Can I find out what sound card I have?

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jakethesnake

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I recently purchased the logitech Z-640 speakers and they require a a 5.1 or 6.1 sound card to operate with movies and CD-ROM games and music. I am not sure what sound card version I have. Is there a way to find it out by looking on my computer or something like that?
 
Welcome to TechSpot.

Go to My Computer\Sounds and Audio Devices\Audio, it should be listed at the top. There are several ways to find it, but this is the easiest.
 
Okay, I did that and it said "Sound Playback" and under that it said "Intel Intergrated Audio"

I don't really know what that means and it doesn't tell me what kind of sound card I have, does it?
 
It means you're using the Audio feature built into your motherboard. If you know your motherboard name you ought to be able to check the manufacturer website to see whether your board provides 2/4 or 5.1 channel output.
 
What that means is that you do not have a sound card, you have sound incorporated on your Mb.
You could add a sound crd if you you want to upgrade. You would also disable the integrated sound drivers in the CMOS setup.
 
That means that you do not have seperate sound card, it is integrated on your motherboard. If you don't have outputs on the back of your computer for 5.1 audio, you will have to purchase a sound card like one of the Audigy series.

If you really need to know exactly what version of integrated audio you have, probably the simplest way would be to download a program called Everest, it will tell you what motherboard and audio you have, everything you want to know about your computer.

Hope this helps.

Edit: I see a bunch of people beat me to it.
 
I've got three circular outlets on the back of my motherboard, one that is blue, one that is green and one that pinkish. On the sticker that says what they mean (like a map key, only on the back of my motherboard) it says Line In, Line Out and Mic, unless I am mistaken.

Also, where can I get that Everest program?
 
jakethesnake said:
I've got three circular outlets on the back of my motherboard, one that is blue, one that is green and one that pinkish. On the sticker that says what they mean (like a map key, only on the back of my motherboard) it says Line In, Line Out and Mic, unless I am mistaken.

Thanks for the Everest program. It helps. But what about the other part of my question...the one I have quoted from my previous post. Does that information help me determine whether my sound card is 2/4/5.1/6.1?

My computer brand is a vpr Matrix...and I know the serial number and everything...so could I go to their website and check the sound information on my computer? I also know that my motherboard manufactuer is Intel.
 
Sorry jakethesnake I overlooked that part.

You can`t really tell from looking at the sockets.

Can you tell me the make and modle of your mobo?

Or just the model will do.

Regards Howard :grinthumb
 
I have just looked on the Intel site for your mobo it would seem that your onboard sound is two channel stereo only.

Your onboard sound is ADI 1981A integrated audio (2-channel analog output)

Regards Howard :rolleyes:
 
Alright, thanks. If it makes any difference, when I play music or something, I have the channel set on the back of one of the speakers to 4, the lowest there is out of 6.1, 5.1 and 4. With it set on 4, sound comes out of three of the six speakers and the subwoofer. When it is on 5.1 and 6.1, sound comes out of two of the six speakers, plus the subwoofer.
 
As far as I`m aware yes you still have two channel sound.

As for the downloads they are the last revisions for your mobo.

At least you know where to get drivers for your mobo should you ever need them.

Regards Howard :grinthumb
 
Yep, you've got 2 channel onboard audio then in that case. The new Drivers won't affect that in anyway way, so if you want to get full use of your speaker system you'd need to purchase a 5.1 (Or more) Soundcard.
 
Okay, thanks. Once I buy the new sound card, will I be able to watch movies on my computer (with the encoder and DVD-compatible drive) in surround sound. Would I be able to listen to music on my iTunes in surround sound?

Also, what kinds of sound cards (and prices) do you reccomend (sp?)?
 
How do i know what kind of sound card i have?

hello everyone..
i need to make it clear... i'm a noob. i recently had EVERYTHING erased from my computer and reinstalled windows xp. during the process i'm guessing that I deleted the driver needed for me to have sound?
I'm completely clueless as to what I need to do.. can someone PLEASE help me out?
I have windows xp, Altec Lansing BXR1120 speakers, and a really basic computer.
 
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