CPU usage and soundcards

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

I've been having this arguement for a while now with my little brother. He says that onboard audio requires less CPU usage. Well, i've been disagreeing all along. I believe that onboard audio take a huge chunk of CPU usage (i mean i have a p3 550mhz + an onboard cmedia chip and my CPU usage is always at least 10% when playing stuff with QCD). In addition, when i tested some time ago an old isa SB16 from creative labs the CPU usage was not more than 3%!!! However, that piece of junk cant mix hardware channels. It just has 1. :D

So im i correct? :)
Also, why the hell is my onboard audio chip eating so much CPU anyway??

[Tokelil]

I think www.tomshardware.com has some test of this.

But you are right. Onboard soundcards does take more CPU cycles than dedikatet hardware. Why you ask... I guess some of the functions are emulated on the CPU when you are using onboard soundcards while "real" soundcards has hardware on it to process the data.

Some of the new onboard soundchips are not that bad though! The Nvidia Soundstorm doesn't take much more CPU time than etc. the Creative Audigy2.

[Todd The Kiwi]

I've been having this arguement for a while now with my little brother. He says that onboard audio requires less CPU usage. Well, i've been disagreeing all along. I believe that onboard audio take a huge chunk of CPU usage (i mean i have a p3 550mhz + an onboard cmedia chip and my CPU usage is always at least 10% when playing stuff with QCD). In addition, when i tested some time ago an old isa SB16 from creative labs the CPU usage was not more than 3%!!! However, that piece of junk cant mix hardware channels. It just has 1. :D

So im i correct? :)
Also, why the hell is my onboard audio chip eating so much CPU anyway??

you are correct man, rex 1 , rex junior 0. same applies with the video card as far as i know, they have their own brains to use not the p.c's brain. i get c.p.u usage down to about 2/3% with my card :D

[hedge]

you are correct man, rex 1 , rex junior 0. same applies with the video card as far as i know, they have their own brains to use not the p.c's brain. i get c.p.u usage down to about 2/3% with my card :D [/FONT]
Does anyone know why a crappy Soundblaster Live would cause my athlon 2700 to run 10 degrees hotter than without it???
And why my nvidia soundstorm digital onboard is constantly distorting at anything past half system volume???
(hmmm maybe it was just a bung a7n8x del... it just shit itself... bigtime. ahh well good ol three year warranty :) lets just hope it is the mobo... and nothing more... pricey!)

[Todd The Kiwi]

[QUOTE=hedge]Does anyone know why a crappy Soundblaster Live would cause my athlon 2700 to run 10 degrees hotter than without it???

mate , new soundcard = new machine ! my card (check the other threads in this section,no doubt you already have) is bottom of the line audiophile which is way above soundblaster stuff it's insane how much difference a good card makes to your machine! faster , cooler :cool: lower cpu. in short spend like $300 and buy a card that's not soundblaster so much bad press about regarding them . your machine is being 'dragged down' by the card because it has a crappy 'brain' and needs help from your p.c , help comes at a price > heat > slow = sad hedge.
qcd+metal+soundblaster=sadhedge 24/7 :D was this any help? i doubt it , you knew you had to spend your beer money on a card sooner or later :eek:

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

Another reason not to use an onboard audio chip is that it cracks and pops whenever there is a proggie doing some real cpu intensive stuff. I have this all the time. The problem can be partly solved by having your harddisk in UDMA /100 mode, but still persists. Also, just to show off how much my computer is a piece of shit, i cant even use DMA transfers! Im stuck in PIO4 mode just because i had to get a harddrive incompatible with my onboard sis harddisk controller. So to conclude, DONT GET SIS, CMEDIA, and CREATIVE LABS hardware junk!!!!

[Tokelil]

Well I'd like a AOPEN motherboard with their TubeSound onboard sound! :cool: (eg. http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/AX4GETube-G.htm)

[hedge]

[QUOTE=hedge]Does anyone know why a crappy Soundblaster Live would cause my athlon 2700 to run 10 degrees hotter than without it???

mate , new soundcard = new machine ! my card (check the other threads in this section,no doubt you already have) is bottom of the line audiophile which is way above soundblaster stuff it's insane how much difference a good card makes to your machine! faster , cooler :cool: lower cpu. in short spend like $300 and buy a card that's not soundblaster so much bad press about regarding them . your machine is being 'dragged down' by the card because it has a crappy 'brain' and needs help from your p.c , help comes at a price > heat > slow = sad hedge.
qcd+metal+soundblaster=sadhedge 24/7 :D was this any help? i doubt it , you knew you had to spend your beer money on a card sooner or later :eek:
but... thats SOOO much beer!!! ahh well it can wait, the whole 'i can't start up my computer because the motherboards in need of some serious attention (replacing...)!!!'

[Todd The Kiwi]

but... thats SOOO much beer!!! ahh well it can wait, the whole 'i can't start up my computer because the motherboards in need of some serious attention (replacing...)!!!'

so you're saying you like your beer more than your mother(board) ? ha ha ha ha ha :D

[hedge]

so you're saying you like your beer more than your mother(board) ? ha ha ha ha ha :D
yep u got it... and people say i need to sort out my priorities HAH :):):)
anyway, seeming ive been up at dads for the last few weeks and nowhere near my computer... well its been largely forgotten.

[Todd The Kiwi]

yep u got it... and people say i need to sort out my priorities HAH :):):)
anyway, seeming ive been up at dads for the last few weeks and nowhere near my computer... well its been largely forgotten.

you are another young bloke aye ,?
so to follow on the emu food thing what does it taste like man ?
gamey chicken or fowl ('scuse the pun) ?

[hedge]

you are another young bloke aye ,?
so to follow on the emu food thing what does it taste like man ?
gamey chicken or fowl ('scuse the pun) ?
yeah ya could call me young - 18 and just finished high school... and damm was that a good feeling!!!

emu - im no expert ive only had it once, but that one time was awesome!!!
i had it on a big ol burger with the lot... tasted a lot like red meat, a rather dark meat... totally unlike chicken, in actual fact nothing like birds normally taste... well i suppose it is flightless, might have something to do with it.