there are a billion sub models for the awe32

Agreed. My favourite is the CT3670

Pluses :
Version 4.16 DSP , so no hanging note bugs
RAM upgradeable with SIMMs
IDE port present, but can be COMPLETELY disabled (irreversibly)
can be flashed to be recognized as an AWE64 (irreversibly)

Negatives :
CQM rather than OPL3
No waveblaster header

I figured people here might have a cheat sheet for when browsing ebay for the best models.

The early SB, SB Pro etc are all collectable because of age and scarcity (as far as I know there are no models to avoid). When you look at the SB16 there are numerous value editions and models with ASP (or socket for it) then SCSI and waveblaster headers etc, DSP revisions for hanging notes.

I have boxes of cards and a dozen or more installed in machines and I wanted to make sure I have the best in use and not sitting in a box. Maybe there is a model I need to snag before they get too expensive or maybe some are expendable so if I sell off a 486 I know which model to dump if need be.

There are only 3 AWE32 models that I pay attention to: CT2760, CT3900, CT3980.

This is pretty standard info. Nerdy Pleasues has a good blog on AWE32 variants.

boxpressed wrote:

There are only 3 AWE32 models that I pay attention to: CT2760, CT3900, CT3980.

If you want an AWE32 with a real OPL3 core AND only the lesser (rarer) of the 2 hanging note bugs, I completely understand that choice . This would be especially significant if you want to run a single ISA sound card setup . I personally run a multi-card setup and prefer a completely hanging note bug-free AWE32 even if it means getting one with CQM and without a waveblaster header, as I have another ISA card for real OPL3 (and waveblaster, if needed).

boxpressed wrote:

This is pretty standard info. Nerdy Pleasues has a good blog on AWE32 variants.

And vogons wiki has one on the hanging note bug --> http://www.vogonswiki.com/index.php/Hanging_note_bug

Needs and preferences vary from person to person, and the facts are there to help us decide .

The real deal SB0090, I bought this brand new in 2001 from best buy and originally had the game port expansion.

Has all the headers and a few upgraded caps. Still works and can operate under win10.

The cool thing about this card is it takes different drivers and have had it on several retro builds, it seems to have more capabilities with win95 and had it on a 3.1 build.

Never did I ever remove the sticker on the processor to see the nomenclature.

My requirements:
- Waveblaster header
- OPL3 (discrete or CT1747)
- No ringing notes

SB16 Candidates:
CT1740 - if it's got a low DSP such as 4.05
CT2230
CT2290
CT2772
CT2740

SB (AWE)32 Candidates:
CT2760
CT3900
CT3980

If I remove the Waveblaster requirement, pretty much every card with either a discrete OPL3 or CT1747 chip makes the list, and this list is a bit longer:

SB16 Candidates:
The entire CT17xx line
The entire CT22xx line
The entire CT27xx line

SB (AWE)32 Candidates:
CT2760
CT3780
CT3900
CT3910
CT3930
CT3960
CT3980

---

I am collecting information about all these on a blog post:

https://ilovepa.ws/2017/06/13/the-legendary-sound-blaster/

Please let me know of any corrections.

Life's too short to deal with hanging note bugs, I go AWE64 or go home. 😜 I also think the output is cleaner than earlier SBs, even on the value cards.

For PCI systems, Audigy 2 ZSes are cheap and work very well, especially under Linux. I can't think of any reason you'd want a Live or an Audigy 1 over an Audigy 2. I don't have a PCIe sound card in anything but if I needed one I'd grab an Audigy RX which is basically the same thing. Never liked the X-Fi series.