Test Setup

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2

Instead of focusing on the older games, the newest incarnation in the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter series shows off a lot of new effects, only possible with the PhysX card. The following gallery shows some of the effects present in the game thanks to the PPU. Below are images of vehicle explosions, which look splendid with the help of the PhysX card. On the next page you can also see a video of the PhysX card in action.







The game also includes the Ageia Island level, which can only be accessed by owners of the PPU. The level shows the amount of crazy effects possible and really looks incredibly great. The following gallery shows various moments within the level:

Realistic Damage to Materials


Materials in the virtual world can now be destroyed in completely random ways. A piece of wood will break when it is shot and it will do so different every time. A cloth cover will tear as bullets penetrate it. This is a huge step up from past games and the upcoming Unreal Engine will feature even more such surfaces.

Surrounding Interaction to Events


While G.R.A.W 1 gave you limited destructablilty and range of such actions, the second incarnation handles ripple effects incredibly well. The first image shows how trees bend and break due to an explosion, while the second shows clearly how non-explosive items are tossed into the air. Both these attributes result in different destruction every time. So depending where the granade explodes, the tree, body or barrel never end up in the same location or always are damaged differently.

Explosive Materials


Explosive items like fuel tanks now yield great explosions in which surrounding items shatter and can be completely destroyed. This means that the tank itself is torn apart realistically every time and the pressure also destroys entire huts and surrounding items. The difference in realism between the first G.R.A.W and this one is uncomparably large.

Performance Difference

An important aspect of such additional effects is the hit in performance. G.R.A.W. 2 was benchmarked with a real world gaming session using FRAPS and blowing up two vehicles within the map after cleansing the area of enemies.


As you can see, there is a noticable hit in frame rates when using PhysX effects. While this may look like a lot, you have to consider, that the destruction of two vehicles within a time frame of 30-40 seconds. Playing over extended period of times, should yield results which do not differ so drastic. Still, the game is playable even at high resolution and the difference in effects is much bigger than it was with the first G.R.A.W. We had the possiblity to turn off the PhysX card, while still displaying the effects with the remaining hardware and did not manage more than 4-5 frames a second at normal resolutions. This goes to show the amount of work the PhysX card actually does - which we take for granted. The question is the same people asked when new features like HDR, AA or AF were introduced into games: "Is this addition worth it?" While it may not have been impressive in past games, the answer today should be yes.