PCI Soundcard Windows 10

[TwinBoom]

Anyone  using a PCI card in windows 10?

I have a PCI EX1 slot but its covered by my graphics card.

Only available slot is PCI I tried my old SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS plug it in widows doesn't even see it.
not even in device manager. I tried scan for new hardware to no avail.

any thoughts would be appreciated this onboard sound is lacking in the game.

[Pudgie]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAG6K8B48922&Description=PCI-E%201x%20to%20PCI-E%201x%20Adapter&cm_re=PCI-E_1x_to_PCI-E_1x_Adapter-_-9SIAG6K8B48922-_-Product

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAC5C8F05943&Description=PCI-E%201x%20to%20PCI-E%201x%20Adapter&cm_re=PCI-E_1x_to_PCI-E_1x_Adapter-_-9SIAC5C8F05943-_-Product

All I could find to potentially allow you to use the existing PCI-E 1x slot under your vid card to allow a remote mount of a PCI-E 1x sound card in an open, unused slot on your case that will allow the socket to lay flat under the sound card unobstructed.

This PCI slot sound card:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020&Description=PCI%20Sound%20Cards&cm_re=PCI_Sound_Cards-_-29-132-020-_-Product
 
….is reported to work w\ Windows 10 by d'lding the latest driver off Asus web site (disk driver only cover up to Win 7) but reviews show the compatibility w\ Win 10 to be spotty at best.

Not much else I could find that would come anywhere close to a solution w\o a mobo upgrade...………

Hope this helps.

 

[TwinBoom]

ty

[Meatwad]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAG6K8B48922&Description=PCI-E%201x%20to%20PCI-E%201x%20Adapter&cm_re=PCI-E_1x_to_PCI-E_1x_Adapter-_-9SIAG6K8B48922-_-Product

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAC5C8F05943&Description=PCI-E%201x%20to%20PCI-E%201x%20Adapter&cm_re=PCI-E_1x_to_PCI-E_1x_Adapter-_-9SIAC5C8F05943-_-Product

All I could find to potentially allow you to use the existing PCI-E 1x slot under your vid card to allow a remote mount of a PCI-E 1x sound card in an open, unused slot on your case that will allow the socket to lay flat under the sound card unobstructed.

This PCI slot sound card:





https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020&Description=PCI%20Sound%20Cards&cm_re=PCI_Sound_Cards-_-29-132-020-_-Product
 
….is reported to work w\ Windows 10 by d'lding the latest driver off Asus web site (disk driver only cover up to Win 7) but reviews show the compatibility w\ Win 10 to be spotty at best.

Not much else I could find that would come anywhere close to a solution w\o a mobo upgrade...………

Hope this helps.

 

I have a riser expansion like above for I think it was a USB 3.0 card or something. It works pretty good

[Drano]

Man I tell ya the more I hear about Win10 the more I hate it! Seems hardly a week goes by without somebody having it hose something! I have the Fatal1ty version of that same card TB! Even tho they haven't updated the drivers for the thing in like forever it still works great on my Win7/64 machine.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Force using Tapatalk

[Pudgie]

The only other viable option is to go w\ an external USB audio interface instead of an internal PCI-E based sound device for sound.

Creative makes several decent ones:

https://us.creative.com/p/sound-cards?filters=1124

They range from fairly inexpensive to fairly expensive but for gaming (3D audio positioning) they're about the best out there and most\all are Win 10 capable w\ good Win 10 driver support thru Creative.

The main issues that 1 may come across w\ these types of sound devices will fall around how well the mobo's USB headers can regulate the power to them across the device's USB interface cable (most are USB 2.0 interface but I think the newer Sound Blaster X G5-G6 series may be USB 3.x capable), regardless of whether they're bus-powered (no external AC power supply for interface, powers DAC\AMP fully off USB header) or self-powered (has separate, external AC power supply for DAC\AMP, USB header only supplies power for data transmission across USB cable) as the data streaming fidelity (thus sound fidelity\DAC operation) across the device USB interface cable will be determined by how STABLE\CLEAN the power regulation is on the USB header (where the pops and interface instabilities come from).

If you do consider this route I would recommend to isolate these on a specific USB 2.x header by itself to reduce the power regulating load for stabilization purposes IF you don't have a mobo that is equipped w\ dedicated USB headers designed specifically for these USB audio interfaces (usually are yellow colored). As to using in conjunction w\ an external powered USB hub I haven't tested as I considered this to be just as unstable when using w\ several USB devices plugged in it....but I could be wrong depending upon the particular powered USB hub being used...………….....

If you have a mobo that is equipped w\ these dedicated USB audio headers (whether USB 2.x or 3.x) then using an external USB audio sound interface device is the way forward IMHO as these solve it all concerning Win 10 compatibility AND external USB audio usage, then the only issue is how much you're willing to spend to get the quality of sound you want. The power output across these USB headers are adjustable from within the mobo's UEFI (or BIOS if you prefer) to accommodate most external USB audio device's power needs. Then you can just move the device across whenever you upgrade your system w\o issue.

I know that Gigabyte mobos are equipped w\ these specific USB audio headers (called USB DAC-UP or DAC-UP2 on the Gigabyte\Aorus Gaming series models) but I'm sure that there are others that offer them as well.

IMHO, any future mobo purchase should include these USB audio specific headers\ports on them, especially if using Win 10 OS, to address this very issue. These ports can still be used by other USB devices as well if desired. FYI.

This SoundBlaster X7 USB DAC-AMP I'm using coupled w\ the Gigabyte GA-X99M Gaming 5 (USB DAC-UP) and GA-AX370 Gaming K5 (USB DAC-UP2) mobos that I've used\am using w\ the X7 plugged into the supplied USB DAC-UP headers has been bulletproof in operation as well as sound output\fidelity for the past 3-4 yrs w\ no issues......as long as the DAC-AMP is plugged into these dedicated yellow USB audio headers. It will work in the other USB headers as well but you will experience some intermittent hissing, crackles and pops if it is plugged into a regular USB 3.x header (blue ones) as this DAC-AMP (most others as well) is USB 2.x spec'd so it works better in a reg USB 2.x header (black ones) but you'll still get the occasional pop, hiss and crackle. This is strictly due to inadequate\unstable power regulation at the USB header concerning the DAC USB interface cable's ability to carry a clean digital audio signal w\o distortion from the mobo to the external DAC and NOT the external USB audio device itself being the issue.

Just thought I'd give some guidance concerning using these for anyone considering using 1 as I've ran mine thru the gauntlet of tests and have experienced it all. Just like all things computing these devices have come a long way from their inception and have improved so are MUCH better now than in times past.

Hope this helps.

 

[jigsaw]

EVGA just came out with one.   https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=712-P1-AN01-KR    You might also be able to reach the slot under your card with a riser cable.

[Shuffler]

Man I tell ya the more I hear about Win10 the more I hate it! Seems hardly a week goes by without somebody having it hose something! I have the Fatal1ty version of that same card TB! Even tho they haven't updated the drivers for the thing in like forever it still works great on my Win7/64 machine.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Force using Tapatalk

Actually this is a mobo problem. The slot is not accessible with larger video card.

[Drano]

I see now. Mine is a straight up PCI card that's in a PCI slot. I don't have another usable pci x1 card in my machine for the same reason. No room under the video card. The sound card I have was an ebay find. I even got the front panel and patch cable for it. Even so I don't think there are any Win10 drivers for it. I'm sure at best Win10 might find something that would let sound come out but even that might be a stretch! I'm at work so I don't have that info in front of me but I think the latest drivers for mine might be something like c2012-ish.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Force using Tapatalk

[Drano]

This is the one I have. Upon further review, ancient as it is, it looks like there actually are some drivers for it.

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Platinum-FATAL1TY-Champion/dp/B000QYBICE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8


Did a quick search of the general model number (sb0460)of the card and see there's a few of them floating around.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Creative%20sb0460&tbm=shop


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TwinBoom]

Pudgie i bought the first riser adapter you posted.  Gonna try it with my pci ex1 fatality 7.1 card. Will post update when it comes in. Figure its newer than my audigy 2.
If not gonna try asus card. Gotta do something this on board crap is well ......crap lol.

[zack1234]

So windows 10 is poo for hardware?

[atlau]

Dumb question but aren't sound cards redundant for most if us? Or is the audio significantly better?

[Bizman]

Dumb question but aren't sound cards redundant for most if us? Or is the audio significantly better?

There's no dumb questions.

Redundant for most of us, yes.

There's a couple of benefits in an extra sound card, though.

First, it takes some load off the processor which can make games run more fluently. A multi core processor may be able to use separate cores for the sound and the game but little is known how Windows actually shares the tasks between cores.

Second, especially an external DAC can hugely improve sound quality. There's an electromagnetic field inside the computer case which has more or less affect to the sound circuit. Some motherboard manufacturers try to isolate the sound circuit but building Faraday cage is not an easy task there. Thus, if you can get the sound signal out in digital form and make it audible outside the computer, the sound will be much cleaner.

But for listening to the cannons blasting and engines running the built-in sound circuit can do its job pleasingly enough.

[Chalenge]

Dumb question but aren't sound cards redundant for most if us? Or is the audio significantly better?

Not a dumb question, of course.

The reality is that onboard audio is limited in quality, prone to some small amount of interference, and is buffered by whatever system interrupts Windows has in place. Recently, this has manifested in higher latency for onboard audio primarily when the Windows 10 system is booting, but the same issue also strikes earlier version of the OS (it's just not as noticeable). If you ever get into an area of AHIII where you have many, many users and lots of sounds coming in simultaneously this could show itself by audio that plays late, or is delayed.

These same issues can hit a sound card, specifically the more affordable cards. Sound cards can increase the quality of your audio, allow for increased depth (surround audio), but they will also eat up at least one lane.

USB interfaces, or external audio cards utilize polling rather than multiple interrupts. This works to elevate the audio experience to a higher level feature, rather than a bolt-on option. The reason I went this route is that I determined that the onboard audio and some add-in audio cards were delaying the processing of 3D positional data (where audio sources appear to be during playback). I felt that this might be because the processing of 3D data on the GPU might be delayed with respect to playback (the position added as a feature of lag processing and thus old data).

USB is not without its own problems. Your individual USB interface on the motherboard can make a big difference and disconnects and reconnects can occur, which can cause audio dropouts and delays.

That said you can still get the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB at Amazon for about $60.

If you want an interface that you can move from Xbox, PS4, Nintendo, PC and/or Mac there is also a Sound Blaster X G6 for about $150. To make the best use of that one you will need some impressive headphones, but you do not need studio quality types.

If you are happy with onboard sound then I suggest you don't follow the white rabbit.