Onboard Sound Vs. Add in Sound Card

went and got the creative sounblaster x-fi extreme gamer for my birthday,
It sounds alot better than onboard but I
notice a little bit of instability in xp but not as much as vista

 

Are you using theDrivers off the disk or have you updated them with patches off the Creative website.

 

hey could anyone direct me to a site where i can dwld some HQ audio (piano orchestra pieces etc.). im going to get an audigy 2 value and i want to see how much difference it actually makes compared to Soundmax onboard audio. (p5b-e mobo)

 

bs

I want to reveal my insight to add-on soundcards: Add-on soundcards are USELESS. i have got ALC889A high definition audio and i decided to buy creative xtrememusic about 2 months ago. I play games with headphones, watch movies and listen to music a lot with my nice quality soundsystem. so lets get to the point. xtrememusic soundcard was nice in games if i played with EAX but without it was just as good as onboard. when listening to music there was a difference but it was SO little that there's no point to pay 80€ for that. there was no significant fps boost with the xtrememusic on, about 2-5fps. I also got problems with my xtrememusic, in gaming i got ping and crashproblems and with the other pci slot i also got similar probs but not so much (must be because of the IRQ ports?).

If you are not having problems with your onboard sound or if you dont need the EAX effects in the newest games i highly recommend to stick with your onboard card and save the €/$ for something else.

 

Here is another insight, Many want better sound quality then what a onboard can provide. If your having trouble telling the difference between onboard and add-in cards then you need better speakers or headphones. Just to note, a X-Music doesn't sound all that good and CL is known for their driver troubles. If you want to hear good quality sound, check out the Prelude, X-Meridian, Xonars or others. I have one of the newest onboards on my mobo and I wouldn't dream of using it over my Prelude. Perhaps add-ins are useless to you given your ears or gear BUT if your theory is everybody should go back to onboards..you are definatley in the wrong place. Enjoy your onboard.

 

btw im using xtrememusic all the time and im not gonna take it off unless it causes problems. i know that many people are in the same situation as i was 2 months ago. they ask themselves "do i need an add-on soundcard?". I have Steelsound 5H headphones and really good speakers. anyway, i know add-on soundcard is a must for perfectionists. i dont know a single ordinary person who needs such things. everyone i have talked with about this have said (after heard both, add-on and onboard) that they dont need add-on soundcard. so, i repeat again: add-on > onboard, but is it worth the cost? no.

 

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. TO me and many others the use of a add-in soundcard is very worth it and the idea of using onboard is nonesense. It has nothing to do with perfection it has to do with wanting good sound in our games music and movies.
If you are satisifed with what onboard give you then great. We are not.
Everyone you have talked with? -Really? I just told you I wouldn't dream of using onboard over add-ins and neither would most of hte guys in this fourm. You can repeat your opinion until your heart is content. Won't change the fact that onboards sound very bad and aren't good for much else then windows "bings' ... Enjoy your onboard.

 

I think most peep's thinking is very narrow. Of course, with a soundcard, you also need to have good surround speakers. If you compare an X-fi to onboard and your pumping it through $30 speakers - naturally, it won't make much of a difference!

 

-True, With thinking such as that, we might aswell all stick with onboard GFX too.
-The reason to use a soundcard is better features and most importantly better SOUND. I really don't care how good anybody think a onboard is-they are nothing compared to a good add-in card.

 

i went from onboard to a creative x-fi gamer and tbh i could not notice any difference in games but a slight improvement in mp3's (creative crystalizer)

not worth it imo, but I only paid £40 for it brand new

I will defo be interested in the new Auzentech card which will enable me to send video signal AND audio down a hdmi cable to my digi telly

 

Did you ever consider that perhaps you didn't have your games or card setup properly?

 

What speakers are you using?

 

As for the Auzen HDMI card....it is not really meant to send audio to a digital TV becasue you will have bad amps and poor speaker within a digital TV..it is meant as a link to a digital ready audio receiver although the video will usually be routed through a receivier to a TV anyhow.

 

im using creative i-trigue 2.1 system

 

i know not direct to telly but to amp for the telly

 

..those speakers aren't very good. Not at all. This is most likley why you don't hardly notice any difference between good card and bad onboards. Not to mention only 2.1....

 

That was exactly my point.

 

Yes, if your speaker are worth less then your soundcard then generally you won't have the best sound possible. This would be why you can't notice any upgrades in sound.
Grab yourself a nice 5.1 system to go with you X-Gamer then you will notice and appreciate what a good card can offer. If you want good sound you have to buy good gear. Very simple.

 

as my comp is in the front room going with a 5.1 setup is impossible

i realise the sc will really stretch its legs using this system but hey ho

robscix recommend me a dogs bollocks 2.1 setup pls mate

 

.Sure, what is your budget?