Reddit User Pairs GeForce RTX 3050 with RTX 5090 To Support PhysX

Expert Verified By

Are we back to using a dedicated PhysX card in games ?

Story Highlight
  • The GeForce RTX 50 series no longer supports 32-bit CUDA, which means it doesn’t support PhysX acceleration.
  • Games like Mirrors Edge show a drastic performance drop on the RTX 5090 compared to older GPUs like the GTX 980 Ti.
  • A Reddit user paired an RTX 3050 with a 5090 to enable PhysX acceleration, significantly boosting performance in older games.

A few days ago, the RTX 50 series removed support for 32-bit CUDA, which meant that PhysX games would no longer be supported. Although you may still play some games, the performance is significantly below what you expect.

Why it matters: The removal of PhysX support in the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series directly impacts gamers who enjoy older titles that rely on this technology.

There used to be PhysX acceleration cards. However, NVIDIA bought this company and incorporated PhysX technology into their GeForce lineup. That said, the absence of PhysX on graphics cards, such as the GeForce RTX 5090, is a significant issue.

Since its launch in early 2015, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti has outperformed the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Mirrors Edge provides one such example: when physics kicks in, the RTX 5090 suffers greatly.

In rasterization, the GeForce RTX 5090 provides nearly twice the performance of the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. However, when the glass cracks and physics kicks in, we can observe that Mirrors Edge is essentially unplayable, with the GeForce RTX 5090 achieving 6 FPS compared to 120 FPS on the GTX 980 Ti.  

A Reddit user named jerubedo claims that he bought a GeForce RTX 3050 to pair with his GeForce RTX 5090 and speed up PhysX. The goal was to observe what would happen if older games were played using the PhysX physics acceleration technology.

As expected, the combo has significantly boosted performance. With the RTX 3050 installed, the Mafia 2 Classic ran at 157.1 FPS instead of 28.8 FPS with the RTX 5090. Batman Arkham Asylum went from running at 61 FPS to 390 FPS.

This makes it obvious that the RTX 50 series is a major step backward if you want to play older games that require PhysX.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

EA New Patent Will Automate Playtesting In Games Using AI Agents

A new EA patent wants to automate playtesting in games using AI agents that can emulate various playstyles to replace humans.

Over 4 Years Since Release, RTX 3060 is Still Steam’s Most Popular GPU

According to the latest hardware survey, the Geforce RTX 3060 is still the most popular GPU on Steam followed by RTX 4060

A Huge Catalog Of Xbox Games Will Use Muse AI Generative Model Soon, Says Microsoft CEO

In a new interview, Microsoft CEO talked how a huge catalog of Xbox games will soon implement Muse and was blown away by the AI model.

Corsair Clarifies CEO’s Statement On GTA 6 PC Release In 2026, Calling It Mere Speculation

Corsair CEO's remarks on GTA 6's PC release made headlines, but the company now clarifies it was just mere speculation.

$2800 ROG Astral RTX 5090 Reported Dead Following Fire And Blown Capacitor

Following the saga of burnt GeForce RTX 5090 connectors, reports indicate one graphics card has died completely due to internal failure.