bikerdude on 22/10/2009 at 11:27
Morning
As some of you maybe aware unlike Vista, Windows 7 allows the use of 2 graphics cards via WDDM 1.1, or more specifically we can have an ATi and nVidia card installed in the same system.
This then gave some inventive sole the idea that they could have thier ATi card as the preimary display device while using an nVidia card for physx rendering. This worked for while.... then (
http://www.siliconmadness.com/2009/09/on-green-camp.html) nVidia had a tantrum and where by if its driver detected that the nVidia card wasn't set as the primary GPU/display device it would disable physx...wtf I here everyone say!
As I have just upgraded to a HD5870 and still have my GTX285 I thought I would see if there was a way to force enable physx.... Intially it was a dead end but then I came across (
http://rapidshare.com/files/296324964/PhysX-mod-x64-1.01-lite.zip.html) physx enabler 1.01 x64 and (
http://rapidshare.com/files/296328823/PhysX-mod-x86-1.01-lite.rar.html) physx enabler 1.01 x86 made by a chap call GenL on the (
http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/16223-nvidia-disables-physx-when-ati-card-is-present-28.html#post82812) nghq forums.
Installation instructiuons:* Install your preferred catalyst driver
* Install the forceware 190.62 driver (there is a known bug with the 191.07 driver that causes BSOD which is separate to this)
* Start the physx enabler, when you try to patch it will complain that some files are locked.
* press ctrl-alt-del and then kill explorer
* then click on the patch button and youll find it will work.
* then press ctrl-alt-del and then click on file>new task then type explorer, press enter.
Now the next bit is annoying because windows 7 wont enable the second gfx card(nVidia) if no display is plugged into it. So you have two options..
* temporarly plug a second screen into the nvidia card
* do a known mod tha fools windows into think you have a second monitor plugged in, see below -
(
http://img34.imageshack.us/i/2ndgfxvistapinout2.jpg/)
Inline Image:
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6171/2ndgfxvistapinout2.th.jpg* Next right click on the desktop and select screen resolution, then click on 'detect display' and then enable the 2 display on nvidia card.
* you should then find that physx is enabled.
I then I fired up Batman:AA, hmmm lots of physx goodness...
[update] borrowed an Ageia physx card for comparison, and in a word -
'avoid' Its so old and slow now that its not worth the effort, its actually slower at doing physx in BatmanAA/3Dmark than my quadcore Qx9650..
Brian The Dog on 22/10/2009 at 11:56
This is good news! Although why nVidia turned off Physx when their card is not the primary card is beyond me (guess it makes sense from a business point of view).
Am amused by the "sticking resistors into the VGA port" :) Is there a similar patch for DVI? I'm guessing that if people spend this level of money to get such good graphics cards, they will be using DVI instead.
bikerdude on 22/10/2009 at 14:20
Quote Posted by Brian The Dog
Am amused by the "sticking resistors into the VGA port" :) Is there a similar patch for DVI? I'm guessing that if people spend this level of money to get such good graphics cards, they will be using DVI instead.
thats a dvi-to-vga adapter in the picture and you wouldnt need to 'patch" dvi because all you want to do is spoof windows into thinking there is another monitor connected.
Renzatic on 22/10/2009 at 17:50
Quote Posted by Brian The Dog
This is good news! Although why nVidia turned off Physx when their card is not the primary card is beyond me (guess it makes sense from a business point of view).
Doesn't even make sense there. Nvidia should know that there are a whole slew of people out there who refuse to buy anything but ATI cards. Keeping things as they were would've guaranteed them a sale of at least their lower end cards to just about every PC enthusiast guy out there right now. As it is now, those people who aren't willing to cheat will just forgo PhysX altogether to stay with ATI. It's dumb.
bikerdude on 22/10/2009 at 21:37
LOL my 'speelling' can be a bit off on occasion..
voodoo47 on 7/1/2010 at 23:53
..I would like to verify something,you say that you have to plug in the second screen only temporarily-does that mean you can unplug it once you enable physx in the nv control panel? will hw physx stay enabled once you disconnect the second screen? or do you have to keep the second screen plugged in for all the time you want to use hw physx?
