Friday, May 28th 2010
NVIDIA Removes Restriction on ATI GPUs with NVIDIA GPUs Processing PhysX
NVIDIA has reportedly removed the driver-level code which restricts users from having an NVIDIA GeForce GPU process PhysX with an ATI Radeon GPU in the lead, processing graphics. Version 257.15 Beta of the GeForce drivers brought about this change. Possible commercial interests may have played NVIDIA's previous decision to prevent the use of GeForce GPUs to process PhysX with ATI Radeon GPUs, where users could buy an inexpensive GeForce GPU to go with a high-end DirectX 11 compliant Radeon GPU, thereby reducing NVIDIA's margins, though officially NVIDIA maintained that the restriction was in place to ensure Quality Assurance. The present move also seems to have commercial interests in mind, as NVIDIA could clear inventories of GeForce GPUs at least to users of ATI Radeon GPUs. NVIDIA replenished its high-end offering recently with the DirectX 11 compliant GeForce 400 series GPUs.
Update (28/05): A fresh report by Anandtech says that the ability to use GeForce for PhysX in systems with graphics led by Radeon GPUs with the 257.15 beta driver is just a bug and not a feature. It means that this ability is one-off for this particular version of the driver, and future drivers may not feature it.
Source:
NGOHQ.com
Update (28/05): A fresh report by Anandtech says that the ability to use GeForce for PhysX in systems with graphics led by Radeon GPUs with the 257.15 beta driver is just a bug and not a feature. It means that this ability is one-off for this particular version of the driver, and future drivers may not feature it.
276 Comments on NVIDIA Removes Restriction on ATI GPUs with NVIDIA GPUs Processing PhysX
next rig baby.
They want to sell as much new cards as possible while also get rid of old stock.
New users won't buy old crap and AMD users won't either. However with this restrictions lifted, many AMD users will probably buy some cheaper low-mid end GeForce to run PhysX. This is also a point where PhysX is starting to make sense for everyone. I just wonder if there is any way to get around Vista limitation, so you could run HD5850 as primary and a mid end GeForce for PhysX. Coz as far as i know this can only be done on Win7...
I had a 8800gt running with my 5870 at one point, wasn't worth the trouble to set it up though.
I think it is a smart move by Nvidia to allow them to start moving low end cards into ATI machines Although it would have been smarter if they hadn't been jerks in the first place by adding the restriction (in the name of some lame ass excuse about "quality"). How transparent was that....
Now watch the price of these low power GT220 GT240 GT250 cards take a bump as people jump on the band wagon... No extra pcie power connector required and more than enough shader power for Physx dedicated cards....
About the only game I have that can use it is UT3 and that is only in 3 dedicated Physx maps. I have Mirrors Edge but I just can't get enthusiastic about that game. I am thinking about getting Batman Arkham Asylum just to try out the eye candy but I'll wait until the price drops a bit.
edit: Maybe this move will encourage developeers to start introducing more viable Physx games... but that could be months away in their development cycle...