# Ati gpu as ppu(phsyics on a gpu)



## AshenSugar (Feb 25, 2007)

ok this is in responce to a few posts we have had recently, somebody in the 7600gs sli thred proded me into posting a good thred about this so people can understand what it means.

i will do this in sections as i copy and paist diffrent articals about it as well as other links, i will put my comments in red when they are within the quoted meterial.

injoy 

first grab these
http://downloads.guru3d.com/download.php?det=1417
let them download as you read this thred 

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=226
this artical is good, and on a site i trust, infact im a long time member of the forums(taking a break lately, sick of all the amd bashers that have shown up to what was once a very balanced forum)



> ATI’s View on Gaming Physics
> 
> When sitting down with ATI, they decided to give us some detailed information on how current generation physics simulations work in games when running on the CPU, or any hardware system for that matter as well.  We’ll go over these points briefly here with you so that we all have the same information and background on the technology.
> 
> ...



sweet or what?

i trust pcper, had a good run there, its a good site for info was called amdmb.com for years, but tthings change.

this is the first artical i have copyed because its one of the most detailed and easy to understand


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## AshenSugar (Feb 25, 2007)

now i know the inq sucks but this artical(small) is intresting and worth a read



> ATI shows off GPU physics
> 
> Computex 2006 Asymmetry and demos
> 
> ...



this was b4 the x1300xt was invented(x1600pro renamed) so as with all inq articals, take it with  grain of salt....or spoonfull/shovel full


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## AshenSugar (Feb 25, 2007)

link to inq artical http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32208

would edit but im working on the next post 

this ones from MegaGames
if you dont know about megagames, well get in the game  one of the best sites for gamers to geek out on 



> *ATI Physics Revealed*
> 
> 
> ATI has used the Computex show in Taiwan to debut its physics solution for gaming. The Canadian graphics company aims to challenge Ageia, the only PPU manufacturer currently offering a product for desktop PCs and any future offering from team Green. The solution, apparently, is to add another graphics card to the mix. This means that if you desire top-notch performance you will have to use 3 ATI graphics cards in one high-end gaming PC setup, sounds noisy and expensive.
> ...



ok thats enought for now, think you get the point, basickly it will boost perf AND boost realisim/quility of games, currently i think the truely sweet ppu choices would be the x1300xt or x1650xt(if u can afford one as a ppu) due to shader power


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## Pinchy (Feb 25, 2007)

I havent got time to read ALL that yet, cus i have to go to bed soon, but just a quick question,

Is all of this supported NOW? like if i was to get an X1300 now, would i benefit from it?


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## AshenSugar (Feb 25, 2007)

not yet, HavocFX isnt out yet AFIK , and crysis should support it when it comes out


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## Pinchy (Feb 25, 2007)

Thanks for the answer 

Lol, if i didnt have this work to do, i would have read it ...oh well, theres always tomorrow


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## regan1985 (Feb 25, 2007)

so in a way i could use my x850 with say a x1950pro? or have i got the wrong idea?


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## Pinchy (Feb 25, 2007)

Yeah that sounds rite (to me), but i dont know if it will work as good as the X1300/X1600 because the X1300/X1600 apparently have better 'shaders for pipes' or something

(just wat i think, could be WAY off )


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## regan1985 (Feb 25, 2007)

im going to look into this 2, sounds like a great idea, if it works


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## Pinchy (Feb 25, 2007)

i know 

Ill buy an X1300, put it into my PCIe_2 and off I go


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## AshenSugar (Mar 1, 2007)

aww pcper blocked the images, sorry guys, guess u gotta link over to see them :/


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## m1ch43lh150 (Oct 1, 2008)

*ati/nvidia physics+*

i have an ati (x1300 pci) card 256mb. is it capable of running as a standalone physics card and if so could i run it along side an nvidia 7100gs PCIe


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## btarunr (Oct 1, 2008)

no


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

What about a x1950 Pro as a Physics card coupled to a HD4xxx on a nForce4 board?


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## JrRacinFan (Oct 4, 2008)

No.


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## dark2099 (Oct 4, 2008)

Can I say No. too?


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

dark2099 said:


> Can I say No. too?



NO 


So, other than 'no', is there any explanation to mine, or is it simply due to my damn nF4 chipset?

("no" will not suffice as an answer, nor any incantation or it being said in a different language heh)


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## AphexDreamer (Oct 4, 2008)

Wait how would you get the ATI Card to Work As a PPU in the first place. Wouldn't you need a driver and/or software to enable it?


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

AphexDreamer said:


> Wait how would you get the ATI Card to Work As a PPU in the first place. Wouldn't you need a driver and/or software to enable it?



It was supposed to be setup in the drivers that if you took 2 x1000 series cards of non-similar models, the slower one would become a PPU. You could also work it into crossfire, and have 2 in crossfire with a third as a PPU. Since I never had the extra cash for a second card, I never got to toy with it, but since I'm really thinking about a HD4670, and my 1950 not being dead, I'd love to make it a PPU.


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## Wile E (Oct 4, 2008)

Formula350 said:


> It was supposed to be setup in the drivers that if you took 2 x1000 series cards of non-similar models, the slower one would become a PPU. You could also work it into crossfire, and have 2 in crossfire with a third as a PPU. Since I never had the extra cash for a second card, I never got to toy with it, but since I'm really thinking about a HD4670, and my 1950 not being dead, I'd love to make it a PPU.



No, ATI never released the software/drivers/APIs necessary to do it. They gave up on GPU physics (at least for now).


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

Wile E said:


> No, ATI never released the software/drivers/APIs necessary to do it. They gave up on GPU physics (at least for now).



Ah, alright. I thought they still did it, but it was the HDMI audio thing (that was tested on the x1300) that was put on hold.

Good to know


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## Wile E (Oct 4, 2008)

Formula350 said:


> Ah, alright. I thought they still did it, but it was the HDMI audio thing (that was tested on the x1300) that was put on hold.
> 
> Good to know



Nope, HDMI audio works on all cards from the HD2000 series and up.


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

Wile E said:


> Nope, HDMI audio works on all cards from the HD2000 series and up.



That I know, but they tested it on the x1300 before the HD line was mentioned.


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## Wile E (Oct 4, 2008)

Formula350 said:


> That I know, but they tested it on the x1300 before the HD line was mentioned.



Oh. Must've just been an engineering sample or something.


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## Formula350 (Oct 4, 2008)

Wile E said:


> Oh. Must've just been an engineering sample or something.



This is the closest they came to doing it, but the GPU didn't do the audio in this instance, it was more of a pass-through.

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=6534&page=2
(Page 3 gives you a bit more info on it since it shows the card)

There's this guy too, but again, it lacks the HD audio chip, so it's a pass-through instance.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2918623&CatId=1560


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## Wile E (Oct 5, 2008)

Formula350 said:


> This is the closest they came to doing it, but the GPU didn't do the audio in this instance, it was more of a pass-through.
> 
> http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=6534&page=2
> (Page 3 gives you a bit more info on it since it shows the card)
> ...


Oh that. Yeah, my 8800GT can do that. You have to have 2 things, a sound card with an SPDIF output, and an SPDIF input on the video card.


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## AphexDreamer (Oct 5, 2008)

Wasn't there are custom driver in the works to give ATI stand alone Physics capabilities? Whats happend to it?


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## KainXS (Oct 5, 2008)

AphexDreamer said:


> Wasn't there are custom driver in the works to give ATI stand alone Physics capabilities? Whats happend to it?



lol, I think you can guess


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## Formula350 (Oct 5, 2008)

If they can toss a nice HD Audio controller onto these cards, why the hell can't they put on even a weak Physics chip based off a 5w Geode CPU :\ It'll add what, 4c to the total cooling


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