by KDSM » Tue Jan 24, 2006 7:40 pm
think the easiest way is to first explain double-buffering. In double-buffering, you have a front buffer and a back buffer. Basically, a frame is constructed using the back buffer and once the frame is completed, its "flipped" to the front buffer so it can be displayed.
Triple-buffering just takes double-buffering to another level by adding a third buffer. So, you have a front buffer, a back buffer, and what I'll refer to as a middle buffer (I'm not sure if that's the correct term or not). So, a frame is constructed in the back buffer and then gets flipped to the middle buffer. Once the next frame is completed, the middle buffer gets flipped to the front buffer, the back to the middle, and so on and so forth.
The end result is more fluid motion and more efficiency - triple buffering is a good way to get around the image degradation caused by turning vsync off. Most people turn vsynch off because they feel that the power of their card is being "wasted" because its essentially "pacing" itself at whatever the refresh rate of the monitor is set at (usually 60-72hz for games). In triple buffering, that efficiency is retained because the graphics processor can still work on another frame even if the one it just worked on is not ready to be displayed. Its the best of both worlds, so to speak - you retain the image quality of having vsync on and you get the efficiency of turning vsync off.
