PCI Sound Card vs. OnBoard Sound?

[Guest jason2112]

Hello everybody!I have read once or twice that the installation of a PCI soundcard, on a mainboard that already has on-board sound, might improve FPS and fluidity of FS2002. I guess that would make sense, because as far as I remember, these AC97 sound modules leave most of the work to the processor.I run a Duron 1000 with 512 MB RAM and a GeForce3 Ti200, and get usable 12-20 FPS (locked at 20) most of the time with most sliders to the right, no FSAA/AF, no AI traffic, and a resolution of 1600x1200x32. I'm really content with this setup, except that I cannot use AI traffic because it really stresses the processor.I'd be glad to hear of any experience with this kind of upgrade.Thank you!VOlker :]

[jcboliveira 1]

I didn't noticed any difference with my 1G PC but if you use VATSIM two boards is a must.Jos

[Guest jason2112]

Thanks for your answer! Have you tried to disable the onboard sound, or did you use both sound units at the same time? I have noticed practically no FPS increase when I simply press Q to turn off sound. It might be half a frame per second, but nothing more.And, by the way, I still have not dared to use VATSIM. I have listened to some Roger Wilco radio traffic, and have bought a simple microphone. But I guess I'm still too shy ;)Bye,VOlker :]

[Guest SlimDady]

Onboard sound uses cpu cycles to process sound. it can often cauz some jerking in games, and less performance.If you install a pci card and disable the onboard you should get better performance

[Guest]

Depends on the onboard sound setup, but you could be right.Might put my old Terratec back in just to see tonight :-) It's been gathering dust for over a year now...Remember that if you have an old ISA card you should NOT use it in favour of onboard chipsets. Communication through an ISA bus is CPU intensive compared to comms through a PCI bus (which is what onboard chipsets usually use) and slow.

[Guest SlimDady]

Ohh yea dont even bother unless your installing atleast a live 5.1 or higher..

[Guest gasebah]

Volker,I have AC97 on board and I also have a Terratec PCI soundcard. I have tested this with differnt benchmarks. Today unless you want fancy stuff like DD5.1 or Digital in/out IMHO it makes no sense to go for a PCI soundcard. The fact that the souncard improves performance of the machine in a noticable way IMHO is a legend. That might be true for a 650 MHz system but not for an AthlonXP 1800+.I am very happy with the sound on board and will never by an additional souncard again I guess.Alex

[Guest jason2112]

Thanks for the info, Alex! I guess I already have a very smooth running system. A lot of people with P4 2+GHz seem to be less happy with their FS performance than I am. And since I've only had this setup for a year now I don't consider upgrading yet. I am sceptical that a PCI soundcard would free up enough resources on my processor to be able to display AI traffic smoothly. But I wanted to get some more information on this topic, so again, thank you!VOlker :]

[Guest]

slimdady,you mean if I hear distorted sounds it may be a result of my a7n8x board with nforce chipset? should I reinstall my sb live then? maybe I'll give it a try. but I am afraid I am too lazy ;-)CheersPhilCome to DAD!http://www.dangerous-airports.com/images/dad_logo.jpgAMD XP 2700+, 512 MB, ASUS A7N8X, GF4 440, 17" TFT

[miguelpp 25]

I noticed that my onboard soundcard (Sound Max 1980 on Intel motherboard), was a great performer. Then I put my Audigy again and benchmarked the FS.Believe me, the FPS were more or less the same (in fact the Sound Max was a little faster), but my onboard sound card was running the FS smoother!!. (not a single stutter).A friend of mine let me a Fortissimo II and benchmarked again, and the frames were equal than the Sound Max.So, despite the rumours about the great performance hit on the onboard sound.I suposse that not all are equal, but I have tested the ALC 650 (on many ASUS motherboards) and was very good ,too. Direct 3D sound and effects worked very well ; music quality is OK and I don

[Guest]

That's my experience with the onboard sound Asus provides too (and the main reason my

[Guest]

Ditto with me too and my ASUS P4PE board with onboard sound. My SB Live! has gone to my kids computer where it will have a better, and more useful, retirement!

[Guest Tim13]

This is good to hear since I'm about two weeks away from ordering the parts for my new system. I had been wondering about onboard sound v.s. a sound card, but now I'm going with the onboard. Tim13