Physx question (haven't used nvidia for a long time)

Just a quick question regarding physx....I'm currently using an AMD 7870 gpu but am planning to change for a gtx680 pretty soon...I have an old Geforce 8800gt laying around collecting dust. Can I use this card as a physx gpu (My mobo supports sli) while using the gtx680 as my main card and if so, will I see benefits comparing to using the gtx680 alone?

Thanks for any help!

 

I doubt theres a need. The 680 is powerful enough to handle the physx on its own.

 

The 8800gt is too weak to make an effective dedicated PhysX GPU when paired with a GTX 680. It would likely cause a loss of frame rates in PhysX heavy titles. Something along the lines of a GTX 650 would match up well giving you a decent FPS boost in titles like Borderlands 2 and Batman AA/AC...Of course if the game you're playing doesn't use GPU accelerated PhysX you get no benefit at all.

 

Agreed, dont bother.
I tried an 8800GTX with older games a while back (less physX power needed) and it made little difference but used a lot more power.
These days, I doubt it would be useful, more of a bottleneck.

 

A GTX 670 (overclocked to ~1,243/1,852) gains about 5-10% when paired with a dedicated GTX 560 (830/2,004) assuming it's being taxed by the graphics tasks (eg Arkham City w/4x SGSSAA). The lower the graphics settings, the less pronounced the difference is until ultimately the single card pulls ahead (but you wouldn't be using those settings outside of benchmarking unless you had a 300Hz screen).

Given a GTX 680 is slightly more potent than a 670, and an 8800GT is a lot less potent than a 560, it's fairly safe to say you'll see no gains - and perhaps even some losses - even with the eye-candy turned up.

It sounds like a much better idea in theory than it is in practice. I've only really stuck with it because I don't have anyone to sell the 560 to.

 

88k, no.
if you can get a more powerful card like 560, then yes.
But note that not every game will see improvements, only few.

 

Most PhysX effects simply won't run at all because the G80 CUDA architecture is so outdated. And I hope the OP realizes/knows the next Geforce lineup will be out in a fortnight...might be better to pick up a GTX770...

 

thanks for the info...much appreciated...I almost forgot that the new cards from nvidia come out in a short time...I'll wait to see how they fare.