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THX TrueStudio Crystalizer doesn't add dynamic range, it REDUCES it. It artificially boosts the volume when little sound is coming through, and then throttles it back when more sound is coming through. This means there are louder quiets and quieter louds. This is nice for quiet movies late at night when you want to hear dialogue without waking people with explosions or loud music, but it is dreadful for sound quality.
This software came on a PC I purchased two months ago. If I was listening to music and a dialogue box pinged open asking for administrator privileges, the ping sound in Windows 7 was so loud in comparison to the music that the music's volume level was shot down into oblivion, only to build very slowly over the next 30 seconds. Absolutely ridiculous.
This software came on a PC I purchased two months ago. If I was listening to music and a dialogue box pinged open asking for administrator privileges, the ping sound in Windows 7 was so loud in comparison to the music that the music's volume level was shot down into oblivion, only to build very slowly over the next 30 seconds. Absolutely ridiculous.
Sakkura
Illustrious
- Aug 22, 2011
- 8,129
- 3
- 37,965
It does annoy me a little that you focused only on value with current prices. That means the comparisons made will be obsolete within a month or two, and useless from day one in other countries.
It's fine to use that to decide who gets awards, but for the sake of your readers it would be nice to also simply rank them in terms of features and performance with no reference to price.
That's basically what I'm doing on a piece of paper right now because prices are different around here (yes, I'm a foreigner). The MSI board looks a lot more interesting when it's the cheapest of the lot, for example...
It's fine to use that to decide who gets awards, but for the sake of your readers it would be nice to also simply rank them in terms of features and performance with no reference to price.
That's basically what I'm doing on a piece of paper right now because prices are different around here (yes, I'm a foreigner). The MSI board looks a lot more interesting when it's the cheapest of the lot, for example...
[citation][nom]nevertell[/nom]Why are there no DCP latency tests ? These differentiate the motherboards This is what differentiates them performance wise.[/citation]
I second this. As someone who's interested in audio, DPC latency is killer. And it is simply shameful the poor drivers some companies put out when they cripple your computer with DPC latency so you can't even stream music or video without frequent interrupts. Ideally, we'd have a rating system for each device, at the very least to make device manufacturers start to pay attention. But until that point, I'd be happy buying something after reading a review for a product that shows that it isn't an issue on that product.
Fantastic review! It came out exactly one day late for my purchase, but since my brand new Extreme4 was one of your recommended mobo's, I'll forgive you. =]
I second this. As someone who's interested in audio, DPC latency is killer. And it is simply shameful the poor drivers some companies put out when they cripple your computer with DPC latency so you can't even stream music or video without frequent interrupts. Ideally, we'd have a rating system for each device, at the very least to make device manufacturers start to pay attention. But until that point, I'd be happy buying something after reading a review for a product that shows that it isn't an issue on that product.
Fantastic review! It came out exactly one day late for my purchase, but since my brand new Extreme4 was one of your recommended mobo's, I'll forgive you. =]
IMHO they are all fail if you want to use the integrated graphics.
Because none of the boards feature a DisplayPort output (which I consider more important on a budget board actually since you're more likely to use the IGP). Which means you're limited to 1920x1200, since intel's dvi ports are single-link only (and it won't work with the hdmi port neither). Granted 2560x1440 (and up) displays don't come cheap, but with all the retina display craze I think there's a good chance we'll see cheaper ones soon.
Because none of the boards feature a DisplayPort output (which I consider more important on a budget board actually since you're more likely to use the IGP). Which means you're limited to 1920x1200, since intel's dvi ports are single-link only (and it won't work with the hdmi port neither). Granted 2560x1440 (and up) displays don't come cheap, but with all the retina display craze I think there's a good chance we'll see cheaper ones soon.
CaedenV
Splendid
- Jun 14, 2011
- 4,829
- 3
- 23,465
[citation][nom]LukeCWM[/nom]THX TrueStudio Crystalizer doesn't add dynamic range, it REDUCES it. It artificially boosts the volume when little sound is coming through, and then throttles it back when more sound is coming through. This means there are louder quiets and quieter louds. This is nice for quiet movies late at night when you want to hear dialogue without waking people with explosions or loud music, but it is dreadful for sound quality.This software came on a PC I purchased two months ago. If I was listening to music and a dialogue box pinged open asking for administrator privileges, the ping sound in Windows 7 was so loud in comparison to the music that the music's volume level was shot down into oblivion, only to build very slowly over the next 30 seconds. Absolutely ridiculous.[/citation]
It is called a compressor, and it is just a tool. When listening to something with a lot of dialogue you kick it up, when you are doing critical listening for detail, quality, or a author's original intent then you turn it off. Personally I like the creative software suite because it has a great quality compression algorithm for when you need it, and a good EQ to flatten or zero audio for when you are doing critical work, and over digital it is perfect. Personally I would rather have the tools available for my use than not, and most of what I listen to could use a little compression (pop/rock music which is decompressed because it gets so compressed over the radio, Comody and Drama with lots of dialogue, and speeches), and EQ to make it a little richer (though you are right, things like classical/orchestral/acoustic music, and big block-buster movies really should have it turned off, or throw in an expander if anything).
It is called a compressor, and it is just a tool. When listening to something with a lot of dialogue you kick it up, when you are doing critical listening for detail, quality, or a author's original intent then you turn it off. Personally I like the creative software suite because it has a great quality compression algorithm for when you need it, and a good EQ to flatten or zero audio for when you are doing critical work, and over digital it is perfect. Personally I would rather have the tools available for my use than not, and most of what I listen to could use a little compression (pop/rock music which is decompressed because it gets so compressed over the radio, Comody and Drama with lots of dialogue, and speeches), and EQ to make it a little richer (though you are right, things like classical/orchestral/acoustic music, and big block-buster movies really should have it turned off, or throw in an expander if anything).
trumpeter1994
Honorable
- Mar 27, 2012
- 311
- 0
- 10,810
I'd probably take the Gigabyte, I'm running one of their boards right now and i love it. I have a bricked asus boaard on the shelf.
lupinesithlord
Distinguished
- Feb 16, 2007
- 153
- 0
- 18,690
Friends dont let friends buy biostar. I've had 3 biostar boards over the years (and seen many more.) two of which were from t-90 era. The two t-90s died for no good reason a little over a year to year and a half (just enough to be out of warranty.) the other the keyboard socket went bad on.
after years of not buying one (after the pentium 233 keyboard issue) I tried the t90 was happy got a second one, and the rest as they say is history....biostar is just not a risk worth taking.
after years of not buying one (after the pentium 233 keyboard issue) I tried the t90 was happy got a second one, and the rest as they say is history....biostar is just not a risk worth taking.
TeraMedia
Distinguished
- Jan 26, 2006
- 904
- 1
- 18,990
This may be a pointless question, but can all of those boards stream lossless audio (Dolby TrueHD / DTS Master Audio) from the HDMI port? I read somewhere that one of the manufs doesn't bother including a piece of HW that is essential for a PAP and hence for this to work. It would be great to know this.
I'm familiar with compressors and thresholds and ratios. I know there is a very real need for it in the studio, especially based on current music trends and the level of compression our generation is accustomed to hearing. However, all the necessary use of these tools is done in the studio. For music, the tracking engineer may or may not use compression during recording; the mixing engineer almost certainly will use compression to keep the tracks consistent in volume and to help them fit together in the mix; and finally, the mastering engineer may exercise broadband or narrowband compression or expansion as he/she sees fit, based on the mastering engineer's skill to know what is enough and what doesn't need more, and also what each song requires after leaving the mixing engineer.
My complaint is that compressors and equalizers should not come pre-loaded on computers and turned on by default, so unless you uninstall the program, the program runs each time the computer boots, and all changes in the settings minimizing or turning off each feature are reversed back to default upon computer restart.
All of the settings THX TrueStudio Crystalizer offers can be boiled down to three basic results: First, they severely limit dynamic range so the louds are quiet and the quiets are loud. (For information on why this is destructive to the music, watch this video on Youtube about the Loudness War, or visit TurnMeUp.org.) Second, they push up the low and the high frequencies creating a "smile EQ", which seems impressive on poor speakers or to people with little understanding of how good music should sound, but in truth it is detrimental to the warmth and tonality of good music on good speakers. And third, TrueStudio provides "surround processing" through two speakers. There are only a few tricks to this non-convincing effect, and they sound "phase-y" and "less real". (The one exception is the now-forgotten mixing technique of QSound, truly giving the illusion of surround sound from only two speakers, with the disclaimer that the speakers need to be placed absolutely perfectly in a room with good dimensions and acoustic treatment, and it only works for one person sitting in exactly one place in the room. Yet it is amazing to hear when these conditions are met. Amused to Death by Roger Waters was mixed with this technique.)
I'm of the school of thought that if the music is well made, you have no business messing with it. It is very presumptuous to think you know a better EQ curve than the mastering engineer unless you are compensating for problems in your stereo system. And it would be equally presumptuous to apply a compressor to dynamic rock music to get it to sound like the hyper-compressed, squashed result of rock music on the radio, or to apply an expander to an orchestral recording to provide more dynamic range than there naturally should be. I'm also of the school of thought that every piece of the signal chain brings its own problems, and that everything that can be bypassed should be bypassed to maintain the original sound, which is the best sound, as it was intended by the mastering engineer, producer, and original artist.
Alright, I'm off my soapbox. For the record, I wasn't the one that down-voted you, CaedenV. Best wishes.
beoza
Distinguished
- Oct 23, 2009
- 329
- 0
- 18,860
I actually prefer the GA-Z77X-UD3H over the D3H, it's only $5 more on newegg, but that board was already reviewed a few months ago. I used to use Abit boards but when I started having issues with them (theyre no longer making MB's) I switched to Gigabyte. Never had any issues with Gigabyte boards they're stable and last a long time. One feature that is some times over looked is the Dual-Bios, it's a great feature to have. You can test a new bios to see if it actually fixes issues your having, or speeds up your system, if it doesn't you can easily revert back to the original version. This also is nice if the bios gets damaged as you can switch to the back up one, and continue using your pc instead of having to buy a whole new board, and not be able to use the comp until it arrives. I've been happily using Gigabyte boards since 2005, and never hesitate to recommend them for a person's first build because of the stability of their boards. They may not be the fastest boards, but they get the job done.
- Dec 31, 2007
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[citation][nom]beoza[/nom]One feature that is some times over looked is the Dual-Bios, it's a great feature to have. You can test a new bios to see if it actually fixes issues your having, or speeds up your system, if it doesn't you can easily revert back to the original version. This also is nice if the bios gets damaged...[/citation]It's not always such a great feature like you've stated. Most Gigabyte boards don't have a user-configurable switch, so you're stuck waiting for the board to decide. This can create several problems:
1.) Occasionally when you crash the system the "wrong" way, some boards will try to reflash the chip you're using from the chip you're not using. And if the chip you weren't using has a BIOS that's incompatible with your CPU, you'll have to buy an older CPU to fix your board!
2.) On most Gigabyte boards, you can't flash the backup BIOS to solve problem 1.
I don't know why Gigabyte didn't simply go with a jumper to determine which chip to use, it seems like that would solve those problems. I think the early Gigabyte boards did use a jumper...
1.) Occasionally when you crash the system the "wrong" way, some boards will try to reflash the chip you're using from the chip you're not using. And if the chip you weren't using has a BIOS that's incompatible with your CPU, you'll have to buy an older CPU to fix your board!
2.) On most Gigabyte boards, you can't flash the backup BIOS to solve problem 1.
I don't know why Gigabyte didn't simply go with a jumper to determine which chip to use, it seems like that would solve those problems. I think the early Gigabyte boards did use a jumper...
I have the Biostar TZ77XE4, the next bump up. Sad it didn't get reviewed instead of the baby brother but i guess it was $170 when they were doing reviews. I got it for $130 2 weeks ago with newegg deals. Its a badass mobo with the only complaints is the audio pins for the front panel are in a poor spot, the 3rd graphics slot is useless on this chipset, and the mouse (G5) doesn't work in UEFI. But seeing how i got the big brother of a recommend board for the same price i am happy.
- Dec 31, 2007
- 48,594
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[citation][nom]Brandizzle[/nom]I have the Biostar TZ77XE4, the next bump up. Sad it didn't get reviewed instead of the baby brother...[/citation]It didn't?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187-6.html
Looks like a review to me
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/z77-extreme6-z77a-gd65-z77h2-a2x,3187-6.html
Looks like a review to me
The most expensive MB I ever purchased was $149. Now adays I am not willing to part with more than about $120 for a motherboard. I have never used more than one video card and I often dont use a video card on my new systems since Intel started putting that on the CPU. I am more into watching video online than gaming on a computer. Frankly I dont like to spend much money on video games. I am not cheap, but I would rather buy quality parts that work without overclocking. One thing I learned is that whenever I see words like Extreme in a motherboard, they are trying to sell me things I will never use anyway. I dont see any use at all for a displayport interface for video. I prefer to see VGA/DVI/HDMI on a motherboard.
kitekrazy1963
Distinguished
- Feb 1, 2010
- 89
- 0
- 18,630
[citation][nom]LukeCWM[/nom]P.S. ASRock Extreme4 Z77 is only $85 from Microcenter right now if you bundle with an i5-3570k! $85![/citation]
That must be well hidden or an in store only. I don't see that anywhere.
That must be well hidden or an in store only. I don't see that anywhere.
kitekrazy1963
Distinguished
- Feb 1, 2010
- 89
- 0
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Other factors should include ease of assembly. Sometimes loaded boards are a PITA when it comes to mounting cables or capacitors in places that could be damaged from assembly.
[citation][nom]kitekrazy1963[/nom]That must be well hidden or an in store only. I don't see that anywhere.[/citation]
It is in their giant 40+ page advertisement for this month (and from forum searches, it appears past months as well). They don't advertise it on the normal part of their website, but if you place both the processor and the mobo in your cart, it will show the discount in your cart.
However, you may only be able to purchase it physically at a store. This works for many people, but certainly not everyone.
It is in their giant 40+ page advertisement for this month (and from forum searches, it appears past months as well). They don't advertise it on the normal part of their website, but if you place both the processor and the mobo in your cart, it will show the discount in your cart.
However, you may only be able to purchase it physically at a store. This works for many people, but certainly not everyone.
steelyglint
Honorable
- Jul 25, 2012
- 1
- 0
- 10,510
Won't the differences in a SATA III controller play a part in a review like this? If you update your system to Ivy Bridge there's a high likelihood that you're going to beef it up with an SSD. It would be nice to see a comprehensive test between these (Intel, ASMedia and Marvell).
Same goes for ethernet controllers (Aetheros, Intel, RealTek) but there is probably not so much difference between these, especially if you only use it for an internet connection and don't need it for maximum speeds.
Anyway - at least I got some ideas for motherboard shopping. Thanks.
Same goes for ethernet controllers (Aetheros, Intel, RealTek) but there is probably not so much difference between these, especially if you only use it for an internet connection and don't need it for maximum speeds.
Anyway - at least I got some ideas for motherboard shopping. Thanks.
RedJaron
Splendid
- Sep 20, 2011
- 4,225
- 0
- 23,160
First, anyone using an IGP isn't going to be doing any type of serious computing. The only IGP anywhere near powerful enough to run low-end to mainstream games are AMD APUs, which are not represented by this collection of Z77 boards. Gamers, designers, and video professionals need a discrete card. So why would such a low-end machine be expected to support graphics above 1920x1200? Better yet, why would any casual user hook up a $400 machine to an $800+ monitor?
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