Audigy vs. CMI8738 on-board?

[Guest]

Does anyone know how the CMI 8738 audio chip that is on the Soyo DRAGON (among others) compares to the Audigy cards? What does the $200 card give me that the few extra bucks for on-board doesn't?

 

[Crashman]

Probably not much, maybe a little flatter response curve, plus user features that are mostly software based.

Back to you Tom...

 

[AMD_Man]

Well, you'll get good sound but none of the bells and whistles. You'll be missing EAX Advanced HD (which is the third revision of EAX), 24-bit/96KHz audio (doesn't actually decode sound in that level but it helps make regular 16-bits sounds better) and finally you'll miss the endless array of software Creative ships with their cards. Nothing you really need; They are more like little toys.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

 

[Guest]

Generally speaking, 96-kHz/24-bit converters will not improve the sound of 16-bit/48- or 44.1-kHz audio. And based on the numbers in the TH Audigy review, the Audigy is actually performing slightly short of 16-bit resolution anyway.