There is only a single 3.5mm output jack and 1 mic input on the back of it. The optical output doesn’t have enough bandwidth for 5.1 PCM, so you have to use lossy compression to get surround sound from it. That also adds latency unless you’re watching a movie with AC3 or DTS audio that can be passed through.
The audio chip in this one supports 7.1, no?
My older x570 definitely supports 5.1.
I have a upper-mid range Asus and it supports 7.1
There is only a single 3.5mm output jack and 1 mic input on the back of it. The optical output doesn’t have enough bandwidth for 5.1 PCM, so you have to use lossy compression to get surround sound from it. That also adds latency unless you’re watching a movie with AC3 or DTS audio that can be passed through.