digidesign mbox / intel chipset compatibility?

September 5, 2007 9:57 PM

Anyone know of a way to get the Digidesign mbox mini 2 to work with an intel 915 chipset? According to the digidesign website, they are incompatible due to some USB latency caused by that chipset. This is causing my recording (using protools or other recording software) to have buffer overrun issues.

Here's the link from digidesign: http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=54&itemid=23005

I think I am pretty smart when it comes to computers, so maybe this is just a time when I have to pony up and buy a new motherboard. Any suggestions from the masses for how I can work around this?

Thanks!!

posted by negative1 to technology (5 comments total)

Edit: "...when it comes to computers, but maybe this is just..."
posted by negative1 at 10:02 PM on September 5, 2007

How about a PCI or PCI-x USB card?
posted by iamabot at 10:06 PM on September 5, 2007

The link above says the chipset latency issue "may impact devices connected to the ICH6, including PCI devices and External devices connected via the USB port." I'm hesitant to buy a PCI card for usb since apparently they have the same issue. :-\
posted by negative1 at 10:10 PM on September 5, 2007

From the link:

For heavily loaded audio solutions ... Also, although Intel has not validated a high speed USB hub as a solution to this issue, we are aware of certain 3rd party system manufacturers that are using an external high speed USB hub to mitigate this issue on platforms with the B-1 step of the ICH6 component."

So, you could follow advice from the recent question what to look for in a USB 2.0 hub (i.e. try several, returning them until you find one that works), or you could try a few PCI USB cards. There isn't really anything else to do about it (except use a different computer, obviously).
posted by Chuckles at 7:22 AM on September 6, 2007

Thanks Chuckles...that previous askme link is great. I'll try those options out.
posted by negative1 at 9:47 AM on September 6, 2007