Aspies For Freedom

who knows how to help/fix SoundMAX soundcards? reason why i ask is cause my volume always drops (meaning getting quieter). so if anyone'd like to help, please post.

I think SoundMAX is usually onboard audio, and support for this chip is usually poor (driver either works properly or it doesn't, or the hardware gets worn etc.). I was trying to fix a PC that might have had something like a SoundMAX on it, but the sound had terrible distortion at normal volume. I fixed this by replacing the SoundMax card with a SoundBlaster AWE32, which worked a lot better. However the AWE32 is outdated by todays standards.

You will find that a SoundBlaster Audigy will work better than a SoundMax and I recommended it. Some of them are cheap. I have an Audigy 2ZS in my PC and its amazing!

what's a good soundcard to buy/use that's better than SoundMAX?

SoundBlaster by Creative is good.  I have it and it works really well.  Dolby Pro-Logic II system and everything.

how much does it cost?

Varies between different soundblaster models. The simpler ones are very cheap, and should be on par with what you had.

Note that while Soundblaster cards are the best for gaming, etc., the sound quality of the entire range, though fully acceptable for most and certainly far better than the common inbuilt stuff, is mediocre in comparison to many other soundcards in similar price ranges. So if music listening (on a reasonably good system. if you are using the average set of "computer speakers", it'd be rather hard to notice any difference at all) is a main concern, make sure to look at other brands as well.

isn't SoundMAX the only soundcard that ASUS (motherboard) can use or can it be used with others?