RTX 50 GPUs ditching PhysX help is another excuse to stay to the 40 collection

Nvidia has eliminated GPU PhysX help for all 32-bit video games in its newest RTX 50 collection GPUs, that means you’ll not be capable of take pleasure in many older video games at excessive body charges with PhysX enabled. What initially appeared like an error has now been confirmed because the know-how’s end-of-life standing on the Nvidia boards, the place a employees member said, “That is anticipated conduct as 32-bit CUDA purposes are deprecated on GeForce RTX 50 collection GPUs.”

PhysX is considered one of Nvidia’s older graphics applied sciences and was a proprietary physics simulation SDK able to processing ragdolls, fabric simulation, particles, volumetric fluid simulation, and different physics-focused graphical results. Older PhysX video games like Cryostasis, Batman: Arkham Metropolis, and Borderlands 2 have been fairly demanding, so naturally, these with fashionable {hardware} would reap the benefits of GPU acceleration. Nevertheless, RTX 50 collection GPU house owners will not be capable of run these video games with GPU-accelerated PhysX. As an alternative, they’re going to must depend on CPU PhysX, much like what AMD GPUs have been providing – and spoiler alert: it isn’t nice.

CPU PhysX doesn’t actually lower it

To get an thought of the distinction between CPU PhysX and GPU PhysX, YouTuber Compusemble put the Batman: Arkham collection to the check, which was a showpiece for PhysX again within the day. And in all three titles that help PhysX on the CPU, the outcomes have been unsatisfactory. For example, in Batman: Arkham Asylum, CPU-based PhysX was miles behind the GPU model, with the previous outputting simply 28 FPS at one level, whereas the latter managed 149 FPS with PhysX set to Excessive.

Funnily sufficient, in Batman: Arkham Origins, the PhysX setting defaults to “Regular” when working on the CPU, that means you miss out on further results like enhanced steam and smoke, which the Excessive setting with GPU PhysX offers. So naturally, the CPU-based PhysX takes the lead right here, however with restricted results.

RTX 40 and older GPUs nonetheless help PhysX for all 32-bit video games

Nvidia has additionally said that the CUDA driver will proceed to help working 32-bit utility binaries on GeForce RTX 40, GeForce RTX 30, GeForce RTX 20/GTX 16, GeForce GTX 10, and GeForce GTX 9 collection GPUs. This implies the RTX 50 collection is the one one affected, together with any newer architectures shifting ahead.

Now, this doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t use PhysX in video games like Borderlands 2 on an RTX 50 collection GPU. Actually, you’ll be able to drive the sport to run GPU-based PhysX, much like the way it works on AMD playing cards. However—and this can be a huge however—the efficiency is as soon as once more not nice, with one person reporting drops under 60 FPS simply from standing nonetheless and capturing a shock gun at a wall.

That stated, Nvidia’s resolution to formally discontinue help for 32-bit CUDA purposes, together with unhealthy load balancing in comparison with the RTX 50 collection, has many players feeling like we’re shifting backward. For many who wish to maintain enjoying older PhysX video games, sticking with an RTX 40 collection GPU is a good suggestion, as this collection additionally will get some boosts from DLSS 4 regardless of lacking out on Multi Body Gen. On high of that, value hikes and poor inventory stage for present 50 collection fashions are good causes to carry hearth on upgrading for now.