CD Audio header

[SunnyD]

I recently got a new video card, which has a dual-slot cooler on it. It turns out, in their infinite wisdom, Gigabyte decided to put the CD-Audio header right behind a PCIe slot which gets covered by the video card cooler. It wasn't an issue before the video card went in (integrated video), but now I can tell the audio cable is getting mashed up against the shroud on the video card. Everything fits, but I know it's putting a little pressure on the motherboard and video card.

My question is - unless you plan on listening to CD's on your computer, is there any real reason to plug the CD-Audio cable in anymore? DVD's and games generally don't use CD-Audio anymore, does anything else?

 

[VirtualLarry]

With a modern drive, listening to CD audio happens over the IDE/SATA bus, not the analog audio cable.

 

[imported_apocalypse]

To use the headphone jack that comes with some optical drives. But most people don't use that jack or use cases that have front panel audio out.

 

[bludragon]

You won't miss anything by unplugging it, the only use for it is with an audio cd where the os does not support getting the audio digitally from the drive. I think this was an option in w2k, and is default in xp and I assume vista too.

 

[SunnyD]

Gone is the CD Audio cable then. Thanks!

 

[Spicedaddy]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
With a modern drive, listening to CD audio happens over the IDE/SATA bus, not the analog audio cable.

Yep, and it's been like this since Windows 2000. (Win 98 needed it for Audio CDs)