# GPU audio chip ionfo



## vailr (Nov 6, 2017)

Is more detailed information available for determining the specific GPU audio chip's model number & capabilities? S/N ratio, for example.
AFAIK, Realtek audio chips are usually found on most video cards with audio out capability, even though the AMD/nVidia driver usually calls the audio driver by some other name.


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## W1zzard (Nov 6, 2017)

Realtek? I doubt that. What software so you currently use to get this audio info?


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## silentbogo (Nov 6, 2017)

vailr said:


> Is more detailed information available for determining the specific GPU audio chip's model number & capabilities? S/N ratio, for example.
> AFAIK, Realtek audio chips are usually found on most video cards with audio out capability, even though the AMD/nVidia driver usually calls the audio driver by some other name.


Your GPU can only output digital audio, so SNR is meaningless.
Otherwise, GTX500-series and later, or AMD 5000 series and later can do 24-bit 192KHz 8ch LPCM.
Anything Kepler-based and above can do advanced codecs, like DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos etc.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2796/~/which-hdmi-audio-formats-do-nvidia-gpus-support?



vailr said:


> Realtek audio chips are usually found on most video cards with audio out capability


When did this happen?


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## vailr (Nov 6, 2017)

Okay: is the audio out chip that's found on video cards, found as a separate microchip, or is it located on the same wafer as the GPU?
I recall that some ATI (pre-AMD buyout) video cards did include Realtek audio.
At any rate: it seems to be logical to include some details on the audio output capabilities within the GPU-Z software.


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## m0nt3 (Nov 6, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Your GPU can only output digital audio, so SNR is meaningless.
> Otherwise, GTX500-series and later, or AMD 5000 series and later can do 24-bit 192KHz 8ch LPCM.
> Anything Kepler-based and above can do advanced codecs, like DTS-HD, Dolby Atmos etc.
> http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2796/~/which-hdmi-audio-formats-do-nvidia-gpus-support?
> ...



The Radeon HD 2900 Supported 5.1 Audio over HDMI (the cards came with a special DVI-D to HDMI adapter) A realtek chip was used.

http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false

Down the list is the ATI HDMI Audio driver, last updated 2012.


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## Jetster (Nov 6, 2017)

I don't think there is any audio chip on a graphics card. It simply passes the digital audio to a source that has a DAC


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## m0nt3 (Nov 6, 2017)

Jetster said:


> I don't think there is any audio chip on a graphics card. It simply passes the digital audio to a source that has a DAC


It is just a codec, compression/decompression. for the DAC


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## W1zzard (Nov 6, 2017)

The audio codec is inside the GPU silicon nowadays, and yes, it can only output digital audio signals.

I vaguely remember some 3rd party audio chip way way back on ATI, for the first generation, before they implemented their own.


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## INSTG8R (Nov 6, 2017)

W1zzard said:


> The audio codec is inside the GPU silicon nowadays, and yes, it can only output digital audio signals.
> 
> I vaguely remember some 3rd party audio chip way way back on ATI, for the first generation, before they implemented their own.


Yeah they definitely used to use Realtek as you could download the HDMI audio driver directly from them.


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## silentbogo (Nov 6, 2017)

W1zzard said:


> I vaguely remember some 3rd party audio chip way way back on ATI, for the first generation, before they implemented their own.


Those were ATI Wonder chips (or ATI Theatre), which were handling everything from video capture to some analog A/V outputs (only on All-in-Wonder and AiW HD cards).
Nvidia used to have a similar co-processor on some 200-series and 9000 series cards. Don't remember what was the name and what exactly it did...
Though, nothing to do with what OP is talking about.



m0nt3 said:


> The Radeon HD 2900 Supported 5.1 Audio over HDMI (the cards came with a special DVI-D to HDMI adapter) A realtek chip was used.
> 
> http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads...=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false
> 
> Down the list is the ATI HDMI Audio driver, last updated 2012.


I think that's the driver for audio pass-through. Basically for an onboard Realtek audio IC to do the heavy lifting and stream its output to HDMI of your ATI/AMD GPU HDMI directly.
Just to make it simple: new cards do their own audio, old cards do pass-through from onboard audio (if they have HDMI).
For all newer cards you can find specs and audio capabilities either on corresponding official websites, or the worst case scenario - Wikipedia.
In 99.9% of the cases it will be 7.1ch 192KHz for everything made in the past 5-something years, as I mentioned earlier.


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## RejZoR (Nov 7, 2017)

The audio chip on board is only used for HDMI passthrough. So graphic card can output video and audio through HDMI output. The chips cannot playback audio on their own.


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## INSTG8R (Nov 7, 2017)

RejZoR said:


> The audio chip on board is only used for HDMI passthrough. So graphic card can output video and audio through HDMI output. The chips cannot playback audio on their own.


Sorry but you’re r wrong. I'm currently listening to Spotify on my Monitors speakers via DP through my Fury.


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## RejZoR (Nov 7, 2017)

Afaik, you're actually playing music on CPU, it's just outputting it through the graphic card. Passthrough, no actual DSP involved.


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## INSTG8R (Nov 7, 2017)

P





RejZoR said:


> Afaik, you're actually playing music on CPU, it's just outputting it through the graphic card. Passthrough, no actual DSP involved.



That’s a bit of gymnastics there to justify your point. You’re trying to tell me my CPU is now a sound card rather than the more likely fact the card is actually doing the work? But do go on...


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## RejZoR (Nov 7, 2017)

Don't mix TrueAudio DSP with passthrough. You need to specifically code the audio processing to go through TrueAudio DSP logic, in which case GPU is acting like the usual audio DSP on dedicated soundcards. Imagine TrueAudio as Creative's EAX...


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## INSTG8R (Nov 7, 2017)

RejZoR said:


> Don't mix TrueAudio DSP with passthrough. You need to specifically code the audio processing to go through TrueAudio DSP logic, in which case GPU is acting like the usual audio DSP on dedicated soundcards. Imagine TrueAudio as Creative's EAX...


Cmon man it’s coming direct from the card to my monitor this is not a pass through situation is my monitor doing it? This is not a DSP situation it was music in Stereo nothing more...Nothing like EAX. Just accept that the card can do audio on its own...


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## RejZoR (Nov 7, 2017)

Your procesor is decoding MP3 and sending the audio directly to your speakers via graphic card. That's simple decode without any DSP involved (basically the same as Direct Stereo on Sound Blaster cards which bypasses DSP logic entirely). Windows does that on its own since Windows Vista (when they trashed the audio subsystem).

When DSP is involved, your CPU decodes the MP3, sends it to DSP which processes the audio and sends it to DACs or through soundcard to monitor DACs. Technically, DSP doesn't play much role in the process if you're not applying post processing effects like equalizer, bass enhancements and things like "Crystalizer". It just outputs the audio as it was recorded. With DSP involved, you shape the sound to your taste.


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## INSTG8R (Nov 7, 2017)

RejZoR said:


> Your procesor is decoding MP3 and sending the audio directly to your speakers via graphic card. That's simple decode without any DSP involved (basically the same as Direct Stereo on Sound Blaster cards which bypasses DSP logic entirely). Windows does that on its own since Windows Vista (when they trashed the audio subsystem).
> 
> When DSP is involved, your CPU decodes the MP3, sends it to DSP which processes the audio and sends it to DACs or through soundcard to monitor DACs. Technically, DSP doesn't play much role in the process if you're not applying post processing effects like equalizer, bass enhancements and things like "Crystalizer". It just outputs the audio as it was recorded. With DSP involved, you shape the sound to your taste.


I can agree it's not actually using the True Audio DSP bit, but the point still stands you don't "need" anything extra besides your GFX card to actually get usable audio from it regardless of Format
I just tested it with a HL2 just to see what happened. Again have audio I have even made sure my SB ZX is disabled. The card has zero issues giving me sound in anything I have thrown at it. Just listening to Radiohead on iTunes in their Lossless format, again just the card here...
God these speakers are terrible....


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## RejZoR (Nov 7, 2017)

Well, yes, end result is audio playback. How it gets there and at what quality, that's another thing, but yes, you get the audio.


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