Advantages of the GeForce4 Ti

The GeForce4 Ti is a great case of where the benchmark numbers don't tell the whole story. Thanks to its dramatically more-efficient rendering system and higher clock speeds, the Leadtek A250 Ultra TD is able to truly dominate at higher resolutions. This is where games become more memory bandwidth dependent, but the card offers some compelling features even when running in a lower resolution.

Although it's become increasingly common for reviewers to test games using higher and higher resolutions, that doesn't necessarily mean that the majority of gamers out there are using them. The majority of 15" or 17" monitors, for example, aren't capable of running in 1600x1200 or, in some cases, even 1280x1024. While the GeForce4 Ti 4600 is a powerful solution for high-resolution action, even if you're running at resolutions of 800x600 or 1024x768, there are compelling reasons to consider purchasing a GeForce4 Ti.

Thanks to the increased efficiency of its LMA II architecture and Z-culling subsystem, the GeForce4 Ti can use 4X FSAA and higher levels of anisotropic filtering without the normally-severe performance penalty than it would usually incur, particularly when running in a resolution such as 800x600 and 1024x768. The high-end speed is there for all ends of the gaming spectrum, from small or old monitors that cannot run higher resolutions, to the best in 21" flat screens. The combination of 4X FSAA with high anisotropic filtering simply can't be beaten and the overall effect is gorgeous.

Every GeForce4 Ti 4600 tested thus far (including the A250 Ultra TD) has provided very good 2D display. This contrasts sharply with the wide range of quality that OEM's have demonstrated with previous NVIDIA products, but it also shows that the company is taking the suggestions of its user base seriously. While ATI or Matrox might still out-rank the GeForce4 Ti in terms of image quality, the gap is narrowing, and to some it is virtually non-existent.

Unlike the GeForce3, whose impressive feature set remained untapped for most of its effective lifespan, games that support vertex and pixel shaders are closing on the horizon, with many of them looking like absolute knock-out titles. If you go back and look at the benchmark tests that use vertex and pixel shaders, the difference between the GeForce4 Ti and GeForce3 is dramatic. With the low-end GeForce4 Ti line only slightly more expensive than the GeForce3, there's really no reason to consider anything else.