# DVI audio to speakers - not working.



## Rob Allen (Mar 15, 2015)

A few months ago the audio on my tv stopped working.  I have a computer connected to the tv which I use for TV-related things (Netflix, Youtube, etc.).  When the audio died I decided to just hook up a pair of speakers I had lying around since that was cheaper than paying ~$200 to fix the tv.  However, the computer is connected to the tv via a DVI to HDMI cable.  So I picked up a DVI with 3.5mm audio splitter (this is what the speakers need).  This is what I got: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...gclid=CLKvmpfbqcQCFYOSfgodbCMAWQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

I plugged the speakers into the 3.5mm audio cable but the computer is still trying to send the audio to the tv.  I have tested the speakers and they work just fine with other equipment.  So I have to conclude that the problem is that the cable isn't actually sending anything on the 3.5mm line, even though it seems like that's what it should do.  Anyone know why?  Did I get the wrong cable or is there something I need to set in the system?


----------



## Jetster (Mar 15, 2015)

So your trying to use the speakers on your PC?


----------



## Ebo (Mar 15, 2015)

As far as I remember, DVI dosent send audio, thats only HDMI


----------



## TrainingDummy (Mar 15, 2015)

Are you sure the playback device is set to whatever you're connecting that 3.5mm jack to?


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 15, 2015)

In the windows sound dialog, it shows the TV as the playback device via the video card, the TV is connected to the video card via the DVI/3.5mm splitter cable.  I assumed that this cable would send the audio through the 3.5mm split, which is connected to the speakers.  Unfortunately the PC itself does not have a sound card, though if I can't make this work I may just buy a cheap sound card.  I was hoping to avoid doing that though.  There is no option in the windows sound dialog to send the audio to the speakers.


----------



## Aquinus (Mar 15, 2015)

DVI doesn't carry audio. It won't work.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 15, 2015)

Aquinus said:


> DVI doesn't carry audio. It won't work.



Actually it does.  My old DVI cable did, and it does on the TV PC in another room in my house as well.  If it didn't, this cable wouldn't even exist since it is supposedly specifically designed to carry audio from a dvi port through the splitter.

Also, in case it helps the video card I am using is a GTX 460, which uses dual-link ports, according to Nvidia's product specifications, so it's not a compatibility issue.


----------



## imnotcrazy777 (Mar 15, 2015)

Just connect the speakers directly to the computer, that should work.


----------



## Aquinus (Mar 15, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> Actually it does.  My old DVI cable did, and it does on the TV PC in another room in my house as well.  If it didn't, this cable wouldn't even exist since it is supposedly specifically designed to carry audio from a dvi port through the splitter.
> 
> Also, in case it helps the video card I am using is a GTX 460, which uses dual-link ports, according to Nvidia's product specifications, so it's not a compatibility issue.


That cable you linked to in the first post is DVI *plus* a separate audio cable in the same jacket, probably with different shielding to reduce EMI. That's not the same as digital audio over DVI which isn't a thing. Some older video cards supported HDMI audio over HDMI by using a special kind of DVI to HDMI adapter. I have a Radeon 2600 XT that works this way but, it doesn't mean audio is sent over DVI. If you're connecting both ends with the 3.5mm headphone jack, then it really has nothing to do with DVI and will be using the audio card, not the GPU, as an audio device.

The simple fact remains that audio over DVI is not a thing in the DVI spec. Only weird revisions of the DVI spec support things like that and support for those kinds. More often than not, you don't find devices that deviate from your typical DVI port, so I suspect you're confusing two different things.

So back to that cable: Both ends of the 3.5mm need to be plugged in. DVI doesn't carry audio.


----------



## Jetster (Mar 15, 2015)

DVI does has audio. Unfortunately many adapters do not work. Do not use adapters. You're spending more $ and time then it would have taken to do it right. Get a sound card.  That motherboard does not have sound? It been a long time sense Ive seen a MB with no sound


----------



## Ja.KooLit (Mar 15, 2015)

DVI carries audio signal

"A DVI-D source can output HDMI signals including audio (e.g. ATI 3000-series and NVIDIA GTX 200-series).[9] Some multimedia displays use a DVI to HDMI adapter to input the HDMI signal with audio. Exact capabilities vary by video card specifications."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface



> *DVI and HDMI compatibility*
> HDMI is a newer digital audio/video interface developed and promoted by the consumer electronics industry. DVI and HDMI have the same electrical specifications for their TMDS and VESA/DDC links. However HDMI and DVI differ in several key ways.
> 
> 
> ...



to OP: you need to make sure you connect it to DVI-D


----------



## CounterZeus (Mar 15, 2015)

Audio works on DVI because you can send a HDMI signal over it (which carries an audio signal). However the cable OP linked will not work because the audio jack does not use this signal, it uses the input jack. He should try to use the speakers directly on the tv.


----------



## MrGenius (Mar 15, 2015)

O.k., but his TV speakers don't work. Do you mean like plug the speakers into the TV? He can't have missed anything that obvious...right?

EDIT: I just wanted to add my $.02 on the DVI audio theory. My 280X has HDMI/audio output through the DVI port. I found that out when I connected a HDMI(F) to DVI(M) adapter to it, ran HDMI cable to my TV/monitor, and low and behold...let there be light AND sound!


This is the one I used to conjure up the miraculous.


----------



## Batou1986 (Mar 15, 2015)

To answer OP's question you do need to buy a sound card and hook the computer end of the DVI cable 3.5mm jack to it to make this setup work.

Basicly the cable is just a DVI-D with a separate 3.5mm audio cable in the same sleeve.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Jetster said:


> DVI does has audio. Unfortunately many adapters do not work. Do not use adapters. You're spending more $ and time then it would have taken to do it right. Get a sound card.  That motherboard does not have sound? It been a long time sense Ive seen a MB with no sound



It's a repurposed custom-built gaming pc.  The motherboard does not have onboard audio.  It did have an audio card in it, but that was removed and put into my main system.  I figured the old gaming comp would make a decent TV comp, it was better than throwing it out.  It worked just fine until the TV speakers died.  I'm a real stingy bastard, I won't spend money if I don't think I have to - so knowing that the GTX 460 in the comp supported audio over DVI, I couldn't justify buying an audio card when the video card did the same job.  But I guess now it's not that simple.



CounterZeus said:


> Audio works on DVI because you can send a HDMI signal over it (which carries an audio signal). However the cable OP linked will not work because the audio jack does not use this signal, it uses the input jack. He should try to use the speakers directly on the tv.



I did try plugging the speakers into the tv but this did not work either.  I suspect it's not the tv's speakers that are the problem but rather the audio controller on the tv's motherboard.  Replacing that would cost over $200, but I'm not an expert when it comes to tv tech.  I probably will have to get it fixed at some point, but I'm putting that off until I have to.  It's sure to be more expensive than an audio card.



Batou1986 said:


> To answer OP's question you do need to buy a sound card and hook the computer end of the DVI cable 3.5mm jack to it to make this setup work.
> 
> Basicly the cable is just a DVI-D with a separate 3.5mm audio cable in the same sleeve.



It seems that way.  Well, thanks for clarifying it.  I won't even need this cable when I get the audio card.  I can just plug the speakers directly into the pc at that point.  I guess the lesson here is that sometimes when you try to save money, you end up spending more than you would have otherwise.  If I had just bought a cheap audio card to begin with, I could have saved myself $25.


----------



## Dent1 (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> It's a repurposed custom-built gaming pc.  The motherboard does not have onboard audio.  It did have an audio card in it, but that was removed and put into my main system.  I figured the old gaming comp would make a decent TV comp, it was better than throwing it out.  It worked just fine until the TV speakers died.  I'm a real stingy bastard, I won't spend money if I don't think I have to - so knowing that the GTX 460 in the comp supported audio over DVI, I couldn't justify buying an audio card when the video card did the same job.  But I guess now it's not that simple.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I have not encounter a motherboard that doesn't have on-board audio. What model is the motherboard?

Forget the entire DVI thing. As others have pointed out DVI isn't designed to carry audio. There has been some crazy work around in the past, namely by NVidia where they use a special preparatory cable.  These cables are not really even DVI, they were a work around, and getting it to work has always been hit or miss. 

You said your TV has HDMI, I swear the GTX 460 has HDMI-out too. You should be able to get audio working via HDMI.


----------



## Mussels (Mar 16, 2015)

that particular cable in the OP is basically DVI and a 3.5mm cable taped together to look neater. it does not add the audio to the DVI.
the only way that adaptor could work, is if your TV is like mine - my HDMI4 has a 3.5mm analogue port.

As said, DVI does not carry audio, if you ever think you had audio over DVI then you were simply mistake about what you were using. why not use HDMI?


----------



## MrGenius (Mar 16, 2015)

Dent1 said:


> I have not encounter a motherboard that doesn't have on-board audio. What model is the motherboard?


 I was wondering the same thing. I've owned a couple motherboards with no on-board audio. But they were manufactured in the late 90s. I've not seen one since 2000 or so that didn't have on-board audio. That's definitely very unusual.


----------



## Dent1 (Mar 16, 2015)

MrGenius said:


> I was wondering the same thing. I've owned a couple motherboards with no on-board audio. But they were manufactured in the late 90s. I've not seen one since 2000 or so that didn't have on-board audio. That's definitely very unusual.



I'm 100% certain your motherboard has on-board audio. It's like saying your motherboard doesn't have a PS/2  port for mouse and keyboard, it's a basic standard.

Download CPU-Z. It will tell you the motherboard's model.

http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.72-en.exe


----------



## Jetster (Mar 16, 2015)

You have to go back to ISA slots to not have sound on a main board


----------



## FordGT90Concept (Mar 16, 2015)

Most server boards don't have onboard audio.


----------



## CounterZeus (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> I did try plugging the speakers into the tv but this did not work either.  I suspect it's not the tv's speakers that are the problem but rather the audio controller on the tv's motherboard.  Replacing that would cost over $200, but I'm not an expert when it comes to tv tech.  I probably will have to get it fixed at some point, but I'm putting that off until I have to.  It's sure to be more expensive than an audio card.



Yeah, I was afraid that would happen. A cheap USB soundcard will probably do the trick and reusable if ever needed.


----------



## MrGenius (Mar 16, 2015)

Dent1 said:


> It's like saying your motherboard doesn't have a PS/2  port for mouse and keyboard, it's a basic standard.


My motherboard doesn't have a PS/2 port. That I'm 100% sure of. And I've seen many others like it lately. It kinda seems like they're phasing that out to me. Since you can plug both into a USB port, with an adapter.





I could be wrong about the motherboard(s) I had with no on-board sound. I could swear I had at least one(maybe not 2) that needed a card though. But it were a long time ago.


----------



## BiggieShady (Mar 16, 2015)

I believe you are missing one of these (female 3.5mm jack) to connect the 3.5mm male jack from the speakers to that male 3.5mm jack on your new DVI cable. Just be careful not to amplify much on the sound card at the same time you are amplifying on the speakers (if they are not passive).


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Dent1 said:


> I'm 100% certain your motherboard has on-board audio. It's like saying your motherboard doesn't have a PS/2  port for mouse and keyboard, it's a basic standard.
> 
> Download CPU-Z. It will tell you the motherboard's model.
> 
> http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/cpu-z_1.72-en.exe



This is what I have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M3N72D/

The case does have audio ports but they dont appear to connect to anything, and Windows does not show a playback device for any onboard sound.  Also, you can see on the Asus page that it only mentions having built-in support for Realtek codecs.  That seemed odd to me too, but I already discussed this on another forum and they told me (specifically another M3N72 owner) that the mb doesn't actually have an onboard sound card, despite the way it's advertised, because if it did, Windows would be able to use it.


----------



## Batou1986 (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> This is what I have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M3N72D/
> 
> The case does have audio ports but they dont appear to connect to anything, and Windows does not show a playback device for any onboard sound.  Also, you can see on the Asus page that it only mentions having built-in support for Realtek codecs.  That seemed odd to me too, but I already discussed this on another forum and they told me (specifically another M3N72 owner) that the mb doesn't actually have an onboard sound card, despite the way it's advertised, because if it did, Windows would be able to use it.


Try these according to spec that motherboard does have audio realtek HD audio
http://www.realtek.com.tw/DOWNLOADS...=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
Can't hurt to try


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Back when i first lost the tv audio, I went through this process and redownloaded all the latest drivers from the Asus site, including the Realtek "driver", which only seemed to install some text files in a folder on my C Drive.  I've had problems in the past installing drivers for onboard equipment from sources other than the MB manufacturer, but at this point I may just give it a try anyway.

Update: Checked out the link, it seems to just link to itself.  I'll see what else I can find, but to be honest even if I find drivers for a realtek card, I still dont see anywhere on the system to actually plug the speakers in.  The audio ports have nothing connected to them.


----------



## Batou1986 (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> Checked out the link, it seems to just link to itself


Their site is weird so start from this link and chose High Definition Audio http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
Tick the accept check box , hit next it takes you to the page where it lists the OS click the global link next to your OS 


Rob Allen said:


> I still dont see anywhere on the system to actually plug the speakers in


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Batou1986 said:


> Their site is weird so start from this link and chose High Definition Audio http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
> Tick the accept check box , hit next it takes you to the page where it lists the OS click the global link next to your OS


I see those ports but there is nothing on the mb where the ports are.  There are also audio ports on the front of the case but those are also not connected to anything on the mb.

I did manage to find the Realtek drivers and installed them, but still nothing appears in Windows that lets me actually select Realtek as an audio output.  I also checked in device manager and the only sound devices that appear there are the Nvidia ones and some virtual audio devices from codec packs, apparently for media emulation.  None of those are Realtek.  Even if the board has onboard sound, it's designed in such a way as to be inaccessible to Windows, so it's useless to me.  This is just like when I went through this before, regardless of what it says in the mb manual or on the site, there is no onboard sound.

After searching around on the internet, it seems there are thousands of other people like me who have this mb or similar ones that have the Realtek onboard sound "technology" who have not been able to actually use it.  There's a theory that it's not actually a sound device but rather just a built-in codec rom of some sort designed to make the mb work better with dedicated sound cards.  It sounds like marketing BS, or a scam, or some kind of cop-out to me.  But whatever it is, I can't work with it.  You'd think if this was legitimate, someone from Realtek would have the answers, but all I can find are dozens of unanswered questions and complaints across the web from other customers like me who are in the same situation.


----------



## Zakin (Mar 16, 2015)

So your motherboard you linked, doesn't have what Asus claims it has? It sounds like you just said it doesn't have the audio ports at all? o.0 That's bizarre, also the claim on a codec rom that assists dedicated sound cards is definitely not true. Dedicated sound cards would bypass any of that instantly. I can't imagine why there would be any Realtek chip for sound on the motherboard if you couldn't use it.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Zakin said:


> So your motherboard you linked, doesn't have what Asus claims it has? It sounds like you just said it doesn't have the audio ports at all? o.0 That's bizarre, also the claim on a codec rom that assists dedicated sound cards is definitely not true. Dedicated sound cards would bypass any of that instantly. I can't imagine why there would be any Realtek chip for sound on the motherboard if you couldn't use it.



I would tend to agree with you, but then I'm sitting here staring at something that doesn't make sense. 

So I went ahead and uninstalled the virtual audio devices since I dont use them and it seemed like a way to clean up the system.  I thought maybe they might also be interfering with things but that was a long-shot.  Now the only sound devices that are even detected are Nvidia.

Here's a screenshot:





Mind you, this is AFTER installing Realtek's drivers.  If there was onboard audio via Realtek, it should appear in the device manager.  But nope.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 16, 2015)

Is the onboard sound disabled in the BIOS?  Because that motherboard definitely should have an onboard sound card.

The option in the BIOS should be under Advanced -> Onboard Device Configuration -> HD Audio.  That needs to be set to Auto to enable the onboard sound card.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> Is the onboard sound disabled in the BIOS?  Because that motherboard definitely should have an onboard sound card.



I can't imagine why it would be, unless it came that way.  I never disabled it myself, though I had used a sound card the entire time I had it before I removed the sound card and then started using the GTX's built-in sound instead.  I will check it though.

Also, for anyone who's interested, here is a MB info dump from PC Wizard.  I don't expect to actually get this problem fixed since so many others in my situation have not found answers either (many of those posts were over 3 years old even), but maybe this info will at least provide some level of consumer awareness:


```
PC Wizard 2014 Version 2.13
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Owner: Rob
User: Rob
Computer Name: ARLSERVER
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium Home Edition Media Center 6.01.7601 Service Pack 1
Report Date: Monday 16 March 2015 at 14:21

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


<<< Mainboard >>>

  > Manufacturer : System manufacturer

    >> General Information
         Product : System Product Name
         Version : System Version
         Serial Number : System Serial Number
         Unique ID :
         SKU : Unspecified
         Family : Unspecified
         Start mode : Power Switch

    >> Chassis Information
         Intrusion detected : Unspecified

  > Mainboard : Asus M3N72-D

    >> General Information
         Manufacturer : ASUSTeK Computer INC. (Asus)
         Product : M3N72-D
         Version : 1.XX
         Serial Number :
         Support MP : Yes, 4 CPU(s)
         Version MPS : 1.4

    >> Chassis Information
         Manufacturer : Chassis Manufacture
         Type : Desktop
         Version : Chassis Version
         Serial Number : EVAL
         Asset : 123456789000

    >> OEM Support
         HPET : Yes
         SLIC : No
         nVidia SLI Ready : No
         Asus AIBooster : Yes

    >> Sensor Information
         Hardware Monitoring : ITE IT8716F

    >> On-Board Device Information
         Embedded Controller : Yes

    >> Slots Information
         Slot PCI : 32-bit  [5.0v]  -  Empty
         Slot PCI : 32-bit  [5.0v]  -  Empty
         Slot PCI-Express : x16  [5.0v]  -  In Use
         Slot PCI-Express : x16  [5.0v]  -  Empty
         Slot PCI-Express : x1  [5.0v]  -  Empty
         Slot PCI-Express : x1  [5.0v]  -  Empty

    >> External Connectors
         Serial 16450 Compatible : DB-9 male
         Keyboard : PS/2
         Audio : Mini-jack (headphones)
         Audio : Mini-jack (headphones)
         Audio : Mini-jack (headphones)
         Audio : Mini-jack (headphones)
         Audio : Mini-jack (headphones)
         Network : RJ-45
         FireWire (IEEE P1394) : 1394
         FireWire (IEEE P1394) : 1394

    >> Internal Connectors
         PRI_IDE : On Board IDE
         FLOPPY : On Board Floppy
         COM1 : 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
         PS/2 Keyboard : PS/2
         LINE_IN
         LINE_OUT
         MIC_IN
         Back Surround L/R
         Side Surround L/R
         Center/LFE
         CD : On Board Sound Input from CD-ROM
         SPDIF_OUT
         AAFP
         SATA1 : On Board IDE
         SATA2 : On Board IDE
         SATA3 : On Board IDE
         SATA4 : On Board IDE
         SATA5 : On Board IDE
         SATA6 : On Board IDE
         CHASSIS
         CPU_FAN
         PWR_FAN
         CHA_FAN1

    >> EEPROM Information
         Type : EEPROM Specific
         Address : 0x57

  > Bios : Phoenix Technologies, LTD

    >> General Information
         Manufacturer : Phoenix Technologies, LTD
         Version : ASUS M3N72-D ACPI BIOS Revision 1102
         Date : 06/30/2009  (mm/dd/yyyy)
         Address : 1024  KB
         OEM Signature : ASUS M3N72-D ACPI BIOS Revision 1102
         SMBios Version : Unspecified
         DMI Version : 2.5
         Bios EFI : No

    >> Characteristics
         Flashable : Yes
         Socketed : Yes

    >> Functionality
         APM : Yes
         ACPI : Yes
         ESCD : No
         PnP : Yes
         PCI : Yes
         ISA : No
         AGP : No
         USB : Yes
         PCMCIA : No
         Smart Battery : No

    >> Boot Information
         Selectable Boot : Yes
         CD-ROM Boot : Yes
         PC Card (PCMCIA) Boot : No
         I20 Boot : No
         LS-120 Boot : Yes
         1394 Boot : No
         ATAPI ZIP Boot : Yes
         Network Boot : No
         UEFI : No
         Virtual Machine : No

    >> Features
         VT-x : No
         VT-d : No
         TXT : No
         TPM : No
         Intel ME : No
         VA : No
         SPI Flash : No

  > Chipset : nVidia nForce 740a SLI

    >> General Information
         NorthBridge (SPP) : nVidia nForce 740a SLI
         NorthBridge : AMD K10 Bridge
         SouthBridge (MCP) : nVidia nForce 740a SLI MCP

    >> NorthBridge Information
         Architecture : Northbridge
         Manufacturer : nVidia (ASUSTeK Computer)
         Codename : MCP72
         Revision : A2
         Multiplier : 8x

    >> NorthBridge Information
         Architecture : Northbridge
         Memory Controller : Integrated
         Manufacturer : AMD
         Revision : 00
         Multiplier : 8x
         Bus Speed : 200.01 MHz
         FSB Frequency : 2000.1 MHz
         HyperTransport Clock : 2000 MHz
         Upstream : 16-bit
         Downstream : 16-bit
         HTT max. Support : 2000 MHz
         RAM max. Support : DDR2 (800 MHz)

    >> Memory Information
         Type : DDR2-SDRAM PC2-5300
         Frequency : 333.3 MHz
         FSB/DRAM Ratio : 3/5
         Supported Channels : Dual
         Mode : Ganged
         Activated Channels : Ganged
         ECC Diagnostic : Yes   -   Disabled
         CAS Latency (tCL) : 5 clocks
         RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 5 clocks
         RAS Precharge (tRP) : 7 clocks
         Cycle Time (tRAS) : 18 clocks
         Bank Cycle Time (tRC) : 20 clocks
         Command Rate : 2 T

    >> Physical Capabilities
         Multi-Processor : No
         128-bit RAM : Yes
         ECC : Yes   -   Disabled
         ChipKill ECC : Yes   -   Enabled
         HTC : Yes
         UnGanging Support : No
         Multi VID Plane : Yes
         DRAM Scrub Rate : Disabled
         L3 Cache Scrub Rate : Disabled
         L2 Cache Scrub Rate : Disabled
         L1 Cache Scrub Rate : Disabled
         Memory Frequency (max.) : 1333 MHz

    >> SouthBridge Information
         Revision : A2

    >> APIC Information
         Version : 1.01
         Maximum Interrupts : 24
         IRQ Handler enabled : No

    >> Device Capabilities (PCI)
         I/O Access : No
         Memory Access : Yes
         Bus Master Capable : Yes
         Special Cycle Recognition : No
         Memory Write & Invalidate : No
         VGA Palette Snoop : No
         Parity Error Response : No
         Cycle Wait : No
         System Error Line : No
         Fast Back-to-Back : No
         Detects Parity Errors : No
         User Defined Format : No
         PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : Yes
         New Capability List : Yes
         PCI Support : Hyper-Transport
         PCI Support : Hyper-Transport
         PCI Support : Hyper-Transport
         PCI Support : Hyper-Transport

  > Physical Memory : 4096  MB -SDRAM

    >> General Information
         DIMM_A1 (Bank0/1 ) : 2048  MB - DIMM
         DIMM_B1 (Bank2/3 ) : 2048  MB - DIMM

    >> Information SPD EEPROM (DIMM_A1)
         Manufacturer : ial Technology
         Part Number : 664AA667.M16FH
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type : -SDRAM 5300 (333 MHz)  -  [DDR2-666]
         Format : lar UDIMM (133.35 x 3)
         Size : 2048  MB (2 ranks, 8 banks)
         Module Buffered : No
         Module Registered : No
         Module SLi Ready (EPP) : No
         Width : 64-bit
         Error Correction Capability (ECC) : Unspecified
         Max. Burst Length : 8
         Refresh : ced (.5x)7.8, Self Refreshμs
         Voltage : 1.8v
         Prefetch Buffer : 4-bit
         Manufacture : Week 30 of 2011
         Supported Frequencies : 200 MHz, 266 MHz, 333 MHz
         CAS Latency (tCL) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         Cycle Time (tRAS) : 9 clocks @ 200 MHz, 12 clocks @ 266 MHz, 15 clocks @ 333 MHz
         Min TRC : 12 clocks @ 200 MHz, 16 clocks @ 266 MHz, 20 clocks @ 333 MHz

    >> Information SPD EEPROM (DIMM_B1)
         Manufacturer : ial Technology
         Part Number : 664AA667.M16FH
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type : -SDRAM 5300 (333 MHz)  -  [DDR2-666]
         Format : lar UDIMM (133.35 x 3)
         Size : 2048  MB (2 ranks, 8 banks)
         Module Buffered : No
         Module Registered : No
         Module SLi Ready (EPP) : No
         Width : 64-bit
         Error Correction Capability (ECC) : Unspecified
         Max. Burst Length : 8
         Refresh : ced (.5x)7.8, Self Refreshμs
         Voltage : 1.8v
         Prefetch Buffer : 4-bit
         Manufacture : Week 30 of 2011
         Supported Frequencies : 200 MHz, 266 MHz, 333 MHz
         CAS Latency (tCL) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @ 200 MHz, 4 clocks @ 266 MHz, 5 clocks @ 333 MHz
         Cycle Time (tRAS) : 9 clocks @ 200 MHz, 12 clocks @ 266 MHz, 15 clocks @ 333 MHz
         Min TRC : 12 clocks @ 200 MHz, 16 clocks @ 266 MHz, 20 clocks @ 333 MHz

    >> Information SPD EEPROM (DIMM_A2)
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type :  0 (0 MHz)

    >> Information SPD EEPROM (DIMM_B2)
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type :  0 (0 MHz)

    >> Information SPD EEPROM
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type :  0 (0 MHz)

    >> Information SPD EEPROM
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type :  0 (0 MHz)

    >> Information SPD EEPROM
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Type :  0 (0 MHz)

    >> Information SPD EEPROM
         Manufacturer : Unspecified
         Part Number : Unspecified
         Serial Number : Unspecified
         Specification : -98
         Type : -SDRAM 800 (49 MHz)
         Size : 0  MB (0 ranks, 0 banks)
         Module Buffered : No
         Module Registered : No
         Module SLi Ready (EPP) : No
         Module XMP : No
         Module XMP 2.0 : No
         Width : 0-bit
         Error Correction Capability (ECC) : Unspecified
         Prefetch Buffer : 8-bit
         Manufacture : 0
         Thermal Sensor : No
         Heat Spreader : Yes
         Supported Frequencies : 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz, 0 MHz
         CAS Latency (tCL) : 7 clocks @ 0 MHz, 10 clocks @ 0 MHz, 11 clocks @ 0 MHz, 16 clocks @ 0 MHz, 18 clocks @ 0 MHz, 19 clocks @ 0 MHz, 20 clocks @ 0 MHz, 21 clocks @ 0 MHz, 23 clocks @ 0 MHz
         RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz
         RAS Precharge (tRP) : 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz
         Cycle Time (tRAS) : 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz
         Min TRC : 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz, 0 clocks @ 0 MHz

    >> Memory Controller Information
         Memory Controller : System Memory
         Location : Mainboard
         Error Correction Capability : No
         Number of connectors : 4
         Max. Module Size : 8192 MB

  > LPC bus : Yes

    >> Bus Information
         Type : ISA  -  LPC
         Device : nForce 750a LPC Bridge
         Revision : A2
         Number of ISA Connectors : 0
         Frequency : 8 MHz
         Multiplier : 1/4x
         DMA Speed : 4 MHz
         Multiplier : 1/2x

    >> Device Capabilities (PCI)
         I/O Access : Yes
         Memory Access : Yes
         Bus Master Capable : Yes
         Special Cycle Recognition : Yes
         Memory Write & Invalidate : No
         VGA Palette Snoop : No
         Parity Error Response : No
         Cycle Wait : No
         System Error Line : No
         Fast Back-to-Back : No
         Detects Parity Errors : No
         User Defined Format : No
         PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : Yes
         New Capability List : No

  > PCI Bus : No

  > Bus PCI-Express : Yes

    >> PCI-Express Information
         Number of connectors : 4
         PCI-Express Base : 0xF0000000

    >> Bus PCI-Express
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCIe Bridge
         Version : 2.0
         Port : 0
         Physical Slot : #0
         Slot Populated : Yes
         Link Width : x16   (max. x16)
         Link Speed : 5  GB/s

    >> Bus PCI-Express
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCIe Bridge
         Version : 1.0
         Port : 2
         Physical Slot : #0
         Slot Populated : No
         Link Width : x4   (max. x1)
         Link Speed : 2.5  GB/s

    >> Bus PCI-Express
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCI Bridge
         Version : 1.0
         Port : 3
         Physical Slot : #0
         Slot Populated : No
         Link Width : x1   (max. x1)
         Link Speed : 2.5  GB/s

    >> Bus PCI-Express
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] PCI Bridge
         Version : 1.0
         Port : 4
         Physical Slot : #0
         Slot Populated : No
         Link Width : x1   (max. x1)
         Link Speed : 2.5  GB/s

    >> Bus PCI-Express
         Device : GF104 [GeForce GTX 460]
         Version : 2.0
         Port : 0
         Link Width : x16   (max. x16)
         Link Speed : 5  GB/s

  > USB Bus : Yes

    >> Device Information
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] USB OHCI Controller
         Version : 1.0
         Interface : UHCI
         Frequency : 0.1875  MB/s

    >> Device Information
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] USB EHCI Controller
         Version : 2.0
         Interface : EHCI
         Frequency : 60  MB/s

    >> Device Information
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] USB OHCI Controller
         Version : 1.0
         Interface : UHCI
         Frequency : 0.1875  MB/s

    >> Device Information
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] USB EHCI Controller
         Version : 2.0
         Interface : EHCI
         Frequency : 60  MB/s

  > SMBus/i2c Bus : Yes

    >> General Information
         Device : MCP78S [GeForce 8200] SMBus
         Revision : A1
         Frequency : 16 KHz
         Address #1 : 0x1C00
         Address #2 : 0x1C40
         SBI Protocol Enabled : No
         Asus ACPI Access : No

    >> Device Capabilities (PCI)
         I/O Access : Yes
         Memory Access : No
         Bus Master Capable : No
         Special Cycle Recognition : No
         Memory Write & Invalidate : No
         VGA Palette Snoop : No
         Parity Error Response : No
         Cycle Wait : No
         System Error Line : No
         Fast Back-to-Back : No
         Detects Parity Errors : No
         User Defined Format : No
         PCI 66Mhz Bus Support : Yes
         New Capability List : Yes
         PCI Support : Power Management Interface

  > Bus HyperTransport : Yes

    >> HyperTransport Host Information
         Device : (Family 10h) Athlon/Opteron/Sempron/Turion HyperTransport Configuration
         HyperTransport Clock : 2000 MHz
         HyperTransport Frequency : 4000 MHz
         Upstream : 16-bit
         Downstream : 16-bit
         Version : 3.00
         Host : Yes

  > Bus QPI : No

  > Bus CardBus : No

  > Bus FireWire : Yes

    >> Bus Information
         Device : FW322/323 IEEE1394 OHCI FireWire Controller

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***** End of report *****
```


----------



## Jetster (Mar 16, 2015)

Well you need a DAC then. And some DVI have just digital sound and some have none. And some have both. But a passive converter is probably not goin to work. The easiest fix would be a USB DAC


----------



## Aquinus (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> I would tend to agree with you, but then I'm sitting here staring at something that doesn't make sense.
> 
> So I went ahead and uninstalled the virtual audio devices since I dont use them and it seemed like a way to clean up the system.  I thought maybe they might also be interfering with things but that was a long-shot.  Now the only sound devices that are even detected are Nvidia.
> 
> ...


What's in the "Other devices" section in the Device Manager? Devices sometimes end up here when there is a problem or if the drivers weren't installed properly for one reason or another. You may need to manually uninstall a broken driver before you can install the good drivers if there already was a problem.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 16, 2015)

Well, went into the BIOS and HD Audio was off after all.  I guess I should have checked it but I just assumed it would be on by default.  After turning it on, Windows finished installing the Realtek drivers (apparently it never finished installing them because the audio was off), and now it seems to be working.  I'm a bit baffled at this.  Why would Asus ship a mb with part of its functionality deliberately disabled?  Oh well, it works now so I guess I can't complain too much.  I guess the lesson here is never to put your faith in someone else's common sense.

I think what really confused me was that when I looked inside, it didnt look like the MB was close enough to the audio ports to actually be connected, but my area of expertise is computer software, not hardware.  It's probably hidden behind the PS mounting.  As I remember it was rather difficult to see that part of the mb with the limited tools I have.  And no, I didn't build the system myself, I had it assembled without OS and handled the OS setup myself.


----------



## MrGenius (Mar 16, 2015)

If the on-board audio _*wasn't*_ disabled in the BIOS, then windows would be trying to load drivers for it every time you restart your computer(until said drivers were found/installed successfully).

Soo......go figure. Kinda 1+1 = 2 when you think about it.


----------



## Dent1 (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> This is what I have: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M3N72D/
> 
> The case does have audio ports but they dont appear to connect to anything, and Windows does not show a playback device for any onboard sound.  Also, you can see on the Asus page that it only mentions having built-in support for Realtek codecs.  That seemed odd to me too, but I already discussed this on another forum and they told me (specifically another M3N72 owner) that the mb doesn't actually have an onboard sound card, despite the way it's advertised, because if it did, Windows would be able to use it.



That motherboard does have integrated audio.  Realtek is the company that makes the audio chip and provides driver support. You can clearly see green, black, orange, pink, green and blue analogue audio outputs and a digital coaxial output in the picture.

*Audio*
Realtek® ALC1200 8 -Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Coaxial S/PDIF out ports at back I/O
- Support Jack Detection and Multi-streaming
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/M3N72D/specifications/



Rob Allen said:


> Well, went into the BIOS and HD Audio was off after all.  I guess I should have checked it but I just assumed it would be on by default.  After turning it on, Windows finished installing the Realtek drivers (apparently it never finished installing them because the audio was off), and now it seems to be working.  I'm a bit baffled at this.  Why would Asus ship a mb with part of its functionality deliberately disabled?  Oh well, it works now so I guess I can't complain too much.  I guess the lesson here is never to put your faith in someone else's common sense.
> 
> I think what really confused me was that when I looked inside, it didnt look like the MB was close enough to the audio ports to actually be connected, but my area of expertise is computer software, not hardware.  It's probably hidden behind the PS mounting.  As I remember it was rather difficult to see that part of the mb with the limited tools I have.  And no, I didn't build the system myself, I had it assembled without OS and handled the OS setup myself.




Glad you got it working.

BTW does your TV have a 3.5mm headphone output. You may be able to connect it to your computer's sound card Line-in.  They cost about £2.


----------



## Zakin (Mar 16, 2015)

Yay, solutions! Good call Newtekie! Why in the world that was disabled in BIOS, we will likely never know.


----------



## newtekie1 (Mar 16, 2015)

Rob Allen said:


> Why would Asus ship a mb with part of its functionality deliberately disabled?


They likely didn't, according to the manual "Auto" is the default the motherboard shipped with.

Likely whoever installed the sound card when the computer was originally built likely turned it off so the onboard sound wouldn't conflict with the dedicated sound card.


----------



## FordGT90Concept (Mar 17, 2015)

Yup, to prevent support calls "my speakers aren't working!"  All they have to do is tell the individual to plug it in to the green hole below.  Saves a 15 minute explanation of why the top ones don't work.


----------



## Rob Allen (Mar 17, 2015)

FordGT90Concept said:


> Yup, to prevent support calls "my speakers aren't working!"  All they have to do is tell the individual to plug it in to the green hole below.  Saves a 15 minute explanation of why the top ones don't work.



I suppose so.  Ironically, given my specialization, if they had just left it enabled, if I had any trouble with it the first thing I would have tried was changing the sound output in Windows, which works fine now that everything is enabled and the drivers are set up.  And part of installing an OS is setting up drivers, so I would have done that anyway.  Could have saved me a few days of wondering why my system isn't working the way it's supposed to.  Sign of the times maybe.


----------

