will windows basic audio driver support every motherboard built in audio, and should you install the realtech drivers?

[Pc6777]

will the widows basic audio driver built into the iso work with any real-tech built in motherboard sound card or are there exceptions? ive never installed motherboard audio drivers and ive never had a problem, should i be installing the realtech drivers for motherboard audio? now I use a dac for the most part but still have speakers hooked up to the mobo in my secondary pc.

[BobVonBob]

Unless you want the software features the drivers add or you've got noticeable problems it's not necessary to install the drivers.

 

I haven't seen a computer that didn't play audio with the built in drivers since XP. It really doesn't matter much, but installing drivers can also open up some higher sample rates, since by default I think Windows caps out at 48 KHz. 48 KHz is more than enough and you won't hear a difference with a higher sample rate, but you can't use them without drivers in some cases.

[Pc6777]

7 minutes ago, BobVonBob said:

Unless you want the software features the drivers add or you've got noticeable problems it's not necessary to install the drivers.

 

I haven't seen a computer that didn't play audio with the built in drivers since XP. It really doesn't matter much, but installing drivers can also open up some higher sample rates, since by default I think Windows caps out at 48 KHz. 48 KHz is more than enough and you won't hear a difference with a higher sample rate, but you can't use them without drivers in some cases.

most of my headphones are sub 100 dollars and i listen to lossy audio files, I dont think the sample rate thing will matter for me at all. so the windows 10 audio driver works with absolutely anything? my dac, speakers and mobo audio port are all using the Microsoft driver, I never even knew there were audio drivers on mobo websites until I saw them on gigabytes website.

[SupaKomputa]

In a sense yes, most audio interface can operate with basic legacy driver.

Unless it's using a totally new chip made in the last 2-3 years, you don't need to install the drivers.

Most audio chip in motherboard today are an incremental product based on an older design.

It's better to source the drivers from the chip manufacturer (realtek for example) than from the motherboard website, since they usually have the most recent update.

[Pc6777]

5 minutes ago, SupaKomputa said:

In a sense yes, most audio interface can operate with basic legacy driver.

Unless it's using a totally new chip made in the last 2-3 years, you don't need to install the drivers.

Most audio chip in motherboard today are an incremental product based on an older design.

It's better to source the drivers from the chip manufacturer (realtek for example) than from the motherboard website, since they usually have the most recent update.

so brand new motherboard audio should work with the basic ms driver last updated in 2019? its working on my z490 board, on newer z590 boards and such I assume it would also work?

[SupaKomputa]

4 minutes ago, Pc6777 said:

so brand new motherboard audio should work with the basic ms driver last updated in 2019? its working on my z490 board, on newer z590 boards and such I assume it would also work?

Yes, but you won't get new features from the latest chip (if any). For basic operation it should be fine.

Note that motherboard brand doesn't make the drivers, they just copy what's available from the chip maker.

[Pc6777]

1 minute ago, SupaKomputa said:

Yes, but you won't get new features from the latest chip (if any). For basic operation it should be fine.

Note that motherboard brand doesn't make the drivers, they just copy what's available from the chip maker.

ok good, i archive all drivers because I dont want to depend on someones servers to get my stuff working, if i can at least get basic audio without drivers that good enough for me.