Sound Card
A sound card is an integrated circuit that creates an audio signal, then sends it to the computer's speaker. It accepts any analog sound, whether from a microphone or from a sound bar, and then converts it into digital data that can be stored in an audio file. It can also accept digital audio signals from an audio file, then convert them into analogue signals that can be played on computer speakers. The sound card on a personal computer is usually in the form of a separate circuit board, and is connected to the motherboard.
Types of sound card
Motherboard sound chips
Adding sound cards to devices cost hundreds of dollars in the past, and when the prices of computer sound technology began to decline, technology enabled computer manufacturers to place all the technology required to produce sound on a single chip, and the sound chips on the motherboard helped make sound cards available to all device owners. The computer. If the computer contains audio jacks on the back panel of the motherboard along with other amplification ports, such as USB ports, then the computer contains an audio chip for the motherboard.
Standard sound cards
The standard sound card is an amplification card that connects to one of the slots inside the computer. One of the benefits of using a sound card instead of the motherboard sound chip is that the sound cards contain their own processing chips, while the motherboard sound chip depends on the computer processor to perform some of the operations required to produce sound. The pressure of the standard sound card on the main processor is also less, which contributes to obtaining better performance when playing games. It is noteworthy that some standard sound cards contain features that are not found in the motherboard sound chips, such as 24-bit recording, or multi-channel surround sound. .
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An external audio adapter consists of a small box that contains all the features of a standard sound card, but it connects to the computer via a USB port, or a FireWire port, rather than an internal expansion slot. External audio adapters can also contain features that sound cards do not provide Standard ones, such as: additional inputs and outputs, and volume control knobs. Transferring an external audio adapter to a new computer is easier than transferring a standard sound card, knowing that it is the only way to improve the sound of a laptop that only has USB expansion slots, or Firewire.
Sound card functions
There are many functions performed by the sound card, the most important of which can be summarized as follows:
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- Converting analogue signals to digital, such as recording sound from a microphone.
- Converting digital signals to analogue.
