Any GFX card as a physics card?

[superman22x]

Can you set it up to do that?
I listed a wanted ad in the FS/T section for a cheap PCI-E card, because I need to send my current 7900gs into asus for fixing, and just need something to run my computer during my repairs. I am looking at things like the X300, or low 6 or 7 series cards. Like cards that are dirt cheap, but PCI-E, whatever I get, it needs to be able to run vista aero.

But, finally getting to the point, my question is this, if I get this low profile card, can I just keep it and use it as a physics card when I get my 7900gs back? I doubt its possible, but I was thinking about it.

 

[Rudster8161]

thats what sli is, there is several ways to sli 2 cards, both render half, one does physics while the other does grapics, etc. but they have to be in sli, and unfornately, unlike crossfire, the 2 cards have to be the same model, for example, the new 8800GTS's wont sli with the old ones, since its a new GPU.

thats the beauty of crossfire, lets say you have a X1950PRO right now, you upgrade to a 2900XT, and a new AM2+ crossfire board. you can crossfire both cards that way your old card doesnt go to waste unless you sell it. ati's approach to using 2 cards was way better than nvidia's

 

[Celegorm]

You need a 8 series video card to use it as a physics card. It cannot be part of an SLI setup however. For example, on the EVGA 680i, that third (the center) PCI-Express slot is for video cards to be used as PPU's.

 

[Rudster8161]

You need a 8 series video card to use it as a physics card. It cannot be part of an SLI setup however. For example, on the EVGA 680i, that third (the center) PCI-Express slot is for video cards to be used as PPU's.

do you need any specail kind of drivers or anything? or does the motherboard just automatically do it. oh wait, mobo drivers do it, dont they.

 

[esa193]

ya if wish that was true i would deff throw my 5500fx pci card in for physics

 

[superman22x]

Oh, so if I were to buy an 8400, I could use it for physics? Or would that just be a waste? My mobo is 650i, only 2 GFX slots, no 3rd one. And does my main card need to be an 8 series as well?

 

[superman22x]

What if I had a radeon card, could I use that for physics with an Nvidia? Or would that just not work?

Sorry bout double post, but its kinda a bump too.

 

[Celegorm]

I'm not exactly sure what 8 series cards can. All I know is, they are the first to have PPU's in them. It might be drivers, it might now, sorry, but I really don't know more than that.

 

[superman22x]

Well, I'll do some research. Cause I might be willing to spend a little more on this secondary card, if I can use it as a physics card.

 

[Rudster8161]

it wont improve performance very well, if at all. unless you can get an 8400GS than forget about it, just not worth the price tag IMO. if it affected performance very much, more people would use it.