| Page 1 of 1 |
crossmr
Posts: 2966
Location: United Kingdom
|
 Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 09:57 Post subject: Sound card - any need? Anything worth buying? |
|
 |
so I've been using a laptop for a long time.I finally replaced it with:
Intel i5 760
4GB Ram
Geforce 460GTX (I can SLI it later)
Asus p7p550 pro
750w power supply
and a nice 6 fan case
since I've been using a laptop so long I totally forgot to even get speakers for it. But the onboard audio with headphones works okay.
I know onboard audio has come a long way. Is there any real need these days to even consider a sound card?
intel ultra 7 265k, 64gb ram, 3070
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gomp
Posts: 626
Location: Norway
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Werelds
Special Little Man
Posts: 15098
Location: 0100111001001100
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 13:30 Post subject: |
|
|
Creative X-Fi's are cheap, and give much better sound. Realtek's onboard sound chips (99% of all motherboards use a Realtek chip) are decent, but still no match for even an X-Fi ExtremeMusic 
I myself have an X-Fi Titanium, and the difference is audible even to me. I'm not an audiophile, but I do value proper sound
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 14:09 Post subject: |
|
|
you can get ASUS cards for 40 euros, dont buy creative
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 14:41 Post subject: |
|
|
Waste of money IMHO, Ive yet to notice any difference in sound from a single card to onboard.In the old days it was a different story.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Werelds
Special Little Man
Posts: 15098
Location: 0100111001001100
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 16:05 Post subject: |
|
|
High quality soundcard shines when you have proper audio hardware for it.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 16:06 Post subject: |
|
|
those ASUS cards at 40 euro roll any onboard by miles...
sorry but anyone who thinks it doesnt either never tried the difference / is hearing impared / uses low quality speakers or headphones.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 16:51 Post subject: |
|
|
i know there is a difference but i simply couldn't give a fuko, my on board is more than enough for me
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 16:52 Post subject: |
|
|
The necessity of a seperate soundcard fully depends on what hardware is hooked up to it and what you're listening. If you have 10 bucks speakers and listen to 64kbit mp3s, then yes a seperate soundcard is irrelevant.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 17:54 Post subject: |
|
|
Logitech x530 and sony mdr-cd280
music and games sound just fine to me
Via HD audio sounds better than crappy realtek and that's what i got atm
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Epsilon
Dr. Strangelove
Posts: 9240
Location: War Room
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 18:30 Post subject: |
|
|
Get an auzentech, I have an X-Meridian and I like it a lot. It produces very clear sound and high treble. I compared it to the X-fi card in one of my other computers and the X-Meridian is just so much better.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 23:22 Post subject: |
|
|
Have not bought a sound card in maybe a decade? Last one was SoundBlaster live! Onboard sound does the job just fine.
RYZEN 5 2600|RADEON 570| |ASRock X370 Killer|DDR4@2800Mhz||Corsair SPEC-05 Case|AOC G2590FX 24.5''144hz 1ms|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ixigia
[Moderator] Consigliere
Posts: 65086
Location: Italy
|
| Posted: Fri, 8th Oct 2010 23:47 Post subject: |
|
|
| todd72173 wrote: | | Have not bought a sound card in maybe a decade? Last one was SoundBlaster live! Onboard sound does the job just fine. |
Same here..I loved my old Live! though  . |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Werelds
Special Little Man
Posts: 15098
Location: 0100111001001100
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 00:12 Post subject: |
|
|
@snoop1050:
What "new" chip? The ALC889, which is their most recent chip? Sorry, but no. That thing is nowhere close to my X-Fi Titanium, and an X-Fi Titanium is nowhere near the best you can get.
@ paintface:
Not really, the Xonar DS or DG you get between €30 and €40 are no better than the X-Fi Xtreme stuff between €30 and €40. Take it up a step to €60, and you've got the Titanium versus DX, which still is pretty much a tie unless you're a true audiophile. The D2 quite frankly I found disappointing for its price (€100) - at that high price range, something from Auzentech is beyond both Creative and ASUS.
@ Epsilon:
Your Auzentech is also more than twice as expensive as an X-Fi Titanium, it should be better 
And for those saying they haven't bought a soundcard in a decade: neither did I until last year, and I know I'll never be going back to onboard audio again. Honestly, if you've got crappy speakers it doesn't matter - but if you have anything better than basic desktop speakers, or a good pair of headphones (or even headset), the sound from these onboard cards sounds incredibly muffled in comparison. Most of you probably don't care enough though, as long as your sound doesn't crackle or something like that 
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
crossmr
Posts: 2966
Location: United Kingdom
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 03:10 Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks guys. The selection/price is somewhat different here in Korea. What I bought here so far actually compares favourably to Newegg prices. The total cost of the machine was about $60 more than I would have paid back home in Canada. That worked out nice. However, when I was looking at creative cards last night they were nearly double in price.
There was a creative x-fi extreme on newegg for $57 Canadian, but here they want like $100 for it.
Sound cards are so under the radar here I just noticed the place I ordered the parts from doesn't have a sound card part section.
at least not linked off the main menu.
They have an x-fi titanium, but it's about $130 CAD, that's about $30 more than back home.
ah finally found the sound card section
one thing I've noticed is that their PCI express sound card selection is pretty limited. Lots of PCI ones, but I've no PCI slots.
My only choices there are the Prodigy 7.1 x-fi for $108 or the Creative x-fi titanium for $130.
I'm probably not going to be hooking up fancy speakers to it at all, pretty much always headphones..
Apparently the absolutely cheapest PCI-E sound card in the country is that prodigy x-fi 7.1e from another shop about $100.
| Quote: | | Get an auzentech, I have an X-Meridian and I like it a lot. It produces very clear sound and high treble. I compared it to the X-fi card in one of my other computers and the X-Meridian is just so much better. |
They have a Bravura for around $115
intel ultra 7 265k, 64gb ram, 3070
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 05:39 Post subject: |
|
|
| Breezer_ wrote: | | High quality soundcard shines when you have proper audio hardware for it. |
This..
Stay away from creative at all costs. Junk period.
Go Auzentech or HT Omega <3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271001
Just got my brother this one, sounds dayum nice
Sound cards > onboard anyday, people who say they are fine with onboard aren't usually audiophiles or are fine with lackluster sound. Hell, my old sound blaster audigy 2 sounds better than any onboard out even to this day. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Przepraszam
VIP Member
Posts: 14503
Location: Poland. New York.
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 05:43 Post subject: |
|
|
+1 for Auzentech.
I got X-FI Forte and its amazing.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
crossmr
Posts: 2966
Location: United Kingdom
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 07:18 Post subject: |
|
|
ya those pcie cards never really took off big, dunno if it's cause theres no real performance different between the two?
There something up with newegg in general lately. Their sound cards, speaker equipment and headphones and all that are really skimpy lately, dunno if their selling out of everything or what.
Heres a review on your barvura
http://www.guru3d.com/article/auzen-bravura-review/
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 12:08 Post subject: |
|
|
| pwerelds wrote: | @snoop1050:
What "new" chip? The ALC889, which is their most recent chip? Sorry, but no. That thing is nowhere close to my X-Fi Titanium, and an X-Fi Titanium is nowhere near the best you can get.P |
LULWUT ?
alc889 isnt the most recent chip , Sorry, but no. That thing is nowhere close to my ALC892HD
i never said it was better than titanium so learn to read?
i said it was much better than the extreme audio crap which is basicly uses your cpu as much as an onboard soundcard would.
892 sounds great with my old logitech 5.1 speakers , soundcards are a waste of time unless your passing the sound to a hifi
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 13:21 Post subject: |
|
|
| snoop1050 wrote: | | 892 sounds great with my old logitech 5.1 speakers , soundcards are a waste of time unless your passing the sound to a hifi |
I always saw it the other way around... if you use digital outputs to pass the sound to a Hi-Fi system, the card itself becomes irrelevant. Dedicated audio systems (decent ones at least) should be better than any soundcard you can stick in your PC, in my opinion.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 13:30 Post subject: |
|
|
| MinderMast wrote: | | snoop1050 wrote: | | 892 sounds great with my old logitech 5.1 speakers , soundcards are a waste of time unless your passing the sound to a hifi |
I always saw it the other way around... if you use digital outputs to pass the sound to a Hi-Fi system, the card itself becomes irrelevant. Dedicated audio systems (decent ones at least) should be better than any soundcard you can stick in your PC, in my opinion. |
have you ever tried it?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 13:37 Post subject: |
|
|
When a soundcard is simply passing data to another system where it's decoded, a hifi for example, the quality of the card itself doesn't matter much. A good soundcard is only needed when using good analogue speakers.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 13:44 Post subject: |
|
|
Yes, that is what I meant... with digital out, the money spent on a high-end card is just wasted, since it doesn't process audio at all (an exception being some kind of a DTS conversion, such as DTS Connect), as far as I know.
The actual quality will of course depend on what you use as an output.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 14:39 Post subject: |
|
|
it depends what components they use , the cheaper cards will obviously use cheaper ones and the sound quality when passed through an RCA/optical cable or whatever has background hissing
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
| Posted: Sat, 9th Oct 2010 15:35 Post subject: |
|
|
Exactly, I use digital out to my marantz amp and it sounds great.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kumkss
Posts: 4835
Location: Chile
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
| Page 1 of 1 |
All times are GMT + 1 Hour |
