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How do I know what kind of sound card I have (and is there one on my computer at all)?

User question

Hello.

Perhaps my question will seem absurd, and yet, tell me how to find out if I have a sound card? I connected the speakers to my computer, but there is no sound at all.

I have three different outputs on the back of the system unit: red, green and blue. I tried to connect the speakers to everything, but the sound did not appear. What can be done?

Good day.

The fact that you have these outputs on your computer (red, green, blue) already indicates that an audio card must be installed (another thing is why there is no sound - there can be many reasons here ...).

In this article I will consider several ways how you can determine the model of the installed audio card (if, of course, there is one ✌) ...

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Determining the sound card model

Is there an audio card on the computer

To determine the presence of an audio card, just look at the outputs on the back of the computer. In the overwhelming majority of cases (this is the standard), audio outputs are indicated in three colors, see fig. 1 (which you named):

  1. pink - serves to connect a microphone;
  2. blue - it is necessary to connect a sound playback device, say, some kind of player;
  3. green - for connecting headphones and speakers.

Fig. 1. Standard outputs on the sound card

If they are, then the sound card is installed and below we will consider the issue of determining its exact model (the information is very necessary to find and install drivers, without which there is no sound on the PC and will not be ...).

By the way, as far as laptops are concerned, here the outputs are often not marked with different colors, but a small thematic picture is drawn opposite each one (see Fig. 2 - the outputs for the microphone and headphones are shown there).

Fig. 2. Connectors for connecting a microphone and headphones (it means there is a sound card in the laptop)

I will also add that on laptops (especially in the latest models) a headset jack is often installed, which is used immediately to connect headphones with a microphone.

👉 To help!

You can find out more about the headset and classic audio jacks, their difference here ->

Fig. 3. Headset jack on laptop

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Method number 1: through the device manager

The device manager displays all the hardware installed and connected to the computer / laptop (including a sound card, video card, TV tuners, etc.).

To open the device manager:

  1. hold down the simultaneous buttons Win + R (the "Run" window should open);
  2. enter commanddevmgmt.msc (without quotes, periods, etc., see Fig. 4);
  3. press Enter.

Fig. 4. Open the device manager / devmgmt.msc

Next, you need to open the tab "Sound, game and video devices" - the name of your sound card will be displayed in it.

An example is shown in Fig. 5 - sound card on PC "Conexant SmartAudio HD" .

Note! The exact model of the sound card is not specified, since integrated card. If there was a discrete card on the PC, the dispatcher would show its exact model.

Fig. 5. Sound, game and video devices

By the way, you can find a driver for an audio card (this may also be needed to clarify its model) using the ID-equipment (each piece of hardware has its own). To do this, you need to open properties required equipment (see fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Equipment properties

Then go to the "Details" tab, open the "Equipment ID" properties and copy the longest line (see example below in Fig. 7 👇).

Fig. 7. Line to search for a driver

Then this line must be copied to a search engine: Google, Yandex, etc. In the search results you can find both the model of your device and the driver for it.

👉 To help!

An easy way to install drivers on a PC / laptop - see instructions ->

ADDITION

In the device manager in the tab "Sound, game and video devices" may not be your sound card. In this case, try opening the tab "Other devices" - it contains devices for which no drivers are installed in the system (they are marked with yellow exclamation marks, see Fig. 8).

If your device is in this tab, you need to find and install a driver for it.

👉 One of the easiest ways to find and update drivers is to use special auto-update and installation utilities.

Fig. 8. Other devices

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Method number 2: through special utilities

Now there are quite a few programs for viewing the characteristics of hardware connected to a PC / laptop.

And by the way, using such utilities, you can save your time: they will quickly and easily show you all the characteristics of your equipment, tell you where to find drivers for it, etc. I give a link to such utilities below.

👉 To help!

The best utilities for viewing the characteristics of a computer (description and links to official sites for download).

One of the most famous and convenient (in my opinion) is AIDA64 (it used to be Everest). After starting AIDA64, you need to open the tab "Multimedia / HD Audio".

Next, you will see the name of your audio card (Conexant CX20751 / 2 - see example in Fig. 9) and its properties.

By the way, the AIDA64 utility is not free, so if it does not suit you, you can use other analogs.

Fig. 9. Properties of the audio card

For example, in the ASTRA32 utility, just open the tab "General information" - and in subsection "Sound" you will find information about the manufacturer of your sound card and its model (see fig. 10).

Fig. 10. ASTRA 32 - information about the sound device on the laptop

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What can be done if there is no "sound"?

If it so happened that you did not have a sound card on your computer, or it burned out (for example, due to a sudden surge in electricity, a lightning strike, etc.), and there is no money to purchase and install an internal card, I can suggest thinking about buying and connecting external small USB sound card .

It costs cheap ($ 1-2 if you buy in a Chinese store, for example, in AliExpress), it won't take up much space, you can connect it to both laptops and personal PCs.

👉 To help!

Chinese online stores in Russian (where the cheapest products are)

And most importantly, the connection and configuration is the simplest - even a completely novice user can handle it (which cannot be said about connecting an internal audio card).

If you have a modern version of Windows (note: Windows 8/10), then after inserting the card into the USB port, the system will automatically install the driver and the card will work. You just have to enjoy the sound that appears!

Fig. 11. External audio USB card

Its advantages:

  1. sufficiently high-quality sound (even a cheap card provides quite acceptable quality);
  2. compact size, comparable to a regular flash drive;
  3. can be connected to almost any device with a USB port;
  4. you can connect a microphone and headphones;
  5. very cheap (won't upset, even if it doesn't live up to expectations 👌).

In general, in my opinion, an excellent temporary option (and maybe permanent), which will not take much time and money. I recommend giving it a try.

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Well, that's all for now, good luck to everyone!

Additions on the topic are always welcome ...

👋

First publication: 09.10.2017

Correction: 01/05/2020

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