Will ATi and NVidia run together, and have PhysX/Cuda?

[zodiac321]

I currently have a GTX 275. Now, because of Directx 11, and because i need a new card, will i be able to use PhysX and Cuda if I upgrade to the HD 6950, while still keeping the GTX 275 installed on my motherboard. Will there be driver errors between ATi and NVidia? Will i be able to utilize all displays connected to both (i.e. use the HDTV output in the GTX 275 and use the DVI output on the HD 6950)? and will PhysX/Cuda run fine on this setup. If you must know, my resolution is 1920x1080, i plan to flash the 6950 to a 6970, Cuda will be used for converting movies, my PSU is 1kw, and PhysX for games.

 

[danieljamesm]

Yes, I think people have done that before so it must be possible. I'm not sure how though.

 

[DigitalIP]

That requires a modified driver to have an ATI as a main card and an nVidia as a PhysX, however i think nVidia removed the ability to do that.

You may as well just get an upgraded nVidia card and save yourself the trouble of trying to get that to work.

Also, depending on the games you have, they may not even support GPU Physx, most games only support CPU PhysX if that.

 

[wolfram23]

As stated, yes you can run a dedicated PhysX card with ATI as the main GPU. You need the GenL v1.04ff patch
http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/17706-hybrid-physx-mod-v1-03-v1-04ff.html

Instructions are there, takes all of 10 minutes to get working.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

You can also consider a 570 which ties the 6970 in performance (according to THG) and eliminates the need to use hacked drivers. Read more about the process here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-ATI-physx-patch-gpu,8786.html

Here's the latest THG roundup

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-recommendation-upgrade,2803-5.html

OTOH, benchmarkreviews.com sees the comparison a bit differently:

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=606&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=15

Overall, the graphics frame rate performance has the AMD Radeon HD 6970 matched nicely to the GeForce GTX 570. Measured at stock (reference) speeds in ten different tests, the Radeon HD 6970 was either slightly ahead in half of them or deeply trailed in the other half. We've excluded HAWX 2 from this review, until AMD drivers can compensate for the performance skew. The DirectX 10 tests seemed to really score the GeForce GTX 570 way ahead, while many of the DirectX 11 tests pulled the Radeon HD 6970 ahead by a few FPS:

 

[zodiac321]

@JackNaylorPE: The GTX 570 costs $350, while the HD 6970 (flashed 6950) costs $300. Yes, I am cheap, and don't want to spend the extra $50 on NVidia.

@DigitalIP: I force my PhysX games to run GPU PhysX, and not CPU based

@Wolfram23: Will Cuda work as well if this is the case? Also, will I need to update NVidia drivers if a new game comes out?

 

[DigitalIP]

Honestly imo, theres no telling what issues there may be when using a modified driver, its anyones guess to what could possibly happen..

I wouldnt risk trying it though but thats me..

 

[wolfram23]

^Nothing happens. It just works. Nvidia specifically has a code that disables PhysX on their GPUs if ATI is present, this patch is just a work around. You're still running off the NV drivers.

If a new version of PhysX needs to be installed you simply have to rerun the GenL patch. It's simple - install NV drivers, install PhysX, run patch, reboot and enjoy. Same process as new drivers are released. I've run v1.04ff since Nvidia updated from their 196 to 258 driver series - so for months - without the slightest issues.

CUDA should work fine. I don't know first hand but in GPUZ it is checked as being active, and I'm pretty sure it has to work by default if PhysX is working.