The salesman at the store said I should have a sound card already in the hard drive and other people says i have to buy one, depending on the brand of my computer, but no one can tell me where to look on my hard drive.
2006-09-25 02:40:59 · 10 answers · asked by extacy 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
Trying to clarify, some years ago sound cards were inbuilt into the motherboards. I think this was to bring down the cost of computers for companies. It has nothing to do with the hard drive.
If you are certain that is what te salesman said, do not go back to them, as they do not have a clue. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people like this.
I have had two motherboards with on board sound. I always buy / use a third party sound card, preferrably from soundblaster
http://www.soundblaster.com/
and
http://www.soundblaster.com/products/
There are a few cards available, if you are looking for a sound card, but no particular type, I would recommend one of the lower cost cards, as the other cards are built for specific applications, such as, professional music producers.
It is true about the three or more coloured 'holes' in the front or back of your computer. Some may not be coloured, depending on the year. The colours were not standardised years ago.
Look at the back of your computer, basically where the monitor cable goes into it. At the back, there will be things called expansion slots. Usually they are covered with a metal cover. You may see 4 to 8 or more of these slots. If you have a third party sound card, it should have the three or more coloured 'holes' mentioned above, plus a 'joystick' adapter that has 16 pins in a formation of 8 pins above the other 8 pins.
To find an 'on-board' sound card, have a look near where the keyboard and mouse (if not a USB mouse) goes into the back of the computer. In the section that has these, there should be three or more coloured 'holes'. This is an on-board sound card.
2006-09-28 16:23:16 · answer #1 · answered by Mark aka jack573 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You misunderstood what the salesman said.
A sound card is a piece of hardware, so it doesn't reside on your hard drive.
Look in the back of your computer. If there are at least 3 multicolored (pink, blue, green) 1.8" jack there, then you have a sound card built into your motherboard. If you don't want to set up the sound drivers yourself, you can take it to a computer shop to have them do it.
Otherwise, you should buy a PCI sound card.
To avoid headaches with installation, get the store to install it for you. I don't recommend Creative Technology's sound cards like the Sound Blaster Live! and ESPECIALLY the Audigy series. The Audigy series have always been plagued with compatibility problems. If you don't believe me, go to Creative's web site and look through the forums there.
I also don't recommend any sound cards which use C-media or Realtek sound chips. Turtle Beach makes decent sound cards.
2006-09-25 02:56:37 · answer #2 · answered by Balk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A sound card has nothing to do with your hard drive. It is either a part of your motherboard (hence the naming onboard) or a card that slots into your motherboard. If your computer makes sound then you have a sound card. (Note: NOT the bleeps when your PC starts.)
The only reason you might want a new sound card is for new features such as dolby surround sound support, but that comes with most sound cards these days.
2006-09-25 02:59:15 · answer #3 · answered by TheDementedMule 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your sound card is not in or on your hard drive. it is usually a SCSI card (Small Computer Systems Interface Card), in which case when you open your computer your speaker/microphone/earphone jacks are located on a separate card slid into your Mother Board. This can be replaced.
If this is not the case then you have what is called an Intergrated sound card which means it is built into your mother board. This can not be replaced.
If it is Intergrated go into your control panel and see if your drivers are up to date. If they are up to date and you still have issues disable your sound card drivers and install a SCSI soundcard, sound blaster is a common one and good. You can due this job on your own. Allyou have to do is slide it in a slot that it will fit in, usually towards the rear of your tower.
2006-09-25 02:56:10 · answer #4 · answered by joey l 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most computers now come with onboard sound. You should have 3 round connectors on the back of your computer, green, red, and blue. You might even have 6 if you have build-in surround sound. Green is speaker ouput, red is microphone input, and blue is line-in. You should plug your speakers into the green connector. If you don't have these connectors on the back, you'll need to buy a soundcard.
2006-09-25 02:54:34 · answer #5 · answered by Gimosuby 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look on the back of the PC case, if there are three sockets next to each other - one green, one blue and one pink then you have a sound card.
2006-09-25 02:47:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you have a little pink and green set of holes on the back or front of your comp, it has a sound card built into the motherboard. not the hard drive. if not, just buy a really cheep one, they basically all sound the same unless you are going for epic sound.
2006-09-25 02:44:55 · answer #7 · answered by joelius24 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whoever told you that the sound card in the hard drive is a liar and a buffoon. Never listen to them again.
Rawlyn.
2006-09-25 02:54:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sound card is a hardware. If u can hear sounds in ur pc, u already have one.
2006-09-25 02:44:04 · answer #9 · answered by Bartimaeus™ 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That's 'cos it's not in yr HDD but in yr motherboard.
Download Belarc to look for it.
2006-09-25 02:45:04 · answer #10 · answered by migdalski 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋