ATI Users Missing Physx Experience

[LeftEyeNine]

Did you know that your 8xxx and higher Nvidia gfx card could be your Physx effects provider along with your brand new ATI ?

[Sevis]

Along with? How and why would I ever want to have two video cards (different in both model and maker) in my computer at the same time?

[Lemur]

Didn't some enterprising users release modded drivers (http://gizmodo.com/5020413/ati-radeon-graphics-cards-running-nvidia-physx-are-faster-stronger-awesomer) that re-enable Physx on ATI cards? I can't tell if that's an ongoing effort or if it was a one-off.

[LeftEyeNine]

Lemur, that news has gone old for some time now and no such tweak has surfaced ever.


Along with? How and why would I ever want to have two video cards (different in both model and maker) in my computer at the same time?

Like me, when you had bought a 9500GT 10 months ago, saving money for a beast and eventually shifting to the beast - ATI in this case.

Users of Windows XP and Windows 7 are lucky since some user named GenL made it possible to be able to keep using your "old" Nvidia card for Physx features which even the latest beast HD 5970 lacks because of the Ageia's acquiring by Nvidia.

When you feel the pain of stuttering and laggy FPSs in Physx-enabled Sacred 2 on a system with Core i7 920 CPU and ATI HD 5870, you look out for a darn solution to what Nvidia cartelized by taking over Ageia and integrating Physx features into 8xxx and later series cards via Forceware drivers.

And there was the darn solution, you can install your cuddly Nvidia into your second PCI-e slot, install latest Forceware drivers, modding the drivers so as to overcome Nvidia preventing such tactic by disabling the card as soon as it detects a non-Nvidia card installed and voila ! Your system is Physx compatible along with Havok your ATI is already equipped with. All physics engines the industry is familiar with are at your service.

Following is the procedure for ones willing to test it:

- Get the latest Forceware drivers. Mind you that future versions may need the mod I'll be telling about below to be updated accordingly. Currently -and the latest- v195.62 are compatible with the mod.

- Turn off your PC, install the Nvidia gfx card (8xxx and better) into your second PCI-e slot. You don't have to connect a monitor or anything else to this card.

- Turn your rig on, install the Forceware drivers. DO NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER INSTALLATION TO REBOOT, JUST CLICK NO.

- Grab this mod here (http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/16223-nvidia-disables-physx-when-ati-card-is-present-78.html#post86252). The attachment PhysX-mod-1.02.rar (http://www.ngohq.com/attachments/graphic-cards/2379d1259440244-nvidia-disables-physx-when-ati-card-is-present-physx-mod-1.02.rar) is what we want. Unzip, run as administrator if needed, You'll see a weird interface, and a stunning music to be honest I've been looping for the last 2 days, just click "Cake" button. If your system is not 64bit, it may pop-up messages like "nvXXX64.dll is missing. Search for file ?" Click no. Your system naturally doesn't have those files installed.

- Take a restart.
- When you're back on your desktop, you should "extend the image to the imaginary monitor over your Nvidia gfx card". I did this however I can't make sure how I did it. I guess it's the same thing when you're building a multi-monitor system. I'll try to clarify when I get the exact instructions.

If everything goes smoothly, you should be able to see Nvidia Control Panel when you right-click your desktop, see the Nvidia Control Panel in Windows' Control Panel, fully working without any problems. You may want to check if Physx is already enabled over your Nvidia GPU or not.

Bon appetite.