Onboard Sound Vs. Add in Sound Card

Shut up.

 

i planned on getting an add-on card last week..but i shelved it..realizing im the type who cant figure out the diff between high and ultra high graphics, it safe to say i cant hear the diff bet onboard sound and add-in..esp with my headphone

if you got 5.1 and up speakers though then an add-in would be appreciable..(dunno if i can hear the diff though) am such a fine-detial-sense-impaired person...

 

Well, when you get a add-in card it takes the load off the CPU. If you get a Creative brand card you will have EAX so your games will sound that much better. Also alot of people, because they are used to a onboard think it sounds just fine until they hear a add-in card and they are blown away by it.

 

mr robscix,hi and long time no see.. i want to aske ive got plenty of cash now and im thinkiing of getting meself i nice soundcard..

1.Audigy 2zs
2.Audigy 4
3.X-Fi( need to make some sacrfice if you truly recommend this above the rest)

and my speaker of choice would be the one that cost me around $50-70 USD

 

Well The A2 ZS would be my option, it can be easily Soft Modded intoa A4, and the X-fi is basiclly a card if want bragging rights thats how i see it,
it does offer a bit more features but most u wont use

 

mr sniper you said that if i take the audigy 2 zs it'll be good for me coz can upgrade to audigy 4 rite..but rite now im seein audigy 4 being sold for less than the zs..its the audigy 4 with remote..

 

hmm do you know the model number of the audigy 4??

 

Thats somehow hard to belive actually...
Nothing is done in software. Live! 24bit is actually a EMU10K1.5 chip or Audigy 1, just rebranded to Live! 24bit (thats why you can softmod most of them to Audigy 1 anyway). Now Audigy 1 supports EAX3 HD so it'll certanly do this with hadware. Same applies to EAX2 and legacy EAX. Otherwise it would bring PCs to a crawl if CPU would have to calculate physics, decode all sounds, ingame content and in the end EAX effets and accoustics.
So it's clearly done with CL chip.

 

http://www.soundblaster.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=205&product=14103

check out the link mr sniper

 

Hmm, maybe you should tell that to EA/Dice. This is directly from the BF2 Readme regarding sound cards,

Or are you claiming to know something they don't? Also explain the Audigy LS/SE/DE/Value. Another point is Creative's use of a unified driver package, why isn't the Live 24 bit (or any of those Audigy's I just listed) not is the list of cards OK to install on, and that Creative specifically says not to install on? If the Live 24 bit and those other Audigy cards had the hardware, don't you think the drivers would work/install on them?

 

if its cheaper might aswell get it

 

I get my info concering chips from quite a few different sources including the guys at the KX project. The KX drivers will install on ANY 10KX series DSP chip. they won't install on a LS,Value or Live 24 bit. You can believe what you like EAX is not hardware accelerated on the Live 24 bit! it is NOT a 10KX series...

 

btw, get the AUdigy 4, I have seen a few on sale for less than the Audigy 2 Zs..the AUdigy 4 is a better card hardware wise...not by much but it is still a better card. better DAC's and SNR...and you get a remote..

 

but then its jack is not gold plated like the zs and it's only 106 db compared to zs's 108db..is this ok ? ive been informed that this is audigy 4 value

 

So it's probably similar to a Audigy 2 Value. You have to watch certain "Value" models becasue they shaft you by using different DSP chips.
SO what are your thoughts? -as to what card to get?
BTW those differences you pointed out are really nothing to worry about.

 

well if im not mistaken it is the same card as audigy 2 value but rebranded an thrown in the remote..what do u think ?

 

Not exactly like rob said it has different DAC and other chips, but not enough changes to notice.

 

if its like that..better safe than sorry..i should get meself the audigy 2 zs..was considering on x-fi..but its overkill rite ? for a sound newbie like me

would it be ok if i bundle the card with say logitech's x-230 ,x-530 or maybe philips mms460 ?

 

yeah, only geta XFI if u have massive speakers, like mine

The Audigy 2 ZS is a great card, you dont even need to mod it into a A4 for it to sound good, alot better than onboard, sound quality wise, deeper bass for me. and MP3s sound like WAVs

 

what bout the x-fi drivers on audigy 2 zs ? is it possible ?