Any nForce2 reviews highlight the integrated sound capabilities?

[MadRat]

I'm wondering if the next-gen NForce solutions will use a quality sound chip like the 1st generation. Anyone know?

 

[zsouthboy]

Originally posted by: MadRat
I'm wondering if the next-gen NForce solutions will use a quality sound chip like the 1st generation. Anyone know?

Yes they will. Read anand's review.

This is, for all practical purposes, the ONLY reason i want an Nforce board...... the freaking sound chip takes less CPU than most off mobo solutions(cough Creative cough)... AND DOLBY! SHWEET! DOOM ]|[ with surround sound! w00t!

EDIT: Doh! Meant to link to the first review here.

 

[randomlinh]

if you buy an nforce2 board that uses the onboard sound (be careful, some of asus' solutions use a realtek chip, i believe another manufac is using the cmedia chip), then yes. I believe nvidia hasn't changed it a bit actually, it's the same thing.

 

[RanDum72]

I haven't heard of an Asus nforce board that uses Realtek as the sound chip. If you can show me a link, I'll appreciate it. The A7N266 used the C-media, the rest, like A7N266-VM, A7N266E and C all use the nforce APU. You may have either confused the Realtek with the LAN chip or with the codec that some boards use. Epox uses a Realtek codec in conjunction with the nforce APU in their newer nforce2 boards but that doesn't mean the sound is now based on Realtek.

 

[slpaulson]

Could somebody please explain to me what it means when it says a board uses a realtek codec, but still uses the nforce apu? Is there any disadvantage to this compared to using the soundforce? Or am I just confused?

 

[RanDum72]

It simply means that instead of using the ones made by nvidia in conjunction with the APU, they substituted another brand. It can be equally effective. The codec is merely like the output stage of the sound. The new Audigy2 uses Crystal codecs but it doesn't mean the sound is now based on the Crystal chipset since the processing and software is still based on the EMU chipset.

 

[MadRat]

So would it still be 6.1 if its using the alternate codec?