PNY NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 Dedicated PhysX Card Review Linus Tech Tips

The video investigates using a PNY NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 as a dedicated PhysX card alongside a GTX 480, exploring whether the small, budget-friendly card can meaningfully speed up PhysX workloads. The host demonstrates the setup process in the Nvidia control panel, selecting the GTS 450 as the PhysX processor and applying the change, then showing that PhysX runs on the 450 while the GTX 480 handles the display. A benchmarking segment compares system performance with and without a dedicated PhysX card, using the same test bench from a prior GTS 450 review. The presenter notes the GTS 450 costs around $129.99 and that the 480 plus 450 configuration yields about a 24 to 25 percent performance uplift on average, highlighting the value when games actually utilize PhysX. The overall takeaway is that the GTS 450 can be a good value for PhysX-enabled titles, but because few games support PhysX, many users may be better off saving toward a stronger single GPU or adding more cards for display performance rather than dedicating a PhysX card. The video presents practical caveats about market availability and game support, concluding that the 450 is worth considering only for those who actively play PhysX-enabled games.

Topics · hardware · graphics · gaming · reviews