Slowed down sound - Solution to sound issues with VIA based motherboards

it´s a good point. I don´t think M$ update is really the way to go for hardware drivers, although obv it´s essential for security updates, hotfixes and service packs,etc. I´ve had a few problems with it as regards hardware, esp ATi catalyst drivers. Whenever I let M$ Update install them, they are poontang, but if i d/l direct from ATi, they work just fine.

many Intel-chipset boards also use Realtek on-board sound controllers - mine does, but I don´t use it . I´m not convinced that on-board sound really offers that much, although it´s great for saving money and bother, I´d still rather have a separate sound-card - and there are some really superb ones on the market at the moment, especially if you stay clear of Creative. That´s not to say Creative aren´t good, the Audigy 2 is still an excellent piece of kit esp for gamers, but there are better, for less. On-board sound (and graphics, etc) is as much about ease of manufacture and assembly and hence lower cost as much as it´s about convenience for the user. It probably saves anywhere between 30mins - 1 hour on build times for PCs, which if you´re knocking out 20 or 30 pcs a day is a substantial saving in time. Costwise it saves the builder between 50 -100 pounds if sound/graphics/network are all onboard, and with the minimal margins most builders make on PCs, that´s a real bonus. if it wasn´t for onboard peripherals, PCs would be 20% or so higher in cost than they are now.