rec.autos.simulators

My current plan is to go for an nForce2 / 2100+ XP / 512 Dual DDR
setup (comment if you want to, but that's nearly set in stone now)

My question is re. the audio on the nForce2 chipset.  I'll be getting
an MCP-T northbridge based mobo, and I don't know whether or not to
offload my current Hercules Fortissimo II sound card in favour of the
intergrated sound for optimal *** performance.

I've suffered for years with an AWE 64 value card without realising
the performance hit that sound was having on my ***, so I am wary
of cheap sound solutions.

I would obviously love to test with this card and without, but I may
have to sell on this card in advance of buying the new rig to fund the
new purchases (!), so I thought I might try to get your advice first.

So, the question is - will I *hear* any difference and will I notice
any performance difference with these choices?

I haven't seen much experience with the nForce 2 mobos posted around
here, so I thought I'd ask.....

Matt

MadDAWG

i've been reading up on the nForce2, MCP-T and the Dolby Digital encoding.  
from what i've read the audio is just as good as the soundblaster audigy
series.  but i'm planning on using the digital out for DD5.1 hooked up to a
home theatre set-up (yamaha receiver, jamo speakers and yamaha sub.  all
'proper' HT gear, and not pc speakers).  there is a 70ns delay, but i don't
think i'll notice.  should be great driving in the middle of a pack in n2002
:D

there is a problem with the audio plugs.  if you want to use the 5.1 outs (not
the digital out) for surround sound, you have to make a cable to fix/reverse
the centre/sub out.  and if you want mic-in at the same time you have to
use some trick.  i've also read the line-in is *really* loud and has bad
distortion.

besides the problems above, i've only been hearing good things about the
nForce2.  with sata, usb2.0 (x6) and ieee1394 (x2) lan (x2) it should last me
my 3 years before the scheduled update :)  my last update was a
P3-850(100fsb) :)  hopefully in 3 years time 5Ghz chips will be common/cheap
so i can stick with my x2.5 speed upgrade rule :)

: I have a nforce2 mobo (asus a7n8x) but i have a sb audigy so i havnt tried
: the onboard sound. My advice would be to not use it but to buy a soundcard
: instead, they always seem to rpoduce better results than onboard sound
:   dan

The nForce 2's onboard sound is quite superb.  I cant find it for the life
of me - but if memory serves me right - the %'ge hit of having sound turned
on in Q3 was considerably less with an nForce / nForce 2 integrated sound
solution than with a SB live

Bleugh - I can find the nf2's figures

http://www.hardocp.com/image.html?image=MTAzODgwNzQxM0JMRTFxUnViZTJfN...
Z2lm

Anyway - have no fear with the nForce 2 onboard sound - the only mainstream
cards I can think of that would outperform it are a Hercules Game Theatre XP
and an Audigy 2

Doug

I'm typing this on an EPOX 8RDA+ based machine.... (NForce 2)

I found the onboard sound to be pretty bad. The Midi sound used for the
engine sound in LFS broke up after a few laps, and I had stuttering sound
problems in various FPS games too (Q3, Wolfenstein & B1942). I've since
disabled it and put my SB-Live! back in.

YMMV.

166 FSB), 3Com 3c950tx-m, MSI GeForce 4 Ti-4600, SB Live! 5.1. (Note the
3Com LAN adapter - the onboard one sucked CPU cycles like nothing I've ever
seen before!)

http://firingsquad.gamers.com/hardware/audigy2_versus_nforce2/default...

Sounds good to me!