dedicated audio card really needed?

Neshi · Nov 19, 2009, 09:45 PM

Just got curious after reading on many fora that motherboards have such good on-board audio, that a dedicated audio card isn't really needed.

Do you agree with this hypothesis, or is it utterly ridiculous what they are saying?

As for myself I think it is a good thing to relieve the motherboard of as much as possible, so a dedicated card will only be a benefit. And I think it can do a better job then on-board audio. especially for 5.1 or 7.1 sets. Not really sure about 2.0 or 2.1 sets.

Although the Z2300 I've got here are THX certified, and I doubt on-board audio will be able to handle this well, and a dedicated card is needed for this.

Judas · Nov 19, 2009, 10:02 PM

Yes and no..

Personally i'm still a realtek pusher.... the audio quality is great, and so is the capabilities.

Specially considering vista/win7's use of sound.

However i personally think Via's, ADI, etc and so forths solutions are total crap.... i've had issues with those all and they really don't provide any form of updates or anything for them. Realtek provides a reference driver and updates them frequently, even expanding their capabilities while doing so.

When vista launched, Realtek and ATI were the first to have a driver not only before launch but @ launch they worked great...

Same with Win7.

So far the only reason i see anyone getting a better card is usually do to higher quality professional solutions such as audio mixing and mastering, Sampling, and mic/audio recording.

Even then, some people in that area "don't" really need anything much better as if they go all digital... the sound card/onboard audio isn't doing much anyways.. just passthrough.

Neshi · Nov 19, 2009, 10:09 PM

so what are you saying? Yes to a dedicated sound card, or yes to onboard audio?

DJ BIG T · Nov 19, 2009, 10:32 PM

well it depends what your using it for...gaming or mixing and sampling it all depends what your going to use...

Neshi · Nov 19, 2009, 10:48 PM

me personally am using my computer to watch movies, listen to music, play games. And I like good audio, so I use dedicated. But I was asking, not for myself but to discuss this, as I read so much about it on forums.

the conclusion I can make here is that those blatantly saying dedicated is as good as onboard are just wrong.

Judas · Nov 19, 2009, 11:05 PM

I'd welcome any audio phile to come to one of my customers houses and with the ALC 1200 Realtek Onboard audio vs Azeuntech pci-ex decated audio, and tell the difference in anything.

And i state once again, when it comes to digital audio, wouldn't matter what you have.

**dj_stick** · Nov 20, 2009, 02:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

I'd welcome any audio phile to come to one of my customers houses and with the ALC 1200 Realtek Onboard audio vs Azeuntech pci-ex decated audio, and tell the difference in anything.

The difference will be quite audible to anyone with slightly trained ears if the speaker system is decent (no computer/multimedia sets), the source material is good (commercial CD, DVD-A - no MP3s) and the room is suitably treated/laid out, and also that the cabling is decent

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

And i state once again, when it comes to digital audio, wouldn't matter what you have.

pretty much, though a dedicated interface will tend to have better latency performance for professional purposes

JRosenfeld · Nov 21, 2009, 02:52 PM

My Dell XPS 630i came with RealTek HD ALC888 chip. Sound quality was OK, but I found the control panel very limited, so installed my old Audigy 2 card from previous PC and its applications (EAX, mixer, equaliser, etc.) which give wider range of options. Sound quality, to my ears, is also somewhat better. I have Altec Lansing ADA995 5.1 speakers, old but good enough for music editing and casual listening. For serious listening I use my hi fi system (set up in a different room).

(maybe the Realtek HD control panel has been improved in the past couple of years, don't know).

Tipstaff · Nov 22, 2009, 02:45 AM

I have to agree with Judas. If your onboard audio is a Realtek HD chip, then no, you "shouldn't" need a dedicated audio card.. or at least won't have a need to go rush out for one. Even then it's a matter of what "extra" stuff you need beyond what the onboard audio doesn't offer you. For instance some motherboards come with a Realtek HD audio chip, but have basic back panel audio headers (speaker, mic, line in/out). If you need coax/optical out, for instance, then you will want a dedicated card. Realtek is also the only company who puts an effort into their audio drivers. For instance when Crysis came out their drivers were causing stuttering, but 1 release later, and it was fixed. Can any of the other audio companies say that? Nope.

Audio solutions from Sigmatel, ADI, VIA, Conexant... they are OK for everyday use, but suck at anything beyond that. Plus, take note of the order I listed them, because that is their ranking in my mind. As for gaming on them.. forget it. Slow downs, stuttering, improper Dolby overlaying, echoing, improper overlay of effects... I've seen, or rather heard it all with those cards. They are also the slowest companies to put out drivers, if at all (Sigmatel doesn't even publicly give out drivers, rather leaving it to manufacturers to release the drivers for them... if ever). When they do put drivers out, however, it is a significant improvement, but still nowhere as good as Realteks.

Neshi · Nov 22, 2009, 11:05 AM

thanks. I guess I can skip a soundcard on my next build

xor_2 · Nov 22, 2009, 12:33 PM

not so fast

Your Z2300 only have analog input so U will be going to connect it to sound cards analog output which is poor quality

Yes, most people say sound is "OK" but they don't know what they are saying

How can someone say anything about sound cards having no possibility to compare their "OK" integrated codec to normal sound card?

Cheap Audigy SE will have much better sound than any Realtek HD and in addition to that it have EAX4

But if U have funds go for some Audigy2ZS (preferably Platinum or better Audigy4PRO) and use KX drivers for utltimate sound quality and DSP possibilities

Integrated codecs are for people that don't concern about sound quality a bit...

RoyBatty · Nov 22, 2009, 02:52 PM

When I bought the Xonar DX card after using the P5Q Deluxe integrated AD2000B for a while I could hear the sound quality difference. Less static noise and the music is more clear and distinctive - the AD2000B sounded was like the instruments were melted together into one... noise :-) That is with M-Audio StudioPro3 speakers, playing some orchestral music from original CDs or lossless files.

Neshi · Nov 22, 2009, 06:52 PM

I guess it's really a personal thing then.
Like I said, at the moment I'm using the Z2300 together with an Audigy 2 ZS, and I really love the sound. I couldn't imagine having something worse sound quality wise.

I guess I can try it with my setup. Take the soundcard out and try the onboard with these speakers. I will do that tomorrow and report back here ^^

xor_2 · Nov 22, 2009, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyBatty

sounded was like the instruments were melted together into one... noise :-)

well said

Integrated codecs and low quality dedicated sound cards make a lot of "mistakes" reproducing sound so depth and details are lost

Even drivers does sometimes worsen quality like oryginal Creative drivers for Vista (and Mojave 7

) which does sound worse than oryginal drivers on XP and much worse than KX...

edit:// (19:05)
so U do have normal and decent sound card you litthe devil...

from A2ZS there would be little improvement if U go for A2ZS Platinum Pro or better Audigy4PRO but doubt it would be audible on those speakers anyway, only on high quality headphones od hi-fi audiophile setup

A2ZS have great support so changing it wouldn't be smart move

Neshi · Nov 22, 2009, 07:00 PM

I've tried those KX drivers, but somehow they didn't work for me..

xor_2 · Nov 22, 2009, 07:05 PM

hmmm, what OS are U using?
I tried it with XP Home, Vista Home Basic x86, Windows 7 7264 x64 and Windows 7 RTM x86 and only in Win7 x86 and worked quite fine

Olny on XP I had to manually install driver cause setup didn't ...

Neshi · Nov 22, 2009, 07:14 PM

win 7 x64
right now I use the official drivers of Creative, and it works quite fine. Although when I build a new pc I will use the ones of PAX.

Zelig · Nov 22, 2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_stick

The difference will be quite audible to anyone with slightly trained ears if the speaker system is decent (no computer/multimedia sets), the source material is good (commercial CD, DVD-A - no MP3s)

Pretty much. The best PC speakers are discontinued (Creative S750, Klipsch Ultra), and they were borderline for needing anything above onboard sound.

I'm not so picky on source material, I'm something of an audiophile, and can just barely pick out the lack of transparency at ~192 kbps. At about that bitrate and above, if you're trying to differentiate between the source material and the compressed material it's not above general audio quality anymore, it's about determining where the particular encoder tends to make mistakes, and trying to pick up those sounds is songs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

And i state once again, when it comes to digital audio, wouldn't matter what you have.

Yeah, except the DACs in consumer 5.1 sound cards are much better than the DACs in consumer 5.1 speakers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xor_2

Your Z2300 only have analog input so U will be going to connect it to sound cards analog output which is poor quality

This is a common myth.

Any PC speaker marketed as "digital" is in fact analog, driven by an analog amplifier, with analog data going from the amp to the speakers. The only difference is that the DACs are in the amp box instead of on the soundcard, and tend to be of worse quality than DACs on consumer soundcards.

Also, THX certification for multimedia speakers is something of a joke. Not that THX certified speakers are necessarily bad, but it doesn't guarantee any actual quality, like THX certification for real speakers.

**dj_stick** · Nov 23, 2009, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelig

Pretty much. The best PC speakers are discontinued (Creative S750, Klipsch Ultra), and they were borderline for needing anything above onboard sound.

yeah, I'm using a pair of studio monitors (Alesise M! Active 620), and I can clearly tell the difference between the onboard interface on my mac (A realtek chip) and my Digi MBox 2 Pro interface, however I can't running both through my Logitech X-530s, they just lack the definition

so basically what I'm saying is it doesn't matter what interface you use if you're only using multimedia speakers, or a quality digital receiver (think high-end home-theatre), but if you're using a semi-decent home theatre rig, you're going to want to use a decent analogue soundcard, like the Auzentech range, and keep the audio in the analogue domain

Tipstaff · Nov 23, 2009, 05:33 AM

As I said, anything that includes Sigmatel, ADI, VIA, or Conexant are "ok" for everyday use. That means basic sound. Anything beyond that, such as listening to music, watching movies, or playing games... they ALL suck. High CPU overhead, crappy sound processing.. you name it. Realteks HD chips, on the other hand, are actually a very decent, and it does a good job for all the above mentioned scenarios. Plus their audio get better as new drivers are put out. They aren't perfect, but neither are dedicated cards either, especially the cheap ones.

Also, if you have a board that has the connectors you want, such as optical/coax out, and it's running a Realtek HD chip, then you don't really need to go out, and purchase a dedicated sound card, but you pay extra for a board that has those connectors on it. If, however, you need those connectors, and are running a board with any of those crappy sound chips I mentioned, then yes, get yourself a good dedicated card. As you can already attest to with your ADI AD2000b onboard audio, they suck.

@Neshi - Older Audigy cards, to me, get a bum rap. Creatives latest drivers for the Audigy cards are very good, even the Windows 7 ones, and to be honest I prefer my Audigy and Audigy 2 over my X-Fi Xtreme Gamer. I just can't tell the difference between them when running on their latest drivers. Do yourself a favor, stick with your Audigy 2 ZS, and hold off buying a new card, because what you have is still a decent card.

xor_2 · Nov 24, 2009, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zelig

Any PC speaker marketed as "digital" is in fact analog, driven by an analog amplifier, with analog data going from the amp to the speakers. The only difference is that the DACs are in the amp box instead of on the soundcard, and tend to be of worse quality than DACs on consumer soundcards.

I guess U're right

@Tipstaff
as far as I know best Realtecs and AD2000b on P5Q Deluxe have very comparable quality and have very poor quality both

integrated audio is for folks that just want that there is any sound and without clicks and pops and Realtek gives less clicks & pops so it is better. It doesn't however have much better audio quality than any other integrated solution = it sound very poorly (at least on good hardware eg. Technics RP-F30 there is very audible diffrence between eg. ALC889A and Audigy4PRO, like light years diffrence...)

anonemus · Mar 16, 2010, 04:02 PM

My Gigabyte G31M-S2C has a Realtek AL662 codec that I use for my Creative Inspire 2500 speakers. I'm still running WinXP. Will I notice an improvement in games and MP3 music if I use an Audigy LS card (circa 2004)?

Tipstaff · Mar 17, 2010, 01:39 PM

Tough call. The Audigy LS (if I remember correctly) is just a PCI rebranding of the SB128.. I think. Honestly, don't quote me on that one. One thing you will notice (at least I think you will) is that the LS has separate bass/treble controls, plus the onboard amp helps when using headphones. To get the same sound from the Realtek chip you'd have to fool around with the equalizer settings.

A plus for the Audigy LS is that you will notice the lack of EAX support if you use the Realtek chip. If you don't need EAX then I would say either option is ok. Again, though, if you use headphones you will notice that you get better audio (or at least able to tweak the audio more to your liking) from the LS thanks to the bass/treble control, however either option is pretty much the same overall when using speakers (in fact you won't want to touch the bass/treble control too much with the LS as you could overpower the sound coming out of the speakers.. such as having too much bass).

anonemus · Mar 17, 2010, 01:45 PM

It does seem like a tough call, Tipstaff. About the EAX thing, in some games I can enable EAX 2 using my Realtek; the Audigy LS does come with EAX 3. I did have an Audigy card years ago and there was substantial improvement over my non-HD Audio mobo (I think 945 chipset). But when I got my Gigabyte G31, I sold my Audidy.

I also noticed when I used Windows Vista and 7 (beta versions), the audio quality from my Realtek audio had a positive improvement. Because I was having problems with Win Vista and Creative driver, I ditched the Audigy.

Soon I will be moving to Windows 7. I guess I will just stick with my Realtek for now and wait for prices for the Audigy 2 to go down further.

Judas · Mar 17, 2010, 04:15 PM

The latest Realtek drivers provide both a EAX/EAX2 support... EAX HD is for the most party iffy and not supported technically... (although for me it appears to work under windows xp but i haven't really cared)

anonemus · Mar 17, 2010, 04:33 PM

If its really iffy, Judas (and I tend to agree), I'd better spring for an Audigy 2 when the local prices go down further

Judas · Mar 17, 2010, 05:03 PM

thing is.. the reason it's iffy because it's essentially imo, a dead standard due to the way vista/windows 7 uses audio and is able to in my opinion, better handle sound devices and audio enviroments by unifying a single solution which has proved in my eyes, to really cut down on the audio bs out there and bring up the level of capability and audio quality.

EAX isn't supported under those OSes without using some patches/fixes provided in some drivers which from my experience, has produced some iffy results even on creatives lineup. Alot of games don't make any use of EAX anymore at all from what i've seen, everything has gone to the openAL standard or various flavours of the games own enviromental effects.

anonemus · Mar 19, 2010, 01:55 AM

So for Win7, EAX isnt important anymore?

My sister is currently on vacation in Baltimore visiting my other sister. I'm thinking of asking her to buy me an audio card. Which would you recommend as the best bang-for-buck? My primary use is for gaming and playing MP3 songs.

Also, which online store?

Judas · Mar 19, 2010, 04:30 PM

Personally i'd stay away from sound cards altogether specially if you've already got even an AC'97 realtek or HD Audio Realtek onboard sound.

An alternative sound card i think i could recommend would be something from auzentech, look at what they may have for audio devices.

OmegaRED · Mar 19, 2010, 06:09 PM

Any motherboard with HD Audio is going to be better than a budget card circa 2004, not having to deal with Creative drivers is also a big plus.

Nov 19, 2009, 09:45 PM	#1
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	dedicated audio card really needed? Just got curious after reading on many fora that motherboards have such good on-board audio, that a dedicated audio card isn't really needed. Do you agree with this hypothesis, or is it utterly ridiculous what they are saying? As for myself I think it is a good thing to relieve the motherboard of as much as possible, so a dedicated card will only be a benefit. And I think it can do a better job then on-board audio. especially for 5.1 or 7.1 sets. Not really sure about 2.0 or 2.1 sets. Although the Z2300 I've got here are THX certified, and I doubt on-board audio will be able to handle this well, and a dedicated card is needed for this. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 19, 2009, 10:09 PM	Thread Starter #3
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? so what are you saying? Yes to a dedicated sound card, or yes to onboard audio? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 19, 2009, 10:32 PM	#4
DJ BIG T DH FaN BoY Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: ORLANDO,FL Posts: 930 Rep Power: 67 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? well it depends what your using it for...gaming or mixing and sampling it all depends what your going to use... __________________

Nov 19, 2009, 10:48 PM	Thread Starter #5
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? me personally am using my computer to watch movies, listen to music, play games. And I like good audio, so I use dedicated. But I was asking, not for myself but to discuss this, as I read so much about it on forums. the conclusion I can make here is that those blatantly saying dedicated is as good as onboard are just wrong. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 21, 2009, 02:52 PM	#8
JRosenfeld HardwareHeaven Lover Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 104 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? My Dell XPS 630i came with RealTek HD ALC888 chip. Sound quality was OK, but I found the control panel very limited, so installed my old Audigy 2 card from previous PC and its applications (EAX, mixer, equaliser, etc.) which give wider range of options. Sound quality, to my ears, is also somewhat better. I have Altec Lansing ADA995 5.1 speakers, old but good enough for music editing and casual listening. For serious listening I use my hi fi system (set up in a different room). (maybe the Realtek HD control panel has been improved in the past couple of years, don't know).

Nov 22, 2009, 02:45 AM	#9
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,660 Rep Power: 187 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? I have to agree with Judas. If your onboard audio is a Realtek HD chip, then no, you "shouldn't" need a dedicated audio card.. or at least won't have a need to go rush out for one. Even then it's a matter of what "extra" stuff you need beyond what the onboard audio doesn't offer you. For instance some motherboards come with a Realtek HD audio chip, but have basic back panel audio headers (speaker, mic, line in/out). If you need coax/optical out, for instance, then you will want a dedicated card. Realtek is also the only company who puts an effort into their audio drivers. For instance when Crysis came out their drivers were causing stuttering, but 1 release later, and it was fixed. Can any of the other audio companies say that? Nope. Audio solutions from Sigmatel, ADI, VIA, Conexant... they are OK for everyday use, but suck at anything beyond that. Plus, take note of the order I listed them, because that is their ranking in my mind. As for gaming on them.. forget it. Slow downs, stuttering, improper Dolby overlaying, echoing, improper overlay of effects... I've seen, or rather heard it all with those cards. They are also the slowest companies to put out drivers, if at all (Sigmatel doesn't even publicly give out drivers, rather leaving it to manufacturers to release the drivers for them... if ever). When they do put drivers out, however, it is a significant improvement, but still nowhere as good as Realteks. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Nov 22, 2009, 11:05 AM	Thread Starter #10
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? thanks. I guess I can skip a soundcard on my next build __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 22, 2009, 12:33 PM	#11
xor_2 HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? not so fast Your Z2300 only have analog input so U will be going to connect it to sound cards analog output which is poor quality Yes, most people say sound is "OK" but they don't know what they are saying How can someone say anything about sound cards having no possibility to compare their "OK" integrated codec to normal sound card? Cheap Audigy SE will have much better sound than any Realtek HD and in addition to that it have EAX4 But if U have funds go for some Audigy2ZS (preferably Platinum or better Audigy4PRO) and use KX drivers for utltimate sound quality and DSP possibilities Integrated codecs are for people that don't concern about sound quality a bit...

Nov 22, 2009, 02:52 PM	#12
RoyBatty HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 1,930 Rep Power: 115 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? When I bought the Xonar DX card after using the P5Q Deluxe integrated AD2000B for a while I could hear the sound quality difference. Less static noise and the music is more clear and distinctive - the AD2000B sounded was like the instruments were melted together into one... noise :-) That is with M-Audio StudioPro3 speakers, playing some orchestral music from original CDs or lossless files.

Nov 22, 2009, 06:52 PM	Thread Starter #13
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? I guess it's really a personal thing then. Like I said, at the moment I'm using the Z2300 together with an Audigy 2 ZS, and I really love the sound. I couldn't imagine having something worse sound quality wise. I guess I can try it with my setup. Take the soundcard out and try the onboard with these speakers. I will do that tomorrow and report back here ^^ __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 22, 2009, 07:00 PM	Thread Starter #15
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? I've tried those KX drivers, but somehow they didn't work for me.. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 22, 2009, 07:05 PM	#16
xor_2 HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 16 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? hmmm, what OS are U using? I tried it with XP Home, Vista Home Basic x86, Windows 7 7264 x64 and Windows 7 RTM x86 and only in Win7 x86 and worked quite fine Olny on XP I had to manually install driver cause setup didn't ...

Nov 22, 2009, 07:14 PM	Thread Starter #17
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,261 Rep Power: 150 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? win 7 x64 right now I use the official drivers of Creative, and it works quite fine. Although when I build a new pc I will use the ones of PAX. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Nov 23, 2009, 05:33 AM	#20
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,660 Rep Power: 187 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? As I said, anything that includes Sigmatel, ADI, VIA, or Conexant are "ok" for everyday use. That means basic sound. Anything beyond that, such as listening to music, watching movies, or playing games... they ALL suck. High CPU overhead, crappy sound processing.. you name it. Realteks HD chips, on the other hand, are actually a very decent, and it does a good job for all the above mentioned scenarios. Plus their audio get better as new drivers are put out. They aren't perfect, but neither are dedicated cards either, especially the cheap ones. Also, if you have a board that has the connectors you want, such as optical/coax out, and it's running a Realtek HD chip, then you don't really need to go out, and purchase a dedicated sound card, but you pay extra for a board that has those connectors on it. If, however, you need those connectors, and are running a board with any of those crappy sound chips I mentioned, then yes, get yourself a good dedicated card. As you can already attest to with your ADI AD2000b onboard audio, they suck. @Neshi - Older Audigy cards, to me, get a bum rap. Creatives latest drivers for the Audigy cards are very good, even the Windows 7 ones, and to be honest I prefer my Audigy and Audigy 2 over my X-Fi Xtreme Gamer. I just can't tell the difference between them when running on their latest drivers. Do yourself a favor, stick with your Audigy 2 ZS, and hold off buying a new card, because what you have is still a decent card. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Mar 16, 2010, 04:02 PM	#22
anonemus 80 Plus Certified Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 989 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? My Gigabyte G31M-S2C has a Realtek AL662 codec that I use for my Creative Inspire 2500 speakers. I'm still running WinXP. Will I notice an improvement in games and MP3 music if I use an Audigy LS card (circa 2004)? Last edited by anonemus; Mar 16, 2010 at 04:15 PM.

Mar 17, 2010, 01:39 PM	#23
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,660 Rep Power: 187 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? Tough call. The Audigy LS (if I remember correctly) is just a PCI rebranding of the SB128.. I think. Honestly, don't quote me on that one. One thing you will notice (at least I think you will) is that the LS has separate bass/treble controls, plus the onboard amp helps when using headphones. To get the same sound from the Realtek chip you'd have to fool around with the equalizer settings. A plus for the Audigy LS is that you will notice the lack of EAX support if you use the Realtek chip. If you don't need EAX then I would say either option is ok. Again, though, if you use headphones you will notice that you get better audio (or at least able to tweak the audio more to your liking) from the LS thanks to the bass/treble control, however either option is pretty much the same overall when using speakers (in fact you won't want to touch the bass/treble control too much with the LS as you could overpower the sound coming out of the speakers.. such as having too much bass). __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Mar 17, 2010, 01:45 PM	#24
anonemus 80 Plus Certified Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 989 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? It does seem like a tough call, Tipstaff. About the EAX thing, in some games I can enable EAX 2 using my Realtek; the Audigy LS does come with EAX 3. I did have an Audigy card years ago and there was substantial improvement over my non-HD Audio mobo (I think 945 chipset). But when I got my Gigabyte G31, I sold my Audidy. I also noticed when I used Windows Vista and 7 (beta versions), the audio quality from my Realtek audio had a positive improvement. Because I was having problems with Win Vista and Creative driver, I ditched the Audigy. Soon I will be moving to Windows 7. I guess I will just stick with my Realtek for now and wait for prices for the Audigy 2 to go down further.

Mar 17, 2010, 04:33 PM	#26
anonemus 80 Plus Certified Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 989 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? If its really iffy, Judas (and I tend to agree), I'd better spring for an Audigy 2 when the local prices go down further

Mar 19, 2010, 01:55 AM	#28
anonemus 80 Plus Certified Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Philippines Posts: 989 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? So for Win7, EAX isnt important anymore? My sister is currently on vacation in Baltimore visiting my other sister. I'm thinking of asking her to buy me an audio card. Which would you recommend as the best bang-for-buck? My primary use is for gaming and playing MP3 songs. Also, which online store?

Mar 19, 2010, 06:09 PM	#30
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,626 Rep Power: 171 System Specs	Re: dedicated audio card really needed? Any motherboard with HD Audio is going to be better than a budget card circa 2004, not having to deal with Creative drivers is also a big plus. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs