How many of ya using a second for PhysX?

**Airbrushkid** · 11-22-09, 04:29 AM

I am using a GTX 260 for video and just installed a 9800 GT 1 gb card for PhysX. Got and improvement in Batman.

Dr.Nick · 11-22-09, 10:56 AM

I added the same card for physx a few days ago and it definitely makes for a nice boost in batman and sacred 2. Weird thing is that all games seem smoother now; even mass effect seems to run a bit better.

**DiscipleDOC** · 11-22-09, 03:59 PM

I was doing that before I went to SLI...

Redeemed · 11-22-09, 04:19 PM

I was doing that before I went to SLI...

**DiscipleDOC** · 11-22-09, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redeemed

I was doing that before I went to SLI...

Good for you!

CaptNKILL · 11-22-09, 05:39 PM

I have a 9600GT I use for Physx but I don't have it installed right now since I'm not playing any Physx games at the moment.

When I decide to play Mirror's Edge, Cryostasis and Batman I'll definitely put the 9600GT back in.

Redeemed · 11-22-09, 05:57 PM

Does it really make that big of a difference?

I'll be rockin' dual 8800GTXs for a while, probably wont have an option to upgrade till sometime next year. I was figurin' on sellin' them off to help pay for whatever card I get next. If PhysX is that nice, I might just keep one for the added effects.

**rage10** · 11-22-09, 06:03 PM

see sig. im also running my secondery moniter for hardware monitering on it too.

CaptNKILL · 11-22-09, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Does it really make that big of a difference?

Yes.

If you have a graphics intensive game that also uses the GPU for physics, its going to take a lot of processing power to handle both tasks.

If you throw in a second graphics card that takes on all of the physics duties, leaving the primary GPU to do all of the graphics work you're going to have much better performance.

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/...ance/page5.asp

I should see a 21% increase in average performance, and probably a much more significant increase in minimum framerates when there are a lot of physcs and graphics effects on screen.

Redeemed · 11-22-09, 06:32 PM

Hmm... looks like I'm keeping one of these GTXs when I go to get a new card.

Does it matter the PCI-e bandwidth? Like, if I have a physical PCI-e x16 slot, but it's only x4 electrical, will that render the 8800GTX useless for PhysX?

CaptNKILL · 11-22-09, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redeemed

Hmm... looks like I'm keeping one of these GTXs when I go to get a new card.

Does it matter the PCI-e bandwidth? Like, if I have a physical PCI-e x16 slot, but it's only x4 electrical, will that render the 8800GTX useless for PhysX?

It should be alright for Physx.

Just make sure your PSU and case ventilation is up to the task. The 8800GTX is a fairly power hungry card and isn't as efficient with its clock throttling as newer cards. Its also only PCI-E 1.1 compatible, so the x4 slot will probably effect the performance more.

Just curious... what kind of board are you using?

Redeemed · 11-22-09, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptNKILL

It should be alright for Physx.

Just make sure your PSU and case ventilation is up to the task. The 8800GTX is a fairly power hungry card and isn't as efficient with its clock throttling as newer cards. Its also only PCI-E 1.1 compatible, so the x4 slot will probably effect the performance more.

Just curious... what kind of board are you using?

Intel® Desktop Board DX58SO

My PSU is a Silverstone 850Watt with four +12v rails.

I'm fully aware of what the G80 consumes, I ran dual 640MB GTS for a while, which I bought on launch day back in '06.

I just wasn't certain how well PhsyX performance scaled with the PCI-e bus speeds. Wasn't sure if full speed was necessary, or if an x4 slot would suffice.

11-22-09, 04:29 AM	#1
Airbrushkid Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,413	How many of ya using a second video card for PhysX? I am using a GTX 260 for video and just installed a 9800 GT 1 gb card for PhysX. Got and improvement in Batman. __________________ Intel Q9550 l eVGA NForce 780i SLI FTW l 2 Palit GTX 560 Ti 2 GB SLI l Corsair Dominator 8 gig PC2-8500 l 2 - Intel X-25M 80 gb SSD Raid 0 l WD 1 -2TB & 2 -1TB l On board sound l Antec TruePower Quattro TPQ-1200 1200W l Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit l 3 X Dell E248WFP 24" Monitors

11-22-09, 10:56 AM	#2
Dr.Nick Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1,044	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? I added the same card for physx a few days ago and it definitely makes for a nice boost in batman and sacred 2. Weird thing is that all games seem smoother now; even mass effect seems to run a bit better. __________________ i7 920@4.03\|asus p6t7ws\|6gb ocz\|gtx580oc sli\|x-fi fatality\|x25m+12tb\|enermax 1kw\|dell u3011 & 2405fpw

11-22-09, 03:59 PM	#3
DiscipleDOC Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Alabama, Planet Earth Posts: 5,933	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? I was doing that before I went to SLI...

11-22-09, 04:19 PM	#4
Redeemed Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 17,986	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? I was doing that before I went to SLI...

11-22-09, 05:39 PM	#6
CaptNKILL CUBE Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 18,844	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? I have a 9600GT I use for Physx but I don't have it installed right now since I'm not playing any Physx games at the moment. When I decide to play Mirror's Edge, Cryostasis and Batman I'll definitely put the 9600GT back in. __________________ ---- Primary Rig ---- CoolerMaster 690 II Advance - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0Ghz + Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 6GB DDR2 @ 942Mhz 5-5-5-20 1.9v (2x1Gb Wintec AMPX PC2-8500 & 2x2Gb G.Skill PC2-6400) - EVGA Geforce GTX 470 @ 750/1500/1850 (1.050v) Sparkle Geforce GTS 250 1Gb Low-Profile (Physx) - Crucial RealSSD C300 64Gb SSD - Seagate 7200.12 500Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA ASUS VW266H 25.5" LCD - OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU - ASUS Xonar DX - Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Surround - Windows 7 Professional x64 ---- HTPC ---- Asus M3A78-EM 780G - AMD Athlon X2 5050e 45W @ 2.6Ghz - 2x2GB Kingston PC2-6400 DDR2 - Sparkle 350W PSU Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 250Gb SATA - Athenatech A100BB.350 MicroATX Desktop - Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

11-22-09, 05:57 PM	#7
Redeemed Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 17,986	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? Does it really make that big of a difference? I'll be rockin' dual 8800GTXs for a while, probably wont have an option to upgrade till sometime next year. I was figurin' on sellin' them off to help pay for whatever card I get next. If PhysX is that nice, I might just keep one for the added effects.

11-22-09, 06:03 PM	#8
rage10 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: In the clouds!:) Posts: 1,252	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? see sig. im also running my secondery moniter for hardware monitering on it too.

11-22-09, 06:32 PM	#10
Redeemed Registered User Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 17,986	Re: How many of ya using a second for PhysX? Hmm... looks like I'm keeping one of these GTXs when I go to get a new card. Does it matter the PCI-e bandwidth? Like, if I have a physical PCI-e x16 slot, but it's only x4 electrical, will that render the 8800GTX useless for PhysX?