Onboard Sound Vs. Add in Sound Card

@Sentrix, The cheapest card possible that you WOULD want is either a OEM AUdigy 4 or a Audigy 2 Value. Although a cheap Audigy Value card may sound better than your onboard it has NO such acceleration for games. So if you start playing games with EAX and such it will strain your CPU Now if it's not a big deal to you then by all means go for it. Usually people buy Creative soundcards for their game acceleration and EAX effects. oI would say if you don't have the money to ATLEAST get a Audigy 2 value. This card as may have been pointed out has all the goodies of a AUdigy 2 ZS and none of the price so it is a really good deal. Other than that I would wait until you can invest the proper amount of money to get a good card or in the long run you will be dissapointed. Then again it's your money.

 

Don't know how good it is, but I had a look here,

http://www.ausprices.com/Computer/Components/SoundCard/

and it doesn't look like anyone the Australia carries it. Also had a look at quite a few of the sites listed here,

http://forums.pcpitstop.com/index.php?showtopic=114745

and the best price I could find for the A4 was over $100AUS.

And the guys in the UK thought they were getting it in the rear as far as prices go.

 

thx guys, i can get the Audigy4 SE for $89. Also what is the SB X-Fi card with the most value?

 

The Extreme Music edition - NOT extreme AUDIO. I am not sure about the new gamers version. I would think stormy could tell you about that one may be a suggestion for you.

 

I will be getting the Logitech X-530 5.1 speakers which arent the most powerful, so there wouldnt be any advantage from the X-Fi Xtreme Music over the Audigy4SE would it?

 

X-fi should sound better and supports EAX 5.0 - Some guys say the difference in sound quality is alot some say not so much...it's really up to you. The Audigy 2 and 4 were the kings of the hill before th X-fi came out so it is still a nice card and you will notice alot of sound quality over the SB Live! Read some reviews may help make up your mind..

 

Have you guys even considered the fact that creative drivers are the buggiest around?, sure the sound may be superior but is it worth it if your soundcard crashes your rig? As to stealing cpu cycles,with dual core that is not nearly an issue as it used to be, as to sound quality your ear is very forgiving, especially if most of listening is while you game.

 

Well if your a hardcore gamer nad care about EAX then go with a X-fi, if you really care about sound quality...X-fi is not the cared for you.

 

I ordered an X-Fi Platinum Friday and it'll be here tomorrow. I've been using onboard audio in gaming for a year and a half, and all I hear is how much better a true sound card will be, especially for directional audio. It's kind of amazing to me, really, because I'm generally a sound freak and picky about small flaws in audio.

I'm excited. I'll let you know how it works out tomorrow.

 

You may be a audio freak but your reference point is that onboard. This is a well known fact about audio systems. The brain will develop what they call a reference point meaning your brain know exactly how that onbaord sounds. You can easily tell if anything sounds better or worse. I probably sound pretty good to you. When you get the X-fi your brain will develop a new reference point to the X-fi. if you go back to the onboard after listening to the x-fi for awhile you will easily notice what lacks in the sound of the onboard. Generally most onboards don't sound very good at all you may not really notice though because your used to that audio system. The new card should sound very good to you. You can look this info up if you like. It's like listening to a FM radio all your life. You may think it''s the best sound you ever heard until your hear a CD. I consider myself a bit of a audio freak aswell this is why I bought the X-Meridian.
That card you ordered is top notch though. You should be very happy especially in games. What are you using for speakers?

 

Yeah. What I meant was that I'm surprised I waited this long to get a decent soundcard. I don't really think the onboard is sufficient; I can notice blurry and undefined areas in the sound already.

 

It is a really common thing for people to neglect the audio subsystem in their PC, alot of guys spend so much money that they figure audio is a place to save a few bucks and they just use onboard and those samll speakers that come with the keyboard! Investing in a good soundcard and speakers give great returns as it brings your games music and movies to life. Indeed very common to see killer gaming PC's in here using onboard audio solution. Once you buy a soundcard and good speakers you will never go back to onboard again..unless you have no choice...

 

I'm baaaaack!
You're going to love your new sound. I hope you have good speakers to pump that massive sound out. I would hate to think that a TOTL card would be playing through so-so speakers!:cheers:

 

I have Logitech Z-3i speakers btw. Not top of the line, but they're okay. They produce enough bass even at the lowest settings that people in the house complain when I have them on, so I usually use the audio driver EQ to zap it some more.

And the speakers can always be replaced if I decide they're not good enough.

 

Well I think yo uwill notice they will sound better with a soundcard. Enjoy and good luck with your purchase.

 

I said I'd post "tomorrow" but it's been several days. Whatever though.

The card is fantastic. I won't play without one of these again. That said, I'm still learning how to use it most effectively, but it's already helped a lot with gaming. I'm converting some old music to CDs right now. The quality is much better than the onboard was allowing me to accomplish. I'm also noticing a very welcome performance boost (10-15% and sometimes more) in game areas where the CPU was hit most intensively.

Go buy one of these.

 

I don't hink alot of people actually realize what they are missing. Glad you enjoy it.

 

Hey! Don't you guys know it's Christmas?
GET OFF THE COMPUTER! :bigsmile:
Well; I really didn't get anything for Christmas; BUT, only 37 more days and I can FINALLY get my VISTA! :bounce:

 

sure and another 6 months patching it up. your mvoing to Vista as soon as it hits the street?
I am on the computer becasue I got gift cards to local electronics shops. SO I am pricing out a new video card to go in my new Conroe Rig I am building. Have my eye on a X1950 Pro 256mb. Man I should be in heaven with this new rig. I also have my X-Meridian for top quality PC sound..can't wait.

 

It'll be snapped up before it hits the ground! :bigsmile:
I've been tolerating RC1 for a couple of months now and RTM has much cleaner code - to say the very least - not to mention; it's going to be my OS for the next few years and beyond. So; yeh, the bandwagon's here and I'll be hitting it right square in the middle. :bounce: