Multiple HD audio drivers installed at the same time??

Hello Gents,

I'm rounding up all the drivers to do a clean, fresh install of the OS and (hopefully) not have to muck around with this again for a while...

I noticed in my Device Manager that I have no less than 2 different HD audio drivers from IDT and Intel, and I believe that installing the Nvidia Forceware also gave the option of installing HD audio drivers, which I elected to uncheck in the custom install. I think Microsoft installs HD audio drivers out of the box too. My question is, are these all necessary?? Can I get audio full functionality with just one of these and if so, which one of these is best that should I use? What hardware actually serves the audio functionality on the R3 -- the Intel system chipset, or IDT?

My plan of attack for the reinstall, likely this weekend:

1. Secure Erase my SSD
2. Install Win7 x64 SP1 (I have a Home Premium license that came with my R3 and a Professional one with an old, now sold computer)
3. Install only necessary drivers from Dell Support
4. Latest Intel HD3000 and Nvidia 295.73 WHQL drivers
5. Substitute Bigfoot Killer Wifi package for generic Atheros drivers.

Anything else I should remember?


I'll document the process and if everything works out well, I'll write a guide. I think we should have a monthly sticky thread listing good, important and updated drivers and also blacklist troublesome ones.




Cheers,

 

IDT is the builtin audio device. The Forceware audio device is for when you are outputting via HDMI. Both the AMD and Nvidia cards have to handle the digital audio when it is being passed through the HDMI output. My old G73 has an ATI audio device that it uses when I output to the TV set.

I suspect that Intel audio device has something to do with Optimus when you are running without using your 580M. I don't have the Intel device in my audio section and you do. The difference between our rigs is Optimus so I'm pretty sure that's part of the Intel GMA graphics card or whatever it's called... the one built into the i7 CPU.

I did a clean install right after I got the machine... the next day I think. I did it exactly the way you are going to do it. I installed every package on the Dell driver site except of course the BIOS since I reverted to A08 modified. I didn't see a single thing in the download section that I would call "fluff". If you use the Windows 7 DVD that came with your computer then you don't have to add in the "Alienware experience" later. The disk does that already. I'm talking about the splash screen, shutdown screen, themes, and user pictures. However, that's the only stuff it installs. There are no drivers on that disk. There's a separate disk with drivers but I didn't use that one. I got all mine from the web site. The one thing I don't have is Alien Respawn. I didn't see that for download and I didn't really want it anyway.

That's another bragging point about our laptops. Dell resists the urge to load them up with garbage that they get paid twenty cents per unit to saddle the user with. There's no trialware antivirus, 400 megabyte "updaters" that are really just advertisements for accessories and all that other junk. One more reason I'm very happy with my purchase.