Onboard sound-680 SLI

[cmfhsu]

I've got one question-does the onboard sound on the 680i use the cpu and ram off the mobo to process the sound, or is there a dedicated sound processing thing bolted onto the mobo? I've been debating getting a dedicated sound card, but why spend the extra money if I'm not going to be listening for extra quality or using more than 3 speakers? If there's a performance boost to be gained, I'll go for the dedicated board. Any suggestions?

[Bio-Hazard]

Yes the onboard uses the boards system resources, a fter market sound card will improve performance a bit, but hothing to write home about. That said, I use a after market sound card on my rig................;) it's worth a few frames a second.

[cmfhsu]

cool thanks, so not many fps can be gained from dedi. soundcard? cool I'll stick w/ my onboard sound then.

[Bio-Hazard]

There are some good tests out on the web about this subject, you might want to try and google for some results if you're really interested. Back when I tested for the differance, I think the best I got was maybe around 5 FPS at best, but that will depend on your overall system configuration.

['Amp!']

and don't forget
with a dedicated sound card games WILL sound better, crisper, more detailed.

[Frag Maniac]

It also depends though on what aftermarket sound card you get. There are some as low as $70 that beat ones that cost twice as much. Also, don't be fooled by Creative's low CPU drain hardware decoding. From an overall standpoint if you compare system resources used, including RAM, the Creatives use just as much if not more so than cards that sound better and are software driven.

Just look at the comparison tests of cards like the Sondigo Inferno and HT Omega Claro and you'll see what I mean. Sound quality wise you still can't beat the M-Audio Revolution 5.1 ($70) for bang for the buck. I have never had driver issues with mine despite there never having been an update since the card's inception. Every time I think of replacing it I worry of trading sound quality for a couple features it lacks.

[cmfhsu]

but will this audio quality and clarity shine through 2 stock sony speakers? I can't run a 5.1, not to mention a 7.1 system, because I spent all my money on a kickass 5.1 home entertainment system in my basement (all hand wired, no jacks) a couple years ago. So really the only reason I want a sound card is fps increase, and sometimes, when a dvd player breaks downstairs, I can lug my comp downstairs and connect the sound via SPDIF connection.