Anyone know whether AC97 audio is CPU dependant? I mean its called CODEC and as such id presume it needs the cpu for the calculations?
It used to be... Some do quite a bit in hardware now. It seems like the newest SoundMAX series isn't too bad.
@kd
I have a SB Live!, and I must say it's a piece of carp. Plus, Creative has really pissed me off with it's policy of grouping everything (including the kitchen sink) in with the EAX driver, and forcing it all installed if you want the AudioHQ EAX control... (Granted, you can go back and manually uninstall the other stuff afterwards, but why should I need all that hassle???) Personally, it's the LAST Creative card I'm ever owning....