Gpu Physx Must Be Enabled in the Nvidia Control Panel to Continue

October 15, 2022 Post a Comment

I have a RTX 3060 and the latest 511.72 drivers on Windows 10. I've enabled the PhysX indicator from NV control panel. I have Project CARS 3 and Pavlov VR for PhysX games.
When I start either of those games, the PhysX indicator says CPU, even though I'm forcing the RTX 3060 for PhysX from NV control panel. I haven't done any testing to see if PhysX performance changes at all.

Can PhysX run on the GPU still? Maybe the indicator is bugged?

Edit: It seems some games can be hard-coded to only do CPU PhysX. I don't know if this is specifically what I'm running into.

GPU-Z shows a checkbox for PhysX

MSI Kombustor PhysX4 tests work fine and on the correct device (CPU and GPU)

PhysX version 9.21.0713 is installed
Last edited: Feb 10, 2022
Trunks0 Master Guru

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Pavlov is using UE4 and the default Physics engine for UE4 is the is CPU based Havoc. So that might explain it.
mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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Game developers can specify what processor to use for PhysX.
Most PhysX games are. There is only a handful of games that can utilize the GPU (or the dedicated PPU) and those are typically from the far past.
That's unfortunate. I wonder why it was left for developers to decide? Does PhysX need different coding depending on CPU or GPU? I figured if it works fine on the CPU, it should be better on a GPU as-is.
GPU PhysX is only for really costly bonus effects. CPU physics are either gameplay relevant (thus can't be run on the GPU without slow copyback) or are really cheap so that it doesn't make sense to run them on the GPU in the first place.
mbk1969 Ancient Guru

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Also CPU path of PhysX v3+ was heavily optimized, IIRC.
True, although it sadly still doesn't hold a candle to hardware PhysX.

Last edited: Feb 12, 2022
skacikpl Master Guru

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False.
UE4 up to about 4.24-ish used Nvidias PhysX for physics, beyond that they use their own Chaos Physics solver.
PhysX USED to have GPU accelerated solvers but i don't think they're even actively developed or supported by nvidia anymore simply because there's no real benefit to using them as it'd be supported only on like what, 50-60% of PC only, whereas CPU only solver can run on any modern platform so it's pretty obvious where it should evolve towards.
So is it best to set PhysX to GPU or CPU.
Set it to GPU in your control panel. That way, games that support Hardware PhysX will use the GPU and the others will use the CPU regardless.
They discontinued old CUDA-exclusive GPU PhysX in favor of FleX that can run via D3D DirectCompute and thus also on AMD/Intel GPUs: https://developer.nvidia.com/flex
Though FleX development also seems to have stopped. Metro Exodus uses it afair.
Trunks0 Master Guru

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Good to know, I should have checked rather going off the top of my head
vestibule Master Guru

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Its plain to see that in a lot of games now that the physx is a separate program built into a given item that normally would display physx in a normal way and in in an obvious way out side the norm of other stuff like a flag blowing in a boring concrete street.
When you look at what goes on in games now its like physx gif..
This clearly saves computation and resources.
Jobert Active Member

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GPU physx was unoptimized garbage in most games. FPS would tank and the gpu usage would go down which was hilarious. For instance in Borderlands Pre Sequel I have gone back and tested it on nearly every gpu upgrade and nothing can go above 45 fps in the heavy phsyx spots.
yobooh Master Guru

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Unreal Chaos will make physx obsolete:
Borderlands was a configuration issue, they didn't put a limit on particle spawn so the cpu was over encumbered well before the gpu even processed the effects.
dr_rus Ancient Guru

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Unreal Chaos won't be available outside of Unreal Engine.
Trunks0 Master Guru

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True, but it's just an example. Havoc also caught up and others, like EPIC, learned how to make a good physic engine. So it still stands, they all kinda caught up.
Rogerbee Member Guru

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There is an auto select in Nvidia Control Panel under Configure Surround and PhysX, it says it's 'recommended', so, to cover your bases, it's probably best to do that. When the OP mentioned it, I realised that I'd been setting mine for the GPU. You live and learn.