Microstar K7T Pro2....Got Sound?

[Rhodent]

I was reading the anandtech review of this board and it looks really good. But it says on the MSI site that it has integrated Soundblaster direct sound and AC... something codecs. IS this a tough way of saying on board sound? Or will I need a sound card with this board? Anyone know. I called one online site and they told me it does not have onboiard soundbut they guy seemed unsure of himself. Thanks

 

[Mem]

Yes it does have onboard sound.

If you want proof go here

 

[beer]

Furthermore, is the sound quality any good?

 

[RustyTucker]

yes it has sound, i dont know if its good though.

 

[duragezic]

Probably not good sound quality but you can disable the onboard sound in the BIOS and use a regular PCI sound card.

 

[jonnyGURU]

The sound is your typical 686B Via AC97 sound.

It's OK at best.

 

[slpaulson]

I don't know if it is as bad as my epox 6vba2's sound. If it is expect to hear a nice hum whenever you use your mouse .

 

[Rand]

Yes it does have onboard sound. However the sound is from an AC97 audio codec and is very poor.

 

[PandaBear]

speaking about the hum...... i have that on my soundblaster PCI64.

God damn annoying.

 

[Modus]

Actually, all sound cards have similar sound output *quality*. This is determined by signal to noise ratio, frequency response, impedence, etc, and has been better than human ears can measure for quite some time now.

If you're just listening to MP3's, Internet audio streams, and Windows noises, you can't see the difference between a properly integrated AC'97 codec and a SoundBlaster Live Value. It's only in games with demanding 3D positional audio features where the expensive cards begin to shine.

Modus

 

[SuperFreaky]

The only difference (aside from 3D audio) might be CPU cycles consumed.

 

[Modus]

True, but with modern CPU's, it's not as big a deal.

Modus

 

[gmccall]

I have this Mobo and am currently using the onboard sound. It's okay for what I need (games and mp3's...that's about it really). If I see a deal on a SB Live card I'll probably jump on it, but it better be a sweet deal! Will a better sound card increase my FPS?

 

[Modus]

Better sound cards don't necessarily have less CPU utilization. AnandTech did a review a few months back, and basically the Live was the best of the PCI bunch back then, at least in terms of CPU utilization. But there are some newer PCI sound chipsets from manufacturers like ESS, C-Media, Crystal, etc. that are commonly found in cheaper cards, and no one ever reviews them.

Modus

 

[RGN]

Please see this: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=27&threadid=290987