I cant tell you how great Bio Shock sounds with my onboard sound. 5.1 and subwoofer ROCKS. Why anyone would spend $100$200 on a Sound card is just beyond my imagination. My friend has XFi and I can't tell the difference AT ALL. Spend your hard earned $$$ on a new video card or more RAM you wont regret it!
I personally agree. I hook my computer up to my stereo via the optical output, so that may be why I am pleased with my on-board sound. It is also possible my ears just can't tell the difference between "crappy" onboard sound and a high quality sound card, which is just fine with me as it allows me to save more money.
But I understand people with high dollar speakers wanting to get their money worth.
Onboard sound takes cpu cycles. a dedicated sound card will not load the cpu. so if you buy some crazy gaming rig, it's a horrible idea to use onboard sound, since you are concerned with performance afterall. also if you have good speakers you will hear a difference if you play uncompressed audio files, not mp3's and the like.
Also if you have good speakers you will hear a difference if you play uncompressed audio files, not mp3's and the like.harless
If you get high enough quality MP3 tracks you can hear a difference, but those are the kind you pay for, something a lot of people generally don't seem to do. I guess if they're happier with 64kbit rips of mislabeled pop, bully for them.
[QUOTE="harless"]Also if you have good speakers you will hear a difference if you play uncompressed audio files, not mp3's and the like.RayvinAzn
If you get high enough quality MP3 tracks you can hear a difference, but those are the kind you pay for, something a lot of people generally don't seem to do. I guess if they're happier with 64kbit rips of mislabeled pop, bully for them.
Based on all the problems I have had with my Fatal1ty Gamer card I tend to agree with the OP. Creative has had their head up their butt in regards to drivers for that card.
I want a sound card just to get the load off the cpu. In bioshock, if the game is loading (uses 100% processor), I hear some crackling over my headset... and that is just not acceptable. I have vista, soon to have x64, and I want to find a good alternative
Use headsets, No crackling here with onboard. And No There is less than 1% CPU use when Onboard sound is crankin, hardly a heavy load on a CPU when you have Dual or Quad core. Do the benchmarks
Go and play Oblivion with an on-board solution and you'll see why many move to a dedicated sound card. The sound gets all jumbled up and the on-board starts skipping sounds.
Heck, I'm saving some spare cash on maybe one of them Auzentech X-Fi (or just an XtremGamer).
For gaming? Yer probably a waste. But when I was doing music at college, editing tracks and what not a dedicated sound card was worth it. Also not all motherboards have 5.1 onboard, older boards usual just have regular 2 speaker stereo setup.
I couldn't even get the sound to work on my onboard chip with Bioshock after the intro so I definitly don't agree withe the OP.
A dedicated sound cardhas more in/outputs, doesn't burden the CPU as much, has much clearer sound, enables effects that are not supportedby onboard solutions. You just don't know what you are missing with onboard since you can't hear it all.
Go and play Oblivion with an on-board solution and you'll see why many move to a dedicated sound card. The sound gets all jumbled up and the on-board starts skipping sounds.
Heck, I'm saving some spare cash on maybe one of them Auzentech X-Fi (or just an XtremGamer).
Wesker776
totally agreed about the skipping sounds part, i will buy a creative xtreme audio, heard that it runs better than extreme gamer.
It's not crap, it's just not an X-Fi card. You can't set your sound in-game to "X-Fi" because that card doesn't have an X-Fi chip. I'm not sure if Oblivion has that option, but it won't work in games that do.
I couldn't DISagree more. First case, I went from onboard sound on my laptop to an audigy ZS 2, and it was like stepping into a whole new world, it was just that amazing. I'm using a X-Fi xtremegamer (which I paid 50 bucks for, no tax), and it is sex for your ears. I CAN tell the difference, and I will NEVER play without an add-on soundcard, unless there is some massive change in tech. The price of having exceptional hearing is that you expect more quality from audio than most. "Normies" may be content with onboard, but I sure as heck aren't! Oh, and when I've got my Z-5300e turned way up in a frag fest, it sounds like God is bowling ;)
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