Do you use a sound card? - Page 2

catnipkiller · Mar 20, 2013, 03:51 PM

Its a love hate relationship when it comes to sound cards. I hate the driver problems they have but love that sound. I will always put them in my builds.

itsakjt · Mar 20, 2013, 03:52 PM

Anyone using Creative drivers with Realtek sound cards like I do?

remixedcat · Mar 20, 2013, 03:56 PM

why? so you can get teh crystalizer?? does that even work?

erixx · Mar 20, 2013, 04:07 PM

^also curious

itsakjt · Mar 20, 2013, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remixedcat

why? so you can get teh crystalizer?? does that even work?

For the proof!

From this image, you can see that the X Fi MB2 is a virtual device since it does not have any device ID.

And a pic of my rig. Please note that PCIE X1 device is the USB3 card I got with my motherboard.

Note: I don't know if my computer sounds as well as the real X-Fi MB2 but it sounds much much better than the stock Realtek drivers and that is good enough for me.

Kaynar · Mar 20, 2013, 05:54 PM

Owned Audigy 2, X-fi gamer, currently using X-fi platinum. Always satisfied with those cards for their price but that's the end of the line for me. Now I'm into headphone amp through optical/coaxial or asyncronous USB. A tad more expensive and REALLY better.

SaltyFish · Mar 20, 2013, 06:48 PM

Had many sound cards since the Sound Blaster 16 days. Currently using X-Fi Elite Pro.

The consumer sound card market has become rather niche (just like the market for CRTs) and has even regressed in terms of features since the X-Fi days. Still awesome for earlier games that really gave some thought to audio and mid-range for listening to music (the high-end usually involves external DACs). I hate to say it, but at this rate, unless some sort of PC audio renaissance happens, quality discrete consumer audio cards will become a thing of the past because there isn't much focus on it.

Tatty_One · Mar 20, 2013, 07:47 PM

Xifi Elite pro with I/O box, no issues with drivers.

Geofrancis · Mar 20, 2013, 07:52 PM

I used to have the audigy then the audigy II but these days I find myself just using the onboard realtek HD.

Onboard has massively improved since The ac97 days.

Heavy_MG · Mar 21, 2013, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsakjt

For the proof!
From this image, you can see that the X Fi MB2 is a virtual device since it does not have any device ID.
And a pic of my rig. Please note that PCIE X1 device is the USB3 card I got with my motherboard.
Note: I don't know if my computer sounds as well as the real X-Fi MB2 but it sounds much much better than the stock Realtek drivers and that is good enough for me.

I'm really curious as to how you got this,could you link me to it?
I also wonder if this can control a discrete Asus Xonar card?

puma99dk| · Mar 21, 2013, 03:38 PM

i went from onboard Realtek to onboard SupremeFX on the Asus Maximus III Gene and than on to a Auzentech Bravura 7.1 and than to a Asus Xonar Essence STX and i luv it, it just made a difference all the way up to my Essence card and i was like how much better can sound get even my old mp3 songs that are years old got better to listen too, even my games

Sasqui · Mar 21, 2013, 03:45 PM

3 rigs total:

2 connected to TV's via HDMI. Using the HD Audio on the video cards 3870 and 5870.

1 connected to a monitor. Using onboard (Realtek ALC898) connected to Klipsh Pro Audio. To me, it sounds better than the PCIe card that came with the ASUS Maximus and Rampage Formula.

Have 3 or 4 Creative sound cards boaxed away in the basement, lol.

Mindweaver · Mar 21, 2013, 03:54 PM

Back in the days of BF1942, BF:V,BF2, and BF2142 and you wanted to use the best sound then you had to have a Creative labs card with EAX or your game ran like shit. I miss games that use EAX.. It was like night and day quality wise in game. Now, you can get away with on board... which is sad.. I want them to push sound as well as graphics. When ever a new BF game came out, I bought the latest and greatest Creative sound blaster audigy or what ever to get the best sound.

FreedomEclipse · Mar 21, 2013, 03:56 PM

I guess the main reason why the audio card market stagnated was because of the removal or loss of DirectSound

Then there are Audiophile soundcards, but lets face it - there are more gamers then audiophiles.

mlee49 · Mar 21, 2013, 04:24 PM

I dont have a dedicated sound card, but I do run audio out my 560 Ti.

I have it setup as HDMI out to a receiver and a 5.1 surround setup.

I also have a Corsair gaming headset for when I want to keep things quiet.

FreedomEclipse · Mar 21, 2013, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlee49

I dont have a dedicated sound card, but I do run audio out my 560 Ti.

I have it setup as HDMI out to a receiver and a 5.1 surround setup.

Pretty much what i want to do once my finances settle down

KainXS · Mar 21, 2013, 05:24 PM

I have 3 pc's right now, my oldest one has a xonar dg, the newer one has a xonar essence(had a titanium but gave me too many problems) my work pc has no card I just use the video cards digital, on my laptop I have the x-fi express which I did not know was so terrible sounding, I had the audigy notebook already and the x-fi express sounded like dirt compared to it and the codec so yea.

X-fi MB does sound a tiny bit better then no codec on a bad codec but really, its still no substitute for a sound card, maybe x-fi MB3 is better but I since it mimics some of the features from the sound core cards but I have not tried that yet.

AsRock · Mar 21, 2013, 05:31 PM

My option is not there.. Although i do use a onboard sound card but it's for the mic only and as for sound i get it though HDMI from the v card to a AV.

Mr McC · Mar 21, 2013, 05:39 PM

No, just the motherboard's built in sound. I have it linked to 5 Altec Lansing's that cost me €100 a few years back and, without truly knowing, I assume that I would not notice the benefits of a dedicated sound card. By that I mean that the remaining components and the manner in which they are linked together probably has bearing on whether a dedicated souind card would have an impact, but I believe that in most situations, the motherboard alone will more than suffice.

KainXS · Mar 22, 2013, 03:25 AM

your AD2000B is not that bad though, I think thats the same codec used in some of the supreme x-fi risers, not sure though.

LAN_deRf_HA · Mar 22, 2013, 11:06 PM

It's true the older soundcards have been matched by some onboard solutions. The best can be seen in cadaveca's reviews. Mobo makers are finally taking that seriously, probably out of necessity to differentiate. Newer soundcards however keep getting better as well. There will probably be an endgame here where soundcards get chased into the corner of diminishing returns but we're still not there yet. Throw in swappable opamps and a headphone amp and I might ditch my soundcard. Especially if you can fit it on a mini itx.

Melvis · Mar 22, 2013, 11:22 PM

Nope, my onboard handles 7.1 and i only use headphones every now and again, other sound i get is from my 7yr old 2.1 speakers through onboard and it does just fine.

Ive never had to use a sound card.

RejZoR · Mar 23, 2013, 12:51 PM

Proper high end sound because sound matters to me. Far better 3D positioning in games plus much better sound overall.

Widjaja · Mar 23, 2013, 01:07 PM

Yes i use one of these.

Since I sometimes write music I need a sound card which has low latency drivers when using instruments.

If I did not record I would be using onboard as this card is dedicated to recording programs and does not work well at all with things like Skype or Steam for instance.

Suhidu · Mar 23, 2013, 01:26 PM

Yes. My laptop has a hiss, because they didn't realize it had a hiss, before getting their customers pissed, so I got a sound "card" to avoid this miss.
It's an SIIG USB stick with a C-Media chip and it's pretty decent really.

View Poll Results: Do you use a sound card?
Yes	56	58.33%
No, onboard is fine	40	41.67%
Voters: 96. You may not vote on this poll

Mar 20, 2013, 03:51 PM	#26
catnipkiller Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: canada Posts: 1,059 (0.93/day) Thanks: 340 Thanked 471 Times in 326 Posts System Specs	Its a love hate relationship when it comes to sound cards. I hate the driver problems they have but love that sound. I will always put them in my builds. __________________ MyHeatWare My FS/FT

System Name:	INTEL/AMD
Processor:	I7 920@3.8GHZ / 1100T@3.8GHZ(on air)
Motherboard:	ASROCK Extream x58 / GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
Cooling:	Rasa 450 RS120 with dcc pump / zalmen 9900 cooler
Memory:	2x4 gb 1600 / 4x4gb 1600
Video Card:	XFX 7950 DD / XFX 5750
Hard Disk:	2xcorsair ssd 120gb raid0 /2x adata ssd 120gb
Optical Drive:	lg
CRT/LCD Model:	50 inch plasma / 22inch acer
Case:	Bitfenix Merc Beta / Anteck 900 moded
Sound Card:	ASUS xomar DGX
PSU:	Enermax 800EWT / 750 zalman
Software:	win 7 64bit untimate pro edtion ftw

System Name:	Phenom
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X4 955 running at 3.833 GHz 1.3375V and NB at 2.847 GHz 1.3125V 24*7 LLC on
Motherboard:	Asus M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3
Cooling:	Stock AMD copper base 4 heatpipe cooler
Memory:	2*2 GB Kingston DDR3 1333 MHz RAM running at 1752 MHz 8-9-8-24
Video Card:	Sapphire Radeon HD6770 1GB DDR5 copper base cooler-core 970MHz and mem 1295MHz
Hard Disk:	Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA II-WD10EARS-22Y5B1, Seagate 80 GB SATA I-ST380817AS
Optical Drive:	LG GH22N-S50
CRT/LCD Model:	LG-E2042TC 20" wide screen LCD-1600*900
Case:	I-Ball Grabit(somewhat uncommon but average case)
Sound Card:	Realtek ALC892 8 channel audio onboard
PSU:	Zebronics Platinum series 600W Power Supply
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64 sp1 with all latest updates
Benchmarks:	Intel Burn Test - 52 GFlops. 3D Mark Vantage - 12000+ 3D Mark 11 - 3080

Mar 20, 2013, 03:56 PM	#28
remixedcat Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,188 (1.07/day) Thanks: 763 Thanked 250 Times in 192 Posts System Specs	why? so you can get teh crystalizer?? does that even work? __________________ System:Intel i5 3570K @ 3.4Ghz//ASRock Z77 Pro3//Coolemaster Hyper 212 Evo//16GB Corsair XMS3//EVGA Nvidia GTX 650Ti SSC 1GB//128GB Samsung 840 SSD/1.5TB Seagate HDD//Antec Three Hundred Two//620w Antec High Current Gamer HCG-620M//Windows Server 2012 x64 Standard Misc:Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in@1920x1080+LG Flatron 19in 1440x900//IoSafe Fireproof ext 500GB HDD//Amped Wireless R20000G high power router//APC BackUPS XS1000 UPS Websites: AGNXNetworks//RemixedCat's Place Of Meow Blog

Mar 20, 2013, 03:52 PM	#27
itsakjt Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Kolkata Posts: 415 (0.43/day) Thanks: 261 Thanked 104 Times in 74 Posts System Specs	Anyone using Creative drivers with Realtek sound cards like I do?

System Name:	RemixedBeast
Processor:	Intel i5 3570K @ 3.4Ghz
Motherboard:	ASRock Z77 Pro3
Cooling:	Coolemaster Hyper 212 Evo
Memory:	16GB Corsair XMS3
Video Card:	EVGA Nvidia GTX 650 Ti SSC 1GB
Hard Disk:	1.5TB Seagate/128GB Samsung 840
Optical Drive:	None
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung SyncMaster P2350 23in @ 1920x1080 + LG Flatron 19in Widescreen 1440x900
Case:	Antec Three Hundred Two
PSU:	620w Antec High Current Gamer HCG-620M
Software:	Windows Server 2012 x64 Standard

Mar 20, 2013, 04:07 PM	#29
erixx Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Moorsoldaten barracks Posts: 2,183 (1.89/day) Thanks: 709 Thanked 312 Times in 250 Posts System Specs	^also curious __________________ "Where's Carmack when you need him?" by cadaveca

System Name:	SpaceTranslator
Processor:	i7 3770K@4400 24/7
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus V Extreme
Cooling:	Noctua C14
Memory:	16Gb G.Skill 2400Mhz
Video Card:	Gigabyte GTX 670 OC
Hard Disk:	SSD, WD Black 2TB, 2x WD Green 1TB, 1x Seagate 500
Optical Drive:	external
CRT/LCD Model:	Philips LED 32" 1950x1080
Case:	In win H-Frame
Sound Card:	onboard (5.1)
PSU:	Corsair 750 modular
Software:	W8 Pro MediaCenter
Benchmarks:	bling bling

Mar 20, 2013, 05:54 PM	#31
Kaynar Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 287 (0.58/day) Thanks: 23 Thanked 68 Times in 52 Posts System Specs	Owned Audigy 2, X-fi gamer, currently using X-fi platinum. Always satisfied with those cards for their price but that's the end of the line for me. Now I'm into headphone amp through optical/coaxial or asyncronous USB. A tad more expensive and REALLY better.

System Name:	My PC
Processor:	i7 930 @ 4 Ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte X58-OC
Cooling:	Corsair H100, 2xSP120 fans
Memory:	6GB Corsair DominatorGT
Video Card:	XFX R7970BEDD
Hard Disk:	Samsung 840Pro 512GB
Optical Drive:	Aint nobody got time 'bout dat.
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus PA246Q
Case:	Lian-Li PC-V700WX
Sound Card:	Creative X-Fi Titanium HD
PSU:	Corsair AX860
Software:	Win7 64-bit home
Benchmarks:	3dmark11: P10111 (14/11/2012)

Mar 20, 2013, 06:48 PM	#32
SaltyFish Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 174 (0.50/day) Thanks: 18 Thanked 59 Times in 37 Posts System Specs	Had many sound cards since the Sound Blaster 16 days. Currently using X-Fi Elite Pro. The consumer sound card market has become rather niche (just like the market for CRTs) and has even regressed in terms of features since the X-Fi days. Still awesome for earlier games that really gave some thought to audio and mid-range for listening to music (the high-end usually involves external DACs). I hate to say it, but at this rate, unless some sort of PC audio renaissance happens, quality discrete consumer audio cards will become a thing of the past because there isn't much focus on it. __________________ FAQs: Mechanical Keyboards \| PSU \| UPS \| CRT Repair

Processor:	Intel Core 2 QX6850
Motherboard:	ABIT AB9 Pro
Cooling:	Zalman CNPS-9900 MAX-R
Memory:	Patriot PDC24G6400LLK (2x 2 GB)
Video Card:	Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Light Turbo
Hard Disk:	Western Digital Caviar Blue 160 GB + Green 1 TB
Optical Drive:	Lite-On iHAS120-04
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung T240HD
Case:	NZXT Zero
Sound Card:	Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
PSU:	Thortech Thunderbolt Plus TTBPK00G 1000W
Software:	Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2

Mar 20, 2013, 07:47 PM	#33
Tatty_One Senior(Citizen)Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Worcestershire, UK Posts: 12,743 (4.75/day) Thanks: 1,093 Thanked 1,935 Times in 1,437 Posts System Specs	Xifi Elite pro with I/O box, no issues with drivers. __________________

System Name:	The Black & White
Processor:	Core i7 930@4.3Gig 24/7
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA58 UD4P
Cooling:	Corsair Hydro H80i/Viper140's/Apache120's
Memory:	12GB Team Xtreem LV 2133Mhz CL8 in triple
Video Card:	Gigabyte HD7870 2GB Windforce3X@1250mhz
Hard Disk:	Crucial RealSSD M4 64+Spinpoint F4 320Gig
Optical Drive:	LG BluRay/HD and LG SuperMulti writer
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung S24B750V 24inch IPS@1080
Case:	BitFenix Shinobi Black/White
Sound Card:	Xifi Elite Pro/VideoLogicZXR550's
PSU:	Thermaltake ToughPower 750W modular
Software:	Win 7 x64
Benchmarks:	Retired

Mar 20, 2013, 07:52 PM	#34
Geofrancis Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: SCOTLAND! Posts: 919 (0.60/day) Thanks: 91 Thanked 137 Times in 106 Posts System Specs	I used to have the audigy then the audigy II but these days I find myself just using the onboard realtek HD. Onboard has massively improved since The ac97 days. __________________ machine XI Phenom II 965 Black @3.8ghz, 8Gb XMS3 1600, Asus M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3, HD5970, 128gb sandisk SSD, mcubed t-balancer HP EliteBook 2530p SL9400 Core 2 Duo ULV @ 0.9v, 4Gb ddr2, 80Gb Intel X-18m G2, 64Gb express card SSD, Ubiquiti SR71-E 400mw wifi, 21mb HSPA+ ESXI Server Phenom II 1155T, MSI 890FXA-GD70, 12Gb ddr3, IBM M1015 sas, Dell sas 6i, 10 drive 8tb UNRAID array. Old Builds :watercooled matx rig\|Water Cooled ITX rig \|EeePC 701 7" netbook \| ITX Gaming raid build

System Name:	Machine XI
Processor:	Phenom II 965 Black 3.4@3.8 stock voltage
Motherboard:	Asus M4A88TD-M EVO/USB3
Cooling:	OCZ Gladiator
Memory:	8Gb ddr3 1600mhz XMS 3
Video Card:	HD5970 2Gb
Hard Disk:	128Gb Sandisk SATAIII 6G/s
Optical Drive:	2x DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	19" + 23" + 17"
Case:	micro atx case
Sound Card:	Reaktek
PSU:	750W
Software:	Windows 7 x64 Ultimate

System Name:	Insert cool name here
Processor:	AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.8Ghz,NB 3.0Ghz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte 890GPA-UD3H REV 2.1
Cooling:	Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Memory:	G. Skill Ripjaws X DDR3 1600Mhz CL8
Video Card:	Gigabyte GTX560Ti OC Windforce 2X
Hard Disk:	Corsair F60 / WD Caviar Black 1TB
Optical Drive:	Asus 24X
CRT/LCD Model:	HP S2031
Case:	Cooler Master HAF922
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek ALC899A
PSU:	Antec EA650
Software:	Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Mar 21, 2013, 03:38 PM	#36
puma99dk\| Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Denmark WTF xD Posts: 2,070 (0.73/day) Thanks: 239 Thanked 455 Times in 321 Posts System Specs	i went from onboard Realtek to onboard SupremeFX on the Asus Maximus III Gene and than on to a Auzentech Bravura 7.1 and than to a Asus Xonar Essence STX and i luv it, it just made a difference all the way up to my Essence card and i was like how much better can sound get even my old mp3 songs that are years old got better to listen too, even my games __________________ i5-2500k @ 4785mhz \| ECS P67H2-A

System Name:	Lynni / Lynni-Win8-Test
Processor:	Intel Core i5-3750K @ 4.6ghz \| Bios: offset 0.045 \| CPU-Z: 1.232v \| Intel Pentium G860 @ 3,0ghz
Motherboard:	Asus Maximus V Extreme Bios 1707 \| ECS P67H2-A Black Series V1.1 \| SuperMicro C7Q67
Cooling:	Corsair H100 @ 2xNoctua NF-F12 PWM \| Intel Stock Cooler
Memory:	Corsair Vengeance LP 16gb (4x4gb) @ 1600mhz (9-9-9-24 T1) / Adata XPG™ Gaming v2.0 Series 2x2GB
Video Card:	Asus GTX670-DC2G-4GD5 @ 1015/1502mhz / EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 640mb / Asus EN9800GT/DI/1GD3/A
Hard Disk:	OS: Samsung 830Series 128gb SSD \| Gaming: WDC Green 500gb \| Anime/DATA: 2xWDC Green 2TB WD20EARX
Optical Drive:	Pioneer DVR-216DBK \| Samsung SH-B123L @ SATA
CRT/LCD Model:	Philips 221EL2 LED 21,5 inch Monitor & Philips 32inch LCD TV @ 1080p
Case:	Cooler Master HAF XB \| 1xNoctua NF-F12 PWM \| 2x Noctua NF-R8
Sound Card:	Asus Xonar Essence STX \| Creative Aurvana Live! \| Logitech Z-2300
PSU:	SeaSonic X-760 80PLUS \| Silverstone ST45SF-G Double GOLDIE :3
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 x64 OEM - KIS2012CBE \o/ \| Win8 Pro 64bit @ Box - No SSD atm
Benchmarks:	3DMark11: Pxxxx - Unigine Heaven Benchmark: xxxx \| Nuth tested, yet!!!

Mar 21, 2013, 03:45 PM	#37
Sasqui Eligible for custom title Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 6,060 (2.22/day) Thanks: 823 Thanked 909 Times in 742 Posts System Specs	3 rigs total: 2 connected to TV's via HDMI. Using the HD Audio on the video cards 3870 and 5870. 1 connected to a monitor. Using onboard (Realtek ALC898) connected to Klipsh Pro Audio. To me, it sounds better than the PCIe card that came with the ASUS Maximus and Rampage Formula. Have 3 or 4 Creative sound cards boaxed away in the basement, lol. __________________ Heatware

System Name:	"Naked Ivy"
Processor:	i7-3570k Costa (4.7 Ghz 24/7), Now de-lidded and NAKED!
Motherboard:	GA-Z77X-UD5H (rev1.1)
Cooling:	SWTech 320 Rad, Modded 655 Pump, Koolance 345
Memory:	16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card:	Powercolor HD 7870 (Core at 1200, 5% bump in voltage)
Hard Disk:	WD 320 / 500KS / 500KS / 640KS / 640LS / 640LS / 640LS / 1TBFAEX
Optical Drive:	LG DVD+-R
CRT/LCD Model:	24" DELL 2405FPW
Case:	Modded HAF 932
Sound Card:	Onboard + HD HDMI
PSU:	Corsair HX750 (love it)
Software:	Win 7 Ultimate
Benchmarks:	Almost stable @ 4.9 Ghz, working on benchies

Mar 21, 2013, 03:54 PM	#38
Mindweaver Moderato®™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Statesville, NC Posts: 3,656 (2.44/day) Thanks: 4,326 Thanked 2,319 Times in 1,150 Posts System Specs	Back in the days of BF1942, BF:V,BF2, and BF2142 and you wanted to use the best sound then you had to have a Creative labs card with EAX or your game ran like shit. I miss games that use EAX.. It was like night and day quality wise in game. Now, you can get away with on board... which is sad.. I want them to push sound as well as graphics. When ever a new BF game came out, I bought the latest and greatest Creative sound blaster audigy or what ever to get the best sound. __________________ “As long as I feel the warmth from the sun and breathe precious air…. I must ask questions to feed the Mind!” Battletag: Mindweaver#1523

System Name:	Sechs / EyeSeven
Processor:	I7 970 @ 4.0ghz / I7 2600k @ 4.5Ghz
Motherboard:	P6X58D-E / ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
Cooling:	CM Hyper 212 Plus push-pull / Corsair H50
Memory:	Corsair 30GB DDR3 1600 / G.Skill DDR3 1600 8gb 2x4GB
Video Card:	EVGA 480 / MSI GTX 680 PE 2Gb
Hard Disk:	GSkill 120GB SSD & OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 240GB / Corsair 60gb SSD, 3x250 WD RAID0 avg 170mb\sec
Optical Drive:	Asus 24x / Ext. Samsung Writemaster 22x
CRT/LCD Model:	2x Samsung SyncMaster 2243 22" / 3x Acer 22" Nvidia surround
Case:	COOLER MASTER HAF 912 / Cooler Master Storm Scout
Sound Card:	On board / SB X-Fi Gamer
PSU:	Corsair tx650w / Corsair tx750w
Software:	Windows 7 Pro x64 / Windows 7 ultimate x64

Mar 21, 2013, 03:56 PM	#39
FreedomEclipse Crazy Dogmatic Bullsh!t! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: (British Born Chinese) London, United Kingdom Posts: 7,531 (3.38/day) Thanks: 825 Thanked 1,607 Times in 1,286 Posts System Specs	I guess the main reason why the audio card market stagnated was because of the removal or loss of DirectSound Then there are Audiophile soundcards, but lets face it - there are more gamers then audiophiles. __________________ “I used to be a serial upgrader like you, then i took a downgrade to the knee” -FreedomEclipse

System Name:	Codename: Rapture X {MoonPig Edition}
Processor:	Intel 3930k@4.6Ghz
Motherboard:	Asus P9X79 PRO
Cooling:	Corsair H80i {2xScythe G.T AP-15}
Memory:	16GB DDR3 Kingston Hyper X 2133Mhz {4x4GB}
Video Card:	2xMSI GTX680 Twin Frozr OC {SLi}
Hard Disk:	256GB Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme (Boot) \|WD: 2x1.5TB FAEX\|1x2TB EARS\|1x1.5TB Samsung F4EG
Optical Drive:	N/A
CRT/LCD Model:	NEC MultiSync EA231WMi 23" {Black}
Case:	Fractal Define XL {3x140mm,1x180mm Silverstone A.P'}
Sound Card:	Creative SB Z {Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 }
PSU:	Corsair HX1050 Bro'fessional
Software:	Windows 7 7600 x64
Benchmarks:	(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Mar 21, 2013, 04:24 PM	#40
mlee49 Eligible for custom title Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: KU Posts: 6,921 (3.51/day) Thanks: 1,598 Thanked 2,048 Times in 1,602 Posts System Specs	I dont have a dedicated sound card, but I do run audio out my 560 Ti. I have it setup as HDMI out to a receiver and a 5.1 surround setup. I also have a Corsair gaming headset for when I want to keep things quiet. __________________ Heatware: Mlee49 115-0

System Name:	The Dove Box
Processor:	Core i7 970 @ 4.4Ghz(Watercooled)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte UD5 Rev2.0
Cooling:	Custom water loop
Memory:	3x2GB 2000MHz GSkill Perfect Storm
Video Card:	2xEvga Classified 560 Ti 448 Core in SLI
Hard Disk:	1x256GB Samsung 830 SSD, 1.2TB NAS
Optical Drive:	Samsung sata 22x dvd
CRT/LCD Model:	26" Asus 1920x1200
Case:	Enermax Fulmo GT
Sound Card:	Custom 700W system
PSU:	Thermaltake Toughpower 850W
Software:	Win7 64x

Mar 21, 2013, 05:24 PM	#42
KainXS Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,694 (2.27/day) Thanks: 184 Thanked 465 Times in 382 Posts System Specs	I have 3 pc's right now, my oldest one has a xonar dg, the newer one has a xonar essence(had a titanium but gave me too many problems) my work pc has no card I just use the video cards digital, on my laptop I have the x-fi express which I did not know was so terrible sounding, I had the audigy notebook already and the x-fi express sounded like dirt compared to it and the codec so yea. X-fi MB does sound a tiny bit better then no codec on a bad codec but really, its still no substitute for a sound card, maybe x-fi MB3 is better but I since it mimics some of the features from the sound core cards but I have not tried that yet. Last edited by KainXS; Mar 21, 2013 at 05:31 PM.

System Name:	GhetO.O
Processor:	Core2Quad Q8400@4.1Ghz/2500K
Motherboard:	MSI P35 Neo 2 FR/Sabertooth
Cooling:	GEMINII+2 120MM fans/Corsair
Memory:	8GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2 1066/16GB Crucial Ballistix
Video Card:	ASUS GTX460 SliFire/GTX680 SLI
Hard Disk:	1TB Spinpoint/2 SSD + 1 500GB WD
Optical Drive:	Lite On DVD+DL/None
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 22 inch/ IPS Asus 26inch
Case:	Antec 300/CM HAF
Sound Card:	Xonar Essence
PSU:	Thermaltake 600
Software:	Windows 7

Mar 21, 2013, 05:31 PM	#43
AsRock TPU addict Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: US\ Uk Born Posts: 8,794 (4.07/day) Thanks: 1,675 Thanked 1,348 Times in 1,170 Posts System Specs	My option is not there.. Although i do use a onboard sound card but it's for the mic only and as for sound i get it though HDMI from the v card to a AV.

System Name:	weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Processor:	i5 2500k \ i7 3770k
Motherboard:	ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 \ ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
Cooling:	Gemini II S524 \ XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 with Couger 1500 RPM fans\ ZM-MFC2
Memory:	Samsung 1600 16GB \ Samsung 1600 16GB
Video Card:	XFX HD6770 \ XFX 6970 w/Prolima MK-13 ( With modded 5870 VRM hrstsink )
Hard Disk:	2x intel ssd x25 G2 80GB \ OCZ Solid 3+2 Corsair Force GT's 120GB (Use HDD's for backups only
Optical Drive:	LiteOn DVD 163 \ TEAC exturnal DVD drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 204B 20.1inch ( Native 12x16 ) \ Toshiba 40" HDTV ( Native 1920x1080 )
Case:	ARK Black HTPC 400BA \ None
Sound Card:	Though video card HDMI ONKYO TX-SR608 +TANNOY MERCURY F4+ Polk Audio RTI4+Polk Audio PSW505
PSU:	CoolMax CXI-600B\ PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad
Software:	Windows Vista Ultimate 64Bit \Win 7
Benchmarks:	Track IR 4 Razer Blackwidow Ultimate ( rma'ed trice and same issue's ) Steelseries XAI

Mar 21, 2013, 05:39 PM	#44
Mr McC Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 1,186 (1.04/day) Thanks: 287 Thanked 333 Times in 249 Posts System Specs	No, just the motherboard's built in sound. I have it linked to 5 Altec Lansing's that cost me €100 a few years back and, without truly knowing, I assume that I would not notice the benefits of a dedicated sound card. By that I mean that the remaining components and the manner in which they are linked together probably has bearing on whether a dedicated souind card would have an impact, but I believe that in most situations, the motherboard alone will more than suffice.

Processor:	Core i7 920
Motherboard:	Asus P6T v2
Cooling:	Noctua D-14
Memory:	OCZ Gold 1600
Video Card:	Powercolor PCS+ 5870
Hard Disk:	Samsung SpinPoint F3 1 TB
Optical Drive:	LG GGW-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung LE-B530 37" TV
Case:	Lian Li PC-B25F
Sound Card:	N/A
PSU:	Thermaltake Toughpower 700w
Software:	Windows 7 64-bit

Mar 22, 2013, 03:25 AM	#45
KainXS Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,694 (2.27/day) Thanks: 184 Thanked 465 Times in 382 Posts System Specs	your AD2000B is not that bad though, I think thats the same codec used in some of the supreme x-fi risers, not sure though.

Mar 22, 2013, 11:06 PM	#46
LAN_deRf_HA Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 4,024 (2.15/day) Thanks: 290 Thanked 831 Times in 588 Posts System Specs	It's true the older soundcards have been matched by some onboard solutions. The best can be seen in cadaveca's reviews. Mobo makers are finally taking that seriously, probably out of necessity to differentiate. Newer soundcards however keep getting better as well. There will probably be an endgame here where soundcards get chased into the corner of diminishing returns but we're still not there yet. Throw in swappable opamps and a headphone amp and I might ditch my soundcard. Especially if you can fit it on a mini itx.