Is a sound card worth it? What type?

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erwinna

erwinna

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Mar 30, 2012
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Hello,

I just built my first gaming PC (specs in signature). I want to know if its worth investing in a sound card and if YES then what kind? I know my mobo (Asus p8z68 pro/gen3) has Realtek HD audio management. I use my rig mainly for GAMING and for watching videos. I use the following hardware:

-Logitech LS21 2.1 Stereo Speakers - 2.1 Channels, 7-Watts RMS, 2" High-excursion Metallic Drivers, 4" 4-Watts RMS Max-X High-excursion Subwoofer

-StarCraft II Razer Banshee Headphones

Thanks!!
 
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drwho1
I always use a dedicated sound card. In my opinion is always better than any integrated sound "option". With that said, it is important to understand that a good sound card alone can't provide good sound. They need to be paired with an equally good set of speakers.

I use the creative SB X-Fi paired with Logitech Z-5500 speakers, connected with an optical cable. (cable not included) *cable is cheap but it makes a huge difference vs "normal" speaker cable setup*

Sound is immersive whether I'm on a Game, TV, Movie or Music.

Note: you could also try to simply get a better set of speakers and connected them with an optical cable. This might be enough for you.

Speaker specs: 550 Watts total
speakers Fl / FR / RL / RR 62 Watts each -...
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Some excellent sound cards that are dirt cheap you failed to mention are -

ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channel PCI Sound Card 24BIT Dolby Digital DTS 105DB SNR ((( W/ Headphone AMP ))) $20
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56330&vpn=XONAR%20DG&manufacture=ASUS

ASUS Xonar U3 External USB 7.1 Channel Sound Card $38
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=62228&vpn=XONAR%20U3&manufacture=ASUS

ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card 24BIT DTS SPDIF W/ Low Profile Bracket $40
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=46389&vpn=Xonar%20DS&manufacture=ASUS

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE PCI 7.1 Surround Sound Card $34
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=17424&vpn=30SB057000000&manufacture=Creative%20Labs

Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Audio 24BIT Sound Card 7.1 PCI $44
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=23248&vpn=70SB079000001&manufacture=Creative%20Labs&promoid=1387







 
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I have a Creative X fi titanium that i got for 50 dollars and it's nice. After installing it I heard sounds in my games that i had not heard with integrated audio, games like crysis and BFBC 2. Sad to see the X fi chip go away in creative's line up.

Xonar is also good, but I've heard it's only in music and not games.

 
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Any good sound card will make games, music, movies sound better but I am sad to see EAX get retired (Environmental Audio Extensions)
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The Z-5500's are *ok* at best. Nowhere near the high end. Problem these days is that PC speakers generally stink because they are all created for optimum use with an onboard chipset. A decent pair of stereo speakers combined with even a mid-tier soundcard [ASUS Xonar DX, for instance] will offer a significantly different audio quality then using onboard. And using a decent headset, the difference is even bigger.
 
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$60 creative T10 2.0 speakers and a $30 creative sound blaster audigy SE sound card have far crisper and more accurate sound than do the z5500s problem is when most people hear large booming bass hey think it means powerful and good quality LOL noobs. Another thing that never fails to amaze me is how a marketed as "HIGH END" and I use that term very loosely set of PC speaker such as the z 5500s fail to have dedicated proper Tweeters instead they have some half assed all for one mid range drivers with a built in pseudo tweeter thats not even a tweeter LOL guess that explains the muddy sound. What a GIMMICK the z5500s by Logitec is maybe they should just stick to what there good at building mice because they have no business ripping off unassuming PC users with sub par grossly over priced blah fart cans.
 
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I'm not sure how I "failed" to mention them when I provided links to the same page you reference above.

Anyway, I'm not fan of USB unless it's for upgrading a laptop. Every card has its PROS and CONS which is why I spent more time on a list of things to look for instead of just listing products.
 
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Sorry you didn't fail i worded it wrong so I failed LOL. The USB sound card really impressed the hell out of me and for sub $40 they are excellent and I am an PC audio snob so thats high praise.
 
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Agreed!!!!


I made the mistake of buying the Logitech Z-5500 and while I'm not looking to get into a pissing match with anybody about them in my opinion for audio (music) reproduction they are absolute crap! Here is a link to my newegg review entitled "Stunned and Amazed" under the same user name that I use here.
 
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Totally agreed with your commentary on Newegg 100% however I am pretty sure that the z5500s were marketed to the yuppie ipod generation whom like you say think 128kb bit rate music is quality sounding but FLAC for me please. Oh and the Klipsh Pro Media 2.1 wiped the floor with my friends z5500s in EVERY aspect especially clarity.
 
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How about we keep th lines of communication open on this one.
 
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I just recently bought the auzentech X-Meridian 2G and noticed no difference from my onboard ACL889, i switched between them cause i had both running, everything sounded exactly the same to me.

Ive always thought sound cards are a bit pointless but i decided to buy one myself to see what im missing (apparently). The only difference i noticed was the sound card is louder at the same volumes as onboard, and it doesnt cause as much noise when the speakers are on full with nothing playing.
 
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What speakers? They matter too. I went from my old Sennheiser PC350's to a pair of DT 770's, and they have TOTALLY different signatures. The output at the other end matters just as much as the soundcard.

Then of course, the source matters just as much. There isn't much you can do to boost the quality of, say, an MP3 file...
 
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I am using Corsair sp2500 speakers, and i tried all kinds of mp3/flac files. When i went back to onboard i didnt find myself saying "this is awful" like others say they do. I think some people want to believe that sound cards are better so they just stick with it.
 
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I noticed a HUGE difference between my onboard Realtek 889 and my Auzentech X-Fi Forte sound card, when paired with the M-Audio AV40 speakers.

There were times that it wasn't obvious, but others were the difference was INCREDIBLE.

The AV40's have 4" drivers so they have awesome BASS for stereo speakers so any music or movie sounded way better when there was a lot of bass.

Even classical music sounded far better.

Basically if the quality wasn't there, such as anything on the internet it didn't sound much different than onboard with $20 speakers.
 
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Some people would not notice the difference between an 9800GTX GPU and an GTX 460 GPU same goes for sound quality.
 
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Well, I won't say your wrong because (for you) your not. But some people would think your video card is unnecessary or overkill without much benefit. Some would also think that about extreme PC's, cars, sports equipment, tools, photography equipment, etc, etc, etc......... Just because it's something you aren't really into or you can tell little to no difference doesn't mean that someone that's really into it can't.
For instance just because I can't tell the difference between a Stradivarius and a much cheaper violin doesn't mean no one else can and its not worth it! All that means is I can't and it's not worth it to me!

So whereas you think sound cards don't offer much benefit, I don't understand the general decline in the importance of sound quality in the PC industry.

Each to there own. The quality/performance cost ratio has always been and will always be subjective.
 
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