Speakers=CPU usage hogs?

[NV30]

As you probably know I got some ADA880 speakers, and before I had some cheap AVS300s. Problem is when playing an audio file, COU usage is from 50-almost 100 percent! Definitely slows your PC down. Any ideas? Never had this with the other speakers.

 

[Vehementi]

DId you install any software that might have come with the ADA880's? Install anything new?

Speakers do not use CPU usage, only your sound card does...

What is your soundcard?

Are you outputting Analog or Digital? Often onboard sound cards don't have their own DAC, and just leech off the CPU.

 

[NV30]

I have onboard audio on my D845HV chipset. No new software I think.

How can you tell if you output analog or digital?

 

[Vehementi]

I'm pretty sure you ouput analog - onboard audio usually doesn't support digital. I think your onboard sound is leeching DAC processes from your CPU, which is causing it to slow down. Can't find anything on the ADA880 (so far) on A-L's website but I'm sure they're analog as well.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Is the CPU usage high even if playing audio CDs? Which players have you tried? Have you looked at the resources - is the player using CPU power or is it a service of some sort?

ADA880 has digital input (S/PDIF) for AC3 and Dolby Digital sound. Also, some new integrated audio chips, such as nForce2, do have digital out option, but as far as I know, D845HV does not.

 

[NV30]

Seems that the visualizations in WMP9 slowed it down a lot. They're purdy, but use almost 40% of my CPU power! Without them, I get around <20% usage.

All fixed.

 

[Rick]

Find me speakers that use your CPU and I'll find you 3 naked pictures of your mother.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

Digital USB speakers do use CPU power

 

[Phantasm66]

Originally posted by Rick
Find me speakers that use your CPU and I'll find you 3 naked pictures of your mother.

Rick, I already have naked pictures of YOUR mother!

No, speakers do not use CPU power. Think about what you are saying....

 

[acidosmosis]

Speakers dont use CPU power. I'm sure they use a very small amount of wattage from your sound card but thats about it. The only possible scenario I can think of when your speakers would use cpu power is if you thought about it like this: your speakers possibly make your sound card work a lil harder and in turn the sound card pushes your processor a little harder? Seriously doubt that numbers on that theory are anything to even register at 0.01% cpu usage.

Doubt that is ever the case though.

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

When I said digital USB speakers, I meant something like this:
Microsoft Digital Sound System 80 and Altec Lansing ADA70 Digital PowerCube

If the CPU can't handle the extra workload, the audio stream will be interrupted. A fast machine is therefore crucial for USB audio systems. Our test machine was a Pentium II 333-MHz machine with 96MB RAM, which more than exceeded the requirements of either system.

Ok, CPU usage might not be high with current systems, but it's there.

 

[young&wild]

I believe in what you have mentioned Mict as USB Speakers uses software rather than hardware(soundcard) to decode sounds which is a burden to the cpu when playing higher quality files.

Here's a link to clarify things.

http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/reviews/160/1/