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Help choosing between Xonar DS vs X-Fi XtremeGamer
I'm having a hard time choosing between the Asus Xonar D1 and Creative X-Fi xTremeGamer soundcard. I currently have Realtek's HD ALC892 on my motherboard and have Logitech Z4 2.1 speakers (I don't ever plan on going 5.1 maybe 4.1 with my monitors built in speakers for extra sound). I just want better audio than my onboard which was recently downgraded cause I upgraded my motherboard if that makes sense (use to have ALC889A better for 2.1 stereo, now have ALC892 not as good for 2.1 stereo but better for 5.1+ surround)? I'm only a casual gamer, so things like EAX and PhysX do not amuse me (although I have a GTX 460, best card in class for price, CuDA support for application, overclocking ability is little ridiculous) and I do not want to spend anymore than the cards listed below (onboard included). Here's my comparison:
Realtek HD ALC892:
Dolby True HD and DTS HD [Great for 5.1+ speaker setup]
100 SNR dB [NOT as good as previous ALC889A (104 SNR dB) for 2.1 Stereo]
Very good software customization suite
+ Very acceptable sound quality, great driver support, non bloat software, auto jack sensing, free with motherboard
- Does not support hardware acceleration (EAX/OpenAL)
Asus Xonar D1:
Dolby Digital [Great all around]
116 SNR dB [Really good for music, movies and games]
Great software customization suite
+ Great sound quality [Best of 3], non bloat software, gold plated connectors [Very high quality built] can be found for $30 used
- Bad driver support and community forum, half baked EAX/OpenAL emulation [Not done in hardware, has driver problems with some EAX/OpenAL games-remedy is to turn off], no auto jack sensing
Creative X-Fi XtemeGamer:
EAX/OpenAL Hardware Acceleration [Great for games that have support, reminds me of PhysX, not really needed but good to have to match my GTX 460]
109 SNR dB [Better than Realtek onboard ALC892 100 SNR dB]
Extreme customization software suite
+ Very good sound quality [especially with EAX/OpenAL games and X-Fi enhancement], good driver support, true hardware EAX/OpenAL no driver problems with games that have support, auto jack sensing
- Driver not so good for Windows 7, bloat driver/software suite, EAX/OpenAL is luxury and not needed [not supported for all games, hardly use in applications unlike CuDA for Folding @ Home], found for $45 used (2006 release date)
All thoughts are welcome.
Last edited by Nemix; 15 Dec 2010 at 16:59.