How do I know what kind of sound card I have on my computer?

Not so often, users ask the question "How do I know what my sound card is?" This can be in two cases: when buying a new system unit or when reinstalling the operating system. There are four options for solving this problem. The first of these is a review of the documentation that was included with the PC. But not always it is available. Usually it is lost, and to find it is problematic. The second way is to use the Device Manager. But not always, "Windos" can determine such a fee. Then you have to use specialized software - this is the third method. If the first three methods of the result did not yield, then you can simply disassemble the system unit and see the type of the chip.

Documentation

The easiest way is to answer the question "How do I know what my sound card is?" Using the documentation. Sound cards are of two types: external and integrated. In the first case, this is a separate module installed in the system unit. It must be accompanied by a personal passport or instruction manual. If you have an integrated version, the chip is built into the motherboard. In this situation, you need to study the same documentation for this component of the system unit. There necessarily is such information.

Built-in tools

The structure of any modern operating system "Windows" necessarily includes "Device Manager". It can be easily answered if you were asked "How do I know what my sound card is?" To do this, we call the menu on the "My Computer" icon with the right mouse button. Here you need to select the "Properties" item. Further in the right column we click the left button of the manipulator under the inscription "Device Manager". Then we find the point that begins with the word "Sound ..." and open it. To do this, click the same button on the triangle on the left. The drop-down list should have a sound card installed on your PC. But not always the OS is able to correctly determine the sound device. It can be shown as an "Unknown Device".

Special software

If the OS is not enough, then you need to use specialized software to get an answer to the question: "How can I find out what my sound card is?" For this we install the AIDA64 program (it is most often used for this purpose), following the instructions of the wizard . After starting, we find the item "Audio PCI / PnP". Clicking on it with the left mouse button, open the window with full information about this device. It is extremely rare, but it does happen that this method did not work either. Then we proceed to the next stage.

On the board

The last way to answer the question "What is my sound card?" Is to disassemble the system unit. This can be done only if you do not have a computer for warranty. Otherwise, it must be sealed, and in this situation it is necessary to take it to a service center. To solve this problem, it is enough to remove the side cover from the system unit from the side with which there are no contacts for connection of peripheral devices. Pre-system block must be completely disconnected, removed and placed on the table or on the floor. Next, remove the two screws on the side where there are no nests. We remove the side panel of the case. We put it on its side. At the next stage we look, where there are outputs of the acoustic system (these are circles with colored rings all around the perimeter). If on a separate board, we draw attention to the inscriptions on its largest chip. Otherwise, we have an integrated version, and in the area of audio outputs is the information we need. Similarly, we find there the largest chip and write off the data from it. If there are several of them, it is better to write down the abbreviation with each of them.

conclusions

A sound card for a computer is an important component of modern computer systems, without which it is simply impossible to imagine their work. The algorithm proposed in this article makes it possible to determine the type of such a device without problems. And everyone can cope with this task, regardless of the level of training and knowledge.