I am using the mic input on my Asus A88X-Pro motherboard which uses a Realtek ALC1150. The problem is that even with the input level at 100% and the mic gain set to +30 dB (Max), you have to tap the mic almost hard to get it to even make a sound. I have been dealing with this for almost a year now and have search many forums and tried almost every thing, including three different mics, different drivers and the front input set to both HD-audio and AC97. So far the only time I got mic input to work was when I ran Linux Mint Debian Edition on a virtual machine and set the mic input to mono (Which is impossible to do in Windows with Realtek drivers).
I now most people will tell me ditch the on-board inputs and get a capture device, and trust me I would if I could find a good one for a decent price.
Any help with this would be extremely appreciated.