Next gaming rig purchase

[PP Mguire]

It doesn't require any form of audio card. It is digitally sent through an audio passthrough driver (when you install your 680 the drivers will say Nvidia HD audio) which is digitally sent through the HDMI cable to your receiver. When you plug in your HDMI cable to your receiver when you go to sound settings you'll see HDMI output which should automatically be selected under Windows 7.

 

[espeed]

wow, had no idea, thanks!

so just to confirm, using that option in the driver will allow the sound from my X-fi to be passed directly through video card output into receiver? Just checkig this due to your comment "It doesn't require any form of audio card". Checking what you said there.

 

[PP Mguire]

That's the easiest way to get pure digital signal to your receiver, but for your headphones I suggest at least the FiiO E17k. I'm just assuming you have a high quality set of cans, and not something under 100 bucks.

 

[espeed]

yep audio technica 500 series, not to cheap.....

 

[espeed]

i made an edit to my post from 10:20pm, are you able to check and comment? cheers

 

[PP Mguire]

HDMI audio is independent of audio cards completely. As in, there requires NO use of an audio card. You select HDMI as your output and it bypasses everything. Game/movie/music makes sound, it passes through your video card through the HDMI cable straight to your receiver. No compression, no congestion, no use of DAC (besides in your receiver itself).

So if you did that, and got a device like the FiiO and hooked your headphones up you can take the SB out and disable onboard. Hook the FiiO up via USB for a DAC/Headphone amp for your headphones, and HDMI straight to your receiver for 7.1/5.1 surround sound. All you need to do for swapping is select an option in Windows.

 

[espeed]

got it, thanks

 

[espeed]

sadly, my crappy DVI to HDMI cable doesnt support audio. Only realised this after 3 hours or so of trying to figure out why my HDMI audio kept saying 'unplugged'. I have to buy this special dvi-hdmi adapter provided by the graphics card manufacturer which allows audio to be passed via this method. Thought id mention here so it may help someone else in this position.

 

[PP Mguire]

sadly, my crappy DVI to HDMI cable doesnt support audio. Only realised this after 3 hours or so of trying to figure out why my HDMI audio kept saying 'unplugged'. I have to buy this special dvi-hdmi adapter provided by the graphics card manufacturer which allows audio to be passed via this method. Thought id mention here so it may help someone else in this position.

There already should have been that adapter in the box with your video card.

A standard HDMI cable would be the best bet though.

 

[espeed]

Not with 4870x2 cards, the adapter that comes with this card is a DVI-VGA if i remember. As the card doesnt have HDMI ports, i cant use a standard HDMI cable as nice and easy as that sounds