Usually, when I want low profile EAX I go with an Audigy SE or a Live! 24-Bit (same chip as Audigy SE) as the low profile cards/brackets are easy to find.
But they don't have Win98 support. Do you guys have any go to low profile PCI cards for Win 98? That offer something (EAX etc) over AC97 mobo sound?
I guess I could use an Extigy, but I don't like messing with USB much on Win 98.
As far as I know there are no low profile card with real hardware support for any of these.
Yamaha XG cards have some level of support for EAX and A3D compatibility, but they still aren't true low profile cards. The smallest I've seen are still just 16mm too tall.
Maybe if your case allows it, you can 3D print a low profile bracket and maybe you'll have to desolder the top jack.
But really small low profile cases with no room above the expansion cards this wouldn't work.
This could work with the similarly sized Aureal Vortex cards too, just good luck finding one.
I looked into this (though, granted, not too deeply, and only for a couple months) a year or two back and eventually gave up. I want 3D audio, I boot up a full size machine. One which has a proper Creative or Aureal card in it, none of that knockoff BS. It just never sounds right.
If you decide to jerry rig it, you might be able to use a PCI riser cable (much more flexible to use than a card - pun kinda intended) to somehow mount the card in a not-originally-intended orientation, drilling holes into the case where needed.
elszgensa wrote on 2024-12-06, 15:30:I looked into this (though, granted, not too deeply, and only for a couple months) a year or two back and eventually gave up. I want 3D audio, I boot up a full size machine. One which has a proper Creative or Aureal card in it, none of that knockoff BS. It just never sounds right.
If you decide to jerry rig it, you might be able to use a PCI riser cable (much more flexible to use than a card - pun kinda intended) to somehow mount the card in a not-originally-intended orientation, drilling holes into the case where needed.
I guess an Extigy is really the only option for low profile case EAX on Win98.
I think there are cards based on CMI8738 that are low profile, work in Win98 and support EAX. Though it won't sound as good as a live. Creative used that chip in some cards like the CT5806 I think
there are low profile 8738 cards but they are missing the gameport, ive just switched out my live card for an 8738 i havent compared EAX on both cards so cant really advise on that they both support EAX2.0 so should perform the same also the 8738 also supports A3D 1.0 tho the pure dos drivers are broken, the SBlive is just great for all round compatibilty, it just works with everything in windows and dos so i cant fault it on that, the only downside and its a big one for me is that FM/Adlib just doesnt sound good in most games, it just cant compare to the 8738's OPL3.
Some Asus Xonars of the PCI variant (8786?) are both EAX capable AND low profile. Had one that, im pretty sure, was used on a windows ME build years ago as we didn´t have a live 5.1 lying around for it.
Overall, Xonars are a good place to start searching
Edited to add photo: This is my xonar. just search for the CMI that has support for windows 98. All the xonars of that time have almost the same layout and you could probably use the small bracket of one onto another.
the asus xonar uses the oxygen chip which is a CMI8788 it supports EAX 2.0 and A3D 1.0 like the CMI8738, but as far as i know it doesnt have win9x drivers, i was looking at getting one myself but didnt think it was worth it without win98 support
If you can 3D print low profile brackets, there is one version of CMI8738 cards you can have gameport
