Sound Blaster CT4830 sound quality


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Someone gave me a Sound Blaster Live CT4830 (value model??)- a std PCI card. I currently have only the integrated audio on my Intel MB D815EEA2. The integ audio controller is "Intel 82801 AA/AB/BA/CA AC '97". But Windows System Info shows it as Intel 82801 BA/BAM AC '97.

I?m trying to find some specs on the CT4830 on Creative's site, or other. Did find the User Manual & drivers / patch, but no real specs.For purposes of recording old vinyl LPsb> & reel to reel to HDD to burn to CD or convert to mp3, is this Creative CT4830Very likely / Possibly / Not likelyb>) to have better sound quality than my integrated audio?

Or, is this sound card just a dinosaur and likely to be more trouble than it's worth?

If my integrated audio is likely better than the CT4830, then how good of results for what I'm doing could be expected using the integ audio for capture from LPs? If needed, I'd consider spending $50 (sale?) on a new sound card, but not $100 - 200.

This is understanding a clean-up program / utility will be used to remove static, pop, etc., after the albums are recorded to HDD. Using something like Nero 7 Wave Editor (I have it) or Grove Mechanic, etc.

I understand a wave editing program (logically) can't clean / repair what the sound card never transferred from the source (LP) to the HDD.

Keep in mind, for now, the main consideration is capturing analog audio from LPs & R-R.

Many thanks!

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Did a little more research. The old SB CT 4830 specs say it has (max) Analog to Digital conversion of 16 bit @ 48 KHz. Also ADC recording sampling up to 16 bit / 48 KHz.

I'm not focused solely on Creative, but comparing another current model w/ the old one, for purposes of quality of Analog to Digital capture / conversion:

1) How much more quality would you get out of a card like Creative Audigy SE (see specs below) than the old 16 bit / 48 KHz sampling rate? Is going to (any) 24 bit / 96 KHz card worth the effort for what I'm doing?

The card sells for only $30 at Fry's, which doesn't seem like much. Diamond has another similar one for same $, but may not have 24 bit recording.

2) By what % would using 24 bit / (and up to) 96 KHz sampling increase file sizes for Analog to Digital conversion?

Thanks!

http://shop1.outpost.com/product/4748859?s...CH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Surround Sound Card Detailed Description [return to top]

Specifications:

* 24-bit Analog-to-Digital conversion of analog inputs at 96kHz sample rate

* 24-bit Digital-to-Analog conversion of digital sources at 96kHz to analog 7.1 speaker output

* 16-bit and 24-bit recording with sampling rates of 8, 11.025, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 and 96kHz

* SPDIF output up to 24-bit resolution at selectable sampling rate of 44.1, 48 or 96kHz

* 64-Voice polyphony and multi-timbral capability

* 128 GM & GS compatible instruments and 10 drum kits

* 2MB or 4MB GM SoundFont Bank included

* Line level out (Front / Side / Rear / Centre / Subwoofer) or Headphone out

* Line In / Microphone In / *Digital I/O

* Aux Audio in

* Supports SPDIF Out for Stereo Digital Speaker/ connection with Creative Digital I/O Module (sold separately)

* Signal-to-Noise Ratio (A-Weighted) = 100 dB (2V)

* Frequency Response at -3 dBr = <10 Hz to 40 kHz

* Specifications are based on digital-to-analog audio playback (for example: CDDA, WAV, MP3, Dolby Digital)

Package Contents:

* Sound Blaster Audigy SE PCI card

* Quick Start Guide Leaflet

* User's Guide on CD

* Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE Drivers: Supporting Win 2K, XP and XP Professional x64

* Creative Software Suite

Requirements

* Intel? Pentium? III, Celeron 1GHz or equivalent AMD processor

* 128MB RAM for Microsoft? Windows? 2000 SP4, Windows? XP SP 1 or Windows XP? Pro x64

I have a couple of CT4830s and also some opinions about drivers for the card. Over the past 3 or 4 years, I have been using the kX drivers for recording music. They only work with Creative Labs cards that use the EMU10k1 or EMU10k2 chip. Your CT4830 uses the EMU10k1 chip so it is a candidate for using the kX drivers instead of the Creative. The drivers are free and, in my humble opinion, the only choice for recording and playing back music.

The kX forum is here:

http://www.driverheaven.net/forumdisplay.p...&forumid=67

Getting Started Guide

http://kb.kxproject.lugosoft.com/guide/index.html

The default mixer setup that comes with kX can be confusing. I have found it much easier to create custom DSPs for recording, mixing, playback.

http://members.home.nl/nahutec/kxtutor/quickkx.htm

You could also leave your onboard sound enabled. If nothing else, it will give you an opportuity to compare the sound of the 2 side by side.

Good luck

Edited by Doug W

Doug,

Wow, thanks for the info. So, you think the kx project drivers are superior to Creative's?

I'd have thought leaving the integrated sound drivers enabled would conflict w/ the sound card & drivers?

One thing about the help file - unless I'm loopy, I didn't see a separate downloadable help file. It seemed to take me to the same place / file as for the actual driver file. Or is the help file included w/ the driver download?

Have you compared any results between recording (off LP, cassette, etc) at 16 bit/48 kHz and 24 bit/ 96 kHz, all other things being equal? IOW, same turntable, cartridge, computer, (perhaps even same sound card if has capabil for 16 & 24 bit recording)? That's after you've burned them to CD either as CDA or mp3 (at a higher bitrate).

If you could get back to me, I'd appreciate it! Thanks again.

So, you think the kx project drivers are superior to Creative's?
definitely
I'd have thought leaving the integrated sound drivers enabled would conflict w/ the sound card & drivers?

The drivers don't bother each other. You can have problems if the 2 sound cards end up with the same IRQ. I have an Audigy 1 and an Audigy 2 ZS in my recording computer. At one time, I had a third sound card in the computer but the computer developed some psychological problems and starting switching around IRQs between the 3 cards on every reboot so I extracted one of them.

One thing about the help file - unless I'm loopy, I didn't see a separate downloadable help file. It seemed to take me to the same place / file as for the actual driver file. Or is the help file included w/ the driver download?
The help file is included in the installation, however, this link has most of what is inclued in the help file

http://kxproject.lugosoft.com/help.php?language=en

Have you compared any results between recording (off LP, cassette, etc) at 16 bit/48 kHz and 24 bit/ 96 kHz, all other things being equal? IOW, same turntable, cartridge, computer, (perhaps even same sound card if has capabil for 16 & 24 bit recording)? That's after you've burned them to CD either as CDA or mp3 (at a higher bitrate).

I have not done any actual testing. I just like what I hear. The CT4830 is not capable of 24 bit recording. You need one of the Audigy cards for that. 24 bit recording is only possible with cards using the EMU10k2 chip (Audigy cards), and only in MME mode not ASIO. The developer is hoping to have 24 bit ASIO figured out before he runs out of steam for the project. We mostly record our own stuff - guitar, mandolin and voice using ASIO 16 / 48. I still use an older version of kX since some of the intermittent versions have some popping / clicking issues. I think that the latest 2 versions of kX have fixed the popping / clicking issues. The latest version is available in a forum thread:

3538M kX drivers

http://www.driverheaven.net/showthread.php?t=128197

ProFX plugins for 3534f and 3538L (the 3538L version works for 3538M)-Those plugins are show in the DSP example at the bottom.

http://members.home.nl/nahutec/ProFx/profx3x.htm

3534f kX drivers from TravelRec's site.

http://www.electricstart.de/

FX in uniform (another cool set of plugins available for 3534f and 3538 at same site-plugins link)

Here is an example of a customized DSP I use (The ADC,

ftp://webpages.charter.net/kx2sc/f-aux-adaptor-src2-adc.jpg

Here are some webpages I put together showing how to get 4 analog inputs out of an Audigy card using the kX drivers:

http://webpages.charter.net/drw46/kx2sc/auxsc00.html

In answer to the question about 16 bit vs. 24 bit. Personally, I can't hear the difference. Some people say that can distinctly hear it and I am sure they can. Maybe being over 50, I have lost enough hearing so that it doesn't really matter.

One of the advantages of 24 bit is that you have more headroom for recording and so consequently, distortion is not as likely.

Correction of one of the URLs above since I was not able to edit that one.

Here is an example of a customized DSP I use, I think all the plugins are from the ProFX download

http://webpages.charter.net/drw46/kx2sc/f-...or-src2-adc.jpg

Thanks Doug,

Lot of good info - really appreciate it.

Yes, I knew the CT4830 was only good for 16 bit / 48kHz. I just asked about your experience w/ 16 bit and 24 bit bcs I read where some swear by 24 bit and others say no real difference.

I'm wondering if for purposes of recording off LPs or R-R (that's Reel to Reel, for all you young whipper snappers), and knowing that I'll be doing a good bit of noise clean up (not too much pop in my case), whether

1) After doing the cleanup w/ a wave file editor, the 24 bit recordings would be audibly different than ones at 16 bit?

2) If mp3 files would be proportionally larger by the same % as 24 bit is to 16 bit files recorded straight from the LPs. Let's assume the bitrates for mp3s are same in both cases.

That's what concerns me most - if recorded at 16 bit, how good (or dull) the songs will be after running cleanup software vs if they'd been recorded at 24 bit to begin with.

Doug, I noticed the Audigy SE card is only about $30 (25 on sale). The Audigy 4 is on sale for $70. I think the Audigy SE only has one input jack and no game port? There must be other differences too.

Could you (or someone) give me a little schoolin' on some features in the more expensive card (Audigy 4 is just an example) that I might really need for better music recording, vs one like the Audigy SE? Or, if not those specific cards, what to consider, in general? I'd really appreciate it!!

What is a "whipper snapper" anyway?!?

I'm wondering if for purposes of recording off LPs or R-R (that's Reel to Reel, for all you young whipper snappers), and knowing that I'll be doing a good bit of noise clean up (not too much pop in my case), whether

1) After doing the cleanup w/ a wave file editor, the 24 bit recordings would be audibly different than ones at 16 bit?

Noise reduction is tricky. I have only had limited success with noise reduction plugins. The first time I ever used one it worked perfectly. Since then every time I have tried it, weird sonic artifacts get introduced and I end up UNDOing the noise reduction. I have had more success just trying to EQ out tape hiss.

As far as the audible difference between 24 and 16 bit, someone else should pop in here with their opinion because I don't hear it.

2) If mp3 files would be proportionally larger by the same % as 24 bit is to 16 bit files recorded straight from the LPs. Let's assume the bitrates for mp3s are same in both cases.

That's what concerns me most - if recorded at 16 bit, how good (or dull) the songs will be after running cleanup software vs if they'd been recorded at 24 bit to begin with.

Doug, I noticed the Audigy SE card is only about $30 (25 on sale). The Audigy 4 is on sale for $70. I think the Audigy SE only has one input jack and no game port? There must be other differences too.

Could you (or someone) give me a little schoolin' on some features in the more expensive card (Audigy 4 is just an example) that I might really need for better music recording, vs one like the Audigy SE? Or, if not those specific cards, what to consider, in general? I'd really appreciate it!!

As far as features of better cards, the main thing is the DAC/ADC (Digital to Audio Converter/Audio to Digital Converter). Better sound cards have better ones. Then of course there is a whole slew of gizmos and whatnots.

Here is a Website I used to look at for sound card comparisons. I don't believe that this site has been updated in a few years but there are good explanations of the audio tests. I never tried to interpret all the graphs. I would just look to see how many GOODS, EXCELLENTS or POORS a sound card had in the chart.

http://www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/techtalk/

This is just my personal opinion, but I would say in that price range you are better off buying an Audigy 2 ZS from Ebay at the "Creative Labs Factory Store"

http://stores.ebay.com/Creative-Labs-Factory-Store

You can get one for around $40.00 US. Then install the kX drivers and you have 24 bit and the spiffy kX DSP to work with.

A step up from there would be the

audiophile 2496

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOAP2496

Now a word from our commercial sponsor. Relevant though because one song was recorded by playing a tape into the computer.

My wife and I and a some other people play music and record once in a while. The song "Pretty Saro" was recorded a few years back in a studio. The guy used DATs for the recording. My wife is singing and the studio guy played his slide guitar. A couple years ago, I played our 4 track cassette player into the Audigy card and made the MP3 of Pretty Saro. The guitar tune was just me playing guitar using a Kel HM-1 Mic while my wife EQd and recorded using the Audigy again. The tune "I surrender" was recorded in our house with my wife singing and my buddy playing guitar while I recorded.

All three of these songs were recorded at 16 bit / 48 khz then converted to 16 / 44.1 before making them into MP3s.

http://www.motagator.net/bands/69/audio.php

You can find much better cards out there for recording than the Creative Labs cards but there is nothiing else to compare with the kX drivers for taking advantage of the features of these cards for recording. You should just stick your CT4830 in the computer and try it out and see how it sounds.

What is a "whipper snapper" anyway?!?

Any smart alec younger than you.

I'm wondering if for purposes of recording off LPs or R-R (that's Reel to Reel, for all you young whipper snappers), and knowing that I'll be doing a good bit of noise clean up (not too much pop in my case), whether

1) After doing the cleanup w/ a wave file editor, the 24 bit recordings would be audibly different than ones at 16 bit?

Noise reduction is tricky. I have only had limited success with noise reduction plugins. The first time I ever used one it worked perfectly. Since then every time I have tried it, weird sonic artifacts get introduced and I end up UNDOing the noise reduction. I have had more success just trying to EQ out tape hiss.

As far as the audible difference between 24 and 16 bit, someone else should pop in here with their opinion because I don't hear it.

2) If mp3 files would be proportionally larger by the same % as 24 bit is to 16 bit files recorded straight from the LPs. Let's assume the bitrates for mp3s are same in both cases.

That's what concerns me most - if recorded at 16 bit, how good (or dull) the songs will be after running cleanup software vs if they'd been recorded at 24 bit to begin with.

Doug, I noticed the Audigy SE card is only about $30 (25 on sale). The Audigy 4 is on sale for $70. I think the Audigy SE only has one input jack and no game port? There must be other differences too.

Could you (or someone) give me a little schoolin' on some features in the more expensive card (Audigy 4 is just an example) that I might really need for better music recording, vs one like the Audigy SE? Or, if not those specific cards, what to consider, in general? I'd really appreciate it!!

As far as features of better cards, the main thing is the DAC/ADC (Digital to Audio Converter/Audio to Digital Converter). Better sound cards have better ones. Then of course there is a whole slew of gizmos and whatnots.

Here is a Website I used to look at for sound card comparisons. I don't believe that this site has been updated in a few years but there are good explanations of the audio tests. I never tried to interpret all the graphs. I would just look to see how many GOODS, EXCELLENTS or POORS a sound card had in the chart.

http://www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/techtalk/

This is just my personal opinion, but I would say in that price range you are better off buying an Audigy 2 ZS from Ebay at the "Creative Labs Factory Store"

http://stores.ebay.com/Creative-Labs-Factory-Store

You can get one for around $40.00 US. Then install the kX drivers and you have 24 bit and the spiffy kX DSP to work with.

A step up from there would be the

audiophile 2496

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOAP2496

Now a word from our commercial sponsor. Relevant though because one song was recorded by playing a tape into the computer.

My wife and I and a some other people play music and record once in a while. The song "Pretty Saro" was recorded a few years back in a studio. The guy used DATs for the recording. My wife is singing and the studio guy played his slide guitar. A couple years ago, I played our 4 track cassette player into the Audigy card and made the MP3 of Pretty Saro. The guitar tune was just me playing guitar using a Kel HM-1 Mic while my wife EQd and recorded using the Audigy again. The tune "I surrender" was recorded in our house with my wife singing and my buddy playing guitar while I recorded.

All three of these songs were recorded at 16 bit / 48 khz then converted to 16 / 44.1 before making them into MP3s.

http://www.motagator.net/bands/69/audio.php

You can find much better cards out there for recording than the Creative Labs cards but there is nothiing else to compare with the kX drivers for taking advantage of the features of these cards for recording. You should just stick your CT4830 in the computer and try it out and see how it sounds.

What is a "whipper snapper" anyway?!?

Any smart alec younger than you.

Doug,

So from the link you provided http://www.motagator.net/bands/69/Maybe_So...y-4_Stories.php, give me a little background on what's indicated on the page. Like what's "HS", "LS", "HD".

Are the tunes actually the mp3s you recorded / converted at home using the sound card on a PC?

That's your wife singing, eh? As Borat would say, "Very nice!" Very reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, w/ shades of Celtic, too.

Is / was this ever released commercially? I think my wife would like listening to it. If your wife looks as good as she sounds, you're a lucky man. Even if she doesn't, you may still be. ;)

About the link you gave to Ebay & Audigy 2 ZS card for $40 - that's for a refurbished one w/ 30 day warranty :( , as far as I see. It is substantially reduced from normal retail, but 30 days isn't long. Have you bought any of these type items w/ only a 30 day warr?

So from the link you provided http://www.motagator.net/bands/69/Maybe_So...y-4_Stories.php, give me a little background on what's indicated on the page. Like what's "HS", "LS", "HD".

HS is a higher quality sound MP3 (higher bitrate)

LS is low quality

HD is download to your Hard Drive.

Are the tunes actually the mp3s you recorded / converted at home using the sound card on a PC?

The tune "Pretty Saro" was recorded originally in a professional studio - I sucked the cassette tape version into the computer and made an MP3 of it.

The other 2 tunes were recorded on our computer using either the Audigy 1 or Audigy 2 ZS card.

Is / was this ever released commercially? I think my wife would like listening to it. If your wife looks as good as she sounds, you're a lucky man. Even if she doesn't, you may still be. ;)

We made a 5 song CD in the past and put together a CD after that but never really got around to producing a flock of them. We lack ambition I guess. We play out maybe once a month and with all the other life type things going on, we just don't seem to have the oomph to get more CDs made. We still record a song a month and someday we'll put out our Greatest Hits CD before anyone has heard of us.

About the link you gave to Ebay & Audigy 2 ZS card for $40 - that's for a refurbished one w/ 30 day warranty :( , as far as I see. It is substantially reduced from normal retail, but 30 days isn't long. Have you bought any of these type items w/ only a 30 day warr?

I bought my Audigy 2 ZS from Ebay from the "Creative Labs Factory Store" a year or two ago and it is still working fine. I bought my Audigy 1 card from Ebay 3 or 4 years ago and that one is still going strong too.

I have often wondered what REFURBISHED could mean in terms of a sound card. I can't imagine someone hovering over a sound card with a soldering iron fixing a fried capacitor. My guess is that someone returns a sound card because they never got it working on their computer and Creative determines that it is actually fine so they just resell it.

Well Doug,

At least a couple of people are interested in acquiring your music. You never actually said if it was available for sale or otherwise. One guy wanted to propose to Ms. 'E', but I told him that she's already married. I looked for a way to send you a message from the Motagator site, but didn't see a way.

Also, looked more into the cards you suggested & others. Found a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio card on sale at Fry's for $40, but it apparently requires a Pent-4, so it'll have to wait.

I guess the main difference in the Audigy 2 (value) and Audigy 2 ZS is more included software and one has a midi port? I didn't see an Audigy 2 value in the Creative store on Ebay, so don't know what they'd go for.

I did a little recording back in the day...waaaayyyy back in the day. In fact, I'm not sure Mr. Peabody and Sherman's time machine had a setting for that long ago. Yep. Local rock star. Lead singer & rhythm guitar. Oh sure, the girls were all over me, but you just have to persevere. :yes:

I think the maddest my future wife ever got was in a music store when I was sitting down playing a guitar. We weren't even engaged. A fetching young lass came over and sat down on the same amp and started talking to me. (I was innocent, I tell ya). What was I to do - leap up and run away screaming, "Somebody HELP me! There's a good looking girl that wants to hear me play the guitar! Help!" Ah yes, good times.

Well Doug,

At least a couple of people are interested in acquiring your music. You never actually said if it was available for sale or otherwise. One guy wanted to propose to Ms. 'E', but I told him that she's already married. I looked for a way to send you a message from the Motagator site, but didn't see a way.

I asked her this morning and she indicated that she is still willing to stay married to me at least for a while, depending on how my new job works out.

The CD is not available at the moment because as I said, we are a band woefully lacking in ambition. However, if you click on my name and send me a private message with your address, I'll send you a complementary CD. We must have one gathering dust somewhere.

Also, looked more into the cards you suggested & others. Found a Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio card on sale at Fry's for $40, but it apparently requires a Pent-4, so it'll have to wait.

This is the card that I would suggest. Ignore the REFURBISHED bit. If it doesn't work, you can return it and they will send you one that does work. Scroll down to one of the Audigy 2 ZS $39.99 cards.

http://stores.ebay.com/Creative-Labs-Facto...3QQftidZ2QQtZkm

I guess the main difference in the Audigy 2 (value) and Audigy 2 ZS is more included software and one has a midi port? I didn't see an Audigy 2 value in the Creative store on Ebay, so don't know what they'd go for.

My suggestion is to forget about the Creative software entirely and use the kX drivers.

I did a little recording back in the day...waaaayyyy back in the day. In fact, I'm not sure Mr. Peabody and Sherman's time machine had a setting for that long ago. Yep. Local rock star. Lead singer & rhythm guitar. Oh sure, the girls were all over me, but you just have to persevere. :yes:

The Rocky and Bullwinkle eh?, that puts you roughly in my age group.

I think the maddest my future wife ever got was in a music store when I was sitting down playing a guitar. We weren't even engaged. A fetching young lass came over and sat down on the same amp and started talking to me. (I was innocent, I tell ya). What was I to do - leap up and run away screaming, "Somebody HELP me! There's a good looking girl that wants to hear me play the guitar! Help!" Ah yes, good times.

You should have introduced the young lady to your GIRLFRIEND!!!

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For example, you might keep your passkey in a syncing password manager, add a second trusted device, save recovery codes somewhere safe, or set up a backup security key. A passkey is very secure, but just like a real key, you need a backup plan in case you lose access to it. Now, you might ask: “What stops a hacker from copying my half of the necklace?” That’s the important part: your half is protected. It is not something you type in, and it is not something the website gets to keep. Think of your half as being locked inside a tiny safe on your phone, computer, security key, or password manager. That safe only opens when you approve it with your fingerprint, face, PIN, or device password. When you log in, the website does not need to see your half. It only needs proof that your half matches its half. Your actual half is not handed over to the website. This is different from a password. With a password, you type the secret into the website. If you type it into a fake website, the hacker now has it. With a passkey, you are not typing your secret into the website. Your device is proving you have the matching half without giving the half away. That also helps protect you from fake websites. If someone makes a fake login page that looks like the real site, your device can tell it is not the real match. It will not use your passkey there. Now, could someone use your passkey if they stole your device, got into your password manager, or somehow unlocked the safe that holds your half? Yes, that is why your device password, PIN, fingerprint, face unlock, and password manager security still matter. But a hacker cannot just steal your passkey from the website or trick you into typing it into a fake page like they can with a password. That is why passkeys are safer than passwords. The two matching pieces have to come together, like two lovebirds who were once separated and are finally reunited.
    • Newegg offers insane combo deal on Amazon Prime Day 2026 that beats Steam Machine by Sayan Sen Building a PC is undoubtedly difficult nowadays but with this epic combo deal, Newegg is trying to make it as easy for you as it is possible. If you are making a new one or even upgrading an old system to a new Windows 11 device, this combo bundle is truly unmissable as you get AMD's Ryzen 9800X3D, a compatible X870 motherboard, a 240mm AIO liquid cooler and finally a Samsung 990 PRO SSD all for under $1000 (purchase link under the specs table down below). This should beat out the newly launched Steam Machine from Valve in terms of performance and performance per dollar especially if you are willing to set Linux up on it. Essentially with this combo you will get the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 8-core 3D V cache CPU, Samsung's 990 PRO 2TB NVMe SSD, the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX Motherboard, and finally the Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240. Thanks to that massive vertically stacked L3 cache, the X3D desktop processors, including the 9800X3D, also come with the benefit of not needing fast memory. Even DDR5-5600 should be plenty for it. The technical specifications of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D are given in the table below: Specification Value Architecture Zen 5 Cores / Threads 8 / 16 Base Clock 4.7 GHz Max Boost Clock Up to 5.2 GHz L1 Cache 640 KB L2 Cache 8 MB L3 Cache 96 MB Total Cache 104 MB CPU Core Process TSMC 4nm FinFET I/O Die Process TSMC 6nm FinFET Socket AM5 Default TDP 120W Max Temperature (Tjmax) 95°C Thermal Solution Not included Memory Type DDR5 Max Capacity 256 GB Memory Speeds 2x1R: DDR5-5600 2x2R: DDR5-5600 4x1R: DDR5-3600 4x2R: DDR5-3600 PCIe Version PCIe 5.0 PCIe Lanes (Total/Usable) 28 / 24 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 4 USB 2.0 1 Graphics Cores 2 CU RDNA 2 Frequency 2200 MHz DisplayPort over USB-C Yes Overclocking Unlocked Up next we have the tech specs for the MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard: Specification Value Chipset AMD X870 CPU Support AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 Series Desktop Processors Socket AM5 Memory Slots 4 × DDR5 UDIMM Maximum Memory Capacity 256GB Memory Support DDR5 8400–5600 MT/s (OC), DDR5 5600–4800 MT/s (JEDEC) Integrated Graphics Outputs 1 × HDMI 2.1 FRL (up to 8K 60Hz) 2 × USB4 Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 HBR3 (up to 4K 60Hz) Expansion Slots PCI_E1: PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) PCI_E2: PCIe 3.0 x1 (Chipset) PCI_E3: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) Audio Realtek ALC4080 Codec 7.1-Channel USB High Performance Audio Supports up to 32-bit/384kHz playback on front panel S/PDIF output M.2 Slots 4 × M.2 M2_1: PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU, 22110/2280) M2_2: PCIe 5.0 x4 (CPU, 2280/2260) M2_3: PCIe 4.0 x2 (Chipset, 2280/2260) M2_4: PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset, 2280/2260) SATA Ports 4 × SATA 6Gb/s RAID Support RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 for M.2 NVMe storage devices Rear USB Ports 4 × USB 2.0 3 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 2 × USB 10Gbps Type-A 1 × USB 10Gbps Type-C 2 × USB4 40Gbps Type-C Front USB Headers 4 × USB 2.0 4 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 1 × USB 20Gbps Type-C LAN Realtek 8126-CG 5G LAN Wireless Wi-Fi 7 (M.2 Key-E module pre-installed) Supports 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz bands Up to 5.8Gbps Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.4, MLO, 4KQAM Internal Power Connectors 1 × 24-pin ATX Power 2 × CPU Power Connectors 1 × PCIe 8-pin Power Connector Fan Headers 1 × CPU Fan 1 × Combo Fan (Pump/System) 6 × System Fan RGB Headers 3 × Addressable V2 RGB (JARGB_V2) 1 × RGB LED (JRGB) Other Internal Headers 1 × EZ Conn-header 2 × Front Panel Headers 1 × Chassis Intrusion 1 × Front Audio 1 × TPM 2.0 Header Debug Features 4 × EZ Debug LEDs 1 × EZ Digit Debug LED Rear I/O Ports Clear CMOS Button Flash BIOS Button HDMI 2 × USB 40Gbps Type-C 1 × USB 10Gbps Type-C 4 × USB 10Gbps Type-A 3 × USB 5Gbps Type-A 4 × USB 2.0 5G LAN Port Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Antenna Connectors Audio Connectors Form Factor ATX The Samsung 990 PRO is a PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD and still one of the fastest drives available today for under $500. Speaking of fast, sequential reads and writes are rated at 7450 MB/s and 6900 MB/s, respectively. The random throughputs for reads and writes are 1400K IOPS and 1550K IOPS, respectively. The 990 PRO is based on Samsung's 7th Gen V-NAND flash, and it too is TLC. It packs 2 gigs of LPDDR4 DRAM cache, which helps the random performance. The endurance rating for this is 1200 TBW (terabytes written), which should be sufficient for most users. The Samsung 990 PRO is compatible with the PlayStation 5, but if you are going to use the 990 PRO on a PC, check out the Samsung Magician app that lets you track your drive's health, update its firmware, customize various settings, and more. The tech specs are given below: Specification Value Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0 Form Factor M.2 2280 Controller Samsung In-house Controller NAND Flash 3D TLC DRAM Cache 2GB LPDDR4 Sequential Read (Max) 7,450 MB/s Sequential Write (Max) 6,900 MB/s Random Read (4K) Up to 1,400,000 IOPS Random Write (4K) Up to 1,550,000 IOPS TBW (Endurance) 1,200 TBW MTBF 1,500,000 hours Operating Temperature 0°C to 70°C Storage Temperature -40°C to 85°C Shock Resistance 1,500G / 0.5ms Heatsink No Get the combo deal at this link: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Samsung 990 PRO 2TB, MSI MAG X870 TOMAHAWK WIFI motherboard, Cooler Master Elite Liquid 240: $784.99 + $25 off with promo code FTTF77: $759.99 (Sold and Shipped by Newegg US) Good to know This Newegg deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • I heard from a lot of people that driver support for the latest games when RDNA first came out (Radeon 5000 series) was pretty bad, but if you didn't buy the card on day one, or were not trying to play the latest titles, then you were isolated from that issue. Other than that, it's been good and only getting better.
    • Meta launches new AI glasses in 26 styles and Muse Spark multimodal capabilties by Pradeep Viswanathan Meta today announced a new line of Meta Glasses in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The new AI glasses build on the company’s existing smart glasses portfolio, which is sold under the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta brands. The new Meta Glasses start at just $299, are compatible with prescription lenses, and will be available in 26 styles across different colors, lenses, and frames. At launch, Meta Glasses will be available in three frame styles. The Meta Adventurer features a clean rectangular design and comes in Standard and Large sizes. The Meta Fury is a bolder frame for users who want a stronger look. Meta Glasses by Kylie is a slim oval frame designed in collaboration with Kylie Jenner. Similar to existing Meta AI Glasses, the new Meta Glasses include a dedicated action button that can be used to quickly access Meta AI or launch a favorite feature. They also feature open-ear speakers for calls, music, and more. Meta has also included a multi-mic array with wind noise reduction for calls and messaging. Users can capture photos and videos hands-free using voice commands. Meta claims more than eight hours of battery life, while the portable charging case can provide up to 40 additional hours. As expected, Meta Glasses come pre-loaded with Meta AI powered by Muse Spark from day one. Muse Spark is the first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs with improved multimodal capabilities. The same Meta AI upgrade is also now available on existing Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta Glasses in the US and Canada via an update. With the Muse Spark-powered AI assistant, Meta AI in the new glasses can provide smarter answers, understand what the user is seeing, and help with daily tasks such as calendar management and navigation. Meta also announced an upcoming feature called the dynamic photo feature, which captures multiple frames and recommends the best one. Pedestrian navigation is also coming soon to these glasses. Meta is also adding support for 14 new live translation languages, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Korean. The new Meta Glasses are available starting today through Meta.com, Best Buy, Amazon, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and select retailers.
    • is that a personal preference? whether it is or isn't, i get where you're coming from. i try to get and use fully open sourced applications whenever i can but there are instances where i find a superior product that is closed sourced. in these cases i do my best to learn about the company, who operates it, their background, parent and sub structure etc. to some extent, depending on "the smell test". i really believe that Syncback is really and truly something great. even if you don't use it, it's always worth a recommendation to someone else, especially if that someone else is not very computer literate. for someone of your calibre you, you'll manage just fine with Syncthing, no doubt about it.
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