Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?
RTX 50 series no longer supports one of Nvidia’s oldest GPU technologies
Nvidia
Nvidia has wrapped up support for the 32-bit PhysX graphics technology. The brand has quietly removed the legacy SDK out of rotation, much to the chagrin of fans who still play the games that require the functionality.
Nvidia confirmed the end-of-life status of the GPU-accelerated physics simulation SDK, which was known for cloth simulation, shattering glass, moving liquids, and several other particle effects. PhysX is endearingly associated with AAA gaming titles including the Batman Arkham trilogy, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands 2, Metro: Last Light, Metro: Exodus, Metro 2033, Mirror’s Edge, The Witcher 3, and certain older Assassin’s Creed titles.
Despite being popular during the 2000s and early 2010, PhysX began to go out of favor as Nvidia upgraded other aspects of its graphics components. Its RTX 50 series became Nvidia’s new standard GPU technology. Meanwhile, PhysX floundered because it was not compatible with other GPUs, consoles, and smartphones, Tom’s Hardware noted.
Get your weekly teardown of the tech behind PC gaming
The Verge also noted Redditors discussing their disappointment at the end of support for PhysX. One member detailed forcing PhysX to run the game Borderlands 2 with terrible results. “Got drops to below 60 FPS by just standing and shooting a shock gun at a wall,” they said.
The commentator claims to have played on a high-end system featuring an RTX 5090 and an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. In comparison, they said they tested the same game with an RTX 4090 GPU and maintained 120fps.
While it’s not for everyone, playing legacy games is a common hobby. Tom’s Hardware notes enthusiasts can keep PhysX support going on a PC running a RTX 50 series GPU and beyond by pairing it with an RTX 40 series or older graphics card, then tapping the latter component to work in the Nvidia control panel when necessary.
Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…
Nvidia’s RTX 5090 isn’t melting power cables, but it sure looks that way
Hong Kong-based tech outlet PCM raised alarms after testing Nvidia’s RTX 5090D and RTX 5080, where it encountered two melted 16-pin power cables and a failed 1,200W power supply unit (PSU). With GPU power demands already a hot topic, fingers were quickly pointed at Nvidia’s newest graphics cards. However, a deeper investigation revealed that an old RTX 4090 Founders Edition (FE) was actually responsible for the meltdown.
Social media posts by PCM, spotted by UNIKO’s Hardware, suggest that its testing likely involved an RTX 4090 Founders Edition (FE) before evaluating the RTX 50-series GPUs. While Nvidia has already updated the RTX 4090 FE’s power connector to the newer and safer 12V-2×6 standard, it’s possible that the unit still had the original, more failure-prone 12VHPWR connector.
Nvidia GPUs just got a huge upgrade, and no one is talking about it
Alan Wake 2 has released its 1.2.8 update, making it one of the first games to use Nvidia’s new RTX Mega Geometry tech. In a comparison video released by Compusemble and reported on by Wccftech, the results appear to be an average 13% reduction in VRAM usage and an fps bump — and that’s while using an RTX 4090.
The video runs the 1.2.7 version of the game and the 1.2.8 update side by side, with one comparison using DLAA and the next using DLSS. The game is running on an RTX 4090 graphics card at 4K resolution with settings set to max. If you keep an eye on the numbers, you can easily spot the lower CPU percentages and the higher frame rates.
Here’s how PC gamers are trolling GPU scalper bots
In response to the recent launch of Nvidia’s latest RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 graphics cards, eBay users have taken matters into their own hands to combat scalpers and automated purchasing bots. By listing fake products—such as photographs or drawings of the RTX 5090, sometimes humorously framed—sellers aim to deceive bots programmed to acquire these high-demand items for resale at inflated prices.
These deceptive listings often mimic the appearance of genuine product offers, complete with pricing around the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) or lower. Subtle warnings like “read description” are included to alert human buyers.
Read More
Fionna Agomuoh