Want to switch to a pci-e soundcard. What to get?

Hello guys.

A friend wants to buy a soundcard and I am thinking about selling him my X-FI (pci) and get a pci-e sound card.

What to get?

Creative again? I have only owned Creative soundcards till now.

Or go for an Asus one ?

Where there be any drowback going to a non Creative soundcard concerning gaming?

 

Not unless you are running older games.

 

Budget? Asus xonar DX is a good way to start

 

No I am not playing any older games.

 

the asus xonar dx will cost you about 61 after rebate on newegg i just ordered it with 3% cashback

 

I was thinking about the "Asus Xonar D2X" or the "X-FI TITANIUM FATAL1TY PRO"

If there are no drowbacks with games I am thinking about going with the Xonar.

Any suggestions ?

 

Do you use really good headphones or care about high fidelity music? If so, the ASUS Essence STX is a great card, but otherwise overkill.

 

I am not using headphones at all.

I am using Logitech z-5500 speakers.

 

I am looking for something on par with my "SB X-Fi Fatality Champion" or a bit better for movies, gaming and music listening.

 

The Asus Xonar D2X is a really good card that will work with your speakers (I have used those). The old X-Fi cards pretty much ceased to be relevant when Vista and Windows 7 changed the way audio works. I used to use those cards.

 

So I guess the "Asus Xonar D2X" is a better choice than the "X-FI TITANIUM FATAL1TY PRO" ?

Also I would like to ask if the Xonar has something like the Crystallizer that X-Fi has.

I like Crystallizer very much and I always have it at full. Do you think because of that, it would be better to choose a Creative card once again ?

 

bump

 

I would go for the DX or D2X, maybe a Auzentech X-Fi Forte if you want an X-Fi. The X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro is very over priced.

 

The X-Fi Titanium (non Fatal1ty Pro) as I see, it doesn't have the shielding and the X-RAM.

Are these two features of any real use ? I don't remember even playing a game that used my X-FI's 64MB X-ram.

If I get this one it will cost me about 29 euros (I will sell my current X-Fi to a friend for 80 euros).

 

In my opinion, no. The card itself emits interference. It's argued the shielding reflects it back at the hardware. So shielding is like a double-edged sword. Personally, I could do without.

As for X-RAM, I can't remember the last game that actually utilizes this antiquated feature.

I would recommend a Xonar.

 

I am thinking of making the change to Asus but I hesitate a little bit.

I fear that they will lack in gaming compared to the X-Fi and I have get used to the X-Fi' s software all these years.

 

Might aswell bump this thread for you since I'm about to select a sound card for a friend.

I still use my thrusty X-FI gamer extreme PCI version and it still performs excellent. Tried 2 other one more expensive and one cheaper PCI-E 1x cards and didn't like either one of them. One had wierd interference issues and static/popping the other didn't have the same software ( 3d emulation and crystalizer ) so didn't like it with headphones.

Would really like one of the audiophiles to give me and OP some solid advice on this, was also looking at the ASUS Xonar Dx as a pci-e 1x card.

A side question, you can run a PCI card in a pci-e x16 slot right? don't have to do anything just force it in no?

 

Here are the cards I can get from the e-tailer I work for.

http://www.e-shop.gr/search_per.phtml?&category=%CA%C1%D1%D4%C1+%C7%D7%CF%D5&filter-1268=1

Actually we had listed today some new entries that confused me a little bit.

The confusion comes from the "CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER X-FI XTREME TITANIUM" 109.00 € which I couldn't find on google and thought it was the "X-FI TITANIUM" and someone had it listed wrong on our site.

But today, "CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER 7.1 X-FI TITANIUM" 89.00 € got listed on the site, so I don't know what this "CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER X-FI XTREME TITANIUM" is.

Also "CREATIVE SOUND BLASTER X-FI TITANIUM FATAL1TY BULK" 108.90 € got listed at -30€ compared to the retail edition.

From Asus we have only the "XONAR DX" 66.30 € and "XONAR ESSENCE STX" 184.90 € (which is for headphones as I see and cost too much.)

 

The two pci-e cards you tried with issues where both X-Fi's and which exact models ?

 

This is a common misconception, that X-Fi's are better suited for gaming. It depends on the game and whether or not it uses EAX. Xonar's can emulate some EAX extensions but overall you will get a more genuine sound experience with an X-Fi (if the game uses EAX). The thing is, hardly any games use EAX/hardware accelerated sound anymore. So if you think about it, it really doesn't matter. Most games use their own software DSP now. With these games, you will get the same sound experience on a Xonar as well as an X-Fi. The only variables would be certain enhancements and surround sound technologies that are respective of each brand, which is a whole nother topic.

The Xonar software suite is basically a streamlined control panel. The online .pdf manual explains each setting and even recommends a few. Nothing to it really.