The Environmental Audio Extensions (or EAX) are a number of digital signal processing presets for audio, present in Creative Technology's later Sound Blaster sound cards and the Creative NOMAD/Creative ZEN product lines. EAX displaced the alternative A3D (Aureal 3-Dimensional) in 2001. As of 2010, EAX is rarely used, with modern games utilizing the CPU to process 3D audio rather than relying on dedicated hardware.