Is dedicated PhysX worth it?

[Jay_83]

Hi,

I'm looking for input from any of you PC gamers out there. When I built my current setup, I decided to go gaming as well, which it does nicely. But what are your feelings about using a dedicated PhysX GPU when running SLI? Is it worth it? Is there any decent benefit of adding a dedicated GPU? By "decent benefit" I mean at the very least 10 extra FPS in PhysX-heavy situations, in games that support it.

There are two constraints here:
1. Cost. I've spent enough cash on hardware. I'd rather not spend more than I need to buy a GT 440 (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1gb-zotac-gt-440-40nm-3200mhz-gddr5-gpu-810mhz-shader-1620mhz-96-cores-dl-dvi-i-hdmi-dp). Will it be powerful enough to handle PhysX?
2. PCI-E speed. According to my mobo manual, while the SLI slots are both running in x16 mode, the last PCI-E 2.0 is designated x4. How big will the impact be?

Please share your thoughts

Hardware:
cpu i7 980x @ 4.16 GHz
gpu 2x GTX 570 SLI
ram 12 GB CL9
mob Asus Sabertooth X58
psu 1000W

 

[azconnie]

One thing to remember is that hardware tech is way ahead of software tech, so by the time a game comes out that needs what you have, you will have built a new computer anyway. I experimented with physx running a GTX 260 with a 8600GT for Physx, and the performance gains werent much on Farcry 2, or the Darkest of Days demo. Thinking about trying another bench fon the Batman AA demo though. Don't really like the game, but it's a good modurn physx title to test on.

Real shame that there isn't more Physx support, I like the tech, but it seems neglected.

 

[swifty_morgan]

You're running 2 570's so no need really. If 1 570 I would think about it. Other: FarCry2 uses Havoc physx......... not the same thing......... I get an option to run physx off the processor in my control panel........ you may want to look into that.

 

[amnotanoobie]

With few games having support for PhysX, and with the fact that you could play those games fine without the extra-extra eyecandy, I see no reason for the PhysX card.

The usual things made better through PhysX are the cloth swaying and explosion of materials. Things you'd usually never notice with face paced games.

 

[Alex The PC Gamer]

Not worth it anymore. Nvidia now holds PhysX and buying their latest GPUs would take care of the PhysX. SLI technically is what you're looking for if you want to share the load should 1 card not be enough (That includes all processing included in Nvidia drivers, including PhysX).

The reason Nvidia bought PhysX is simply because the software can replace the hardware (even if you have only 1 videocard, as long as it's powerful enough).

Make sense?

 

[wolfram23]

With two 570s already, no definitely not worth getting a dedicated card at all.