PhysX PPU
- Thread starter roy92
- Start date
Matt555
iMod
processor and motherboards
Yes they have, the BFG one has 128MB Memory on it whereas the ASUS has 256MB - BFG weren't happy about ASUS putting an extra 128MB of Memory onto the card.
Overclockers UK PhysX Accelerators
Yes they have, the BFG one has 128MB Memory on it whereas the ASUS has 256MB - BFG weren't happy about ASUS putting an extra 128MB of Memory onto the card.
Overclockers UK PhysX Accelerators
Matt555
iMod
processor and motherboards
Yeah from the reviews I've read (and the screenshots I've seen - although they won't do it justice, in the review I read they said it made the game generally a bit more fun because you could thrown / destroy pretty much anything which gave a bit more realism but nothing major just yet) it doesn't look all that impressive at the minute, once games start to take this extra processing power into account then things will become better, currently there's no real need for it though.
Yeah from the reviews I've read (and the screenshots I've seen - although they won't do it justice, in the review I read they said it made the game generally a bit more fun because you could thrown / destroy pretty much anything which gave a bit more realism but nothing major just yet) it doesn't look all that impressive at the minute, once games start to take this extra processing power into account then things will become better, currently there's no real need for it though.
Willz
MiCrO$oFt $uK$ :D
processor and motherboards
at the moment, buying thses physics cards is a total waste of money, ATi and Nvidia rekon there cards can handle physics just fine, i have seen a screenie of GRAW when using physics card, all it does is let you have more stuff blown about when you shoot a wall or somthing, just enables more dirt on the floor, and lets you blow up cars more, somthing like that, you even need the physics card to play GRAW on max settings, even tho everything that the physics card does for that game can be done on it own with a high end cpu and Graphics card, and its not like someone with a low end graphics card, say 6600GT and under are going to buy a Physics card, those hpysics cards will die out, i bet direct x 10 graphics cards will have some sort of physics card thing build into it, tbh, games are spoilt if they require a physics card, becouse they are like £200, and you cant get the best out of the game, these physics cards just aint needed :\
All you need at moment, is a nice cpu, AMD 64 3500+, but i would say 3700+ and above, as 3700+ can match an fx57 when overclocked to 2.8ghz, now that can handle physics just good enough, and now there is quad core cpu's and stuff like that coming out, they will be just as good as a physice card.
3500+ and above
6800GT cards and above can handle games just well.
at the moment, buying thses physics cards is a total waste of money, ATi and Nvidia rekon there cards can handle physics just fine, i have seen a screenie of GRAW when using physics card, all it does is let you have more stuff blown about when you shoot a wall or somthing, just enables more dirt on the floor, and lets you blow up cars more, somthing like that, you even need the physics card to play GRAW on max settings, even tho everything that the physics card does for that game can be done on it own with a high end cpu and Graphics card, and its not like someone with a low end graphics card, say 6600GT and under are going to buy a Physics card, those hpysics cards will die out, i bet direct x 10 graphics cards will have some sort of physics card thing build into it, tbh, games are spoilt if they require a physics card, becouse they are like £200, and you cant get the best out of the game, these physics cards just aint needed :\
All you need at moment, is a nice cpu, AMD 64 3500+, but i would say 3700+ and above, as 3700+ can match an fx57 when overclocked to 2.8ghz, now that can handle physics just good enough, and now there is quad core cpu's and stuff like that coming out, they will be just as good as a physice card.
3500+ and above
6800GT cards and above can handle games just well.
Initially, I was really interested with this new market area. Physics realism coupled with graphics define how the game submerges you into its world.
However, I've been disappointed with the current reviews of the card. It provides another processing unit which is "more suited" to handling physics and maths operations but doesn't offer a real world performance increase. In fact it actually lowers performance slightly.
We have to rely on the game developers to take advantage of the possibility of a dedicated physics card not just from Ageia. As the product matures, so will its supported game base, but its not worth to buy it at the moment.
Problem is that developers won't implement advanced physics code unless theres a widespread demand for it, and people won't buy the physics card if theres no advantage of having it.
However, I've been disappointed with the current reviews of the card. It provides another processing unit which is "more suited" to handling physics and maths operations but doesn't offer a real world performance increase. In fact it actually lowers performance slightly.
We have to rely on the game developers to take advantage of the possibility of a dedicated physics card not just from Ageia. As the product matures, so will its supported game base, but its not worth to buy it at the moment.
Problem is that developers won't implement advanced physics code unless theres a widespread demand for it, and people won't buy the physics card if theres no advantage of having it.
Big B
HWF Godfather
Exactly. Ageia needs to be in this for the long haul. They've created a new market, just like 3D accelerators were 10 or so years ago when 3dfx was the only game in town. If Ageia understands this, then there may be a point where developers are able to say "Physics Accelerator Required". ATi and nVidia are getting interested in this too, so I don't think that Ageia has no validity. I do wonder if they'll be around to reap the rewards of a PPU market if it comes to fruition. They do have one thing going for them: the product is out and available for purchase. That goes a long way over stuff like the Phantom console and Duke Nukem For(n)ever. There is industry support for it, as UT 2007 and Unreal 3 are apparently supporting it. Given the popularity of the Unreal/UT games, that could be a real advantage for them.
Right now, we don't have enough physics that require acceleration. Granted, there is a move away from scripted sequences to dynamic ones which could give a PPU some clout. However, there has to be a need, and I don't think the need is there yet. Yes, hardware acceleration (true hardware acceleration) is pretty much given to be better than software. However, there has to be a need, as I've already said. It's also been pointed out that we're dealing with 1st gen hardware, so figuring out how to optimize PPUs and for PPUs is still new ground.
In a few years, it's possible that a PPU is needed. The problem is how to sell the PPU to the masses, because as cool as eye candy is, it's going to be a tough sell if something actually decreases performance or offers virtually no gains. If you sell something that not only looks good, but increases the performance, you're going to get people to open their wallets up.
Anti-Ailasing was introduced with the Voodoo 5 5500. At the time, FPS was the definitive base for performance in gaming. It's taken several years, but AA has made a difference, and people use it. Despite 3dfx being bought out by nVidia, they started a revolution. I think Ageia may do the same, but hopefully not with the same end result.
Right now, we don't have enough physics that require acceleration. Granted, there is a move away from scripted sequences to dynamic ones which could give a PPU some clout. However, there has to be a need, and I don't think the need is there yet. Yes, hardware acceleration (true hardware acceleration) is pretty much given to be better than software. However, there has to be a need, as I've already said. It's also been pointed out that we're dealing with 1st gen hardware, so figuring out how to optimize PPUs and for PPUs is still new ground.
In a few years, it's possible that a PPU is needed. The problem is how to sell the PPU to the masses, because as cool as eye candy is, it's going to be a tough sell if something actually decreases performance or offers virtually no gains. If you sell something that not only looks good, but increases the performance, you're going to get people to open their wallets up.
Anti-Ailasing was introduced with the Voodoo 5 5500. At the time, FPS was the definitive base for performance in gaming. It's taken several years, but AA has made a difference, and people use it. Despite 3dfx being bought out by nVidia, they started a revolution. I think Ageia may do the same, but hopefully not with the same end result.
Willz
MiCrO$oFt $uK$ :D
If ut2k7 is going to support the PPU, then it will get popular becouse the ut series is very popular, i will be getting a PPU after my x1900xt upgrade as i am a UT fan, the physics card has a good future is its going to be supported by all the good games coming out, is crysis going to support the physics card aswell?
could game developers make patches for current games like F.E.AR and UT2K4 etc.. so they can actually take advantage of the physics card?
Online stores should do bundles, eg high eng graphics card (X1900XTX) and the phsyics card etc.., and maybe take the price down a little.
could game developers make patches for current games like F.E.AR and UT2K4 etc.. so they can actually take advantage of the physics card?
Online stores should do bundles, eg high eng graphics card (X1900XTX) and the phsyics card etc.., and maybe take the price down a little.
Big B
HWF Godfather
Possibly, but we'll have to see. If the market does take off, it's concievable that it could end up being helpful in workstations with game developing. That's just a guess. The first step is for the PPU to take off. If it does take off, I doubt it will be anytime soon. This is going to take some time to get up to speed. We've got a new market...and developing the demand for the product is going to take awhile. Anti-alaising wasn't a big deal back when the GeForce 2's were out, but today you've got scores of benchmarks devoted to AA tests. We're talking over 4 years ago, here. I am skeptical of the viability of the PPU at this point in time, but then again there were skeptics of the TV too...
beretta9m2f
Karate-Chop Action Gabe
Assuming that a game takes full advantage of the ppu, shouldn't games run faster with the ppu,? I figure the ppu would calculate things that the processor would normally take care of, thus freeing up processor load for other crap like, more onscreen characters or a higher frame rate. I'm probably talking out of my ass b/c i don't know too much about it, but i'm sort of making the connection of ppu to gpu. Onboard graphics are slow, but having an expansion agp/pci-e card takes the load off of the cpu, as does having a sound card instead of onboard. So technically could the ppu free up some resources?
roy92
CSS HAXOR
think of it like a triangle (copyrighted:cool:) CPU-GPU-PPU. they all do they're own thing, theoretically, the PPU completes the triangle. before the PPU, the GPU uses its own physics, but it can only handle a fraction of what the PPU can. the PPU is designed to unload the GPU and take all the physics on screen. therefore, the GPU only renders the video on screen not the physics.
AGAIN: THEORETICALLY!
AGAIN: THEORETICALLY!
I'm no expert on the exact figures of the bandwidth issues, but what is possibly happening is that the extra data being sent along the PCI-E lane is actually producing more load on the CPU. Memory banwidth issues with the northbridge could be causing conflicts.
There is some speculation that the GPU can easily do parallel physics calculations, and thats not going to help the PPU cause.roy92 said:
Big B
HWF Godfather
I don't think what the PPU is offering is a huge performance increase. It's offering a more visually impressive gaming experience. Think about Anti-Ailasing. If you turn it on, you do take a performance hit, and that may be the case with the PPU. What Ageia's bigger issue really happens to be is getting people to care enough to purchase a PPU. ATi and nVidia probably don't have as much to loose. If the PPU does crash and burn, they'll be fine given the video card and chipset businesses. Ageia doesn't, and they don't have the same level of cash flow as the red or green guys. If I have $300 to spend on computer upgrades, I can get a faster CPU and new video card for that price and get a lot more personal satisfaction, and I don't think I'm alone. I don't hate Ageia, and it may be that I'm not into the "I must personally test everything" mode I used to be, but the point is: I don't care enough about it to want to buy a $300 Physics card. $100 might be a little more enticing. Unfortunately, right now, there's no motivation to lower the price and we are dealing with an entirely new market. There's not enough demand for the product, and Ageia needs to recoup the money somehow. If it takes off, the PPU will likely decrease in price, especially if we see a PPU price war going on.
roy92
CSS HAXOR
Exactly! Right now, we are playing games as if they're real! think about the graphics today and what it was few years ago! The PPU wants to take that one step further, as b said, it's just for more visually impressive games, the gfx cards we have today are so fast it could handle any game in the near future. The PPU was made so that you can feast your eyes on realistic hair, lifelike explosions, flying debris etc. So my conclusion to PPU is that it doesnt offer performance gain, but it allows the GPU to focus on rendering the video and takes the physics on screen-plus more! Which leads to visually spectacular games!