Radeon and Physx?

Fuerian

Distinguished
Dec 23, 2010
8
0
18,510
Hello, about a year ago i upgraded my GPU to a Radeon 6870.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102924 I originally had plans to buy a second one and Crossfire them togather. But since then, a new game i am looking forward to was announced, and the new engine utilizes Nvidias PhysX technology, but should be playable on non Physx cards.

Now, i am curious, should i continue to get a Second 6870? Or should i switch over to an equivilant Nvidia card? Will the Dual GPU setup make up for the lack of PhysX? Or will the Nvidia card regardless, be a superior option? Even if it was just a single GPU?

Will Nvidia cards play nice with my Phenom X6 1100? I mostly went with Radeon because my Mobo and Processor are also both AMD.

If Nvidia is the better option, what is an Nvidia card that is equivilent/better in power to my 6870 and in the same price range?

Thanks for the help!

My current setup is:
PSU: Rosewill 1000w Modular PSU
GPU: Sapphire Radeon 6870
CPU: AMD Phenom X6 1100 Thuban
Mobo: Asus M49A7XTD Evo
RAM: 4x4GB G-Skill Ripjaw 1600 DDR3 RAM.
 
you'd still be able to play physx games with physx off on amd card or you can buy a nvidia card and use it as purely a physx card with the hack.

personally, I wouldn't really spend extra money for 1 game to look slightly better but its up to you.

the 560 is the card comparible to the 6870 but will cost more.
 

Fuerian

Distinguished
Dec 23, 2010
8
0
18,510
Wait... I have an old 8800GTS sitting around, would i be able to plug this into my second GPU slot, use my Radeon 6870, and get the benefit of Physx? Or am i reading that incorrectly?

Would it still be better to just get a Nvidia card? I have the money now to buy the second 6870 OR and Nvidia card, i can always sell my 6870 to get money to SLI some Nvidia cards.
 

pharoahhalfdead

Distinguished
Nov 30, 2010
186
0
18,690
Yes you can. I have a 6870x2 but use a GTX 460 for physx. It took me a lil while to get it working initially, but now it's a piece of cake. I haven't gotten it to work with every game, but Arkham Asylum, and a few other games I got it to work.
 

pharoahhalfdead

Distinguished
Nov 30, 2010
186
0
18,690
Like Esrever said, depending on how much physx games you play it might be a waste of money. You can buy a newer Nvidia card and as long as it's powerful enough you can play with physx on medium or high, depending on your resolution.
 

Fuerian

Distinguished
Dec 23, 2010
8
0
18,510
Well, this would be a game that i play every day and for long periods. Its a sequal to an MMO i still play. Planetside 2.

Since i'd spend most of my play time on this game, would it just be better to sell the 6870 and get an SLI configuartion with two 560 ti's? I think my mobo only has two GPU slots, so i would have to choose between One 6870 and One Nvidia, or SLI/Crossfire of eaither or.
 

pharoahhalfdead

Distinguished
Nov 30, 2010
186
0
18,690


If I were in your situation I would sell the 6870 and get the 560 sli set up. It would be a lot less hassle in games. Also, it would be more versatile, meaning you could have better performance overall in most games, since most newet games support sli, and you wouldn't have to worry about mods, or spend time trying to get a "certain" game to work.
 

JackMomma

Distinguished
Nov 14, 2009
123
0
18,690
The second 6870 is the way to go if you're looking for more performance... The PhysX features of most games are pretty forgettable, and these cards scale so amazingly well, you really almost double your performance with a second card. I used to be more concerned, but after running without it for the last several months, I really can't say I miss it...
I have, however, thought about tossing my old 9800GTX in with the two 6870's and the PhysX hack for a few 3Dmark runs... PhysX really ramps up those scores
 
Well sometimes you have to think outside the box about creating imaginative solutions to problems while using as little resources as possible. If you really want to save money and keep your 6870 then if you are daring enough cut the back of that 1x slot so that it could mount a normal 16x card (same power as any other pci-e 2.0 slot) but performance will be limited to only 1x. A cheap GT430 will work with hacked drivers but it will raise the temps of your main card as it will be right next to it above it.

If any other solution you will have no choice but to replace your main card with an nvidia.
 

pharoahhalfdead

Distinguished
Nov 30, 2010
186
0
18,690



That's only on games that allow you to turn Physx off. Nvidia and Square Enix went to bed together, then took a crap on us who have AMD cards with games like The Last Remnant where Phsyx is always on. Without the physx mod and the exe fix, I can't even play without having fps down in the teens in battle mode.
 

unlaughable

Distinguished
Jan 12, 2012
31
0
18,540
have you considered selling your 6870 and buying a gtx 570?
its about equivilant to gtx 560ti sli and 6870 crossfire.

this would be better becuase youll have no micro stuttering.
i have one and i highly recomend it.
also if you get it get the 2.5 gb version if you can
 

unlaughable

Distinguished
Jan 12, 2012
31
0
18,540
i didnt say anything about the fps accually.
a gtx 570 runs cooler queter
no trouble
easier to use(all he has to do is plug it in power it and download a 150mb driver and he'll have no problems)
if he wants more performance in the future he can buy another one.
then he will have better than gtx 590 performance.

so yes it is better
 


Perhaps it wasn't your meaning, but it's almost impossible not to read that and think you mean to say a 570 is faster than the other 2 options.

Anyway, sure, a 570 is cheaper. Of course it is, you pay more for more performance. Also, it probably isn't cheaper for someone who already has a 6870 and would need to sell it at a loss.

As for the "issues" of SLI or CF, well, some people complain about them and many people have no issues.