sdpif any difference on soundcard or onboard ?

[Snow-Munki]

spdif any difference on soundcard or onboard ?

Hi,

was wondering whne build an HTPC, using onboard spdif for sound or better to invest in a good soundcard with spdif ??

or is digital sound just digital sound ?

 

[Topgun]

In theory there shouldn't be any difference between 16bit onboard sound and a dedicated 16bit sound card for digital output although some will argue about higher interference around the CPU..... The same goes for encoded bitstreams like Dolby Digital or DTS. A higher end soundcard can still give you a few advantages even if you're just using the spdif:

1) 24-bit audio/ higher sampling rates (Only noticable on higher end gear)
2) Hardware encoding of all 6 channel sources to DD or DTS format. (Can now be done in software with AC3filter also)
3) Possibly better performance in games as the sound processing is offloaded from the CPU to the card.
4) More post processing effects for reverb etc (more of a novelty really)
5) Bundled software, remote controls...