Widescreen Gaming Forum

ATI Says It Can Do Physics Better Than AGEIA and NVIDIA

Interesting... but wouldn't that take away from the use of the crossfire-enabled graphics? ie. Then you are only using one card for graphics and 1 card for physics. I would prefer 2 cards doing graphics and a seperate card for physics... so I like the idea of the Ageia.

Maybe we get mobo's with 3 pci-e slots for triple Crossfire. :lol:
2 for graphics, one for physics. :P

I think the double gpu is a better option... at least then when you're playing a game that doesn't support a physics processor you can run sli/crossfire. Looking at the list of supported and upcoming games at the Ageis site didn't look altogether promising... besides GRAW and UT2007, nothing stands out... maybe Warhammer if you're an MMORPGer...

I found a very interesting article on a http://www.tweakers.net (dutch tech site) just now.
Here is it translated by babelfish, which outputs really bad english :lol:.
If something is not clear just ask me so i can find the proper translation in the original newsitem.

In an interview with FiringSquad, ATi's Will Willis has told that all important physics-engines support ATi. He reacts with that to the rumoer which nVidia these yielded caused with the notice of Havok-engine, with which video cards can be used letting settle physicist calculations by the gpu instead of by the cpu. Ours X1k-cards are pre-eminently suitable for such parallel rack work and we examine at present the possibilities physics-calculations also by CrossFire-setups letting carry out. Havok let already know that they add himself not exclusively on nVidia products - we want do no concrete promises, but you can examine yourself how this will unpack. According to Willis shines R580-core, which in X1900-cards it is processed, from in physical rack work because the 48 pixelshaders of the chip can be used. The most important advantage with respect to nVidia's 7-serie is however ' Dynamic Flow Control ', the branch prediction technology of ATi. The chips of the company are possible with threads considerably smaller along than ' competitive products ', where need be analysed much less dates. For this reason ATi-hardware in the same time more and more detailed objects can generate, like for example a human head with hear. Ageia-processor specialised in physicist calculations do not consider Willis as a serious threat. Of course their approach is interesting, but we can everything what they is possible, and frequently more efficient and more rapidly. Moreover hoef you for our solution no extra hardware to buy, and cannot say that they: Ageia-ppu try 3D-model pay to let. The largest advantage is according to him however that the video chips much are further developed. If the effectiveness of R520 lower is than those of Ageia-chip, the number of instructions that ' even is can be carried out so much higher that X1900 chopped of physics-chip make.' A disadvantage of using the gpu is of course that that less time keeps that for drawing lines and placing final details. can overcome however to become by of more than one card to use, where ATi's CrossFire-drivers it would have make possibly to use whereas for example X1900 for graphic violence, for physics calculations much can be used cheaper X1600. Because there is still but little software for the Ageia available, ATi's-sollution, which can be also used for purely graphic work, cost technical more advantageous, seem. For nVidia, which play cards for SLI equivalent necessary have, mean Ageia-cards the larger threat. Toch will have be waited how popular software with the different alternatives performs, before there a winner of physics-race can be designated.

nooOoo!

I just spent more money than I care to admit on my computer in the last 3 months. I don't want to buy another peripheral for a while!

ATi is full of crap. They talk big, but always deliver late. They are always a step behind nVidia.

Yes, their solution sounds better ... but it's not on the table. By the time ATi have it up and running properly with stable drivers, nVidia & Ageia will be onto the 3rd generation of PPU's. :roll:


...as for upcoming titles for Ageia, having UT2007 means all the games that will use that engine should support a PPU.... and a *lot* of games use the Unreal engines.

uhmm... guys.. the reason you don't see to much debree is not because of a lack of physics engine.. its the lack of polygons. Also depends on if the modelers are lazy and dont create breakable models. There was nothing in that clip I havnt seen in a game before. Oh and freaking stupid flash.. that crap blew my speakers out.

True, but i wouldn't like having all kinds off components extrenally.
Imagine having a pc with an external gpu, soundcard and for example a psu.
Thats a lot of junk outside the trunk. :mrgreen:

If they did start making external components, Lego could make a lot of money if they made enclosures for them :lol:

uhmm... guys.. the reason you don't see to much debree is not because of a lack of physics engine.. its the lack of polygons. Also depends on if the modelers are lazy and dont create breakable models. There was nothing in that clip I havnt seen in a game before. Oh and freaking stupid flash.. that crap blew my speakers out.

The calculations for the barrels in Cell Factor could not possibly be done with current hardware. At the moment, our graphics cards are far ahead of out physics capabilities (Ever noticed that games that use the Havok phyics engine, even though its the best, appear to have the enemies made of rubber? Try hitting a creature in Oblivion after it died, its like playing with a rubber band :)). These cards would put the physics way ahead, and would leave the graphics cards struggling to display everything.

Remember, the debris are not created by the graphics card, its just told how to display them.

ATi is full of crap. They talk big, but always deliver late. They are always a step behind nVidia.

Yes, their solution sounds better ... but it's not on the table. By the time ATi have it up and running properly with stable drivers, nVidia & Ageia will be onto the 3rd generation of PPU's. :roll:


...as for upcoming titles for Ageia, having UT2007 means all the games that will use that engine should support a PPU.... and a *lot* of games use the Unreal engines.

i think your wrong big time there, 9700Pro to the X800XT i think ATi was the better solution, remember how the FX5800Ultra got slated? Apart from the X1800 series i dont think ATi has been behind nV, sure they didnt have SM3.0 support than nV did, but you cant knock an X1900XTX now, they make more sense than a 7900GTX as a single card, £100 cheaper (at least mine was £100 less than say a BFG GTX), and every bit as fast/ faster. yes my card consumes more power and sounds like a leaf blower but i dont care, its fast and a lot cheaper than nV's offering. Oh yeah, how about this, ONE graphic driver at a time that actually fixes problems! now there is an idea!

_________________
P8Z68-V Pro | 2600K | HR02 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 128GB M4 + 6TB | X-Fi > HD595 | AX850 | Tai Chi | PB278Q | G110 + Deathadder 2013
P8Z77-V | 3570K | Mugen 2 | HD5850 | 2x4GB Vengeance LP | 500GB | X-750 | Fractal R3 | U2212HM | G110 + G400
P8H77-I | G860 | 4650 | 2x2GB XMS | 320GB | CX500 | Prodigy | T22B350EW | MX518
DC3217IYE | 1x4GB Vengeance | 64GB M4 | TX-42VT20E