Question 1

Will this card work with Windows 7 64bit?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 Channels 24-bit sound card works very well under Windows 7 64-Bit.  I've been running mine on an LGA-1155 based ASUS motherboard (a P8H61-M LE) with Windows 7 64-Bit Ultimate Edition without any issues for over six months, and for the past month since upgrading, Windows 8.1 Professional 64-Bit.  There are two things you may want to keep in mind about the installation and configuration of this sound card:

1.)  Before you install the Xonar Card, and if your motherboard already has an integrated or on-board Sound Controller, make sure it is disabled in your motherboard's BIOS.  In my configuration, I had to boot into the BIOS Advanced Configuration Settings and disable the on-board Realtek ALC 887 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC on the Motherboard.  Check your documentation for your motherboard on how to make this change.  It is important that the on-board audio controller is disabled to ensure it doesn't interfer or affect the sound quality of the Xonar playback.

2.) You may want to check the ASUS Product Support Page for the Xonar DS Series on the ASUS Web Site and make sure you have the most up-to-date driver.  As of this writing, the most recent version of the Xonar DS is Version 7.12.8.1794 for Windows 7 64-Bit released on June 27, 2011,m and have the driver installation ready on a locally accessible hard drive to bring up during configuration.

I hope this was of help.

Question 2

What if I don't require 7 channel audio, is this still the best bang for the buck?

Accepted Answer

Overall i'd say yes.  Mostly because if you wanted the 7 channel later it will be there and the software that comes with the card is useful for setting everything up and switching between stereo to 5.1 or 7.1 or really anything you need.  But if you don't plan on using it the it's fullest I wouldn't force you to get it for sure

Question 3

Do i needto download drivers or anything to use this or can i just plug it in and it will work?

Accepted Answer

I had to download drivers on Windows to get the optical out to work properly by fiddling with settings only available through the ASUS audio manager (not sure what it's called). Once you change the settings, I think you can safely stop using the audio manager.

Question 4

Does this hook up with my front audio jack?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you will have to unplug the cable that goes from your motherboard to the front jack and plug it into this card. You will then need to set it in the control panel in order to hear audio out of the front jack.

Question 5

is this sound card compatible with windows xp?

Accepted Answer

Please refer to the specifications tab, it will tell what operating systems this is compatible with.

Question 6

is this support in 5.1 home theatre?

Accepted Answer

Card seemed like a sweet deal when I built my first pc. Everything else works great, except this card. Received it DOA, tried everything, computer wouldn't even recognize it no matter what drivers/software was installed. I was probably an unlucky one and most are probably fine, but im extremely unhappy with my purchase. Called Xonar, they wanted me to send it back to send me a refurbished one. Why should I get a refurnished one when I just purchased a new one that came DOA???? Sorry Xonar, you lost a customer, would never buy from again off principle.

Question 7

Will this card work in a PCI-X slot?

Accepted Answer

This card just works with traditional PCI slot. The Asus Xonar DX however will work with the modern PCIe.

Question 8

Is this win 8.1 compatible?

Accepted Answer

yes . i had it on windows 8 and 8.1 for many months without an issue and now have it running on windows 7 no problem.

Question 9

Can this sound card work as a low-profile one?

Accepted Answer

It Is a low profile card.  I have it installed in my small form factor machine.

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