ATI\AMD now.. \w Physx

[sag0]

Okay so I have 4870 512mb, upgrading to 6900x+ soon for Crysis 2 dx11. Don't think that info is needed just incase.

I'd like to have PhysX for some games, what are my options while sticking with AMD radeons?

People were saying flashing your bios for 6950 to 6970 unlocks shaders and other features is perfectly legal instead you void your warranty. So is it possible to have amd card drivers\bios modified to run PhysX? Do I buy nvidia graphic card instead for PhysX only while having my 6900x+? I will cheap out on Nvidia since I'm an AMD fan but if its necessary to spend more money on it then thats not a problem

 

[ubuntu7]

If the games you play most have physx then buy an Nvidia card as you can enjoy additional visual effects.If not then buy the fastest card in your budget.

Famous games having Physx:
Batman: Arkham AsylumCryostasis: Sleep of Reason, Mafia II,, Metro 2033, Mirror's Edge, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Unreal Tournament 3.

Check out this site for a list of Physx supporting games and apps :
http://www.geforce.com/#/GamesandApps

Note: I don't see any point in buying a graphics card solely for physx.

 

[nforce4max]

Is physx an important factor in gaming to you? If not then I suggest that you pay little attention to such games that use it. Modern cpus are just to weak to run it alone along with the game. If it is then you will want a dedicated card. However do not spend much and there are only a few good choices out there that are just right for the job. I have done it three times in the past and experimented on my own dollar.
The 8800gt is the sweet spot.

 

[sag0]

True not many games, I guess its not worth it.

 

[nforce4max]

Good luck with your new card. I always liked ATI and their cards but never their drivers.

 

[17seconds]

I agree that if you don't currently play any PhysX games, and don't plan to play any, then it makes sense to forget the whole thing. However, if you checked out any of the coverage of the recent update to Unreal Engine 3, PhysX is featured prominently. It's possible there may be some new games with PhysX in 2011 that you might want to play. If so, there is a hack available that will allow you to use a dedicated Nvidia card for PhysX.

 

[christop]

Yes you can use older drivers for the AMd nvidia physx hack. I tried it with my 5850 and a 8800gt It was not a huge improvement. I removed the 8800gt and lowered my temps in my case. As for crysis 2 I downloaded the beta and was getting like 60 fps with a 5850.

 

[Annisman]

Just wanted to point out to the OP, and everybody else, that Crytek got lazy and decided not to release Crysis 2 with DX11, or DX10 for that matter. We get the 8 year old DX9.

It's relevant because the OP said he wants to upgrade for Crysis DX11

 

[nforce4max]

Just wanted to point out to the OP, and everybody else, that Crytek got lazy and decided not to release Crysis 2 with DX11, or DX10 for that matter. We get the 8 year old DX9.

It's relevant because the OP said he wants to upgrade for Crysis DX11

Lol, puts the blame all on the G70 based RSX in the ps3 and Xenos in the 360 <_<

 

[JackNaylorPE]

PhysX is not something you are going to give up once you've used it .... that's was THG's conclusion and one I'd echo myself. To enjoy the best performance, ya have to drop any semblance of being a "fan" and just be what I call a "hardware whore" .... the card with the best numbers goes home with me.

The 6970 and 570 are very well matched as single cards .... just be aware that when paired, the 570's in SLI outperform the 6970's in CF....neither card is particular impressive in overclocking.

Getting back to PhysX, with Windows 7, you just have to pull of a little driver hack to enable PhysX, however it can not be done without a nVidia card.....a $35 or $55 investment in say a GT 240 / 430 is the entry point

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475

 

[Annisman]

It is true, you can do Phsyx on ATI just fine. Check out the thread I made a while ago when I was doing ATI + Phsyx : http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/290876-33-cards-nvidia-physx-running

The only issue I ever encountered was using Power DVD, for whatever reason I would have to disable my 9800GT to get it to work.

 

[17seconds]

Of course, you could also just go ahead and get a Nvidia card for your primary card.

 

[baztuz]

PhysX is not something you are going to give up once you've used it .... that's was THG's conclusion and one I'd echo myself. To enjoy the best performance, ya have to drop any semblance of being a "fan" and just be what I call a "hardware whore" .... the card with the best numbers goes home with me.

The 6970 and 570 are very well matched as single cards .... just be aware that when paired, the 570's in SLI outperform the 6970's in CF....neither card is particular impressive in overclocking.

Getting back to PhysX, with Windows 7, you just have to pull of a little driver hack to enable PhysX, however it can not be done without a nVidia card.....a $35 or $55 investment in say a GT 240 / 430 is the entry point

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

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150475

I have an xfx 790i Ultra SLI. I've also got a GTX 295 and an HD 5970. Has anyone tried the PhysX hack with these pair of cards yet? It's kind of a pain to swap cards in and out depending on the game. I'm currently using the 295 for Batman and Dragon Age. Then I swap the 295 out for the Radeon when I want to play anything with DX11 or something non PhysX. Anybody get good performance baselines with these pair of dual cards? I haven't tried it yet because I'm thinking they're both dual GPU cards and there might be some driver problems. A few years ago I had a pair of 9800 GX2s on the same board. That quad SLI setup got beat by the single GTX 295. But at least I no longer had the fear of imminent meltdown. Appreciate any info. Thanks!

 

[nforce4max]

You can search around for a community hack for the nvidia drivers. the hacks are for the drivers alone not to disable either card or gpu when ati is present in the system. Your gtx 295 will work like any other card but with the 5970 it will make the system run much hotter and draw a Lot more power. I suggest that you hunt around for a dirt cheap second hand 8800gt and put the gtx 295 in a safe place as a backup card.