FAQ: GPU Features in Detail

For the original German article, see here.

Modern software demands more and more of computers and notebooks. For instance, enormous video files should be convertible from one format to another in a snap, and uncompressed music should shrink to little MP3 files in no time at all. A computer game should seem as realistic as possible, and in every action it should offer a fluid picture with perfect detail without delays. Research centers at universities and companies also require high levels of performance from processors et alia for elaborate simulations. But often even the newest processors with multiple cores at their disposal find themselves so heavily overloaded that you end up with frustrating wait times. As a consequence you can end up with visible fissures in the display quality, so that the computer can still manage a fluid motion sequence. For a computer game that means: numerous details like mirror-images, reflections or smoke emissions, which make the display look realistic, have to disappear or be extremely simplified before they reach the monitor. Sometimes the display rate sinks as well, leaving movements no longer fluid.

In order to avoid that and to support the processor in its work, it's possible to transfer some of the computational tasks to the graphics processor. This processor is actually distinctly better suited to some computations and is often left waiting for assignments unused or under-occupied. In addition, a graphics processor is specialized for the parallel computation of thousands of operations at once and therefore completes these tasks especially quickly. In order for the distribution of tasks to function smoothly, it is necessary to have a coordinator. A coordinator splits the tasks, distributes them and makes sure that there is a consistent result. This is where our technology comes in -- the CUDA platform with the integrated physics engine PhysX and OpenCL.

When PhysX was integrated in the CUDA technology it found its way onto private PCs. PhysX is a physics engine developed by Nvidia that is also designed to relieve the main processor and accelerate computation. A physics engine calculates the movement of physical objects, like bodies and clothing, and also skin, hair and similar things, making realistic depictions possible. The calculation of fluid and gaseous substances like water, oil, lava, smoke, steam, fog and fire count as physical actions as well and are especially elaborate.

PhysX guides part of such elaborate calculations from the main processor to the graphics processor. The effects are shortened calculation time, faster program sequences and, for computer games, a higher refresh rate and/or higher display quality. The additional computational power also enables the display of more graphic effects. When the main and graphics processors are an especially powerful and efficient team, the use of PhysX leads to extremely high refresh rates and a simultaneously realistic display.

PhysX only functions with graphics processors from Nvidia. All modern graphics cards from the GeForce series support the technology, as long as they possess at least 32 graphics units and over 256 MB of memory. In the meantime, the PhysX engine has also made its way to game consoles like the Nintendo Wii, the Sony PlayStation and the Microsoft Xbox 360. You can find a complete list of all the Nvidia graphics processors that support PhysX here.

If there are two or more graphics cards installed on the PC it's possible to lay aside one card entirely for the physics engine. Especially practical: this doesn't need to involve identical graphics processors. The PhysX engine is a component of Nvidia's CUDA technology.

A substantial number of modern computer games support PhysX, including the popular Borderlands 2 and Deep Black Reloaded. A complete list of all the games that support PhysX can be found on the website PhysXInfo.com.