Attack Out Of The Blind Spot: Matrox Parhelia-512

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Anti-aliasing Performance, Continued

In OpenGL, you get a very different picture. In the beginning, the GeForce 4, which is the better performer in standard mode, can still dish up some stiff competition for the Parhelia when in 4x mode. However, as the resolution increases, Parhelia moves ahead. In Quincunx mode at low resolutions, the performance of the GF4 is almost twice as high as that of the Parhelia. Again, the Parhelia's SuperSampling mode only delivers a very unsatisfactory result.

Conclusion: If Parhelia's 16x FAA mode would work properly, then it would be superior with regard to quality. NVIDIA's 4x mode is slower and has poorer results. By contrast, the GeForce 4 reveals superior performance in Quincunx mode, which provides a good compromise. If you're looking for optimal FSAA quality, then Parhelia is definitely the first choice. However, the Parhelia's very poor SuperSampling performance is disappointing, because considering the high memory bandwidth, it should have done much better.