Question ASRock motherboards- how do I connect 5.1 speakers?

[boju]

Because sometimes the computer is the only computer in the house and it's another means of installing lan drivers Windows may not provide and forgot to prepare.

If hardware is older than Windows then Windows should cover basic drivers, otherwise it won't, like that reddit post.

 

[Kalik212]

back to my original issue as far as audio connectors on the I/O panel...I've been looking at some Asus and MSI boards and they all seem to have them...I think I might just go that route versus buying a sound card...it's too bad because I really wanted to try out an ASRock board

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

what is Armoury Crate?

Armoury Crate is required for some ASUS board functionality though their AI Suite can usually handle some of the same functions and is much more reliable.
i still have issue with fans speed curve settings in the BIOS not holding on through booting. always have to manually set a curve through their software that will load along with the OS. not a huge issue, since they auto-load without using any extra system resources.
but i'd much rather not have to use their software at all.

you will see dozens of new posts on their support forums every week about new users with more and more issues with their driver updates and using their motherboard control software.

my last two personal builds have used higher end ASUS boards and their physical manufacturing is some of the best available but their software development is horrible these passed few years.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I've been looking at some Asus and MSI boards and they all seem to have them...I think I might just go that route versus buying a sound card...it's too bad because I really wanted to try out an ASRock board

AsRock is nothing special.
i've built 6 systems over the last 10 years or so using their boards just because they were a better deal at the time and they are good enough, but nothing i would obsess about at all.
1 out of the 6 that was DOA, but never had that problem with any other manufacturers.

MSI is the only manufacturer i've used that i never had any issue whatsoever with.
the few of my own builds in the earlier 2010s and a couple custom builds for others over the last 10 years and never had any problem with their drivers, control software, or anything else.

like i stated before, i would not go through the trouble of trying to bypass the front audio headers just to use an AsRock board.

 

[Kalik212]

Armoury Crate is required for some ASUS board functionality though their AI Suite can usually handle some of the same functions and is much more reliable.
i still have issue with fans speed curve settings in the BIOS not holding on through booting. always have to manually set a curve through their software that will load along with the OS. not a huge issue, since they auto-load without using any extra system resources.
but i'd much rather not have to use their software at all.

you will see dozens of new posts on their support forums every week about new users with more and more issues with their driver updates and using their motherboard control software.

my last two personal builds have used higher end ASUS boards and their physical manufacturing is some of the best available but their software development is horrible these passed few years.

what are some things that require the Armoury Crate software that cannot be done through the normal BIOS settings?...I'm guessing RGB control is one...can't I set the fan curves through the BIOS Hardware Monitor?

so as long as I disable Armoury Crate in the BIOS before installing Windows it should be fine?...there won't be any traces of it anywhere once I install Windows?...looks like with every new BIOS update that I need to go in and disable it again

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

looks like with every new BIOS update that I need to go in and disable it again

i'm pretty sure the option in the BIOS just makes the Windows Store auto download/install Armoury Crate once the OS loads.
there are no options to access the software directly through the BIOS itself.

what are some things that require the Armoury Crate software

there are quite a few driver and board functionality updates that cannot be accessed through ASUS product support direct downloads.
only through Armoury Crate Update Center.
though a large portion of these may not be physically necessary for the hardware to function properly, some can still offer updated performance.

other options like some LED control can be done through 3rd party apps if wanted, most will not offer full system hardware RGB syncing like Armoury Crate & Aura Creator paired together can.
but that should be only necessary if one is interested in full LED control.
-i would hope they could still all at least be disabled through a simple 3rd party app like OpenRGB to avoid the ugly-a** default rainbow effects, but i've never attempted.

one issue with Armoury Crate that has always bugged me is that it requires up to 20 background processes running at all times once installed.
they use up very little CPU/RAM % but i still don't like the fact that their running at all times.

can't I set the fan curves through the BIOS Hardware Monitor?

as i stated earlier,

i still have issue with fans speed curve settings in the BIOS not holding on through booting. always have to manually set a curve through their software that will load along with the OS. not a huge issue, since they auto-load without using any extra system resources.

ASUS AI Suite's FanXpert4 is actually a very nice fan control utility that you can 'set and forget' and just access when necessary with no background usage whatsoever.

 

[Avro Arrow]

That SPDIF output will support 5.1 surround and it's one wire so just use that.

 

[boju]

That SPDIF output will support 5.1 surround and it's one wire so just use that.

Not necessarily. Spdif is tricky and 5.1 isn't guaranteed. Too much red tape, especially licensing dolby digital in games so wav format is easiest to deal with which means too much bandwidth for optical to handle. Optical or analog, analog all the way for just straight out reliable no fuss.

PC Gaming and 5.1 via Optical- Am I Missing Something?

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