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Worth getting independant physx card?

D

davidm71

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Feb 11, 2004
Messages
1,570
Hi,

I have two 8800GTX's on a 680i mb, and was wondering if anyone knew what would make a good physx card? or is it worth it? I have one 8x pci-e slot open begging for hardware. So was wondering for games like farcry 2, dead space, left 4 dead, or fallout 3 would I see an improvement in performace if I spent $100 on a 9600gt or something?

Thanks.
 
I think physx is supported via Cuda/software now isn't it? Or is that just for the GTX 200 series?
 
I also play Mass Effect and I see that one is a PhysX game, but now I don't think I would want to spend a lot of dough just for one title... Maybe $50 at most...
 
prasvt said:
I think physx is supported via Cuda/software now isn't it? Or is that just for the GTX 200 series?
Click to expand...

nVidia PhysX 9.09.0010 release notes said:
Supports NVIDIA PhysX acceleration on all GeForce 8-series, 9-series and 200-series GPUs with a minimum of 256MB dedicated graphics memory.
Click to expand...

...
 
If the game dosn't make use of the PhysX API, you will get no gain WHAT-SO-EVER, period!
 
Well last i checked... the Ageai PhysX PPU card is still being sold for about $90 ish...Yes yes, they got bought out by Nvidia but saying if you just want the Physx portion.
 
figgie said:
Well last i checked... the Ageai PhysX PPU card is still being sold for about $90 ish...Yes yes, they got bought out by Nvidia but saying if you just want the Physx portion.
Click to expand...

:confused:

There is no 'PhysX portion' in the hardware. PhysX is an API implemented in the driver. The enabling hardware is a massively parallel vector processor architecture. Like a GPU.

You'd be better of using old GF8 series GPUs for PhysX purposes, as they're a lot more powerful than those old Aegia cards.
 
Elledan said:
:confused:

There is no 'PhysX portion' in the hardware. PhysX is an API implemented in the driver. The enabling hardware is a massively parallel vector processor architecture. Like a GPU.

You'd be better of using old GF8 series GPUs for PhysX purposes, as they're a lot more powerful than those old Aegia cards.
Click to expand...

Correct.
 
Elledan said:
:confused:

There is no 'PhysX portion' in the hardware. PhysX is an API implemented in the driver. The enabling hardware is a massively parallel vector processor architecture. Like a GPU.

You'd be better of using old GF8 series GPUs for PhysX purposes, as they're a lot more powerful than those old Aegia cards.
Click to expand...
Nvidia's GPUs can't do the physx effects for graw and a few other games, can they?
 
If the PhysX driver sees the GPU as a PPU device, then it should just work. I don't even want to know what it'd take to mess this up...
 
I may give this a try when I make the move to X-58. I have two 8800GTs and will sell one of them off to a friend but keep the other one. GTX 295 + 8800GT for Physx. mmmmmm :cool:
 
I recently upgraded from an X850XTPE, to an 8600GT that I got for free.

Mirror's Edge takes advantage of the PhysX support of the 8600GT with what I see as zero performance loss.. Impressive if you ask me, for a $75 video card. Though the added PhysX stuff does not affect the gameplay whatesoever, just adds flags and extra debris from glass, nothing to get excited about.

Not sure why this stuff isn't in the Xbox 360 version... I thought 360 could run PhysX stuff?
 
Borgschulze said:
Not sure why this stuff isn't in the Xbox 360 version... I thought 360 could run PhysX stuff?
Click to expand...

Many XBox 360 games use the Havok physics engine (a software physics engine that doesn't require special hardware). Ageia invented PhysX in 2002, and the XBox 360 was developed from 2003 to 2005 but did not include PhysX hardware.
 
MurderCityDevil said:
IMO physx has to be, overall, one of the biggest scamolas ever.
Click to expand...

No, not at all, they actually delivered a product that actually does something interesting and useful. It just wasn't interesting and useful enough to survive on its own. If you want scamolas, see KillerNic, or the Infinium Phantom Console.
 
Borgschulze said:
I recently upgraded from an X850XTPE, to an 8600GT that I got for free.

Mirror's Edge takes advantage of the PhysX support of the 8600GT with what I see as zero performance loss.. Impressive if you ask me, for a $75 video card. Though the added PhysX stuff does not affect the gameplay whatesoever, just adds flags and extra debris from glass, nothing to get excited about.

Not sure why this stuff isn't in the Xbox 360 version... I thought 360 could run PhysX stuff?
Click to expand...

An 8600GT is a $25 video card... so I'm glad you got it for free and didn't get ripped off horribly.

That's about all PhysX has ever done outside of a few puzzle games that used the effects for gameplay elements.

The Xbox 360 can handle the software portion of the PhysX API, but that is severely limited (mostly because Ageia was run by utter morons more concerned with selling their horribly overpriced proprietary piece of garbage "PPU" than developing a relevant standard and alternative to the already mentioned Havok physics engine) so Xbox 360 games, and most PC games, use Havok instead.

Now that Nvidia cards can handle the hardware portion of the PhysX API and EA has fallen in step it may gain some relevance, but until ATI gets PhysX support as well (Nvidia tried to license them CUDA, and thereby PhysX, for free, but they declined a few months back) it's not going to be used for anything important, because not everyone will be able to use the effects. Just more extra 'pretty' crap thrown in at the last minute, much like in Mirror's Edge.

In truth, even if AMD/ATI caves and introduces CUDA/PhysX support the API is not likely to go far, because the Xbox 360 and PS3 do not have hardware that can make good use of the API, and more and more titles are ported from console to PC now. The console is where a developer makes their real money, PC sales are generally secondary. If adding an effect takes time, man power and money, but doesn't apply to your primary audience... it doesn't make sense to do it, does it? Nvidia has made great strides in bringing PhysX back from the brink of death, but anyone who wasn't fool enough to be sucked in during the $200 PPU phase will be quick to tell you that it's always going to be a gimmick and probably shouldn't have been bought out in the first place, but allowed to die.
 
silent-circuit said:
An 8600GT is a $25 video card... so I'm glad you got it for free and didn't get ripped off horribly.

That's about all PhysX has ever done outside of a few puzzle games that used the effects for gameplay elements.

The Xbox 360 can handle the software portion of the PhysX API, but that is severely limited (mostly because Ageia was run by utter morons more concerned with selling their horribly overpriced proprietary piece of garbage "PPU" than developing a relevant standard and alternative to the already mentioned Havok physics engine) so Xbox 360 games, and most PC games, use Havok instead.

Now that Nvidia cards can handle the hardware portion of the PhysX API and EA has fallen in step it may gain some relevance, but until ATI gets PhysX support as well (Nvidia tried to license them CUDA, and thereby PhysX, for free, but they declined a few months back) it's not going to be used for anything important, because not everyone will be able to use the effects. Just more extra 'pretty' crap thrown in at the last minute, much like in Mirror's Edge.

In truth, even if AMD/ATI caves and introduces CUDA/PhysX support the API is not likely to go far, because the Xbox 360 and PS3 do not have hardware that can make good use of the API, and more and more titles are ported from console to PC now. The console is where a developer makes their real money, PC sales are generally secondary. If adding an effect takes time, man power and money, but doesn't apply to your primary audience... it doesn't make sense to do it, does it? Nvidia has made great strides in bringing PhysX back from the brink of death, but anyone who wasn't fool enough to be sucked in during the $200 PPU phase will be quick to tell you that it's always going to be a gimmick and probably shouldn't have been bought out in the first place, but allowed to die.
Click to expand...



Sounds like marketing hype from Nvidia. Big bang yeah right!
 
davidm71 said:
Sounds like marketing hype from Nvidia. Big bang yeah right!
Click to expand...

Well, "Big Bang" did introduce mutli-monitor SLI support, which is what I understood to be the major point there, and they happened to get PhysX support working at the same time so there was that too.

Marketing hype? Sure. Baseless, though? Not really. At least there were some real features added.
 
Borgschulze said:
I recently upgraded from an X850XTPE, to an 8600GT that I got for free.

Mirror's Edge takes advantage of the PhysX support of the 8600GT with what I see as zero performance loss.. Impressive if you ask me, for a $75 video card. Though the added PhysX stuff does not affect the gameplay whatesoever, just adds flags and extra debris from glass, nothing to get excited about.

Not sure why this stuff isn't in the Xbox 360 version... I thought 360 could run PhysX stuff?
Click to expand...

Consoles lacks the power compared to PC's...I thought it was common knowlegde?
 
silent-circuit said:
The Xbox 360 can handle the software portion of the PhysX API, but that is severely limited (mostly because Ageia was run by utter morons more concerned with selling their horribly overpriced proprietary piece of garbage "PPU" than developing a relevant standard and alternative to the already mentioned Havok physics engine) so Xbox 360 games, and most PC games, use Havok instead.
Click to expand...

You are sadly misinformed, so please stop with your FUD.
Google "Novodex" and please inform yourself, this is really embarrasing.
 
dR.Jester said:
I may give this a try when I make the move to X-58. I have two 8800GTs and will sell one of them off to a friend but keep the other one. GTX 295 + 8800GT for Physx. mmmmmm :cool:
Click to expand...

lol, not hating at all but I do find it funny that I'm totally happy with my 8800GT as my GPU and it could be relegated to a side card on your (hypothetical) system haha. How quickly tech moves.....
 
silent-circuit said:
PPU in sig. Move along.
Click to expand...

No arguments deteced, troll found.

Novodex is was one of the best physcis API's out there, and it lives on as PhysX, the only solution that can run on CPU, GPU and PPU.

And the only solution that actullay delivers something...next time try somethign else that fallacies...:rolleyes:
(The PPU comes out of my rig when Physx is 100% ported to GPU)
 
evilsofa said:
I ask not in debate but because I don't know - how is the PhysX on nVidia GPUs not 100% ported?
Click to expand...

Not all games work with GPU physics but will on run the PhysX effects with a PPU present.
This goes for older titles, not new ones.
 
I think you guys forgot, Gears of War and Gears of War two, use PhysX... as well as any Unreal 3 Engine even those based for Consoles.
 
Atech said:
Not all games work with GPU physics but will on run the PhysX effects with a PPU present.
This goes for older titles, not new ones.
Click to expand...

With the latest PhysX release I am finding even the stubborn games that did not work before are now working with just the GPU (ie CM2). I am not saying that everything is fixed, however backward compatibility is looking better.
 
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