As far as I can tell, CT3990 = CT3980 - CSP socket.

http://web.archive.org/web/19971024040507/htt … ard/ct3980.html
http://web.archive.org/web/19971024040519/htt … ard/ct3990.html

more detailed pictures on this page:
http://www.yjfy.com/Museum/sound/Creative_AWE32.htm
you can see theres some slight different layout. i guess the most important thing is that ct3980 still has that ct1747 chip for fm synth, while ct3990 doesn't.

noshutdown wrote:

more detailed pictures on this page:
http://www.yjfy.com/Museum/sound/Creative_AWE32.htm
you can see theres some slight different layout. i guess the most important thing is that ct3980 still has that ct1747 chip for fm synth, while ct3990 doesn't.

Interesting. I wonder why they wouldn't put an OPL chip on it, though, unless I'm missing it somehow.

sliderider wrote:

noshutdown wrote:

more detailed pictures on this page:
http://www.yjfy.com/Museum/sound/Creative_AWE32.htm
you can see theres some slight different layout. i guess the most important thing is that ct3980 still has that ct1747 chip for fm synth, while ct3990 doesn't.

Interesting. I wonder why they wouldn't put an OPL chip on it, though, unless I'm missing it somehow.

ct1747 is an original yamaha opl3 chip wrapped with interface
later isa soundblaster cards(including ct3990) use creative's own fm synthesis chip, which sounds somewhat different from yamaha's.

So it sounds like a CT3980 is the pinnacle of Creative's OPL equipped cards, then. I'm glad I got it instead of the 3990.

Same here.

While we are at it:

If you have a choice between CT3980 and CT2760, which one would you choose?

Both have "opl inside" chips, both have a midi daughter board connector, and neither has the hexen plague.
The CT2760 is configurable by software and has to have IRQ and DMA reserved in Bios, the other is plug and pray.

When it comes to PnP vs fiddling around with settings until you get it right, then I'll go with PnP but if the sound quality is better or if it is compatible with more games, then I would consider the other. I only have the 3980 as my sole AWE32 card right now, though, so I have no way of comparing. Sound Blaster variants is one of those things I buy when the opportunity presents itself to get one cheap or when they come as part of a bulk lot of computer parts. I don't go out of my way to collect every single part number ever made.

sliderider wrote:

When it comes to PnP vs fiddling around with settings until you get it right, then I'll go with PnP

That is funny, because I'd see it exactly the opposite way. With pre-pnp YOU choose IRQ and DMA and are not at the mercy of your PC bios.

I don't go out of my way to collect every single part number ever made.

I think I picked those cards for a Euro each. I also have a jumpered SB16 and a Gold 64 as well as a few non CL cards.