I just ordered a refurbished Audigy2 ZS and refurbished Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 speakers for $95 shipped directly from Creative. I know those two aren't top of the line stuff but money is tight, and the Audigy2 ZS has most of the features I need.
Due to lack of space, I use my computer for nearly everything in my dorm room. Again, it's not the best but it's sufficient for what I paid and what I get.
Anyway, with that set-up, would I be able to hear surround sound formats from movies and games? I.E., if a game supported 5.1 audio or if a movie had DTS 7.1, would that sound card combined with those speakers actually use 5.1 and 7.1 channels respectively?
Another thing, I know that most music/MP3s are in stereo meaning they can only use up to a 2.1 channel set up. But most A/V receivers can use Dolby Pro Logic II decoding to output stereo through 5.1 channels. Does the Audigy2 ZS have any similar features?
Finally, does a sound card hurt system performance any? Like, will my FPS drop any when I play some of my more resource intensive games?
And, this is more of a side question, but did I get a good deal or not? I'll be getting a X-Fi and a much better audio system once if I ever get some extra cash in my hands but this'll have to due for a year or two.
Due to lack of space, I use my computer for nearly everything in my dorm room. Again, it's not the best but it's sufficient for what I paid and what I get.
Anyway, with that set-up, would I be able to hear surround sound formats from movies and games? I.E., if a game supported 5.1 audio or if a movie had DTS 7.1, would that sound card combined with those speakers actually use 5.1 and 7.1 channels respectively?
Another thing, I know that most music/MP3s are in stereo meaning they can only use up to a 2.1 channel set up. But most A/V receivers can use Dolby Pro Logic II decoding to output stereo through 5.1 channels. Does the Audigy2 ZS have any similar features?
Finally, does a sound card hurt system performance any? Like, will my FPS drop any when I play some of my more resource intensive games?
And, this is more of a side question, but did I get a good deal or not? I'll be getting a X-Fi and a much better audio system once if I ever get some extra cash in my hands but this'll have to due for a year or two.