PhysX Graphics Accelerator from BFG - impressive effects, but limited number of games is a major caveat

The Ageia PhysX PPU (Physics Processing Unit) is a new expansion chipset designed to give PC gamers a more realistic and immersive experience. The PPU's capacity for complex calculations means few limits to what developers can do in a physics-based gaming environment. Imagine being able to punch, kick, shoot, or take cover behind every single object on the screen.

Imagine an absolutely lifelike driving experience as you take control of an armored tank to storm an enemy city. Imagine true-to-life smoke, explosion, and ricochet effects accompanying each and every gunshot fired in a first-person shooter.

The PhysX PPU promises to deliver these types of thrills to the everyday PC gamer. Does it deliver?

Look and Feel

The PhysX PPU chipset, available on cards made by both ASUS Computer International and BFG Technologies, is designed just like any other PCI expansion card and only requires a single open PCI slot for installation.

We tested the BFG card, which has 128 MB of GDDR3 memory. Interestingly enough, the PhysX card does not have any input/output connections. The card's exclusive function is to take some of the processing load off of the CPU, transferring data to and from the CPU and graphics card via the PCI bus.

Features

Adding a PPU to handle physics calculations might seem like it would enhance the speed of your current system, but it has no affect whatsoever on overall system performance. To take advantage of the effects made possible by a dedicated PPU, developers must design their games to support the advanced effects. So the bottom line is that the current generation of PC games will neither run faster nor look better with a PhysX PPU installed.

Currently, the number of titles that use the PPU capabilities is extremely low. Only two games -- "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" and "City of Villains" -- and a few game demos, including "CellFactor" and "Hangar of Doom," make use of the PPU.

About 15 more PC games supporting the PhysX PPU are slated to be released later in the year, including the major title in the next edition of the "Unreal Tournament" series.