in order to gain x16 x16 for the GPU's they need to be in slots 1 and 3 otherwise it's x16 x8 so I'll see what I can do with the flexi PCIe cable I have and a x1 USB3 card
as for the VIA audio yeah your right for onboard sound it was in the top leagues but compared the the XFI it sounds like crap and the drivers for win7 x64 are a bit flaky
its basically the same codec but not the same chip still the VIA VT 2020 has the same specs as the one in the X FI Xtreme Audio (i hope you don't have that one, otherwise it mean you have the same audio as the integrated one and paid extra for it
) oh well its more close of the E-MU 20K1/2 than a SB live ! or audigy like the X FI Xtreme Audio
X-Fi line-up[edit]
X-Fi MB[edit]
X-Fi MB is a software solution that enables basic X-Fi features on computers with integrated audio into an X-Fi device. It requires some degree of driver support from the audio hardware manufacturer. X-Fi MB is commonly bundled with motherboards and computer systems, and is comparable to an X-Fi XtremeAudio. Bundled with some Asus and ASRock motherboards, the X-Fi MB is sold as X-Fi Supreme FX and is actually a standard Analog Devices integrated HD audio codec paired with X-Fi MB. The X-Fi features are implemented entirely in the software. Other hardware vendors sell the X-Fi MB solution simply as Sound Blaster X-Fi Integrated Sound.
X-Fi Xtreme Audio[edit]
The entry-level model of the X-Fi series, the Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio, does not actually have the EMU20K1 chip but is a re-branded Audigy SE, using the same family of chips (CA0106-WBTLF), and even the same drivers.[11] Thus, not only is all of the X-Fi–related processing performed in software, but it also lacks basic hardware acceleration just like the SB Live! 24-bit, the Audigy SE and other budget Soundblaster models. The X-Fi Xtreme Audio does not use the same drivers as the rest of the X-Fi family (and lacks ASIO), some games do not recognize it as being "X-Fi capable hardware", and the device's hardware profile resembles that of older Live! and Audigy cards.
and to add a pics a a touch of humor
*begin to whistle "Strangers in the night"*
Cruncher in the night ...
.
It has traveled miles just to be released from its prison
