Eminemdrdre00

I bought a new PC in November and it has an Intel AC 97 Audio Controller. This thing sucks, even with my volume all the way up, the audio is not too high!

So I want to upgrade to a Sound Blaster Audigy LS Sound Card. I am concerned about installation. Is it as easy as just popping this thing into an open PCI slot? If it is then I will pick this up tomorrow. Here is a link, is this a good choice?

http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.js...=79774&index=0

Judas

I would suggest you try to stay away from the LS line of cards... they aren't to great at all....... it would be wise to save a bit and get a audigy ZS.... but the install... well it kinda dempends somewhat...... stick it in.. boot up... and install the drivers... reboot.. and it should work fine..

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Eminemdrdre00

Ok thanks! I was just worried about having to deal with the motherboard, like plugging in cables and stuff. But if its just PCI and drivers then thats cool. What is so bad about the LS cards?

HawK

I would go for the Turtle Beach, save 20 or more bucks and have better drivers & sound...
but then I am not you
installation : any free PCI port is ok, as long as you stay away from the #1 port( the one right under the Vid.Card) put it in disable onboard sound (do not forget to change the plug ) install drivers and thats it

Judas

now Dj_stick i beleive can anwer most of the questions... but as far as i understand about the LS cards is that they aren't very true full channeled cards... not to mention they don't have nearly any of the features the true audigies do...

Like Hawk said though.. turtle beach make some decent cards...

IF and only IF you can find a Hercules Fortissimo 3 7.1 don't hesitate to grab it.. they are EXTREMELY excellent.. and shouldn't cost much.....

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Eminemdrdre00

Thank you guys very much for replying so quickly. Hawk what did you mean by dont forget to change the plug?

pr0digal jenius

i think he measn the jumper to enable the AC97 codec perhaps???? not exactly sure what he means...but you can disable it via the BIOS

dj_stick

the Audigy LS card is not a true audigy card due to the lack of the 10k2 chip used on all other audigy series cards… a good compromise is the Audgy ES (OEM version - packaged only with drivers, no games) but it is a true 10k2 card

CPU usage on the LS cards is higher due to audio processing being done by the CPU instead of the 10k2 chip on other audigy models

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HawK

I once adviced someone for a new audiocard, installation went well, even disabled onboard sound in the bios, but he couldn't get any sound out of it, then when I came to his house, I look at the back and saw he still had the speaker plug's in the onboard ac97..

@ Judas, Yeah if you can find a Hercules FortissimoIII 7.1...
But a "Turtle beach santa cruz" is also very good.

Eminemdrdre00

Alright thanks guys, yeah I dont want this card using a lot of my CPU memory, I have 512MB though. I will look for the Turtle Beach one, and maybe pick up the Audigy LS or Audigy 2 ZS if I need to. I just dont want to spend a lot for features I wont use, I just want my audio to be much louder and in greater quality.

TwistedMetal

I've used alot of sound cards, I would either go with the Audigy 2 ZS or Turtle Beach. TB is really good, but I like SB Audigy Gamer the best so far. My next sound card will probably be a Audigy 2 card.

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Judas

the hercules cards will do EXACTLY that.. the fortissimo doesn't pack a bunch of garbage... install is actually by far the easiest for any sound card.. boy was i amazed... you don't even need to restart the computer... i was in aww...

and there bloody cheap... hell.. cheaper then the LS..

just keep an eye out for one.... there are worth more then what you probably would end up paying....

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dj_stick

Also the OEM Audigy ES cards are very cheap compared to the other audigy cards…

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wolfran

So how is the game supports for both the Hercules and the fortissimo cards?
Do their support the latest EAX? Do they have low cpu uitlisation unlike the M-audio cards with games?
I think their strength is in the music and sound quality reproduction, right?(I could be wrong)

Judas

Hercules and fortissimo are the same thing.. hercules produces the fortissimo.... the fortissimo 3 7.1 cards have EAX support along with all the others... Creative cards can't... DON't support some of the older or newer stuff.. which is strange... (UT classic is an example EVEN with a creative patch... the surround support is there.. but the eviromentals arent correct).... i've had Creative SB Live value/Live 5.1/Audigy X-GAMER/Audigy 2 ZS/Digifire 7.1 (currently and it's pretty well exactly the same thing as a fortissimo 3)/hercules Muse 5.1/Various onboard.... currently, aside from 3dmark03 which has an issue with the hercules cards for the sound tests (the sounds are there, but kinda not right and the results are fairly low).. however, every other benchmark i've run be it within the game using various settings.. the Hercules Fortissimo or Digifire was on par to that of Audigy... the quality the same... you name it.... I've NEVER come across an issue with the digifire... i pulled the creative audigy 2 ZS out because i like the digifire better... less resource hog, less crap on startup by default.. HELL of a lot better configuration and control panel.... zero waist on other major system resources.... hell you don't even need to reboot the computer when you install the card... just pop it in... pop in the cd or download the latest... install them and boom... go play a game.. instant... The Hercules cards are for both music and games... the digifire is in direct compition to the audigy 2 ZS Platium... for 1/3 the price... and teh fortissimo 3 is in direct competition with the audigy 2 ZS (normal).....

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wolfran

Oops.....my mistake, i was thiking of the hercules and the turtle beach cards.
So you think that the games supports for these cards are much better than the M-AUDIO and on par to the audigy2zs?
DO they support things like EAX 4 HD?

Necrosis

I haven't owned the Fort. but I used to have the Game Theater XP, Santa Cruz, and still have the Rev. 7.1. All great cards if you ask me, and I never had an issue with games /w the Rev. 7.1. It's more of an issue of a "slight" /w CPU usage then anything else. However, the "other" issue people keep forgetting is some folks noticed some EAX effects in games were not "spaced" properly. What I mean is where the sound is coming from in respect to where it is in the game.

Judas

I didn't encounter that with my digifire EXCEPT for 3dmark03 and it's sound benchmark.... still my results were pretty well dead center.. also, running in hardware mode... i got better results then software mode (sometimes software mode is alot faster for creative cards and whatnot DISABLING EAX)... Currently the amount of games that make any use of EAX 4.0 or even 3.0 in most cases is pretty far and few.. and games i have that do... i've set to EAX 3 and 4.0 with no issues... a little difference in sound.. i think it spreads it out still.... but never an issue.... I haven't any experience with hte M-AUDIO cards though...

I however would highly recommend you hold off on buying a sound card right now... creative i'm expecting is going to release a new line of cards..... and like creative is... will drop every form of support for the audigy 2 ZS cards.... even reverse support them (remove some features in newer driver sets)...

and hopefully with the new cards.. it'll be allround true 24 bit sound..

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HawK

Eax problem, was more a game/Creative problem i.e CoD where there was no sound in Eax3, was solved in 1.3, CL is just as mean as NV in defending its turf..
that all said, the new M-Audio card looks promising for the price...

Eminemdrdre00

Well Friday I picked up my Audigy 2 ZS card and Im very happy with it. I just need to get new speakers to be able to really appreciate it! Ive got 2 6 year old Polkaudio that I think are only 2.0.