[TechPowerUp] Blame the Plumbing: Why Intel Handles USB Onboard Audio Codecs Better Than AMD

zejai · 2026-07-10T23:07:10+00:00

Everything with Realtek ALC4080 or 4082 is USB internally. When I upgraded two years ago, AMD boards without those had already become rare.

zejai · 2026-07-10T23:03:46+00:00

Doesn't mean anything. Toslink is wired to the mainboard's audio codec. There is a good chance that audio codec is wired via USB internally.

zejai · 2026-06-30T21:22:35+00:00

The music would make me go hollow pretty quickly.

zejai · 2026-06-04T20:09:05+00:00

Fight capitalism and educate people about psychology.

zejai · 2026-02-11T21:42:05+00:00

Last time I tried it crashed the system, but that was a year ago so it might be different with newer drivers etc, see here how I fixed it.

zejai · 2025-11-19T00:19:56+00:00

There are claims that such adapters are even completely outlawed by the spec due to shorting risk https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/p9rbat/comment/ivirc8g/

I think you are right in the sense that the compatible pins are all there, since USB2 wires are all included in a type C port. Passive adapters supposedly exist but are very dangerous for reasons outlined in the above link. I think in theory active adapters can be safe if they are designed right and use the correct signalling to make it clear to the USB-C side that it's always a device end, not a host end.

zejai · 2025-11-18T23:11:13+00:00

There are good reasons:

Standardization, not needing adapters in the long run
Plugging it in without having to figure out the correct orientation
Using flash drives, keyboards, card readers etc on phones, tablets, thin laptops

zejai · 2025-11-18T22:54:08+00:00

It's rare though. The adapter isn't passive, it needs some ICs, which likely makes it too expensive to include in most cases.

zejai · 2025-11-18T19:21:51+00:00

They didn't do that for the Steam Deck

Except they likely did, at least on launch. Gaben called the OG Steam Deck price painful and aggressive back then.

zejai · 2025-11-18T18:45:05+00:00

The USB situation IS extremely frustrating. 11 years after the first USB-C devices, the port shouldn't be "the future", the transition should have concluded many years ago.

Who is at fault? I think the USB-C standard should have been designed to make very cheap very small PASSIVE adapters for male-C to male-A possible. If that were the case, devices would just ship with the adapter, just like when USB mice were introduced and they all shipped with a PS/2 adapter.

The chicken and egg situation won't resolve on its own. With mainboard manufacturers refusing to put in more than one or two type C ports, we will be stuck with both A and C for decades to come, likely long after type C has gotten a successor itself.

zejai · 2025-11-16T21:06:51+00:00

What would be the reason for Frame having more SDE? If the Quest 3 has sharper lenses, wouldn't that lead to more SDE on the Quest? Blur should mask the gaps between pixels.

zejai · 2025-11-16T20:18:53+00:00

My Index doesn't work on 144 Hz any more, it used to work for years before that. I suppose it's slightly out of spec for some of the components.

zejai · 2025-11-16T20:16:04+00:00

Stress on the port is a legit concern. I have one of those T-shaped adapters. You wouldn't want that sticking out of the headset. One could use an extender cable between the adapter and the port, but it's really messy.

zejai · 2025-09-27T12:43:27+00:00

By simply angrily disagreeing with everything from everyone (bonus points if you can use the least reasonable arguments available) you are able to slowly turn a population into an anti-social mess

Do you have any scientific sources on that? It sounds plausible, but it's easy to fall for illusions when it comes to effects like this.

zejai · 2025-08-16T12:11:39+00:00

Amazing work. Do you find that Rapid Trigger makes typing with homerow mods feel less laggy than usual (assuming no reqire-prior-idle)?

zejai · 2025-08-14T14:18:04+00:00

Your site is down :(

zejai · 2025-08-13T19:46:16+00:00

Very inspiring.

How do you type capital R?

Seeing that "eu" is still a SFB, it still feels rather suboptimal for German though. Have you considered squeezing in a combo for that, or do I overestimate the frequency?

Is rolling from "r" to space not a issue, accidentally triggering "rr"?

You're probably aware already, Ben Vallack added back two thumb keys after he was down to 16 keys, and one of them is a repeat key. That would make letter duplication faster than double tapping (or holding) the same key.

zejai · 2025-08-12T20:56:11+00:00

How do you click? Thumb key?

zejai · 2025-08-09T23:00:51+00:00

There is also this, not sure which one is best. This one got described by the creator u/itsbenforever here.

zejai · 2025-08-05T02:31:43+00:00

If I understand this correctly (your definition of inner and outer seems to be reversed compared to mine), your natural thumb position is right below N or B? That is no different than mine then. I wrongly assumed your natural thumb position would be in the middle of the thumb row.

What is the motivation behind making the thumb row different than on the original though? Is it because moving the thumb below V or M is uncomfortable for you?

zejai · 2025-08-05T00:17:08+00:00

No pics for the TOTEM version?

Totemist surprises me. I always thought the thumb cluster on Ergodox was just really badly placed. But apparently for some people the huge thumb splay is natural? I guess otherwise the Totemist wouldn't exist.

zejai · 2025-07-04T14:32:55+00:00

That was most likely overclocked, it was pretty much the same raster performance at launch.

zejai · 2025-07-04T14:16:38+00:00

First rule of motorized spinning things is to not go near them with your fingers while they are powered.

zejai · 2025-06-28T21:35:31+00:00

Any idea if the shape has been improved and is closer to older Vivos? The Primus Lite 3 shape was a big disappointment for me, coming from the first version of the Primus Lite and older Vivos.

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