Older card for PhysX

[Velpecula]

I want to try using an 8800GT sitting on my shelf as a PhysX card with my GTX275. I've seen quite a few places describe setting it up in the control panel, but I've only seen one place describe how to hook it up.

http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/72593/

That was written in 2008

Does that still stand true? Do I hook both cards to my monitor?

Also, will my Corsair HX620W power supply handle both cards?

I'm going to test this using my current setup, (E6750,IP35Pro) and may use it for my new X58 build in the next month or so.

Thanks for any help.

 

[rodney_ws]

It's my understanding that when you have the appropriate drivers (anything recent from Nvidia) and 2 supported Nvidia GPUs in your setup (both of yours are PhysX compatible), the graphics driver control panel will allow you to specify which GPU you want to handle PhysX calculations... just enable PhysX and tell it which card to use. The PhysX GPU would not need to output to your monitor since it's just performing math calculations. About the PSU... almost definitely yes.

 

[Velpecula]

Thanks for the reply. Like I said, the article I referenced was written in 2008. There's been a few driver updates since then. I just went back and read the article again. It was referring to Vista, and says you may not need the additional monitor connection for XP. No mention of Win7, of course.

So between differences in OS and drivers, maybe it's not needed. That article is the only thing I found that talked about the actual connections. Everything else I read was about the driver settings.

I have a long weekend, so I'll probably be trying it out. I'm playing Batman:AA now, and from what I've read, that's one of the few games where the dedicated PhysX card can make a difference.

Happy New Year.

 

[lars_didriksen]

UT3 engine can take advantage of PhysX. it depends on the programming. Batman uses it really well, from the tearing of the batsuite to the cape and particle effects. Clothing is big deal instead of static models the cloth now moves far more realistic, you might not notice this, but i bet you will if its turned off. Most games though only use PhysX for water and particle effects, but more and more games are starting to use PhysX right, you can even commit lip-sync to PhysX if you want to push it.

Put up some results and tell us how it went .

 

[Velpecula]

I do seem to see a difference in the way objects move. I had originally planned to use the 8800GT as the PhysX card. But instead, I bought a GTS250 for it. Using the 8800GT in another computer.

Using the in game benchmark, I get these results:

1680 X 1050 Resolution
Detail level Very High
8XQ AA
All other settings High
PhysX Level High (dedicated PhysX card)

Min FPS 38
Max 104
Avg 68

________

1680 X 1050 Resolution
Detail level Very High
8XQ AA
All other settings High
PhysX Level Normal (GTX275 PhysX)

Min FPS 30
Max 71
Avg 53

This is in my new rig. I never got around to trying it in my XP computer.

EVGA E758 SLI
BIOS IX58SZ2W / CHIPSET DRIVER 9.1.1.1020
INTEL I7 920 D0
ARCTIC COOLING FREEZER 7 PRO REV.2
CORSAIR XMS3 6GB DDR3 1600 (3 X 2G)
EVGA GTX275 FTW, EVGA GTS 250 (PhysX only)
nVidia DRIVER 196.21
WD CAVIAR BLACK WD5001AALS 500GB
SAMSUNG SPINPOINT F3 HD502HJ 500GB (x2)
WD RAPTOR WD1500ADFD 150GB
CORSAIR CMPSU-750HX
SILVERSTONE TJ06, SAMSUNG 2253BW
WIN7 HOME PREMIUM 64

 

[builderbobftw]

Well, it might not be worth it unless you have any games using Physx. Also you have to ask you'reself if you want to pay more for electricity for the tiny benifits of PhysX

 

[Velpecula]

Well, Builderbob
I look at it this way. There's plenty of people out there that pay more for the electricity for the "tiny benefits" of American Idol and Jerry Springer! LOL

My computer is just as much a hobby as a tool. I have fun playing around with it and trying new things, even when the benefits may not be noticeable.

Playing Batman:AA right now, which is one game that does use PhysX. If I find I'm not using it, I can pull that card in just a couple of minutes. Actually, I would probably get better airflow in my case without that card. So there would be definite benefits without it.

 

[builderbobftw]

Yeh go for it. PhysX is a cool way for older cards to reamin in use when they would have been scrapped/shelved without. However, you should consider selling the 8800 gt on ebay and repirposing the money towards an small SSD, or towards ur bank account.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Yeh go for it. PhysX is a cool way for older cards to reamin in use when they would have been scrapped/shelved without. However, you should consider selling the 8800 gt on ebay and repirposing the money towards an small SSD, or towards ur bank account.

No bias, prejudice or contradiction going on there.

 

[builderbobftw]

No, there isn't. Im saying that if he doesn't want to sell the card, then use it for PhysX, which is better that throowing it in the trash or shelving it. But if you can be bothered to read, I said it would be better to just sell the card.