Hi All, A little advice if someone has the time please.I am using the "onboard" sound for my system. (nVidia 6800 LE 128Mg) Will this adversly affect the smooth running of FS9? My local computer shop suggested there would be little to gain from a separate sound card and I've been happy to accept that (on the grounds that they could have just sold me one and taken my money :0) ) However speaking to a friend recently he suggested that using onboard sound (although it seems to work well) would detract from smooth running of the system. I'd be greatful for any advice. (In reasonably simple terms please - as I'm yet to understand computers too well - although I'm trying :-) ) Kind Regards, Blue

Hi Blue,The answer to your question isn't that straightforward because it depends a bit on how fast your system is (BTW, the NVIDIA card that you mentioned is your video card, not the motherboard) and what your onboard sound chip is. It used to be that onboard audio solutions were very poor and indeed resulted in high CPU utilizations but nowadays, they are getting much better so there is negligible difference. Besides, CPUs nowadays are getting very fast so even if utilization is high, the impact on frame rates may not be that big. (Having said that, if you are using a relatively old CPU, any processing you can take off the CPU would be advantageous.)In general though, I would say that you can stick with your onboard audio unless you are dissatisfied with the quality of the sound. I think the main difference between onboard audio and separate sound card is audio quality so I would base your decision on that, rather than frame rates.Hope this helps.Edwin

Edwin, Thanks for your smashing reply, and in terms I understand.Also for putting me right over the "card" thing. I did know that the nVidia was my Video card but thought that was where the "on board" sound was conjured up:-) (Sorry , I did say I'm still trying to learn about these things.)My mother board is K7N2 Delta Series ATX main board. With an AMD Athlon XP2700+ CPU. I have dual fans and uprated power supply. 1 gig of RAM (Not sure what make) A DVD "Multiplayer" and a CD-Rom Reader/Writer 32X10X40 (I hope I'm getting this all correct) 19" CRT Flatron Monitor. I have 2 hard drives each 80 Gig (I think) One dedicated solely for Simming. (I think that's about it.) I tend toward using a headset for simming although I do have stereo speakers setup also (just switch between the two, depending upon what time of day (or night) I'm using the system. Sound seems OK.Sorry if the technical terms are not correct. Thanks for your help.Regards, Blue.

Hi Blue,Your CPU is somewhat dated but your 1GB RAM somewhat makes up for it. Are you satisfied with the sound quality that you have now (with the onboard sound)? It seems like you are so I would advise not to buy a separate sound card.Edwin

Edwin, Thanks for your reply. I'm happy with the sound so will take your advice. I thought about putting a bigger CPU onto my board but I think it will only go up to XP3200 (whatever that is???) so have stuck with it. Also someone suggested changing the settings in the BIOS (I think) to make it faster (over clock???) Wasn't sure about that. I'd appreciate your view, if I can impose upon the generosity you've shown already by answering my queries.Regards, Blue

Hi Blue,Overclocking is the practice of running your CPU at higher than its rated speed. Yes, it is done in the BIOS. In order to do that, you need to increase the Front Side Bus (FSB) speed and with that comes an increase in the clock speed of the RAM. The dangers are two fold: 1) you can fry your CPU; and 2) your system loses stability. Whether you think is worth it is your own choice.If you'd like a more detailed description of how to overclock, search in this forum for a post (made by myself) in the last month or so.Hope this helps.Edwin

Edwin, Many thanks..... in light of your warning, and the fact that I'm pretty happy with the thing as it is, I think I'll leave the overclocking to the experts:-)I will however have a look at the post you mention - can't hurt and as said before I'm still trying to learn about all this stuff.Regards, and my thanks. Blue