Should I keep current gc for PhysX?

Rhialto

Gawd
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Feb 23, 2004
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You can see my actual setup below. In the coming weeks I plan to build a new rig with probably the new Z68 μATX ASUS GENE-Z. I plan on getting a 560 Ti and was wondering if I should keep the 8800GTS 512 for PhysX. I know not a lot of games use it yet but when they do, this would free up the 560 Ti from this task.

OTOH, I think it would be easier to sell my current setup in one piece. I'm still wondering how much I can get for it (I would keep the 600GB Velo).
 
No, it will actually slow performance as the 8800gts will not be able to keep up.
 
No, it will actually slow performance as the 8800gts will not be able to keep up.
If it is dedicated to the PhysX engine only then it should not impact much... good question though, if the 560 will render a frame and wait for the PysX to end to complete the frame. I don't know how it works exactly.

Oh, I just found this video. I think I will forget that idea. Only one card will also be less noisy and there will be less heat in case.
 
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No, it will actually slow performance as the 8800gts will not be able to keep up.
sorry but that is WRONG because the 8800gts 512mb is a decent card for physx and not a bad match with a gtx560 at all. in no way shape or form would it deliver slower performance handling physx than the gtx560 handling physx and graphics on its own.


OP the fact that you have to start a thread asking this means you probably should not bother. there are only a few games that use hardware physx and you may only end up playing one or two of them anyway.
 
WHat about a 8800GT - with a 6950 (unlocked to 6970)?!?! :)

Axe
of course an 8800gt would be good in your situation since the only other option would be having those effects run your cpu. but being an AMD user makes it even more of a hassle because hardware physx is officially blocked so you will have to use hacked drivers. and again is it worth all the trouble for the couple of games you may ever play with optional hardware physx?
 
ARMA III will use physx :). If you are going AMD for your main card, then keep the 8800gt, if not, then sell it.

The hybrid physx worked fine for me in Mafia II. I plan on using my AMD 6950 and a gts 250 for physx, but the 250 isnt going in my case until Arma III comes out.
 
of course an 8800gt would be good in your situation since the only other option would be having those effects run your cpu. but being an AMD user makes it even more of a hassle because hardware physx is officially blocked so you will have to use hacked drivers. and again is it worth all the trouble for the couple of games you may ever play with optional hardware physx?


I actually set it up and got it working - but.. it didn't make much a diffrence even in Batman ..... and this became a bit unstable as well...

I'll learn to live without it... :p

Axe
 
I actually set it up and got it working - but.. it didn't make much a diffrence even in Batman ..... and this became a bit unstable as well...

I'll learn to live without it... :p

Axe
it should have helped a ton in Batman as opposed to running on the cpu. Sandy Bridge is way way better than any cpu at handling physx so maybe it was playable but any other cpu would have only gotten you in the 20-30 fps range when running hardware physx.
 
I tried out my 8800gt as a Physx Card.

When i realized the games that had physx weren't all that impressive with it turned on....I took the card out and its sitting on my shelf doing nothing.

To me, I thought it wasnt worth having the extra power and heat in my pc.
 
Lots of extra power/heat really, for what...a tiny handful of games that support it? I ran Mafia II with full physx with 1 GTX470 - when the game itself recommended I have a dedicated card..so, my 8800GTS 512 sits shelfside as well
 
you won't notice any difference with physx on/off in most games anyways, so just ebay it
 
I thought batman was cool but I took my 9800gtx out when not using it before I went xfire.
 
So the conclusion is: Not worth it for latest processors.

But what about people with older CPUs
 
So the conclusion is: Not worth it for latest processors.

But what about people with older CPUs
no thats not the conclusion at all. sure Sandy Bridge can run it as well as a mid range card but your best experience would be using a really good gpu. plus if a game was already cpu intensive then even Sandy Bridge would bog down compared to running it on a good gpu like it was designed to do.

you cannot run hardware physx on older cpus at all unless you enjoy 15-20 fps.
 
So the conclusion is: Not worth it for latest processors.

But what about people with older CPUs

The conclusion is that it will benefit at most a couple of games. If all you do is play those games, keep it. If you don't play those games, sell it. GPU PhysX is pretty much dead.
 
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