AC97 audio - DirectX? newer drivers?

[Slickone]

dxdiag says the VIA AC97 on my Epox 8KHA+ is using 5.12.01.3515 (viaudio.sys), and says it is signed. Does this mean it's DirectX compatible?
Also what is the newest driver recommended for this chip? From VIA? Or seems I rememeber people getting drivers from Realtek?
Will there be any problems if I install DX9 (using 8.1 now)?

 

[Ketchup]

Epox's website should have a good recent driver for your motherboard. Realtec's website is where you wanna go for find the absolute latest driver, but make sure you know your audio chip's model number if you look there. You audio should be fine with DX 9, as I have not heard anyone report problems with it.

 

[Slickone]

The 8KHA+ has the VT8233 south bridge.

Looks like the drivers on Realtek's site are maybe all in the same file? It doesn't give you a chance to pick a chip #.
Click Downloads, hover over Computer Peripherial and Multimedia ICs on left side, AC 97 Audio Codecs, Software Downloads (Drivers and Utilities). One file for WinXP. However this file looks like it might install of other junk along with it (Soundman). And the readme says contains "WDM driver for Win98/WinMe/Win2000/WinXP : 5.10.0.5080" , which looks older than the one I isntalled a long time ago.

Epox's website lists a "Realtek sound driver A3.37.2". After extracting the file, is seems identical to the one from Realtek w/ same files and folders (and Soundman files). The readme lists "WDM driver for Win98SE/WinMe/Win2000/WinXP : 5.10.0.4080".

VIA (viaarena.com) has a file called ComboAudio_a1u340bp3 for several chipsets including mine that contains a viaudio.sys version 6.14.1.3840.

Which one should I use?

 

[holdencommodore]

Use the VIA Combo drivers if your motherboard has got a VIA AC97 codec, or use the Realtek drivers if a Realtek ALC201A, ALC650 etc is on your motherboard. There is no real benifit from installing DirectX 9, from a audio subsystem point of view anyway.

Cheers

 

[Ketchup]

I think the VIA combo driver sounds like the best match for what you already have on your board. If you have XP, you can try to install the driver, and if it's the wrong driver, it won't install it.

 

[Slickone]

Yeah, it's VIA (as said before). Why does Epox only list a Realtek driver to download for this board?

Probably a dumb question but I assume the Realtek drivers aren't numbered the same as the VIA drivers so I would compare my current driver w/ the newer 6.x VIA driver, which is a much higher revision. ?

 

[holdencommodore]

No you can't compare the realtek driver with the VIA driver. The Realtek driver is totally different, as it offers a decent control panel and Sensaura 3D/EAX support. As long as the the little AC97 codec chip (located next to the Joystick i/o) is VIA, you won't be able to install the Realtek drivers.

Cheers

 

[Slickone]

Link

Don't know if that link will work or not, but if you go to Epox's page for this mobo, the audio driver they provide is a Realtek.

 

[holdencommodore]

From a few reviews I looked at for the board, they are using a Realtek codec. Carefully check YOUR motherboard for either the Realtek codec chip ALCXXX (where xxx denotes the model number) or the VIA codec chip VT1612A, or VT1616 and then use the appropriate driver. BTW, that Realtek driver is old, there is a newer version 3.41 available from the Realtek website.

Cheers