nForce 2: Which Support Soundstorm??

[vicwang]

I notice that according to the Newegg.com motherboard search ( http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.asp?catalog=22&DEPA=1 ), only ONE board has Soundstorm (the Leadtek K7NCR18D-PRO). That can't be right.

Does anyone know which boards do indeed have Soundstorm? According to the board descriptions, there's at least five different audio configurations among the different nForce 2 boards:

AC97 audio codec
AC 97 CODEC 6-channel
Realtek ALC650E 2-channel audio
Realtek ALC650E 6-channel audio
CMedia 8738 LX
NVIDIA Soundstorm Audio

Does anyone know the differences (if any) between the different configs? And if a board truly doesn't support Soundstorm, isn't the nForce's MCP sound hardware pretty much wasted? It just seems pointless to have nForce boards with plain old AC97, which would seem to be the other extreme of the spectrum compared to what nForce 2 boards are capable of.

 

[mikeg]

The AC97 is just for input/output, all nForce2's with the MCP-T southbridge have the Soundstorm audio. I believe the only 2 motherboards that do not have Soundstorm are the Abit NF7 (not NF7-S), and the Epox 8RDA (not 8RDA+). The Abit -S and Epox + both have the Soundstorm along with the Asus A7N8X.

 

[RPMK104]

look for the MCP-T processor on the Nforce2 mobos.

MCP-T = 5.1 Soundstorm support

MCP = AC97 sound


Another good way to see if the board supports soundstorm is to look for a SPDIF RCA output or an optical AC3 output.

 

[GetInMyFatBelly]

One exception so far though... Chaintech uses the MCP-T, but went with CMedia sound and NOT the Nvidia SoundStorm. What a waist of a good board...

 

[vicwang]

Cool, thanks. So is there any difference at all in audio functionality between the "standard" and "deluxe" versions of the A7N8X? Or are the only differences the inclusion of serial-ATA, firewire, and the extra LAN connection?

If so, it sounds like the A7N8X is going to be the board of choice for my next upgrade.

 

[Judgement]

I was under the impression the non-delux Asus model didn't have soundstorm.

I could be wrong but I would double check before making a purchase.

 

[EglsFly]

The Asus web site states that Soundstorm is on the deluxe model (only).
http://www.asus.com.tw/mb/socketa/a7n8x/specification.htm
I bought the non-deluxe board, but I am using a TurtleBeach Santa Cruz card (that I already had) anyways which is a great sound card.

 

[RideFree]

RE: the lack of "Soundstorm" being used in the descriptors by the M/B cartel is that it's use ("Soundstorm") is only allowed by nVidea if all of the requirements are met...i.e. the digital Dolby in.
So far, I think the only board this comes with this as standard is the Asus deluxe...it is extra on some other M/Bs.

You can mostly tell from the photos on NewEgg as to which one has it, or not. Look for the optical SPDIF.
I think it is $35 extra on the EPoX+

 

[RanDum72]

One sure sign that the motherboard does have 'SoundStorm' is if it uses the Nvidia APU and has, or has the option of adding, a digital output (whether optical or coax) for 5.1 sound.

 

[GetInMyFatBelly]

Asus A7N8X Deluxe only has SPDIF out, you have to buy the SPDIF input seperately.

 

[RideFree]

GetInMyFatBelly,
Ahah! I had not noticed that.
So, does the extra $35 for the EPoX solution get you an innie or an outtie, or both?very big

 

[lsman]

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