Dedicated PhysX Card

[DioOmicida]

Always learning, I came across this thread talking about a [cheap] way to increase overall GPU performance:
http://www.volnapc.com/all-posts/how-much-difference-does-a-dedicated-physx-card-make
In the post, adding a cheap 650 to a Titan SLI set up saw pretty moderate gains overall.
What are your opinions on purchasing a separate GPU to perform Physx processes?
I suppose the current market would suggest purchasing a 750ti to perform this (Or maybe a 660).
 

[ivan134]

Pointless. 

[oskarha]

6 minutes ago, ivan134 said:

Pointless. 

Agree.

I ran some physx benchmarks with my frieds 780ti and my 660, and the gains of the physx card were minimal.

Not worth the hassle or the money.

[Commander Llama]

Having a dedicated PhysX card seems like something that has value in very few use cases. So I would up to this point never consider purchasing even a very cheap dedicated PhysX GPU.

 

However, let's say you have inherited or happen to have an old, low end GPU lying around, and have the PCI-E lanes and power to spare. Well then, why the hell not, right?

[VoyexTech]

Many people dislike this but I think it is awesome. It only works if the game you are playing supports DirectX 12. I will use it when I get my new 1080 I will use my 250x as a PhysX card.

[ivan134]

1 minute ago, Commander Llama said:

Having a dedicated PhysX card seems like something that has value in very few use cases. Like 0.1% or less. So I would up to this point never consider purchasing even a very cheap dedicated PhysX GPU.

 

However, let's say you have inherited or happen to have an old, low end GPU lying around, and the PCI-E lanes and power to spare. Well then, why the hell not, right?

Increased heat on your main GPU for no gains. 

[oskarha]

1 minute ago, VoyexTech said:

Many people dislike this but I think it is awesome. It only works if the game you are playing supports DirectX 12. I will use it when I get my new 1080 I will use my 250x as a PhysX card.

Correct me if im wrong, but the 250x doesnt support physx, its AMD....

[Commander Llama]

4 minutes ago, ivan134 said:

Increased heat on your main GPU for no gains. 

Meh, in a mid or full tower with ATX and good air flow (and not even counting water), wouldn't even matter.

[VoyexTech]

1 minute ago, oskarha said:

Correct me if im wrong, but the 250x doesnt support physx, its AMD....

You have a good point I forgot about that. I can get an old 650 ti from a friend which I will give him my 250x. I still think if you have an extra card it is an awesome idea.

[oskarha]

3 minutes ago, VoyexTech said:

You have a good point I forgot about that. I can get an old 650 ti from a friend which I will give him my 250x. I still think if you have an extra card it is an awesome idea.

I agree.

I used to run a Quadro 2000 along with my gtx 660, but took it out after a while when I realised that I dont play any physx games and I needed it for another computer.

[Kobathor]

7 minutes ago, VoyexTech said:

Many people dislike this but I think it is awesome. It only works if the game you are playing supports DirectX 12. I will use it when I get my new 1080 I will use my 250x as a PhysX card.

No. Dedicated PhysX has been around for a while, and it's not dependent on graphics API. It's a setting in the nVidia control panel that lets you use an nVidia GPU as a dedicated PhysX card in PhysX games.

 

And, DO NOT use a super old, underpowered GPU as a PhysX card- in most cases, you'll lose FPS rather than gain 'em. New GPU's can run physics calculations just fine, they DO NOT need a second GPU to do it for them. Don't even bother.

[oskarha]

2 minutes ago, Kobathor said:

No. Dedicated PhysX has been around for a while, and it's not dependent on graphics API. It's a setting in the nVidia control panel that lets you use an nVidia GPU as a dedicated PhysX card in PhysX games.

 

And, DO NOT use a super old, underpowered GPU as a PhysX card- in most cases, you'll lose FPS rather than gain 'em. New GPU's can run physics calculations just fine, they DO NOT need a second GPU to do it for them. Don't even bother.

Could not agree more.

When I did the testing with my friend 780ti, I also tried a 430 which uses the same Fermi core that can be found in select 730s.

In the test I ran, the system performed significantly slower with the dedicated physx card, versus the 780ti on its own.

[DioOmicida]

11 minutes ago, oskarha said:

In the test I ran, the system performed significantly slower with the dedicated physx card, versus the 780ti on its own.

That situation cropped up in the link I posted as well which did deter me as much as the low Physx benefited use cases. But I also don't have a Ti but can't find any accurate benchmarks elsewhere and don't want to chance the money. 
 

26 minutes ago, Commander Llama said:

Having a dedicated PhysX card seems like something that has value in very few use cases. So I would up to this point never consider purchasing even a very cheap dedicated PhysX GPU.

I think this is the answer to the question. I have a second rig where a GPU could be utilized if I did purchase another card but saw no benefit but it's been slaved as a Facebook machine and don't plan to invest anything into it.