I can't see why a P4 couldn't get you to that as you don't need that much processing power for the task unless you do a lot of other stuff in the background.
Still, if you want to upgrade then AMD is the way to go. I just upgraded my crappy P3-667 to a dual Opteron 246 beast and we're flying now! For most systems I put together for the enthusiast/borderline propellerhead, I go for an Athlon64 3500+ on an ASUS A8V board. As for the digital out option ... again, IMHO they're crap. One of the reasons for me going dual Opteron is because of the digital audio workstation purpose. I'm using an RME HDSP9652 (52ch audio card ... not 5.2, 52!) and I was thinking of using the digital out on the Iwill DK8N mobo feeding into my audio system. Well, I only just built the system a few days ago and got the audio drivers fired up today to enable the SPDIF out and when I plugged it in it sounded DAMN FILTHY!! This Realtek ALC655 chip on the board upsamples everything to 48k (as opposed to the 44.1k from my old Turtlebeach Fiji beast - it may have been ISA but it was CLEAN!). This reprocessing of the signal is no doubt what screws it up, placing emphasis on the high frequencies and overall recreating a signal rather than passing it through pure. If you are serious about the sound (as you seem to be), I would consider just sticking to the SPDIF on your Audigy. Though the S/N ratio isn't as good as my old TB, it's definitely miles better than the onboard digital out garbage. The best way to see if you are onto a winner when it comes to a good digital output, no volume control on the SPDIF output/input. The Realtek ones allow for adjustability which means you're not getting a pure signal on that digital path. Adios, Tony --------------- TAMA - The Strongest Name in Drums --------------- -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Veech Malone Sent: Saturday, 11 June 2005 6:41 To: The Hardware List Subject: [H] audio/speakers questions.. I'm not so concerned about the 5.1 surround sound quality, as what I have now is adequate. However, I do want the best possible output quality for the refernce monitors. I'm concerned that my current setup will not provide that, no matter how good the speakers are. I'm prepared to upgrade the board and CPU, was planning on it anyway eventually. Are the new digital-out motherboards worth looking at as an option? AMD based is fine, in fact it's preferred..
