Abstract: A graphics system comprises a texture memory, a rendering engine, a sample buffer and a filtering engine. The rendering engine renders received primitives based on a render pixel array whose vertical and horizontal resolutions are dynamically programmable. The rendering engine determines render pixels that geometrically intersect a primitive. For each intersecting render pixel, a texture access may be required (if texture processing is turned on) to determine texture values. The texture values may be used to compute sample values at sample positions interior to the sample render pixel and the primitive. A controlling agent may decrease the vertical and horizontal resolutions of the render pixel array to control frame render time. The filtering engine may programmably generate virtual pixel centers covering the render pixel array. Any change in the render pixel resolutions may require an accommodating change in the virtual pixel array parameters.