title: OpenGL ARGB vs RGB and Texture Compression
body: <p>I have a rendering context with a color depth of 32-bits. I will be using some alpha blending, but not much; so using 24-bit images for most of the textures I need will greatly reduce the memory requirements. My question is, can I use 24-bit RGB textures with a 32-bit rendering context and expect the same performance as a 32-bit ARGB texture? I understand that the internal format is probably neither to begin with, but the target format of the RC is 32-bit ARGB.</p>
  
  <p>Also, I am planning on using some form of texture compression. The platform will be Windows, exclusively. Which would provide the best compression and widest-compatibility? I am also hoping to use 24-bit compressed textures since I won't be using the alpha bits; but the rendering context will remain 32-bits.</p>