Is Ageia's PhysX Card worth it yet?

[truehighroller]

Hello every one,
I would like to know how everyone feels about the whole physx card deal now considering price drops and new games. I have a pretty decent setup already but feel something is missing is this it? These are the specs of my system right now. Tell me what you think.

Zumax 550W 38A Combined
GA-P35-DQ6
Core Duo E4400 @ 3.24Ghz 9x 360 1.5v
Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 1066 @ 1152Mhz 5-4-4-12 2.2v 1Gb x 2
2 Western Digital 160Gb 16Mb Cache Raid 0
Asus EAX1900XTX 512Mb DDR3 Overclocked a little
Sound card, DVD Burner, Big Case with a couple of big fans

I might get a E6750 but, I am unsure if it will make a big difference or not.

 

[englandr753]

I can give you honest feedback from experience of my own. A few months ago I purchased the Asus physics card and I installed it. After installing it I installed some of the demos that came with it. I was not impressed with the graphics of the demos themselves. They looked to be 2 or more years behind current game graphics and I didn't see anything that impressed me one iota.

After seeing this I decided to do some research and find out what other people were saying about these cards. I found several studies that actually proved that it decreased the benchmark scores with the physics card installed. From what I understood about this there seems to be a bottleneck in the data transfer to offset the workload to the physics card.

Needless to say I returned my card and got my money back. 249.99.

Here's my honest opinion.

Do I think that a physics card will be a good idea? Yeah, one day in the future when they improve the technology and create the games to actually utilize its capability. But not now.

My advice to you is to invest your hard earned money in the upgrade for the CPU. That will be your best investment for now.

I would keep an eye out on the physics technology because I do think it will catch on and be worth while later down the road, some day.

Follow this advice and you will do yourself a favor.

Hope this helps...

 

[Slobogob]

Hello every one,
I would like to know how everyone feels about the whole physx card deal now considering price drops and new games. I have a pretty decent setup already but feel something is missing is this it? These are the specs of my system right now. Tell me what you think.

Zumax 550W 38A Combined
GA-P35-DQ6
Core Duo E4400 @ 3.24Ghz 9x 360 1.5v
Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2 1066 @ 1152Mhz 5-4-4-12 2.2v 1Gb x 2
2 Western Digital 160Gb 16Mb Cache Raid 0
Asus EAX1900XTX 512Mb DDR3 Overclocked a little
Sound card, DVD Burner, Big Case with a couple of big fans

I might get a E6750 but, I am unsure if it will make a big difference or not.

The time of Ageia has come and gone. Investing in a usb coffee cup warmer would benefit your gaming performance far more.

 

[emp]

Unless you are a hardcore, diehard GRAW fan, then it's not worth even the silicon it's made on... Even if you were a GRAW fan, still not worth it.

 

[pchoi04]

I'm a GRAW fan and I still wouldn't buy it. I think its a great idea to offload the physics on a dedicated card but only a few games support it. One being GRAW. So I would also say spend your money elsewhere.

 

[Evilonigiri]

A quadcore pc more than enough makes up for the lack of a physics card. Basically a multi-core cpu can handle physics by itself with no problems.

 

[Noya]

An e6750 is not worth the small performance boost over your nicely overclocked e4400. If you do upgrade, get a Q6600.

The only thing worth upgrading may be your vid card to an 8800 or 2900.

 

[Hatman]

Wait to see what it does in Unreal Tournament 3, then decide whether to get it or not.

 

[truehighroller]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the help I really do. I figured this as well from reading up on it. I figured the processor might not make that big of a difference as well. I am wondering however though why I only get the highest score of 7058 with 3dmark however. I see people with same config as me getting like 11,000 points? I don't know if everyone else is aware of something I am not or what. I figure as tweaked as I have my system I should be getting 10,000 at least you know. I kick in ati tool when I start the benchmark. I have my memory timings tweaked as tight as possible on my video card and it overclocked a little as well. Maybe you guys can give me a hint as to why this is. Thanks again everyone.

 

[joewho]

Intel just bought them I thought. We will see some benfit in a year or two. But, I think it will be from the CPU.

 

[Guest]

Don't think you can get 11000 with the 1900xtx

 

[truehighroller]

I seen other users with that high of a score with the 1900xtx on there score server thingy. Maybe they have two of them but, it just doesn't show that part... Guesing here mind you. I know this much before I got my ati tool setup and tweaked out when I was playing games and what not running the bench with 3dmark my card wasn't kicking into 3d mode at all?.... Don't know why but whatever.

 

[Heyyou27]

Intel just bought them I thought. We will see some benfit in a year or two. But, I think it will be from the CPU.

Intel bought Havok, the company that makes the physics engine used in Half-Life 2, F.E.A.R., Halo 2 and 3, Bioshock, Strangehold, Age of Empires III, Oblivion, and just about any other game on the market.

 

[airblazer]

7k on 3dmark06 is the average score for the x1900xtx..with overclocking i could get it to 8000. Used to always wonder how these guys were getting 11,000 with a single/dual core and one card?? probably cheating the dirty bstards

 

[spaztic7]

Intel just bought them I thought. We will see some benfit in a year or two. But, I think it will be from the CPU.

No, Intel bought Havok.... the smarter physics.

 

[San Pedro]

If you want to spend some money on that setup, then pick up a new graphics card next month after the new cards come out.

Isn't the physx card like 2-3 years old already? That to me makes me think it can't really be all that powerful.

 

[truehighroller]

True True I'm thinking get me quad now G0 stepping. Then step up video card wise when they drop in prices some more. I think the quad is as cheap as it will get for awhile yah know.

 

[Slobogob]

Wait to see what it does in Unreal Tournament 3, then decide whether to get it or not.

I'm quite curious how UT3s implementation of physics will be. If i take into consideration that the ageia cards most likely have a sub 1% penetration of the gamers market it would be insane for a company to do anything more than slap the ageia sticker on its box - its just not economical.
While i hope for a major breakthrough in gaming physics, i doubt it will involve Ageia at all.

 

[sailer]

I can think of only one good reason for buying a physx card: it will help Ageia's finances. Other than that, don't bother. Spend your money on a better CPU or video card if you want better performance, with my vote going to a better video card.

On other notes, when I was running a X1900 XTX, my 3DMark06 score was a little over 8000 and I have an overclocked FX60, so a score in the 7000's isn't all that bad in my opinion. As to the CPU, I would agree that going to the q6600 would be better than the e6750, especially in the future.

 

[spaztic7]

Please correct me if I am worng, but aren't the putting small physics processors in video cards theses days? I though I read somewhere that the 2900(xt) and the 8800(gtx) both have some form of a physics engine built into them.

 

[truehighroller]

I didn't know what an FX60 was lol, I googled it though. I think better yet I am going to fill my memory slots again and get two more ballistix considering I just bought these two like last week and they have dropped fourty more dollars already 8o. I have my E4400 as high as it will allow me to push it. I am waiting on the video card untill everythings drops a little my 1900xtx is pretty damn good IMO. I bought it a couple weeks back for $190~ and I have seen it on newegg and other places still priced @ around $400. I don't think the 20fps extra is worth the money they want for them you know. I will get the Quad asap as well though.

 

[spaztic7]

i guess the short answer to your original question of is the agiea physx card worth it is...

NO!

 

[sailer]

Please correct me if I am worng, but aren't the putting small physics processors in video cards theses days? I though I read somewhere that the 2900(xt) and the 8800(gtx) both have some form of a physics engine built into them.

You're not completely right, or wrong. According to the ATI site, the 2900 has physics processing support, but not a didicated physics engine. I think Nvidia does the same, giving physics support, but not having a separate engine for it.

 

[rodney_ws]

Only if it has a rebate exceeding the original purchase price!

 

[truehighroller]

I was thinking the same thing spaztic7. NO!! lol