So after reading countless forums of simple screenshots and whispers of running a Geforce card as a Physx accelerator while having an ATI card to do graphics, I decided that I would spring for the $45 for a 9500GT to test it out for my own.
I'm running Windows 7 x64, build 7100.
I have an Asus P5N-D, latest BIOS, Xeon X3220 @ 3.42 GHz, 8GB of 1013Mhz DDR2, an HD 4830 1GB DDR3 version @ 770MHz / 1120MHz, and a 9500GT 512MB DDR2 at stock settings, an X-Fi XtremeGamer, and two WD 320's in RAID 0.
Drivers are all latest, 9.5 (8.612) for ATI, 186.08 for NVIDIA, whatever the latest pack from daniel_k is for the sound card, and 15.35 for the mobo.
3DMark Vantage Scores are as follows:
GPU----------------------------GPU Score-----CPU score-------Total
4830 (9500 disabled)------------7227-----------11778---------P8000
9500 (4830 disabled)------------1207-----------11943---------P1557
9500 (4830 disabled ------------1210-----------17964---------P1577
w/ Physx enabled)
Now, when I disable the 4830 in Device Manager, the NVIDIA control panel (from here on, NCP) immediately shows that PhysX can be enabled or disabled, but once I reenable the ATI card, the option for PhysX disappears.
I've read in some other forums to leave the NCP open, and after enabling the other card to select and deselect the PhysX option, and it should enable it. I did this and ran Vantage again, but it was a no go, the CPU scores didn't change.
I've tried a few different drivers, such as 182.50 and 181.something, and it didn't help. I haven't tried any more ATI drivers, as the problem seems to be in the NVIDIA ones.
Does anybody have any ideas on how we can make this work? If you've got any more information on the subject, or have driver suggestions, let me know.
Edit: Made scores and such a little easier to read.
I'm running Windows 7 x64, build 7100.
I have an Asus P5N-D, latest BIOS, Xeon X3220 @ 3.42 GHz, 8GB of 1013Mhz DDR2, an HD 4830 1GB DDR3 version @ 770MHz / 1120MHz, and a 9500GT 512MB DDR2 at stock settings, an X-Fi XtremeGamer, and two WD 320's in RAID 0.
Drivers are all latest, 9.5 (8.612) for ATI, 186.08 for NVIDIA, whatever the latest pack from daniel_k is for the sound card, and 15.35 for the mobo.
3DMark Vantage Scores are as follows:
GPU----------------------------GPU Score-----CPU score-------Total
4830 (9500 disabled)------------7227-----------11778---------P8000
9500 (4830 disabled)------------1207-----------11943---------P1557
9500 (4830 disabled ------------1210-----------17964---------P1577
w/ Physx enabled)
Now, when I disable the 4830 in Device Manager, the NVIDIA control panel (from here on, NCP) immediately shows that PhysX can be enabled or disabled, but once I reenable the ATI card, the option for PhysX disappears.
I've read in some other forums to leave the NCP open, and after enabling the other card to select and deselect the PhysX option, and it should enable it. I did this and ran Vantage again, but it was a no go, the CPU scores didn't change.
I've tried a few different drivers, such as 182.50 and 181.something, and it didn't help. I haven't tried any more ATI drivers, as the problem seems to be in the NVIDIA ones.
Does anybody have any ideas on how we can make this work? If you've got any more information on the subject, or have driver suggestions, let me know.
Edit: Made scores and such a little easier to read.