Hi! I am about to do an upgrade on a budget. I need a new AM2 mobo + CPU + memory. I dont care much about performance but picky on sound quality. And yes, it has to be all built in. I came across Realtek's alc888 in cheap mobos. Is it the best codec out there or should I look someplace else?
Any help appreciated. Is there good review on audio codecs?
p.s. I have 2 speaker + sub setup

No one uses mobos no'mo?

I guess not or no-one has come across your thread. I use a sound card but i have 5.1 system.

Hi FidelC! Maybe you want to move this to the hardware section. I don't know much about onboard audio, but ALC880 is pretty good I think and ALC888 is probably an updated version. Some mobo's have a SB Live! chip, but that's getting old now and it's only on top-of-the-line boards AFAIK.

I'm using ALC880, and it's good enough for my needs (I play a lot of CDs and mp3s on my PC). Same setup as you, FidelC, 2 speakers and a sub.

Thank you folks! My mobo a7v600 had (coz it doesnt see an hdd any more and had been asking to hit the bucket for long) an ADI ad1980 and it always sounded 'plasticky' even not comparing to anything. With new speakers, and I left a subwoofer and replaced the satellites with hand-made Kenwood speakers - I used 5" car drivers, it became evident even more. So based on my experience I think I want ALC. About alc888 I know it supports 24bit resolution and has 97dB s/n range.
I still wonder if anybody heard of reviews or opinions on the subject or found smth comparable to Creative, which got the buggiest drivers and is not an option.
Thanks.

where is the white kitty ?

White kitty is having a rest, she got exhausted from all that dancing

I see.. I wish we all had such a vacation once in a while

if your "picky" on sound quality,you wont be satisfied with any onboard audio , better buy a good card , if your gamer then get some creative card , if not then auzentech , but of course if your speakers or hifi/reciever are poor quality.. it really wouldnt matter much

Yes, price vs quality is usually the rule. I want it on-board coz i wouldnt have to deal with bloatware drivers every time i format. I could roughly predict the quality if the developers at least bothered to list comlete specs such as THD, frequency range and so on. 24 bit already sounds good (and thus comparable to creative). 97 dB signal-noise i can certainly live with; but thats all the info so far. So guess I'd have to go by recomendations.

specs are dry and you shouldnt decide by that , even if they look good or promising , they mean absolutely nothin about the actual quality , its ridicules to compare any onboard audio to a creative card (unless the card is super old) , what counts is not the specs but the quality of the chips/electronic parts used on the onboard/card and features, espically the audio processor , be aware that creative owns the rights of eax 3/4/5 therfore any non creative card or onboard audio doesnt support beyond eax 2 (for gamers,it matters) , so dont let the specs mislead you they really dont tell the entire story , dont get excited by "24bit" or the SNR it really doesnt mean it sounds good , you think youll get high quality audio onboard? forget about it , onboard audios are not for audiophiles or ppl who like to hear their music/games/movies in high quality , its just a budget solution and nothin beyond not to mention cheaply made , drivers themself are not bloated in any way , its the configuration software that comes with em but not all are bloated

edit if you want the complete specs,youll likely find em in the manufacturer site (audio codec manufacturer,not the motherboard) , but as said^

Not sure, do AMD motherboards get HD Audio, or is that just an Intel thing?

Secondly, until they actually announce a reliable, proper Vista solution, best to rule out C-Media - I have a CMI9880 (HD onboard) on my Intel, and it's ok, but people are screaming about the problems with Vista support.

Just looked, looks like AMD's do get "Azalia", at least some of them - the ALC880 / 888 is an Azalia / HD codec.