Defining the Term 'MAXED OUT'

Which one is it?

  • 1

    Votes: 54 28.4%

  • 2

    Votes: 136 71.6%
  • Total voters
    190
I think "highest in-game settings" and "maxed out" are different things. If I've set everything I can to maximum, that's maxed out. Voted #2.

Also related: Anything less than 4xAA drives me insane due to the large pixel pitch on my WFP2707. I will gladly sacrifice in-game settings to maintain 4xAA.
 
I define it as the latter. I force top settings in the GPU control panel, often even setting the pre-rendered frames to 0.
 
Ravynmagi said:
Looking at the HardOCP video card reviews. It seems they lean more towards 1 as well.

http://hardocp.com/article/2010/03/15/powercolor_pcs_hd5870_hd5850_video_card_review/3

"All In-Game Settings" will say "Highest Settings". However the AA will be 0xAA or 4xAA or something.
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I would say that's just on the "highest settings", but not the "maxed out" settings which includes in-game AA and AF. And obviously resolution should always be stated...

Games should come with a check box that sets all the AA, AF and in game settings to the highest and call it something like the "extreme setting". It would only be used if the hardware can support it.
 
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I picked one. AA comes if I have all textures and what not maxed out. After settings are turned up all the way, then I turn it up to the highest lvl of AA possible. Maxing out AA and all settings can be next to impossible in some games considering that you can basically sample it higher and higher.

I mean, how can you truly max our AA. With profile mods and what not, you have basically endless levels of AA which acts as a sky rather than a ceiling
 
AA and AF have to be maxed out in order for you to say your fully maxed out. Without those your not maxed out.
 
When discussing it anywhere but the [H], I consider maxed out to mean "maximum in game settings with 4xAA/8xAF" as that is the de facto standard in my opinion.

Around these parts, there's no question in my mind that MAXED OUT means exactly what we all think it means. All dials to 11.
 
I'd have to agree with the "in game settings" crowd. All settings to Highest/Ultra/etc. and max AA/AF the GAME allows. At your monitors native resolution of course.
 
vjcsmoke said:
I vote the latter. Who the heck plays games without AA? The Jaggies would drive you crazy!
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I never use AA from my graphics card. I guess I use my brain for smoothing, cuz it's a lot more efficient than the graphics hardware.

I'm just saying that I set my card to the highest resolution that my screen can produce, then I 'filter' out the jaggies through my visual cortex.

So, no, the 'jaggies' don't drive me crazy. I don't even notice them at all.

Sorry they bother you, maybe you shouldn't be so sensitive? :cool:
 
I usually refer to it as option 2, but you see it all the time where people say "Running *game title* completely maxed out, no AA" I think it's a little annoying, but it's simple enough to just keep scrolling so I don't bother saying anything.
 
edifyingkarma said:
I picked one. AA comes if I have all textures and what not maxed out. After settings are turned up all the way, then I turn it up to the highest lvl of AA possible. Maxing out AA and all settings can be next to impossible in some games considering that you can basically sample it higher and higher.

I mean, how can you truly max our AA. With profile mods and what not, you have basically endless levels of AA which acts as a sky rather than a ceiling
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What!?!? you could say the same to resolution, AF, ....
 
techincally it would be #2.
anyone that would be "maxing out" a game and didnt have aa/af maxed out just means that the settings they chose to max are maxed. therefore if everything isnt maxed, then people need to be specific. (ie: details maxed, no aa)
 
Voted for #2.
If someone says they want the best video card so they can max out all the latest games, and that person is suggested a card that can max out games according to the #1 option, but not the #2 option, I think that person will be disappointed.

Some of you guys would be great working for OnLive, with their claims of maxed out gaming.
 
I haven't read the thread, but I'd like to chime in. "MAXED OUT" to me, means the game is being played as the developer intended. The developer intended for every in-game option to be set at the highest level, therefore, strictly speaking, if they aren't, then you aren't experiencing the game as the developer intended. If AA is an option in-game, then this includes that slider or drop down box as well.

However, that differs from "Highest Settings". For example, when we use the term "Highest In-Game Settings" in our evaluations, this means that all the graphical features are at the highest values, but not AA or AF. Highest Settings refers to the game settings, but not AA/AF since those are usually variables when we are finding performance, not every card can "Max" out AA.

So, MAXED OUT means EVERYTHING, while HIGHEST IN-GAME SETTINGS means only the graphics features, not AA. That is how I would define the terms.
 
I personally voted for #2...only because if you say you can play a game maxed out...isnt that what you mean is MAXED out? If you have all settings at the highest except for AA then you arent, by definition, maxing the game out...even if you dont like or want to use AA that doesnt change the purpose of maxing a game out.

Outside programs don't count...if the highest a game can go is 4x AA than thats all that matters...you cant say you are running max settings with 16x AA in your control panel (or whatever software you use to change global AA settings),
 
Kaldskryke said:
Also related: Anything less than 4xAA drives me insane due to the large pixel pitch on my WFP2707. I will gladly sacrifice in-game settings to maintain 4xAA.
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^This. Maxed out + at least 4xAA 8xAF (prefer 8x/16x). I'll turn in-game settings down to maintain AA though. One of the joys of gaming on a 32inch TV.
 
I went with #1.

In most games I can't tell an appreciable difference once I go above 4xAA so even if I could go to 8x I usually don't. Whenever I claim that I can "max out" a game I always state my resolution and AA/AF settings.
 
I think you almost need to reset this pull and provide a few more options for the level of AA.

Really, with the new video cards and drivers allowing you some rediculously high levels of AA intended for older titles, you can't really 'Max Out' the settings if your include full AA. 24xCFAA + lastest games on max detail? Not really possible period with any cards at eyefinity/stereo 3d resolutions. 8xAA seems unrealistic. 4xAA seems possibly if you don't demand a minimum 60 fps. 2xAA seems reasonable.

I'd say to consider being maxed out, at least 2xAA to 4xAA would be best imo.
 
friend'scatdied said:
Depends on your dot pitch. Without AA it's an eyesore for me on a 32" 1080P panel.
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Without AA it's an eyesore to me on a 30" 2560x1600 LCD, which has a much smaller dot pitch than that even. I can tell between 4x and 8x very easily, and 2x vs. 4x is night/day.
 
Now are you guys including physx in this, since some games are dramatically affected by it. For instance Batman Arkum Asylum maxed out to an Nvidia user is not the same thing to an Ati user.
 
I chose option 2, but I take maxed out to be the highest possible settings that a game natively supports, AA and AF included. If you include the highest possible driver settings then why not third party utilities like nHancer where you can jack up AA to 8xSSAA or higher which makes just about every game unplayable regardless of your system.
 
I say option 1. My issue is that there's a certain level of relativity, or frame of reference, to be maintained when comparing video card performance. Simply stating "maxed out" and implying maxed AA for any one card isn't fair; AMD and nvidia cards aren't exactly capable of the same levels of AA (e.g. ADAA, TSAA, QAA). So with option 1's definition, the user defines their AA/AF settings.
 
i say number 1.

purely for the reason that if johnny noob builds a new pc for MAX CRYSIS GAEMZ he wont know how to use his video card to force settings.
 
"johnny noob" will play the game on default settings and think it's great. That is until someone either shows him or explains how to increase the resolution and up the graphic settings.
 
I must admit that with my little old 5770 turning on very high/enthusiast setting in crysis and warhead and turning on 8xAA is rough on my framerate. It is tough for me to tell the difference sometimes between 4x and 8x but I still make the move
 
I picked #1, but I guess it could be 2.

Some games like TF2 where you can set 16xAA or whatever and it still runs w/o a flinch then maxing it out is okay. But when it comes to crysis where the instant you start bumping up the AA and the frames drop like crazy, then it's not worth it.
 
Usually, I use the application's definition. For instance, if I can set everything on the highest setting in the game, at the native resolution of my monitor, I consider it maxed out. However, this may mean that 2x/4x AA or 4/8 AF might the the maximum the title supports, as opposed to using my drivers to push to something beyond. I suppose this is the true definition, but I usually feel my system has "Mastered the game" if I can can max out its settings at native resolution.

In addition, I consider "Full Experience" to be right below "Master the Game", where the graphics are all on high and I'm seeing all the reflections and whatnot, even if I don't turn AA/AF on. When my system starts to be unable to "Master the Game", I think of upgrading, but if I'm not getting "Full Experience", then I definitely know its time to upgrade (unless, the game is just coded horribly)
 
What's the point of having AA above 2x for a resolution of at least 1920x1200 on say a 24" monitor? It's all relative.

I voted A.
 
There is no definition, too many variables. Term is thrown around too loosely. Person A may have all settings at the highest in game, no AA/AF and running 7680x1600 with 30fps, Person B may have all settings maxed with 16xAA/AF at 1280x720 and 60fps. Who is maxed?
 
BeavermanA said:
There is no definition, too many variables. Term is thrown around too loosely. Person A may have all settings at the highest in game, no AA/AF and running 7680x1600 with 30fps, Person B may have all settings maxed with 16xAA/AF at 1280x720 and 60fps. Who is maxed?
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I would say the second example with AA and AF.
How the person playing enjoys the game is what is important to them though.
For myself, I dislike games that don't allow AA. Not saying I don't get enjoyment from the game, but it does take away what would be a better experience for me.
 
For single monitor resolutions - definition 2

For Eyefinity/multimonitor setups - definition 1

imho, at 6064x1080 I don't need AA.. I always max out AF anyway, though.

To take a recent game as an example.. I cannot run Metro 2033 maxed out by definition 2 on my machine at 1920x1080... so I'd say that I am unable to max that game out.
 
Kowan said:
For myself, I dislike games that don't allow AA.
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That's true, you need at least 2xaa for it to look decent. No flicking textures and monster jaggies.

To elaborate on defining "maxed out", if that's your only comment when referring to a game, I think it's pointless. People throw it around like, "Well I have a 9800GT and can max out Crysis, you should have no trouble with a 5870". They fail to take into account differences in resolution, aa/af and fps preferences.

That being said, when I describe what settings a game will run, I'll say maxed in-game settings if it can run with everything at the highest, but then I also specify my resolution, aa/af settings, and average fps afterward because without that info it's worthless.
 
Andrmgic said:
For single monitor resolutions - definition 2

For Eyefinity/multimonitor setups - definition 1

imho, at 6064x1080 I don't need AA.. I always max out AF anyway, though.

To take a recent game as an example.. I cannot run Metro 2033 maxed out by definition 2 on my machine at 1920x1080... so I'd say that I am unable to max that game out.
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Your dot pitch is still huge, making for blocky edges without AA.
 
I have another issue with this, is that sometimes you can only truly max the game if you edit an ini file. So, you're never really sure if the game you're playing is actually truly maxed 100% or not...
 
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