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Page 3 of 3 Display Settings
To access the display settings tweaks, right click your desktop and choose Properties. Click the Settings tab at the top, then the Advanced button. Click the GeForce tab at the top. It should display information about your video card.
Click Additional Properties at the bottom. It will bring up a menu with several tabs that are all for tweakers.
Color correction and brightness
You should probably start in the Color Correction tab. If you've got problems with games or your desktop being too bright/dark, adjust these values. You can apply more color/brightness tweaks in the Overlay Color Control tab.
Direct3D Settings
Next, head over to the Direct3D tab. Keep in mind that most non-first person shooter games use Direct3D, so these settings will directly affect all of them.
Enable fog table emulation - Since some games that don't use Direct3D's fog correctly, this option should be enabled for compatibility. It won't affect performance much, if at all.
Adjust Z-Buffer depth to rendering depth if unequal - This won't matter much but should probably be left enabled.
Enable alternate depth buffering technique - This will improve the quality of 16-bit 3D rendering, but it will slow things down. Our tests showed some slow downs in Direct3D without any significant image quality improvements. This is best left disabled.
Display Logo when running Direct3D applications - There is no practical reason to enable this, unless you actually want to see the Nvidia logo in the corner of the screen when running Direct3D games, etc. Note that even if this is enabled, games can override this feature.
Automatically generate x mipmap levels - This value can be set from 0 to 12, and it's best to leave it high unless you experience problems with Direct3D games. Mipmaps increase the efficiency of texture transfers across the bus. I set it to 0 if I see problems in a game, but usually I keep this at 8.
Auto-mipmap method - If you have the mipmap levels set to 0, this is irrelevent, but if you are using mipmaps, this can boost speed or visuals. Bilinear filtering looks pretty good and it runs quite a bit faster than 8-tap anisotropic filtering. Overall, anistropic filtering can provide much more smooth filtering. Only use anisotropic if you have extra performance to spare (which with the GeForce 256, is probably the case). Keep in mind this is ONLY for Direct3D, so it won't affect Quake 3 Arena or other OpenGL games.
Mipmap detail level - This option obviously lets you choose the detail of the mipmaps mentioned above. Five options are available, each of which sacrifices either image quality for performance or vice-versa. I recommend using "Best image quality" with the GeForce 256 unless you have a slow CPU (less than 233 MHz).
Click More Direct3D at the bottom to access more features.
Texel Alignment - Leave this feature alone. The GeForce 256 is extremely accurate and therefore you probably won't see many seams in textures. If you do, it's probably the fault of the software. Adjusting this value may drop the frame rate significantly.
PCI Texture Memory Size - Set this to 0, since the GeForce 256 is AGP only at this time (PCI should be coming soon!). Exceptions? Your GeForce should be running in pure AGP GC-MMP AGP Pipelining Mode rather than GC-MMF AGP Frame Mode. If the performance is poor with PCI Texture Memory Size set to 0, consider upgrading your drivers or set this value higher. Thanks Heat for the info.
Disable vertical sync (VSYNC) - If you check this box and disable VSYNC, games will run a bit faster because the frame rate won't be limited to the refresh rate. However, this also can lead to tearing due to the lack of synchronization. It's usually okay to check this box. Set the frames ahead to 5 to start (which I believe is default). If the input (mouse or keyboard, etc.) of games tends to lag, lower this value.
More Display Settings Tweaks - OpenGL Settings
Now, head over to the OpenGL settings. Remember that these will work for most first person shooters like Quake 2, Quake 3, or Half-Life and that these will also work if you're using your GeForce 256 for 3D modeling programs like 3D Studio Max or Lightwave.
Enable buffer region extension - This doesn't apply to most games, but it does apply to 3D modeling programs. If the program uses the GL_KTX_buffer_region GL extention, enabling this will speed it up. So, if you use 3D modeling programs, enable this feature. Otherwise, leave it alone.
Allow the dual planes extension to use local video memory - If you enable the option above, enable this too to gain even more performance in 3D modeling programs. Leave it disabled if you didn't enable the option above.
Use fast linear-mipmap-linear filtering - This option will speed up OpenGL performance at a slight cost of image quality. For the most part, the games will look almost the same. Distant filtered objects may appear less detailed. Enable it if you're looking for performance, or leave it alone if all you want is image quality.
Enable anisotropic filtering - Enable this for a nice increase in visual quality. If a game supports anisotropic filtering, this feature will add a fine and accurate filter to textures, such as the distant floors in a first person shooter. However, if you enable this you may lose performance.
Enable alternate depth buffering technique - As with Direct3D, this will enable a slower but more detailed buffering technique for 16-bit. In our tests, we did not see any noticeable increases in visual quality, so you should probably leave this alone as well.
Disable support for enhanced CPU instructions sets - For most users, this option should be left unchecked. If you experience problems, try checking this box and see if it fixes your problems.
Default color depth for textures - Most new games can override this setting, but some older games (like Quake 2) cannot. Set this to your preferred color depth for games. Note that 16-bit is about 10%-30% faster on most games.
Buffer flipping mode - Leave this on Auto-select. The auto-select method is nearly 100% accurate, so you shouldn't experience any problems if this setting is left alone.
Vertical sync (VSYNC) - This is the same as with Direct3D, except it's for OpenGL instead. We recommend that you leave it to "Always off". As with the other setting, change it if you experience tearing.
Use up to x MB of system memory for textures in PCI mode - Set this to 0, since the GeForce 256 is AGP only at this time. Your GeForce should be running in pure AGP GC-MMP AGP Pipelining Mode rather than GC-MMF AGP Frame Mode. If the performance is poor with PCI Texture Memory Size set to 0, consider upgrading your drivers or set this value higher. Experiment until you find a sweet spot. Thanks Heat for the info.
Hardware Options
Open up the Hardware Options tab. What's this!? Yep, Nvidia finally included an overclocking utility with its drivers. To adjust the clock speed, you'll need to reboot your computer once you've selected "Allow clock frequency adjustments" the first time. Once you've rebooted, you can now adjust the clock speed and even test it out. Before you go and start playing with this option, read on for more on overclocking and cooling!
Hit "OK" until all the windows have closed down. Now... on to overclocking!
If the Hardware Options tab is not there, follow the coolbits registry tweak on page 4!
Overclocking the GeForce 256
Overclocking is the epitome of tweaking. Nothing can boost performance like overclocking. Keep in mind, overclocking can void your warranty and possibly even kill your video card... but come on! Do you think the average CompUSA customer service rep is going to be able to tell why your video card isn't working when you take it down to return it? (Note - there is an implied statement there, but I'm not going to type it out, for legal reasons). There is definitely a risk involved in overclocking a video card, but it's not as great as manufacturers claim it to be. For more information on safely overclocking a video card, check out our Video Card Overclocking Guide / FAQ.
Before you even touch that GeForce 256's clock speed, make sure it's not already boiling hot. Put your hand next to the card or behind the card immediately after shutting down your PC. If it's already hot, you probably aren't going to get much out of overclocking except for a headache and a lot of lock-ups. So... are you going to chicken out? I didn't think so. :)
To access the Nvidia overclocking utility, right click your desktop, choose Properties, Settings, Advanced, GeForce, Additional Properties, then Hardware Options. If you want to make this easier to access, go to the Other Options tab and choose "Display the QuickTweak icon in the taskbar". Once you're in the Hardware Options tab, you can adjust the clock speed with ease. With my GeForce 256 DDR reference board, the default clock speed is 120 MHz core / 300 MHz memory. With the default cooling, I could reach 135 MHz core / 330 MHz memory. Keep in mind that the GeForce 256 handles 4 pixels per clock, so every MHz is worth 4 pixels/second in fill rate. In other words, 1 MHz with a GeForce 256 goes twice as far as the TNT2 did. This is also a downside, however, because it makes reaching extremely high speeds difficult.
When overclocking, always take up the clock speed by only a few MHz at a time (between 1 and 5) for both memory and core settings. Once you reach a setting that locks up the PC with games, set your final setting a bit lower (until it doesn't lock up, obviously) and check "Apply these settings at startup". If your PC isn't locking up and it isn't way too hot, it should be fine at this speed for years except possibly an occasional lock up.
Cooling the GeForce 256
Now that you've got a clock speed you're sticking with, or maybe a goal for a clock speed you want to reach, you better start thinking of some cooling! My personal favorite all-around cooling solution that absolutely kills most of the competition and won't void your warranty is The Card Cooler. Two 80mm fans braced together for incredible air flow and power, for only $20. They're quiet and won't suck much power either. And wait... if you're not satisfied with two 80mm fans, pick up a 120mm fan! These huge fans move nearly 100 CFM EACH! Or you can buy The Total System Cooling Package for around $50. This is what I recommend for systems without any cooling because it has The Card Cooler, a Super Slot cooler, a 3 fan hard drive cooler, and an extra case fan for kicks. Get all this here at The Card Cooler store.
Even if you don't plan on using The Card Cooler for this, you'll find a practical use later. You'll understand what I mean when I post the article I'm working on which covers some extreme cooling (most of the methods are already in my PC, but I'll leave you without pictures to keep up the suspense).
If you want to see some more extreme cooling, check out the Extreme GeForce Cooling and Overclocking guide. Take a slot cooler, two 120mm fans, and a 215mm Honeywell fan made to cool a small room, and put all of them in direct contact with the GeForce. The result is incredible power and overclocking potential.
Consider customizing your case to optimize heat dissipation. We have some good articles on the topic including the System Cooling/Case Cutting Guide. Enough shameless plugs for now! If you have any unique GeForce cooling ideas, I'd love to hear about them, so please send them in.
Conclusion
Well folks, I've run out of things to say for now. :) I wish you the best of luck in tweaking your TNT/TNT2/GeForce 256 card. If you have problems or questions, try asking for help at the Tweak3D Forum. Stay tuned for updates to this and all of the other guides here at Tweak3D.
Thanks for reading!
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