Non-integrated sound cards
The two most popular sound card vendors are Creative,
which produces the Soundblaster line, and Turtle Beach.
Soundblaster: This was the original sound card,
produced in 1989, and it dominates the market. The current models include:
Soundblaster Live!
Soundblaster Audigy
Soundblaster Audigy 2
Soundblaster Extigy (external, usb connection)
Santa Cruz
Please note that with
the exception of the Soundblaster Extigy,
all sound cards mentioned here are internal PCI expansion cards.
Integrated sound cards and
motherboard chipsets
Integrated sound controllers
Many motherboards, especially the lower end variety,
have sound capabilitites built in as 'integrated
audio'. The digital controller for integrated m/b sound is located in the m/b
chipset, and the enabled/disabled status of the controller can be toggled in
the BIOS.
The fact that the sound controller is integrated into the m/b doesn't mean that
the sound is low quality. If the system has a lot of memory and a decently
strong cpu, the sound is
very good. The difference is that the CPU is burdened with more processing than
in a system with a non-integrated card.
To find drivers for integrated sound cards, you find the page for the computer
vendor/model or m/b vendor/model.
Asus
Abit
Gigabyte
Intel
MSI
Soyo
In order to download
the right driver, you have to be able to recognize the motherboard. Click here for the training on recognizing motherboards.
A primer on motherboard chipsets
A tutorial discussion on chipset
technology from hardwarecentral.com
Every motherboard has a 'chipset'. The
chipset controls the flow of data on the m/b bus, and dictates how the indivicual devices on the m/m talk to each other. Each
chipset has two components: the northbridge
(positioned higher on the m/b) and the
You may download audio drivers specific to the chipset on the m/b to get the
integrated audio to work. This is especially important for mom and pop systems
with motherboards that are difficult to recognize. Since the chipset is always
labeled, you may go to the chipset vendor's website and download the
appropriate driver.
Here are some motherboard chipset websites:
Via
Intel Chipsets
Motherboards.org has a
'chipset' database you may refer to as well.