Ageia PhysX is CHEAP!

Xazax310

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All you nay sayers to this PPU from BFG have now very little to complain about the Price. Sure the 8800GTX can handle its "Quantum Physics" but just think of having a dedicated PPU that can do so much more.

how much you ask? 180$! it has now gone down 120$! im so tempted to buy one now. Just think the 8800GTX doing the rendering while we sit and watch beautiful physics.....

Here it is for 180$ no rebate no nothing Zipzoomfly charges no Taxes or shipping so 180$ out the door for US citizens.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=326042
 

Slobogob

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They should have sold them for 40$ a piece, then they would´ve penetrated the market before nvidia and ATI would´ve been able to make a move. Spending 180 $ on a technology tree that has two competing technologies (intel with their multiple core approach and ATI/Nvidia with their GPU Physics) that both have a stronger backing just doesn´t seem smart.
 

fishboi

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Will a current DX9 card and this Physix card be able to be a substitute for a DX 10 card? Will the combo be the same as a DirectX 10 card?
 

SciFiMan

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No. There just aren't any games out yet that use the PhysX middleware. GRAW was a poorly done, quick taste of it. I like the price now, but I'm still waiting for the games. At least one that fully uses the software so we can really see how it works. A good DX10 card is a way better investment than a PhysX card, at least for now. And you can always add it later as games become available.

They can still easily beat ATI and nVidia, and I hope they do. Those solutions remain in the lab and may never amount to much. Few regular gamers are going to buy 2 or 3 video cards, and the mobo to support it.
 

danny9894

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No. There just aren't any games out yet that use the PhysX middleware. GRAW was a poorly done, quick taste of it. I like the price now, but I'm still waiting for the games. At least one that fully uses the software so we can really see how it works. A good DX10 card is a way better investment than a PhysX card, at least for now. And you can always add it later as games become available.

They can still easily beat ATI and nVidia, and I hope they do. Those solutions remain in the lab and may never amount to much. Few regular gamers are going to buy 2 or 3 video cards, and the mobo to support it.
I second that
 

SciFiMan

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The only reason Tom's and other reviewers didn't like the card, was the same reason. No game has made use of it yet. GRAW slapped on a tiny bit of PhysX at the tail end of developement. Thus, it was unimpressive. The card has great potential but just hasn't been proven yet. At least now if games do arrive the card is in the affordable range. It's still a wait and see topic, but with dual and quad cores on the CPU now, maybe game studios will start using cores instead.
 
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And get yourself a killer NIC and a X-Fi sound card. They make a nice trio!

(note: the X-Fi is actually worth it in certain area...)
 

konfuzd

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The problems with GRAW go beyond physx being tacked on at the end (it uses both havok and physx simultaneously), but seems to extend to everything made with an early build of the physx engine. As this city of villans performance review shows, later builds of the physx engine when coupled with the physx card can substantially improve performance.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=2828

Basically, the launch of physx was premature since the engine wasn't ready, the card was overpriced for it's usefullness and should have been on PCIe the whole time. The $120 price for the card is about right, but there's still a lack of games (especially good ones) for the card right now which continue to render it pointless.

Unreal tourmanent 2007, or maybe even unreal engine 3 looks to be the turning point for the physx card.

Also, the x-fi is hardly worthless.
 

kamel5547

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How much is Ageia paying you?

Seriously, either your terribly mis-informed and haven't looked at the actual "benefits" of the PhysX card vs the drawbacks or your getting paid for this. I'm leaning toward the latter...
 

konfuzd

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Try I've owned a physx card since they were launched, I've played with all the demos, I've done some research into how it works, and I've played with most versions of ageia's semi-public SDK up to 2.6.2. There are no drawbacks to the card (asside from having to spend money on it), just craptastic developers who tack on support at the last minute. Even then, in GRAW they've improved performance by nearly 150% in situations that heavily use the physx card. Having one doesn't get the fps any higher on average, but they no longer dip lower than when you don't have it.

In games that only use the physx engine, there will be a major performance difference between having a physx card and not having one.
 
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Yup Network Interface Card
Link

Pretty cool, no way you shoould pay that much. Maybe with FNApps it can become attractive! none available yet.

@ konfuzd
Also, the x-fi is hardly worthless.

Added a small note when I wrote that if you notice.

I included it because the XFi is really not for everyone. Most people are perfectly satisfied with the on board audio. Yet if you play with headphones, don't want your ~5% cpu usage, have a good ear, etc, it is useful. Just a on the expensive side.(not worth the price for 80%+)

Killer NIC can be useful to extreme/professional gamer, just not worth the price.(for 99%)

Aegia can help sometimes, just not worth the price.

You get my point.
 

DrBlofeld

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Apr 23, 2006
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Try I've owned a physx card since they were launched, I've played with all the demos, I've done some research into how it works, and I've played with most versions of ageia's semi-public SDK up to 2.6.2. There are no drawbacks to the card (asside from having to spend money on it), just craptastic developers who tack on support at the last minute. Even then, in GRAW they've improved performance by nearly 150% in situations that heavily use the physx card. Having one doesn't get the fps any higher on average, but they no longer dip lower than when you don't have it.

In games that only use the physx engine, there will be a major performance difference between having a physx card and not having one.

It's great that you've played with the SDK since you'll soon have to be writing your own games once this failed card is not supported anymore. However, it's still not too late to sell it for $40 (Before the price drops to ZERO).
 

DrBlofeld

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How much is Ageia paying you?

Seriously, either your terribly mis-informed and haven't looked at the actual "benefits" of the PhysX card vs the drawbacks or your getting paid for this. I'm leaning toward the latter...

I think he is in Ageia's marketing and sales. They get paid around 60K a year plus bonuses.

Although we may feel sorry for the people who paid full price for this card, the true losers are the people who invested money in Ageia. It's down-hill from here.
 

Xazax310

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Aug 14, 2006
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Have you guys seen the deformable metal video that was done by Ageia ON the AGEIA card. Its so awesome, at first i agreed 300$ for a PhysX card was way too much! but now seeing the price go down and become more reasonable i was thinking into getting one. ATI and Nvidia have there own version but it going to be no where near Ageia Engine. Its a PPU, NOT a GPU like what GFX cards will use so there for one is a big difference. It was designed to run Physics not GFX cards, which are designed to render scenes.

GRAW for PC was C*rpectacular possible the worst FPS i have played in while, and so for every game released does not USE the full POTENIAL of a PPU. I mean look at the game CellFactor, the stuff possible is amazing even though the game blows. I mean you going to spend 200+ on a GFX card to EVEN RUN a Dedicated Physics card when you can spend that same money on a PCI bus card that will have so much more.

It will be, I, who will laugh at your silly ATI 2+1, and Nvida "Quantum Physics" because Ageia has been in the game far longer and has been able to work out the kinks in Drivers.

(BTW i do own an X-FI card :D )