Shall i get a sound card for gaming or settle for on board audio?

zanatos · Jul 20, 2017

The title says it all.

If i get one which one should i get?

Sound blaster Z or any other card?

rtwjunkie · Jul 20, 2017

It's a very subjective question for most people. It's not asked on the same level as "should I get a GPU for gaming?"

Are you not satisfied with your onboard sound? Not everyone can tell a difference. I definitely hear a difference in quality and loudness, but onboard sound is pretty good now.

I say it's worth it for a SB Z or similar, but it is not based on anything but my own opinion.

PLAfiller · Jul 20, 2017

Are you a speaker person or a headphone person ? Is there a specific feature you are looking for ? - like positional audio, to hear footsteps or reverb or something else. Is the money you want to spend critical for your budget or no ? Are you willing to buy second hand sound cards ? I would say for the most part, on board audio, will do the job fine. But if the upgrade bug just eats you inside, then may be get a sound card

Me personally, I've always had soundcards, because the difference is night and day for my ears.

CAPSLOCKSTUCK · Jul 20, 2017

i have listened to music on 3 pcs this morning. One with a soundcard, one with onboard audio and one with a usb soundcard.

on my own scale of 1/10 if i compare them with each other.

Addon card.....10/10
Onboard audio 8/10
USB card.............6/10

The addon card gives a richer, fuller, louder sound. The onboard audio is very good but lacking the high end and massive bass i enjoy so much. The USB card works and that is about it...an audiophile would be very unhappy.

I have always found that onboard audio is perfectly adequate for streaming vids , gaming and music.

Capitan Harlock · Jul 20, 2017

Are you going to use Gaming headphones or a proper pair of Headphone?
Because if you really need power buy an external amp/dac with usb .
If you have the budget you can get the new http://mayflowerelectronics.com/arc/
Is an amp/dac heaphone amp with a microphone jack and is priced at 250$.

Shou Miko · Jul 20, 2017

I choose to get the Creative Core3D chip onboard on my Gigabyte Aorus GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 instead of a dedicated this time and I am not disappointed got all the real Creative features and it sounds good like the dedicated version.

qubit · Jul 20, 2017

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:
i have listened to music on 3 pcs this morning. One with a soundcard, one with onboard audio and one with a usb soundcard.

on my own scale of 1/10 if i compare them with each other.

Addon card.....10/10
Onboard audio 8/10
USB card.............6/10

The addon card gives a richer, fuller, louder sound. The onboard audio is very good but lacking the high end and massive bass i enjoy so much. The USB card works and that is about it...an audiophile would be very unhappy.

I have always found that onboard audio is perfectly adequate for streaming vids , gaming and music.

In my experience, those Creative X-Fi cards sound epic and they stand out head and shoulders above onboard audio. This is noticeable without any bass and treble enhancement or other processing, so it's not just special effects giving a false impression. There's just a certain punchiness and presence to the sound and is why I have several of these cards since they're not made any more. Thankfully they're still fully supported in W10 for now.

Add in the sound processing features and that's just icing on the cake.

zanatos · Jul 20, 2017

To answer questions and help you.
I have headphones ROG STRIX 7.1 which are really good (though there are some problems).

in the PC i am talking about is where I play ACTION games like Assasin creed and watch movies through an amplifier. At gaming though i am not very happy, the sounds do not come clearly through the speakers.

That's why i am thinking about a dedicated sound card so i can enjoy my 5.1 speakers THX certified...

which gaming sound card do you guys use?

micropage7 · Jul 20, 2017

Gaming soundcards? With bass booster or like that

Tatty_Two · Jul 20, 2017

Your board has a pretty high spec audio chip and I see it also has an amp, unless you have really high quality speakers/headphones you are not going to hear a great deal of difference unless you opt for a really high quality sound card IMO.

EarthDog · Jul 20, 2017

Unless you have a decent set of cans or speakers, or you are an audiophile, i wouldnt bother. While there are certainly differences, the past couple generation motherboards have pretty solid onboard sound...your included.

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:
i have listened to music on 3 pcs this morning. One with a soundcard, one with onboard audio and one with a usb soundcard.

on my own scale of 1/10 if i compare them with each other.

Addon card.....10/10
Onboard audio 8/10
USB card.............6/10

The addon card gives a richer, fuller, louder sound. The onboard audio is very good but lacking the high end and massive bass i enjoy so much. The USB card works and that is about it...an audiophile would be very unhappy.

I have always found that onboard audio is perfectly adequate for streaming vids , gaming and music.

what CODECS are the onboards running? The OP has newer it seems??

zanatos said:
At gaming though i am not very happy, the sounds do not come clearly through the speakers.

That's why i am thinking about a dedicated sound card so i can enjoy my 5.1 speakers THX certified...

Is this a setup issue or sound card issue?

I use onboard with a decent of cans and speakers so i cant help with selection.

Komshija · Jul 20, 2017

Yes, for gaming you should buy at least Creative Sound Blaster ZXR or Asus Essence STX II 7.1. That's a prerequisite for gaming. NOT.

Just stick with the onboard audio - it's more than good for gaming and with newer (2014+) middle class or high end MOBO's it will provide everything any gamer will ever need considering sound quality.

lorraine walsh · Jul 20, 2017

I would recommend use Gaming headphones.

External Amp would probably cost you much. But if you have the budget go for it.

Amp/dac heaphone amp with a microphone jack and is priced at 250$.

Papahyooie · Jul 20, 2017

Unless you buy a high end sound card, the sound card likely will have the same or similar hardware that is on your motherboard... no point. All the sound differences that you might hear between them come from software.

brandonwh64 · Jul 20, 2017

Newer motherboards have pretty decent audio unless you get like a bottom of the barrel motherboard.

Kursah · Jul 20, 2017

Start with what you have, if it sounds good then stick with it. If not, mess around with enabling/disabling features and try to tune the EQ first.

I enjoy the hell out of my Aune T1 mk1 (USB DAC/Amp), but I also have decent headphones and am using EqualizerAPO with 32-band EQ config in Peace UI to get the sound I want.

Sound cards and USB cards vary in quality, features and price. It can be an expensive slippery slope if you end up going on an audiophile route...and the ROI isn't there for most. So keep it simple and see if what you already have is good for your needs or not.

Otherwise I prefer DAC/Amps, but I'm not after gaming features. I retired my Auzen X-Fi Forte years ago...it now collects dust. Sound cards are great don't get me wrong...but my needs and preferences for driving my headphones necessitated a different direction along with investments, trial and error, and a budget to accomplish what I enjoy using now. Why go through all of that if you can be happy with onboard with some adjustments?
:toast:

CAPSLOCKSTUCK · Jul 20, 2017

EarthDog said:
what CODECS are the onboards running? The OP has newer it seems??

USB card was ALC 889
Onboard was ALC 887
Addon was ALC 1150

RejZoR · Jul 20, 2017

zanatos said:
The title says it all.

If i get one which one should i get?

Sound blaster Z or any other card?

If your specs are correct, you're running a GIGABYTE GA-X99-Gaming 5P motherboard. Which comes with Core3D Audio Chip surrounded by high end capacitors and quality BurrBrown OPAMP. Quite frankly, you already have what you need. Buying Sound Blaster Z will not really grant you anything extra because that's what you already have. Only way to go higher would be Sound BlasterX AE-5 scheduled for release at the end of July 2017...

Shou Miko · Jul 20, 2017

I agree with @RejZoR that's why i purchased my Gigabyte Aorus GA-Z270X-Gaming 7 to get something extra in the audio department instead of needing a add-in pci-e audio card.

thesmokingman · Jul 20, 2017

zanatos said:
The title says it all.

If i get one which one should i get?

Sound blaster Z or any other card?

Onboard has come a long way so I don't think its worth it to go soundcard unless you are getting into the top end of cards.

Flow · Jul 20, 2017

zanatos said:
To answer questions and help you.
I have headphones ROG STRIX 7.1 which are really good (though there are some problems).

in the PC i am talking about is where I play ACTION games like Assasin creed and watch movies through an amplifier. At gaming though i am not very happy, the sounds do not come clearly through the speakers.

That's why i am thinking about a dedicated sound card so i can enjoy my 5.1 speakers THX certified...

which gaming sound card do you guys use?

Well, you know, you already answered your own question. Get that soundcard which provides what you want like the Audigy RX or the Sound Blaster Z and be done about it.

In any case, you clearly are unhappy with your onboard sound.

EarthDog · Jul 20, 2017

CAPSLOCKSTUCK said:
USB card was ALC 889
Onboard was ALC 887
Addon was ALC 1150

2 were junk.

Vario · Jul 21, 2017

I can't tell a difference personally.

OneMoar · Jul 22, 2017

sound cards don't make a difference until you start spending ALOT of money on audio gear

Beastie · Jul 23, 2017

zanatos said:
That's why i am thinking about a dedicated sound card so i can enjoy my 5.1 speakers THX certified...

What speakers and amplification are you using?

System Name	2022 PC / 2020 PC
Processor	Ryzen7 7700X / Ryzen7 5800X
Motherboard	ROG X670e EXTREME / ROG Crosshair VIII Hero
Cooling	Rog Ryujinn II ARGB / Capellix H100i
Memory	F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5NR X2 / Trident z Royal 3200Mhz Cl14
Video Card(s)	Zotac AMP Triniti RTX 4090 /EVGA FTW3 ULTRA 3080
Storage	Kingston 2TB Fury Renegade / Aorus PCIE4 1TB
Display(s)	S95B / S95C
Case	anidees AI Crystal PC / Infiniti 2
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower GF 3 1000W / TT Toughpower GF1 ARGB 850w
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3
Keyboard	Asus Animate ii/ Corsair KG100
Software	windows 11 X2

System Name	Bayou Phantom
Processor	Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard	ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling	All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory	2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s)	EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage	1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s)	HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case	Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Seasonic X-850
Mouse	Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard	Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)

System Name	Sandfiller
Processor	I5-10400
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS
Cooling	Noctua NH-L9i (92x25mm fan)
Memory	32GB Corsair LPX 2400 Mhz DDR4 CL14
Video Card(s)	MSI RX 5700 XT GAMING X
Storage	Intel 670P 512GB
Display(s)	2560x1080 LG 29" + 22" LG
Case	SS RV02
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	REDRAGON MITRA
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

System Name	Party On
Processor	Xeon w 3520
Motherboard	DFI Lanparty
Cooling	Big tower thing
Memory	6 gb Ballistix Tracer
Video Card(s)	HD 7970
Case	a plank of wood
Audio Device(s)	seperate amp and 6 big speakers
Power Supply	Corsair
Mouse	cheap
Keyboard	under going restoration

System Name	Xeon build X58 / Main Rig X79
Processor	Intel Xeon x5650 @ 4.2Ghz with HT / Xeon E5 1650 v2 @4.5Ghz
Motherboard	Asus Rampage II Extreme socket 1366 / Asus P9X79 Pro socket 2011
Cooling	Thermalright Archon +Ty 140mm\|Fans : 2 front-1top-1rear-1bottom/ Gelid Phantom Twin Tower
Memory	16gb DDR3 1600mhz Kingstone Hyper x Quad Channel / 16gb DDR3 1600MHZ Patriot Viper 3
Video Card(s)	Sapphire hd 7950 3gb Boost edition dual fan X / ZOTAC 1080 Ti Blower Edition
Storage	Kingstone AV400ssd 120gb+Seagate B 2Tb+WD g 1tb+WD g 3tb+WD r 3tb+Seagate B 4tb+Lexar 2Tb NVMe
Display(s)	AOC E2460S 24" 1080p 60hz 1ms / LG 32UK550B 32" UHD 4K HDR 10 with Freesync
Case	Enermax Phoenix / Fractal Design Arc midi
Audio Device(s)	SoundMaxHD+5.1 BHT1100 BLUESKY,Fiio E10 Olympus+SuperluxHD668b+KZ HBB pr2,Superlux E205.
Power Supply	Sharkoon WPM Gold Zero 650W semi modular / Corsair RM 850 Fully Modular
Mouse	Generic Mice / Corsair M90
Keyboard	Generic Keyboard / Microsoft WK600
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64 /Windows 10 Pro 64

Shall i get a sound card for gaming or settle for on board audio?

zanatos

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast

PLAfiller

CAPSLOCKSTUCK

Spaced Out Lunar Tick

Capitan Harlock

Shou Miko

qubit

Overclocked quantum bit

zanatos

micropage7

Tatty_Two

Gone Fishing

EarthDog

Komshija

lorraine walsh

Papahyooie

brandonwh64

Addicted to Bacon and StarCrunches!!!

Kursah

Super Moderator

CAPSLOCKSTUCK

Spaced Out Lunar Tick

RejZoR

Shou Miko

thesmokingman

Flow

EarthDog

Vario

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

Beastie

System Name	Lynni PS \ Lenowo TwinkPad T480
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Raphael \ i7-8550U Kaby Lake-R
Motherboard	ASRock B650M PG Riptide Bios v. 2.02 AMD AGESA 1.1.0.0 \ Lenowo 20L60036MX Bios 1.47
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.Black (Only middle fan) \ Lenowo WN-2
Memory	G.Skill Flare X5 2x16GB DDR5 6000MHZ CL36-36-36-96 AMD EXPO \ Willk Elektronik 2x16GB 2666MHZ CL17
Video Card(s)	Asus GeForce RTX™ 4070 Dual OC GPU: 2325-2355 MEM: 1462\| Nvidia GeForce MX™ 150 2GB GDDR5 Micron
Storage	Gigabyte M30 1TB\|Sabrent Rocket 2TB\| HDD: 10TB\|1TB \ SKHynix 256GB 2242 3x2 \| WD SN700 1TB
Display(s)	LG UltraGear 27GP850-B 1440p@165Hz \| LG 48CX OLED 4K HDR \| AUO 14" 1440p IPS
Case	Asus Prime AP201 White Mesh \| Lenowo T480 chassis
Audio Device(s)	Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Pure Power 12 M 750W Goldie \| 65W
Mouse	Logitech G305 Lightspeedy Wireless \| Lenowo TouchPad & Logitech G305
Keyboard	Akko 3108 DS Horizon V2 Cream Yellow \| T480 UK Lumi
Software	Win11 Pro 23H2 UK
Benchmark Scores	3DMARK: https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/89434432? GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/details/v3zbr

System Name	Quantumville™
Processor	Intel Core i7-2700K @ 4GHz
Motherboard	Asus P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
Cooling	Noctua NH-D14
Memory	16GB (2 x 8GB Corsair Vengeance Black DDR3 PC3-12800 C9 1600MHz)
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 2080 SUPER Gaming X Trio
Storage	Samsung 850 Pro 256GB \| WD Black 4TB \| WD Blue 6TB
Display(s)	ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQR (4K, 144Hz, G-SYNC compatible) \| Asus MG28UQ (4K, 60Hz, FreeSync compatible)
Case	Cooler Master HAF 922
Audio Device(s)	Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty PCIe
Power Supply	Corsair AX1600i
Mouse	Microsoft Intellimouse Pro - Black Shadow
Keyboard	Yes
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Processor	Rocket Lake Core i5 11600K @ 5 Ghz with PL tweaks
Motherboard	MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK
Cooling	Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120SE + 4 Phanteks 140mm case fans
Memory	32GB (4 x 8GB SR) Patriot Viper Steel 4133Mhz DDR4 @ 3600Mhz CL14@1.45v Gear 1
Video Card(s)	Asus Dual RTX 4070 OC
Storage	WD Blue SN550 1TB M.2 NVME//Crucial MX500 500GB SSD (OS)
Display(s)	AOC Q2781PQ 27 inch Ultra Slim 2560 x 1440 IPS
Case	Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Windowed - Gunmetal
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek ALC1200/SPDIF to Sony AVR @ 5.1
Power Supply	Seasonic CORE GM650w Gold Semi modular
Mouse	Coolermaster Storm Octane wired
Keyboard	Element Gaming Carbon Mk2 Tournament Mech
Software	Win 10 Home x64

System Name	1.21 gigawatts!
Processor	Intel Core i7 6700K
Motherboard	MSI Z170A Krait Gaming 3X
Cooling	Be Quiet! Shadow Rock Slim with Arctic MX-4
Memory	16GB G.Skill Ripjaws V DDR4 3000 MHz
Video Card(s)	Palit GTX 1080 Game Rock
Storage	Mushkin Triactor 240GB + Toshiba X300 4TB + Team L3 EVO 480GB
Display(s)	Philips 237E7QDSB/00 23" FHD AH-IPS
Case	Aerocool Aero-1000 white + 4 Arctic F12 PWM Rev.2 fans
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Audio Boost 3 with Nahimic Audio Enhancer
Power Supply	FSP Hydro G 650W
Mouse	Cougar 700M eSports white
Keyboard	E-Blue Cobra II
Software	Windows 8.1 Pro x64
Benchmark Scores	Cinebench R15: 948 (stock) / 1044 (4,7 GHz) FarCry 5 1080p Ultra: min 100, avg 116, max 133 FPS

System Name	Gamer
Processor	AMD Ryzen 3700x
Motherboard	AsRock B550 Phantom Gaming ITX/AX
Memory	32GB
Video Card(s)	ASRock Radeon RX 6800 XT Phantom Gaming D
Case	Phanteks Eclipse P200A D-RGB
Power Supply	800w CM
Mouse	Corsair M65 Pro
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition \| Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022)
Processor	R7 5800X @ Stock \| i7 12700H @ Stock
Motherboard	Asus ROG Strix X370-F Gaming BIOS 6203\| Legion 5i Pro NM-E231
Cooling	Noctua NH-U14S Push-Pull + NT-H1 \| Stock Cooling
Memory	TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32GB (2x16) DDR4 4000 @ 3600 18-20-20-42 1.35v \| 32GB DDR5 4800 (2x16)
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 JetStream 12GB \| CPU-based Intel Iris XE + RTX 3070 8GB 150W
Storage	4TB SP UD90 NVME, 960GB SATA SSD, 2TB HDD \| 1TB Samsung OEM NVME SSD + 4TB Crucial P3 Plus NVME SSD
Display(s)	Acer 28" 4K VG280K x2 \| 16" 2560x1600 built-in
Case	Corsair 600C - Stock Fans on Low \| Stock Metal/Plastic
Audio Device(s)	Aune T1 mk1 > AKG K553 Pro + JVC HA-RX 700 (Equalizer APO + PeaceUI) \| Bluetooth Earbuds (BX29)
Power Supply	EVGA 750G2 Modular + APC Back-UPS Pro 1500 \| 300W OEM (heavy use) or Lenovo Legion C135W GAN (light)
Mouse	Logitech G502 \| Logitech M330
Keyboard	HyperX Alloy Core RGB \| Built in Keyboard (Lenovo laptop KB FTW)
Software	Windows 11 Pro x64 \| Windows 11 Home x64

Processor	AMD 5900x
Motherboard	Asus x570 Strix-E
Cooling	Hardware Labs
Memory	G.Skill 4000c17 2x16gb
Video Card(s)	RTX 3090
Storage	Sabrent
Display(s)	Samsung G9
Case	Phanteks 719
Audio Device(s)	Fiio K5 Pro
Power Supply	EVGA 1000 P2
Mouse	Logitech G600
Keyboard	Corsair K95

System Name	Computer of Theseus
Processor	Intel i9-12900KS: 50x Pcore multi @ 1.18Vcore (target 1.275V -100mv offset)
Motherboard	EVGA Z690 Classified
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S, 2xThermalRight TY-143, 4xNoctua NF-A12x25,3xNF-A12x15, 2xAquacomputer Splitty9Active
Memory	G-Skill Trident Z5 (32GB) DDR5-6000 C36 F5-6000J3636F16GX2-TZ5RK
Video Card(s)	EVGA Geforce 3060 XC Black Gaming 12GB
Storage	1x Samsung 970 Pro 512GB NVMe (OS), 2x Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB (data 1 and 2), ASUS BW-16D1HT
Display(s)	Dell S3220DGF 32" 2560x1440 165Hz Primary, Dell P2017H 19.5" 1600x900 Secondary, Ergotron LX arms.
Case	Lian Li O11 Air Mini
Audio Device(s)	Audiotechnica ATR2100X-USB, El Gato Wave XLR Mic Preamp, ATH M50X Headphones, Behringer 302USB Mixer
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex Platinum SE 1000W 80+ Platinum White
Mouse	Zowie EC3-C
Keyboard	Vortex Multix 87 Winter TKL (Gateron G Pro Yellow)
Software	Win 10 LTSC 21H2

System Name	RPC MK2.5
Processor	Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard	Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling	Enermax ETX-T50RGB
Memory	CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage	ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s)	LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case	Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse	Kone burst Pro
Keyboard	EVGA Z15
Software	Windows 11 +startisallback

System Name	it needs a name?
Processor	Xeon E3-1241 v3 @3.5GHz- standard clock
Motherboard	Asus Z97A 3.1
Cooling	Bequiet! Dark Rock 3 CPU cooler, 2 x 140mm intake and 1 x 120mm exhaust PWM fans in the case
Memory	16 GB Crucial DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Ballistix Sport 2 x 8 GB
Video Card(s)	Palit 980ti Super Jetscream
Storage	Sandisk X110 256GB SSD, Sandisk Ultra II 960GB SSD, 640GB WD Blue, 12TB Ultrastar
Display(s)	Acer XB270HU
Case	Lian Li PC 7H
Audio Device(s)	Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 USB interface
Power Supply	Seasonic P660
Mouse	cheapo logitech wireless
Keyboard	some keyboard from the 90's
Software	Win10pro 64bit