You said he is using lots of AA. 4x is not a lot...look at for example Lynces pictures, and you will see a huge difference. Not that I care whether the guy has that AA or not, and I don't care what kind of computer he has, but I'm saying this because you said that there is lots of AA (which there isn't), and the picture has smooth edges (which it doesn't).
Ok, peace now...who cares about his picture, let it be how it is.