The strangest Physx/Hybrid SLI configuration ever thought?

I was having a disscution with a friend yesterday, about Physx.

And i came with some doubs too... i know i can run Physx on the 8300 IGP, ive already tested, but it lacks the power to do any good. My friend ask me what happen if i plug a PCI or PCI-E 1x nvidia 8x/9x card... surely Physx can run on it too...

but... i wonder if, what happen, if i plug something like, a 9400GT PCI? those exist, Sparkle has of those. I wonder if...

W/O a Radeon on the PCI-E 16x slot:
1) Hybrid SLI can be enabled on IGP/PCI Card?
2) Its possible to run Physx on a Hybrid SLI like that?

With a Radeon on the PCI-E 16x slot:
3) Hybrid SLI can be enabled on IGP/PCI Card, even if a Radeon on the primary PCI-e 16x?
4) Its possible to run Physx on a Hybrid SLI like that? (Using Win7)

5) Maybe Hybrid SLI cant be enable on normal PCI, what about PCI-E 1x on both cases?

BTW 1, just remember motherboard support Discrete card and IGP.
BTW 2, i not thinking about buying a PCI/PCI-E 1 nvidia card to do this, Physx dont worth it, and PCI/PCI-E 1x cards are way too expensive here, i just whant to know.

 

Couple of things here:

1. I think you mean AGP?

2. If you have a Radeon in one slot & an Nvidia card in the other, you cannot use both; at least in Vista. I've heard different about XP but I'm not sure.

3. You want at least an 8800gt for Physx. Or a GTX260 or higher for a single card that can handle phys well. A 9800GTX+ might do.

 

nope he mean PCI

http://www.sparkle.com.tw/product.asp?id=94

 

Ohhhh I seee, I didn't know they were making PCI 9400gt's. I need to tell my roommate about this cause he needs a PCIx1 card.

 

lol.. i was a bit amazed to see that PCI vid cards are still about

 

They will always be... multiple cards are needed for monitoring stations...

Anyway.

This was more a question about Hybrid Sli than Physx... Because Physx can run under Hybrid Sli like any other SLI right?

I just wondering if Hybrid SLI works with PCI and PCI-E 1x cards... with and without a radeon on the PCI-E 16x slot...

Again i not going to do it, i just whant to know.

 

I can't see a reason for it to not work, in either nVidia only situation. So long as the card is compatible (which the 9 series are) and you have the right drivers, you should be fine. This is only guess work though, as I have no idea. PhysX might not like Hybrid SLI, but like I said, I can't see why it wouldn't.

As for using an ATI card, using Windows 7 (or XP), it can be done, as you may have already researched. Vista would throw a bitch fit though That one I know about (two discrete cards). However, being unsure of whether Hyrbid likes it, I can't say for sure, but like I said; why not?

Have to say, I was a bit shocked to still see PCI cards going!

 

Newegg has those for 80, that is about 20-30 more expensive than a regular PCI-E 16x one...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187057

 

I was wondering this too, I'm about to upgrade to an Geforce 8200a based mobo, thinking great it will work in hybrid sli with my 9800GT, but no it doesn't that is reserved for low end PCI-E cards. So then I wondered if the IGP can atleast run as a physx calculator leaving my 9800GT the task of rendering.

Haven't seen anything on nvidia's site about this, and as skiddywinks says, can't think of why it wouldn't work, but undoubtedly there is a reason why it won't, mainly because I'm considering this option it will turn out not to be the case, just to piss me off.

 

Hey guys I been looking and looking for something like that from haveing to trun your onboard 8200 motherboard video card into a physx card and will it take the work load off of your discrete video card? Does this work? does this improve your gameing? score better than a single discrete video card? At the bottom of this page from this one forums look like one guy did it.
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=81685&st=0&gopid=520126&
Does this really work?

 

Interesting, he is using the ECS GF8200A Black I have too, I just need to get a new CPU then I can try it as well.

 

Umm...for Hybrid SLI to work, the discrete graphics card has to support SLI....which the Sparkle 9400GT PCI card does not. In fact, the 9400GT doesn't support SLI at all....at least I haven't found one that does and according to the info on nVidia's site it doesn't.

 

True, but the mod was only giving an example of the intentions of the hybrid sli, albeit with an incorrect model no. Fortunately he did preempt his comment by saying even he is wrong sometimes, ironic he was in that very post.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm only relying on the info I could find in a few short period of time. I'm assuming that the 9400GT doesn't support SLI because I can't find a PCIe model that has the SLI "finger". Could very well be a case where the pictures are inaccurate. I've also found that nVidia's site isn't perfect either. According to nVidia and EVGA, my old 8600GT's weren't SLI capable either.....found out later that the pictures posted of the cards by EVGA were simply inaccurate and nVidia made an error on their site. I would tend to believe that a PCI 9400GT is incapable of SLI though, since it's my understanding that 2 PCIe slots are a requirement for SLI or a single PCIe slot and one of a select few integrated graphics chipsets is required for Hybrid SLI....which according to nVidia only works with the 8400GS and 8500GT, which I hope is just an error on their site again. Any information I post can very easily contain errors and if it does, I'd appreciate someone correcting me so the same incorrect information doesn't get posted a second time.

Correction- In the original post I said the 8500GT and 8600GT were Hybrid SLI compatible, but after a second read through it appears it's the 8400GS and 8500GT.....so, had to correct that.

 

no no, you're right, the 9400GT doesn't support it. Inno3d cards came with the finger, but it has a yellow sticker on it saying do not remove, this card does not support SLI. Obviously Inno used the board from another card and dropped the 9400GT chip on it.

I was referring to the moderator in the linked forum post, I think his assumption was correct, unfortunately he used a card that is not capable in his example, so fail on his part. But from what I have read Hybrid SLI is meant to be for the benefit of lower end graphics cards, not enthusiast level cards.

 

That was my understanding as well. According to nVidia's website, 8400GS and 8500GT are the only cards that are Hybrid SLI compatible. HybridPower on the other hand, and I'm not sure exactly what the differences are, is supported with the 9800GT - GTX280. I'd assume HybridPower is a system where an integrated graphics chipset handles 2D and the dedicated card handles strictly 3D....at least that's what it appears nVidia's site is saying in the description of it. I would expect HybridPower compatibility list to be updated to include the newer cards at some point as it sounds like a good system for power conservation.

 

Hybrid power simply means the discrete card shuts down when not needed and lets the onboard graphics do the work.

The 8300 will do Physx but tbh the whole Hybrid SLI/Hybrid Power thing is a bit of a joke really, because it only works with Vista and only a couple of video cards support it.

 

HybridPower is supported by 9800GT and Higher from GeForce9 as well as the GTX260 and GTX280.

 

I was referring to the SLI part sorry when I said a couple of cards...

 

ahh, ok