We take cryptocurrency — so the coins you hold can buy real hardware.Pay in crypto, spend it on real hardware. Free insured shipping worldwide over $399. Plain, unbranded boxes, sent from Germany.Free insured shipping over $399. Your rate is locked for 30 minutes once checkout opens.Rate locked 30 minutes. Every item sealed, serial-checked and covered by a 24-month warranty.Sealed, 24-month warranty.

Saved items Sign in
Green PCIe sound card with gold edge connector and silver low-profile bracket attached

Officemate

Officemate PCIe Sound Card 5.1 3D Stereo Low Profile Bracket CMI8738

SKU CH-CMQC-XZS1P

Adds 5.1 surround sound to a desktop PC via PCIe with a low-profile bracket for 2U cases

  • TypeController Card
  • Cinematic 5.1 surround sound transforms any desktop
  • Low-profile bracket fits compact 2U chassis builds
  • CMI8738 chip delivers 16-bit digital audio decoding
  • 32/64-bit processing supports recording and playback
  • DirectSound, A3D, EAX and HRTF 3D audio APIs supported

PCIe 5.1 Audio for 2U Systems

This PCIe sound card adds 5.1 surround audio to desktop PCs using the CMI8738 chip. It includes a low-profile bracket that fits 2U chassis where full-height cards cannot be installed. The board targets users who need multichannel output without occupying a standard expansion slot. Windows 10 compatibility is listed alongside legacy operating systems.

Passive Cooling and Low Power Draw

The card operates without a fan, relying on the case airflow for passive cooling. Power is supplied solely through the PCIe slot, so no external connectors are required. Typical consumption stays well within the slot limit, keeping noise at zero and leaving the system power budget unaffected. No thermal throttling or additional cooling measures are needed.

Low-Profile Bracket and Driver Disc

A half-height bracket is bundled for direct installation in slim enclosures. The included CD provides the driver package for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions from 2000 through 10. Installing the driver enables 5.1 output, DirectSound, A3D, EAX and HRTF 3D positional audio. Users must disable the onboard audio device in Device Manager to prevent conflicts.

Highlights

  • Cinematic 5.1 surround sound transforms any desktop
  • Low-profile bracket fits compact 2U chassis builds
  • CMI8738 chip delivers 16-bit digital audio decoding
  • 32/64-bit processing supports recording and playback
  • DirectSound, A3D, EAX and HRTF 3D audio APIs supported

Specifications

TypeController Card

Questions about this item

How do I install the Officemate PCIe sound card in a 2U case, and what step is often missed?

Fit the included low-profile bracket, insert the card into a free PCIe slot, secure it, then disable the onboard Realtek High Definition Audio in Device Manager so the CMI8738 chip becomes the default playback device.

What maintenance or replacement will the Officemate 5.1 sound card need later?

The card has no moving parts or consumables; only the driver CD may need updating to newer Windows versions, and the low-profile bracket stays fitted unless the case format changes.

What limit appears first when the Officemate CMI8738 card runs sustained 5.1 audio?

The 16-bit multimedia decoder caps dynamic range, so extended high-resolution playback will hit quantisation noise before thermal or bandwidth limits become an issue.

Also in this aisle

People compared these

Same shelf, same checkout — eight coins and a 30-minute rate lock.