.
Think about it,...old farts smell much better than young farts
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Roy "Skuzzy" Neese
President, AppLink Corp.
http://www.applink.net skuzzy@applink.net
[This message has been edited by Skuzzy (edited 03-22-2001).]
