Sound cards

[kirisutogomen]

Calling all Course 6s? So I think the onboard sound in our desktop computer is dying. Hopefully I'm interpreting the symptoms correctly.

If so, it seems to me that my best solution is to buy a sound card. Am I right? If the onboard sound on the motherboard is malfunctioning, will that malfunction a sound card too, or can I just tell the onboard sound to shut up and let the sound card take over? (And how would I tell it that?) And what question am I not asking that I should be?

Also, grrrrrr.

Comments

[countertorque.livejournal.com]

You can stick a sound card in there and tell the onboard sound card to shut up in the BIOS. I had to do this on my comp a year or so ago and it's been fine since. You probably don't have to tell the on board sound to shut up, just don't connect any speakers to it. It's possible the computer benefits slightly from not having to generate every sound twice.

Asking a course 6 to answer this question is like asking you to help with my taxes or asking me to help fix your car.

[mathhobbit.livejournal.com]

When I built my own computer I (eventually) bought a sound card, which may still be kicking around someplace. Let me know if you want to try using it in your computer.

I've never heard of a sound card failing, onboard or otherwise, but obviously countertorque has.

disclaimer: coourse 18

[treptoplax.livejournal.com]

I might try some live-cd first to verify it's hardware and not OS corruption somehow. I may also have an old sound card. Note also that for not much more than a new midrange sound card you may be able to replace motherboard.