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SLI worth it?
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    Skyheart posted on Apr 22, 2012 1:36:49 PM - Report post
     
    quote:
    originally posted by The Admiral

    quote:
    originally posted by wee_wee

    i have two 465 oc evga cards
    i ran them sli and after a month itook one and dedicated it too
    phyis x and have not looked back since

    How does one go about dedicating a card strictly to PhysX? Could this also be done with an AMD card?

    PhysX used to be only available through a dedicated card, but now it's included in most, if not all, modern GPU's.

    The only advantage to having a separate card these days is to take some of the load off the GPU.

    [Edited by Skyheart, 4/22/2012 1:37:50 PM]

    "Remember the good old days when you could just slap Omni-Gel on everything?" - Shepard, ME2

    "Not right now. Trying to determine how Scale Itch got aboard. Sexually transmitted disease carried only by Varren..... Implications unpleasant." - Mordin, ME2
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    Shotgunmaniac posted on Apr 22, 2012 6:12:22 PM - Report post
     
    quote:
    originally posted by Skyheart

    quote:
    originally posted by The Admiral

    quote:
    originally posted by wee_wee

    i have two 465 oc evga cards
    i ran them sli and after a month itook one and dedicated it too
    phyis x and have not looked back since

    How does one go about dedicating a card strictly to PhysX? Could this also be done with an AMD card?

    PhysX used to be only available through a dedicated card, but now it's included in most, if not all, modern GPU's.

    The only advantage to having a separate card these days is to take some of the load off the GPU.

    [Edited by Skyheart, 4/22/2012 1:37:50 PM]

    I think he might've meant "how do I enable this?" rather than "how does work?"

    I have an option in NVIDIA control panel that allows it: Link
    But from what I'm seeing with a quick check on teh Googles, unless your card actually utilizes NVIDIA drivers, dedicating a card to PhysX might not be possible.

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    DABhand posted on Apr 22, 2012 10:12:11 PM - Report post
     
    Like said already, best thing to do at the moment, is to get a decent GPU for primary stuff, and a secondary GPU (if you have another PCI-e slot for at least 4x or higher) to be your solo CUDA and Physx processor. In turn this leaves your primary GPU to work out the more important stuff like texels, shading etc = basically means more processing by the card for games, means an increase in fps also.

    So never throw out your older GPU's if above an 8800GTX, as they are still useful... but you will need a 600W PSU for both cards at least, a secondary Physx controller doesn't take much wattage.

    To do this, you go into the Nvidia control panel and goto 3D Settings, open it up and you will see a heading Set Physx Configuration, you can set it to the CPU however that is not recommended as thats like having an ATI card LAWL, but if you have a secondary card you select that and bobs your uncle.

    [Edited by DABhand, 4/22/2012 10:14:15 PM]
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    AdmiralP posted on Apr 24, 2012 8:00:28 AM - Report post
     
    This is a little of the subject, but any opinions on whether or not I should replace my HD 6950 with a higher end GPU... or should I step up from my Intel Quad Core 9400 to an i7? This of course would require a new motherboard, but that would force me to move from dual-channel RAM to triple-channel RAM. Am I missing out on GPU performance because of my CPU and RAM?
    That is the smartest thing I have ever heard anyone say about anything.
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    Shotgunmaniac posted on Apr 24, 2012 9:00:54 AM - Report post
     
    quote:
    originally posted by The Admiral

    This is a little of the subject, but any opinions on whether or not I should replace my HD 6950 with a higher end GPU... or should I step up from my Intel Quad Core 9400 to an i7? This of course would require a new motherboard, but that would force me to move from dual-channel RAM to triple-channel RAM. Am I missing out on GPU performance because of my CPU and RAM?

    I still use my X9770 despite the fact that it's imploded about a dozen times, but I'm not sure on the 9400 - 2.66 GHz isn't a whole lot. Though it is still a quad, so that's by and large not all that bad. I honestly don't keep up with specifics in regards to AMD cards, but just looking through their online catalog the 6950 is good enough to last you a while. The super duper ultra mega expensive 7 series Radeon doesn't really seem worth the cash for a relatively small bump up a notch or two.

    I'd say replace the CPU, slap everything from your current PC in there (provided you're just building a 'new' one, that is) and you'd be pretty well set for a while. 'Course, I might just be talking out my so it would be prudent to consult another doctor.

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    AdmiralP posted on Apr 24, 2012 10:18:24 AM - Report post
     
    quote:
    originally posted by Shotgunmaniac

    quote:
    originally posted by The Admiral

    This is a little of the subject, but any opinions on whether or not I should replace my HD 6950 with a higher end GPU... or should I step up from my Intel Quad Core 9400 to an i7? This of course would require a new motherboard, but that would force me to move from dual-channel RAM to triple-channel RAM. Am I missing out on GPU performance because of my CPU and RAM?

    I still use my X9770 despite the fact that it's imploded about a dozen times, but I'm not sure on the 9400 - 2.66 GHz isn't a whole lot. Though it is still a quad, so that's by and large not all that bad. I honestly don't keep up with specifics in regards to AMD cards, but just looking through their online catalog the 6950 is good enough to last you a while. The super duper ultra mega expensive 7 series Radeon doesn't really seem worth the cash for a relatively small bump up a notch or two.

    I'd say replace the CPU, slap everything from your current PC in there (provided you're just building a 'new' one, that is) and you'd be pretty well set for a while. 'Course, I might just be talking out my so it would be prudent to consult another doctor.

    Thanks for the second opinion (mine being the first I guess). I am seriously considering an upgrade. Here is what I am looking at... mind you it will not be the cheapest of upgrades.

    Intel Core i7 3930K - Link
    ASUS X79 Rampage IV Extreme - Link
    Corsair Vengeance Series 8GB DDR3-1600 - Link
    OCZ Technology Agility 3 240GB SSD - Link

    That is the smartest thing I have ever heard anyone say about anything.
    -P. Griffin
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    DABhand posted on Apr 25, 2012 3:40:45 AM - Report post
     
    I wouldn't bother, there is no real advantage to the i7 except for a few extra instruction sets you will never fully use.

    And in the past I was an advocate on using the Extreme boards from ASUS but now, no, they are way overpriced for the chipsets they have, you can have similar for half the price.

    Memory is good, will work well with triple channels (bear in mind other people reading, just because its DDR3 does NOT mean its triple channel compatible :P)

    Also your SSD has MLC memory chips, which has a 2-5million write life. Which means chips will die after a possible maximum of 5 million data writes to it. SLC SSD drives are much better with a life span of 50-150 years. Plus 240GB is too much I feel. I will write a topic about SSD drives and misconceptions people have with them. But for now, I would seriously rethink your SSD.
    Oh and Don't forget some tuts on ASM and defeating DMA

    Clicky Here for them
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    AdmiralP posted on Apr 25, 2012 5:59:26 AM - Report post
     
    Thanks for all of the advice DABhand. I look forward to your SSD topic.
    That is the smartest thing I have ever heard anyone say about anything.
    -P. Griffin
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