Windows 7: Sound Card upgrade?

I was thinking of upgrading my sound card but my motherboards only PCI x1 slot sits right next to the graphics slot. Having the GTX 470 it uses double the space so the sound card if installed would be right below the vid card. My concern, would the heat from the vid card damage the sound card? It would practically be touching each other. Has anyone run into this? Has it caused you any issues?

Hi.


Your motherboard has a Realtek ALC883 6 -Channel on-board audio.

Why you want to add an extra audio card?

IMO you will not gain any much difference.

I think it'd be OK.

I ran a PCI-E X1 soundcard in a slot that was immediately above the graphics card (GTX480), and neither cooked.

Alternately, you could use a PCI soundcard. There may be a wider variety of choices available for that older standard.

Discrete soundcards appear to be endangered species, even though to my (anything but golden) ears, I have yet to get a Realtek onboard sound system that came close to the sound of a decent discrete card.

You could also put it in the second x16/x8 slot.

Yes there is. If you have decent speakers or headphones, the sound will be far better than anything from Realtek audio. It has got better over the years, but the audio quality is still lacking from that of a dedicated sound card.

I already have an X-Fi xtreme music, you guys didn't read my specs? It's currently slotted in a standard pci-e slot.
And a stand alone sound card is far superior to any onboard sound. I was thinking of upgrading for better audiophile level performance. I plan to upgrade my speakers in the future as well as well as my headphones. My concern is heat from the video card since the PCI x1 slot is right below where my vid card is.
So Bobkn you had no issues from the heat? That's good to hear because I'm not ready to upgrade my whole PC yet.

I have a X-Fi Titanium HD x1 card, that sits right below my 570 and no issues.

If however it bothers you, you can add a extra fan to push more air betwwen the Sound card and Video card.
Not only would it get air moving between them cheaply, but it would also help cool the GPU a bit better as well as cool the chipset HS.


But as mentioned, a x1 card will work in any x4, x8, or x16 PCI Express slot. So you can put it in that lower slot if you need to.
Or just stick with a PCI card.

But if buying a new sound card now, I would go with a x1 PCI-X.

That sounds like a good plan to me. Thanks for the advice everyone.

I didn't read your specs.

If you're looking for an "audiophile" card, you would have done well to say so.

I've only tried an X1 soundcard in an X16 slot once. The system didn't boot, but I wouldn't generalize from that. I also have a PCI-E X-Fi, but I don't do a lot of 3D gaming, so its bloated driver/application suite doesn't appeal to me.

If your 570 uses anything like the normal cooling scheme, most of its heat is exhausted out the back of the machine.

I like my Asus Xonar DX. I have an analog 5.1 speaker system, and the "audiophile" cards seem to be aimed more at a digital interface to a receiver. That includes the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD, which only supports stereo on the analog side. The Asus Xonar Essence line also has limited analog outputs.

Yeah, sorry about that. But I was asking more about the heat issue than advice for a sound card which is why I failed to mention that. I think I am going to steer away from creative this time as I also don't care for there application to run the audio. I had been looking at the Asus as well. The HT Omega brand seems pretty good too from the reviews I've read on Newegg. But I haven't decided yet.

You need not worry about the heat. Mine are exactly so, and the temperature didn't even go up by 1C. If you wish to be on the safe side, get a 120mm fan on the front side of the case. Will ensure a good airflow. As for the soundcard, if you're going to use digital out, indeed something like a DX would be nice or a D2, if not, DS, DX, D1 will work great with very good sound quality.