# Sound over HDMI from GPU



## Jonesin31

If I have a sound card, do I need to run an audio line from the sound card to my HTS or will running an HDMI from my GPU carry the sound from my sound card?


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## gamerman4

Sound from HDMI will not carry from your graphics card unless you have a sound cable running from your GPU to your sound card. They usually look like this.





A nicer solution, if your motherboard or soundcard support it is to use an optical (toslink) cable or digital coax or just your run-of-the-mill 3.5mm connector (provided your receiver also supports it). Of course this means you will have to use multiple cables but you will get better sound from using sound cables that using that tiny little cable from your gfx card.


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## Zatharus

As was mentioned, you will need to connect your sound card to your graphics card.  More specifically, you will need to connect the SPDIF out (should be a two pin socket) from your sound card to the SPIDIF input on the graphics card.  These may just be labeled digital audio.  Most will actually say SPDIF on the PCB.

Since this is the SAME digital audio signal carried by the optical (Toslink) or coaxial/RCA (SPDIF) cables you will notice no audio difference between the HDMI connection and the direct digital audio connection.  HDMI is designed to carry digtial signals (both video and audio) just fine.  HDMI is a very convenient package for transporting audio and video.  It is just one cable after all.  

Also, the 3.5mm connector is more often then not an analog signal only.  Very few setups use 3.5mm connectors for digital transmission.  So, this analog signal will not work for connecting the sound card to the graphics card.  The graphics card needs the digital audio signal from your sound card to transmit audio over HDMI.


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## CdnAudiophile

If you own a 4000 series or newer it should already carry the audio without any extra cables. You just have to download the driver off the ATI site.


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## Flaring Afro

Yeah for the "newer" card you don't need a sound card at all. The gpu will send up to 7.1 via hdmi.


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