BFG released PPU (Physics Processing Unit) adapter to the end-user!

TheSmJTheSmJ
edited April 2006 in Gaming
This could be the biggest thing to happen to computers since the GPU. Bare with BFG's site as they seem to be taking a heavy hit since they just announced this thing offically today.

http://www.bfgtech.com/physx/index.htm

I'd love to get my hands on one and mess with the physics demos at least until games are able to use it.:buck:

Comments

  • GargGarg Purveyor of Lincoln Nightmares Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Awesome! Wonder how much it'll cost, and if we'll start seeing these built-in on graphics cards.

    Too bad I don't have any of the games on their current list. Hopefully the technology takes off, though.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited March 2006
    That $9k+ Dell has one in it.
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited March 2006
    Gargoyle wrote:
    Awesome! Wonder how much it'll cost, and if we'll start seeing these built-in on graphics cards..

    Nvidia are way ahead of you Linkage
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Awesome! Competition already. With the race between nvidia (using what seems to be a hardware-based havok accelerator) and Ageia (using their own physx api, i assume), that can only mean good things for the end users. I'm sure ATI will probably throw something into the mix as well.

    Wee!
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited March 2006
    I think Nvidia are just collaborating with Havok on an api that will run physics code on any Shader model 3 capable card, which should include ATI cards. I can't see that happening myself though, it'll be restricted to nvidia cards somehow.
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited March 2006
    so it only uses a PCI slot and theres no bridge to the card? that seems kinda odd.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Why odd? The physics calculations don't get drawn to the screen. The PPU offloads physics calculations from the CPU - pure math. It doesn't help the GPU in any way.
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited March 2006
    it just seems odd to me that somthing that would have orginially be part of the video card ( give or take some engineering ) run completly segrigated from the GPU, it just seems to be that it would have connected through a bridge of some sort, and not the bus bridge for you clowns:crazy:
  • RWBRWB Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    I don't see why it would need a bridge either, the Hypertransport bus has plenty of bandwidth anyways. I wonder if this will help out only in games that are coded for it, or will it help out in all games?
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited March 2006
    Armo wrote:
    it just seems odd to me that somthing that would have orginially be part of the video card ( give or take some engineering ) run completly segrigated from the GPU, it just seems to be that it would have connected through a bridge of some sort, and not the bus bridge for you clowns:crazy:

    Physics has never been part of the video cards work, at the moment the physics calculations are done entirely by the CPU. This card takes those calculations off the CPu and does them much quicker (since it's designed to do solely to do them). It's the same as when the first 3D accelerators arrived. Before them all 3D calculations were done by the CPU. The confusion I think is arising because of that comparison and because Nvidia is talking about using a 3D accelerator to run physics calculations but in essence the physics calculations and the 3D calculations are completely seperate.
    RWB wrote:
    I don't see why it would need a bridge either, the Hypertransport bus has plenty of bandwidth anyways. I wonder if this will help out only in games that are coded for it, or will it help out in all games?

    The Ageia solution only helps out with games specifically designed to be accelerated by the PhysX API. Not sure about the Nvidia / Havok solution but I'm guessing it will be the same.
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited March 2006
    I'm guessing the nVidia/Havok system would require games to have engines updated to include their version of physics acceleration as well.

    Half Life 2 and Max Pane 2's engines already use Havok's physics engine. I wonder if a simple patch is all that it would take to get this moved to the video card's GPU as well?


    Don't forget that the GPU handling the additional workload of physics would slow down the GPU even further than it would without it. It would be like running AA 4X vs. AA Off in terms of a performance drop (as I understand it). Having a seperate PPU supporting the physics would offer a far greater increase in speed over adding more workload on the GPU.
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited March 2006
    Of course the big question is...


    Can you overclock it? ;)
  • gibbonslgibbonsl Grand Forks AFB
    edited March 2006
    20 Game Titles Announced for AGEIA PhysX in 2006:

    * Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

    * Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends

    * Bet on Soldier: Blood Sport

    * Cell Factor

    * City of Villains

    * Unreal Tournament 2007

    * Gunship Apocalypse

    * Sacred II

    * Loki

    * Dogtag
    * Fallen Earth

    * Crazy Machines 2

    * Arena Online

    * Diabolique
    * Warhammer MMORPG

    * Eye of the Storm

    * KARMA

    * Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

    * Alpha Prime


    Over 20 More Announcements in 2006

    intersting list of games that are being releasted with support for it :-/
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    More games that I can die in with more realism!!! :shakehead
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited March 2006
    Looks like ATI is getting into the game after all: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=1414

    At this point I don't care who is doing what... I just want to see some freaking reviews/writeups about these things. Comparisons with and without physics acceleration... the whole smash.

    If someone were to throw me a bone here I'd write the freaking thing myself (For SM, of course).
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited March 2006
    <div align="center">
    <p align="center">
    <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0&quot; width="550" height="400">
    <param name=movie value="http://media.ebaumsworld.com/swf/hipponoodles.swf"&gt;
    <param name=quality value=high>
    <embed src="http://media.ebaumsworld.com/swf/hipponoodles.swf&quot; quality=high pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="550" height="400">
    </embed> </object>
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    OK.... that was interesting....














    icon_smile_note.gificon_smile_note.gificon_smile_note.gifNoodles on my, noodles on my back... icon_smile_note.gificon_smile_note.gificon_smile_note.gif
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    In case you didn't know, TheSMJ is a pill freak...... :wtf:
  • ArmoArmo Mr. Nice Guy Is Dead,Only Aqua Remains Member
    edited March 2006
    etf, stop hoarding all the pills and HABU
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    ♫♪♫ I'm a hippopotamus and I've goot noodles on my back... ♫♪♫
  • lemonlimelemonlime Canada Member
    edited March 2006
    lol.. that was the best physics demo I've seen yet.. My work PC could barely render those noodles.. Much catchier than the celltheory demo too! :thumbup
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited March 2006
    primesuspect wrote:
    In case you didn't know, TheSMJ is a pill freak...... :wtf:

    Only between the hours of 12-8 AM.:rockon:
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Well, it's 45 minutes past zero hour, and he hasn't come up with any new wacky replies..... so we might be safe for at least this night :eek3:
  • deicistdeicist Manchester, UK
    edited April 2006
    Back to the physics... Apparently the PS3 will make use of the Ageia API although it won't have a dedicated PPU (It will use the vaunted flexibility of the cell processor to mimic a PPU and should work quite well)

    Linkage
Sign In or Register to comment.