There is also that little problem of texture memory. As was so elequently pointed out, you don't really want to swap MIP map levels in and out of texture memory. Using highly detailed base texures eats up that memory fast.
As we continue to purchase PCs with more and more main memory (did you ever think you'd get a Gig?), I am surprised at how long it has taken graphics card manufacturers (including SGI) to take the step beyond the precious 64Mb that has been standard for the past few years.
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There is also that little problem of texture memory. As was so elequently pointed out, you don't really want to swap MIP map levels in and out of texture memory. Using highly detailed base texures eats up that memory fast.
As we continue to purchase PCs with more and more main memory (did you ever think you'd get a Gig?), I am surprised at how long it has taken graphics card manufacturers (including SGI) to take the step beyond the precious 64Mb that has been standard for the past few years.
-Jeremy