Are sound cards worth it?

[snipermouse]

hi all, with todays mobo's and onboard HD sound are sound cards still worth the money?
I'm currently looking at a Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium PCIe Fatal1ty Pro for around $175 AUD. My pc is mostly used for gaming and listening to music. I'm pretty fusy when it comes to sound quality and not real happy with the music quality out of itunes. Gaming sounds good though espesially in BFBC2 (sounds awsome, but thats in the game with 1 processor taken up by sound alone...great job EA!!!) The speakers i have at the moment are a pair of logitech desktop speakers and a floor sub. Would buying better speakers improve the sound or should i upgrade to a soundcard and new speakers??

Any thoughts guys would be great on brands, setup and experiences good or bad?
Are the drivers for sound cards a pain in the a*#s??
Almost forgot, whats the power draw on these things?

cheers

 

[Lomai]

G'day mate

Lots of opinion out there but ones that matter:

1. Dedicated sound-cards offloads work from the CPU - may improve your frame-rates in games
2. Am no audiophile but sounds tends to be sharper and clearer on good add-on cards

Note that some add-on sound-cards are no better than on-board though, especially on newer mobo's. This of course is my opinion.
Someone on another forum site stated the following:

Humans CANNOT perceive the difference in sound quality between modern on-board and sound cards.

The only thing that makes sound different is speakers/headphones.

The only reason to spend $$ on sound card is features (digital in/out)

Anyone who argues with me needs their brain checked.



Hope this helps

 

[sygnus21]

It is a very good card for audio listening as well as gaming. I have no issues with it. You can read my thoughts about it here.

Yes, its worth it

My opinion

 

[sygnus21]

Humans CANNOT perceive the difference in sound quality between modern on-board and sound cards.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I'm a music lover and loath MP3's because they tend to sound bright and thin to me. Other say they can't tell a difference, but I can, so that's all that matters.

Same goes with cheap mastered CD's. I tend to go for the audiophile types because to me they simply have more depth and range.

I will admit that I've never used my motherboard's on-board soundcard, so I can't tell you how good it is. On the other hand don't need to listen to a cheaply made stereo amp to know it's no good.

Anyway sound is a matter of opinion.

My two cents.

 

[Aphelion]

G'day mate


Someone on another forum site stated the following:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humans CANNOT perceive the difference in sound quality between modern on-board and sound cards.

The only thing that makes sound different is speakers/headphones.

The only reason to spend $$ on sound card is features (digital in/out)

Anyone who argues with me needs their brain checked.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope this helps

The person who made the quote above is an idiot, don't waste brain cells even thinking about such a ludicrous statement.

Having used PC's (Amiga, Mac & PC) for music/audio for the past 20 years I can tell you there's a huge difference in quality between a pro card and onboard audio.

For one thing.... the noise floor on motherboard audio is atrocious. Bass is less defined and highs are either muffled or slightly distorted... of course, this depends on what you're used to listening to. If Mp3 files are your pinnacle audio experience then onboard audio is probably fine, that is.... until you hear a really good PC audio system and realize what you've been missing.

Considering the circuitry that's found on a modern motherboard, plus the close proximity of the audio chip/device, it's a wonder onboard audio sounds as good as it does.

Ap

 

[sygnus21]

The person who made the quote above is an idiot, don't waste brain cells even thinking about such a ludicrous statement.

Uhhh... We can agree to disagree agreeably. No need to hurl insults. Notice I disagreed and did it respectfully, and without insults.

Be nice.

Peace

 

[snipermouse]

thanx guys for your input, i think its gona be a case of suck it and see. Have heard great reviews of that card and i think ill give it a go. Sygnus21, that is a great review also,cheers for that. Checking my system specs, will i have enough power to run the extra card with my 750w PSU?

 

[noobvious]

hi all, with todays mobo's and onboard HD sound are sound cards still worth the money?
I'm currently looking at a Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium PCIe Fatal1ty Pro for around $175 AUD. My pc is mostly used for gaming and listening to music. I'm pretty fusy when it comes to sound quality and not real happy with the music quality out of itunes. Gaming sounds good though espesially in BFBC2 (sounds awsome, but thats in the game with 1 processor taken up by sound alone...great job EA!!!) The speakers i have at the moment are a pair of logitech desktop speakers and a floor sub. Would buying better speakers improve the sound or should i upgrade to a soundcard and new speakers??

Any thoughts guys would be great on brands, setup and experiences good or bad?
Are the drivers for sound cards a pain in the a*#s??
Almost forgot, whats the power draw on these things?

cheers

I have heard that those cards work well for gaming, but I have no idea how they work for music.

 

[Aphelion]

The person who made the quote above is an idiot, don't waste brain cells even thinking about such a ludicrous statement.

Uhhh... We can agree to disagree agreeably. No need to hurl insults. Notice I disagreed and did it respectfully, and without insults.

Be nice.

Peace

:shock: Heh... it wasn't anyone on this board nor poster Lomai who posted the quote. The "insult" wasn't directed at anyone in this thread or even on this forum.

One can be peaceful and at the same time, not suffer fools lightly.

But you do have a point. How is this?

I strongly object to the quote comparing motherboard audio to 3rd party pro, or semi-pro audio solutions.... Are you daft man!


Ap

 

[sygnus21]

Checking my system specs, will i have enough power to run the extra card with my 750w PSU?

That's not even a problem, you could run that card on a 350watt PS.

But... to give you comfort, when I bought the card my then system had a 550watt PS

It's a good card with great sound quality.

Enjoy.

 

[pparks1]

A dedicated sound board will always provide more performance and better sound quality. However, whether or not you will hear that much difference depends upon your ear, your speakers or headphones. But if dedicated sound boards were not needed, they wouldn't be sold today...nor be priced as high as what they are.

 

[Aphelion]

pparks...

You've inspired me to clean out my machine and redo the wiring today.
Better ventilation is a plus as well.

Nice job.

Ap

 

[Dwarf]

I use the on-board audio, and am perfectly satisfied with it. I understand what people are saying about sound cards, and I agree that if you want better quality audio than what is provided by the motherboard that it is the way to go. However, it is also important to check whether or not you can get driver updates for the card.

 

[sygnus21]

Well luckily creative does keep these drivers updated and working so that's not an issue with the card either

Get the card, you wont regret it.

 

[Borg 386]

It all depends on your preferences.

Logically...If you have a couple factory speakers that can't handle much and don't sound that good, then no.

If you are planning on upgrading your speakers, or if you have a nice speaker system with a sub & maybe surround sound, then yes, it would be worth it.

Like I said, depends on your preferences and what you have.

 

[Layback Bear]

First of all I agree with sygnus21, there is no need for disrespect or arguing. After reading all the post I still don't know which is better. May be we should try the subject again.

 

[mickey megabyte]

i agree with Borg above, a lot depends on the quality of your speakers.

if your speakers aren't up to the job, you won't hear the full benefit of the improved source. it may then be better to upgrade your speakers first, if money is tight, before upgrading the soundcard.

good soundcard + poor speakers = poor sound

simply put, better speakers are sure to sound better, even with your mobo soundchip.

you'll get the best results running your sound through a hi-fi amp and speakers, as far as music goes.

i use got two sound systems: i split the front stereo output from my x-fi - one pair goes to my hi-fi for listening to music, the other goes to a 5.1 system for gaming and movies.

 

[Aphelion]

First of all I agree with sygnus21, there is no need for disrespect or arguing. After reading all the post I still don't know which is better. May be we should try the subject again.

It's perfectly clear, a good add-on third party audio card will most certainly have better audio than the motherboard's onboard audio chip.

However, is better sound going to be worth $100, $200, $300 or more to you?

If you have only average speakers then a new audio card will not really show much improvement. It also depends on what you need from your system and what you're going to listen to? What Are your requirements?

The point is, neither is "better", if you're not concerned with critical listening or only an average gaming experience, built-in audio is better, and doesn't cost anything. If you want more depth, clarity and realism then I would say a 3rd party PCI or PCIe audio card is the way to go.

Personally, a good argument with a bit of passion involved is often where the most useful information is imparted, that is, if one can not be offended by any minor transgressions. I am not the politically correct guy.

Ap

 

[stormy13]

Long running debate (21 pages and over 500 posts so far) on this subject here,

Onboard Sound Vs. Add in Sound Card - Guru3D.com Forums

 

[Aphelion]

Long running debate (21 pages and over 500 posts so far) on this subject here,

Aieeeeeeeee.......


Ap