NVIDIA Releases PhysX Power Pack

Last week, we posted an in-depth look at NVIDIA’s latest PhysX pack, which they referred to as ‘PhysX Pack #1’. That pack is now released, and has been renamed to a more appropriate ‘GeForce Power Pack’. Instead of releasing follow-ups that will take on a new naming scheme, it would almost seem likely that the pack itself will simply be upgraded from time to time, while retaining the ‘GeForce Power Pack’ moniker.

As a reminder, the pack focuses mostly on PhysX, so there are numerous tech demos to illustrate what the technology is capable of. Interestingly, this pack even includes items were were not originally told about, such as the Folding@Home client, which is a brand-new release, and also Badaboom, a video transcoder that utilizes the GPU with the help of CUDA, rather than the CPU.

Also new is the graphics driver, which is version 177.83. This is even newer than the driver we were given for our articles, but it seems the only difference is that this one is WHQL’d, so there will be no nag screens during the installation. This driver will automatically install the PhysX support, but can be turned off if so desired, post-install.

If you somehow still don’t know what PhysX is or what makes it worth your time, be sure to check out our article, which attempts to leave no question unanswered.

Starting today, any owner of a GeForce 8 Series or higher GPU can immediately discover the immersive playability that NVIDIA PhysX technology brings to PC gaming. This first of many planned “GeForce Power Packs” is a fascinating showcase of how PhysX technology is fundamentally changing video games and interactive entertainment.