MFAA Nvidia Control Panel

[Man_of_Steel_84]

I have a question regarding MFAA. So if I have MSAA set to 8x in-game with MFAA enabled in NVCP, would that essentially give me the quality of MSAA 16x?

 

[10tacle]

I believe Nvidia defines MFAA as doubling AA in a generic term (2xMSAA + MFAA = 4xAA). MFAA isn't quite as "strong" an anti-aliasing as something like MSAA that takes a bigger hit in FPS, but it's close. In other words, if you have MFAA on, it is not the technical equivalent 2x whatever your other AA setting is on, but that's how it is labeled. FYI I cannot imagine running at anything that high in AA, 16x. Seems to me that would be a blur fest.

 

[Man_of_Steel_84]

Gotcha but 8xMSAA+MFAA would be better than just 8xMSAA? Or would MSAA by itself be better?

 

[10tacle]

Technically it would be, but as an in-game MSAA+MFAA user myself, there is a diminishing return. At my resolution (1440p) I find anything beyond 4xMSAA + MFAA as turning the graphics into a fuzzy dream world state. I still prefer some "crisp" look to the details of trees, buildings, etc. Overusing AA to me just takes away from realistic textures. Also, generally, the higher your resolution, the less AA you really need. So if you have a 1080p monitor, you will benefit more with higher AA settings than I would.

 

[Man_of_Steel_84]

Do you think MSAAx8+MFAA would look ok at 1080p which is what I usually game at? Because yea I've heard at 4k AA is almost pointless to use.

 

[10tacle]

Yeah like I said when you go higher up in resolutions, AA becomes less necessary as the texture edges are naturally less jagged and more defined (what AA does of course) due to the higher resolution. I can't say how 8xMSAA+MFAA would look on 1080p, but I would take screenshots of various resolutions and draw comparisons. It will definitely do better for your resolution than mine. It's really more of a subjective analysis thing. You might find the more fuzzy textures with higher AA settings appealing than I do.

 

[Man_of_Steel_84]

Thank you for the help, i appreciate it.