Is it true a soundcard on a motherbaord can increase FPS in games???

How much do you think the NForce2 Soundstorm takes up? I know it is lower than other onboards, do you think it is about the same as audigy?

 

-disabling onboard, it's usually under integrated..etc..just look through everything, might be labled as onboard audio or AC'97..might be possible that you have to disable it by moving a jumper on the Mobo..but thats pretty old school...hope that helps.

 

ok cool, thanks guys I'll disable the AC97 Audio and post my results!
pz

 

hahahaha no diff at all! I enabled EAX in Unreal Tournament 2004 and it didn't seem to drop. It did once but it picked right back uo like it was nothin :s was pretty constant other than that. I guess a real drop is when using more EAX channels . When I run 3DMark03, the test with the plane with and without sound makes a diff though. I use 1024 x 768 AA 2xQ and AF OFF. With sound I get about between 35 - 48 or so FPS and with sound I get 30-40 FPS.

But hey, every little bit counts Still looking at getting SB Live! 5.1 later though.

Thanks

pz

 

OMG, a Soundstorm beating an A 2ZS all over the place in terms of speed!

 

I don't think UT2004 is an acuurate test anyway....because of the way it wraps the EAX calls with OPenAL...Now using an onboard with a game that uses higher lelves of EAX might not even access a a DSP of a onboard that has a "lesser: variation of EAX...such as 1or 2..make sense?

 

LOL wow! Some of them really vary too! Yeah, the Soundstorm was a little jerky and crackly though, so nice dice against the Audigy2 ZS I am surprised at this Entertainer though! Had some really good sounds, but unfortunate it was a lil slow

Thanks Hilbert and all y'all Guruz, I'll be looking probably at an SB Live! 5.1 since this PC is gonna be my secondary PC when I get my new Smithfield 64-bit and SLI PCI-E mobo



pz

 

it's hard to compare sound cards onboard or not, becuase it dependa on the test criteria, Ok for example..say I am testing a generic AC'97 plain jane integrated against a A2. seems like easy winner would be the ZS, but consider: what if I am testing a game that has EAXHD..on the A2 it'll be dynamically accessing the reverb/delay engine. Then play the same game on the integrated that doesn't have this advaced environment support and the performance would increase because the game will not be changing parameters of the reverb/delay engine..makes sense? just a thought..basically point is if you want all the fancy multi environment reverbs and delays then you MUST expect a drop in performace in some degree..then again I could be way off

 

that not true. when i had realtek a650 driver splinter cell 2 and farcry and others games play slow and when i upgrade to my new sound card, splinter cell 2 and other games play much smoother then before. like guru said UT2k4 gain 20 fps with this sound card.

and that bull, about that sandstorm. it cant beat a audigy 2 zs. my friend has a way better pc then me and when he play a game with the sandstorm audio, its not smooth and when i play the same game but with my audigy 2 zs it play faster.

 

an audigy2zs being defeated by nvidia´s soundstorm?!?!?!!!!111

nooo como podes audigy2zs permitirte esta derrota NOOOO

Ay pero q buenos resultados audigy2 NOOOO

this is unbeliable, and I was going to buy an audigy2zs. I think my next upgrade in some years is going to be an nforce4 w/ soundZtorm.

lol

 

You better believe it,,,Thats why I sold my A2ZS....besides Creative blows chunks when it comes to drivers....I really love my soundstorm in games and stuff...as for music it's good, very good, but could be a whole lot cleaner.....I hope they bring it back some day....

 

May perform better based on many different factors..tests can be fudged..the point is what does it sound like?...I would rather sacrifice a few FPS then keep the few frames and have a "soundcard" that sound like a AM radio in a tin can..I still don't understand why alot of peopl are concerned with other things then sound quality when it comes to a sound card?..similar to:whoa great video card really fast FPS but color sucks and the graphics are blurry..but hey it's your system and your ears..so "enjoy"

 

soundstorm is for gamers. Has best speed, has good quality, something for most gamers.
audigy2 zs is for the hybrid gamer/audiophile (me). I think it has a biit better quality, even if is not as fast. I also need the midi port for synthesizing, something i am pretty sure that soundstorm skimped on (not to say that it is bad).
m-audio is for the audiophile. best quality, but slowest.

Btw, they dont make soundstorm anymore, nor will they ever again apparently.

 

Well I think Nvidia should keep up with the Soundstorm if it kept good FPS in games. Afterall, that's what it's MADE for. Audigy2 ZS is just pure gold that sacrifices a little FPS right, but the Soundstorm is ideal for the gamer who can't get their hands on an Auidigy2 ZS and pretty much don't need one!

I say let the Audigy buyer keep buying and let the Soundstorm buyer keep buying. No harm done right?

pz

p.s are we allowed to put up petitions in Guru3D???

 

What's the point of that? If people like the Soundstorm more than the Audigy 2 ZS and outperforms it, then why not keep it? Let the real enthusiasts get the Audigy2 ZS which is close enough to the performance of a Soundstorm, not much in it for a prefect crisp sound!

I say let the Audigy buyers keep buying and the Soundstorm buyers keep buying

p.s. Admins, are we allowed to put up a petition at all?

Thanks!
pz

 

i just use onbaord audio. creative drivers suck, and my opnbaord sounds the same. sure, mayeb i would loose a few fps if i enabled eax, but i dont mind, since i have an athlon 3500+, i think she can spare a cpu cycles

 

Audigy sux.. I also want to sold it..

 

Farout!! If Audigy cards aren't cracked up to what they should be then I may as well just get an SB LIVE! 5.1! I was thinking of getting Audigy 1 or 2, but not everyone has found it that much better

Thanks

pz out

 

A2zs is the best sounding card I've heard to date, and it also has the best EAX effects for games.

If anything else other than quality and features effect your descision on a sound card, then its obvious that sound is not that important to your gaming experiance.

I've tried both the soundstorm, and the other variations of onboard sound. They just don't cut it.


However, if your using a $10 set fo stereo speakers, then no amount of sound card superiority will help you. Thats like having a geforce6800 GT on a 10 year old 14" monitor with a .35 dot pitch.