Sound Card Advice

[Diskeater]

I finally replaced my bad mobo with a good one, and now my computer works! First time in a long time that my system has worked to its full capacity (well, almost...new mobo doesn't support dual channel RAM but whatever).

My old mobo had an nForce2 chipset, which included onboard 5.1 audio that wasn't too damn bad. The new one also has integrated 5.1 sound but it SUCKS. It just doesn't sound nearly as good as the nForce2 sound, which is odd because the drivers for my new mobo are Realtek AC97, and I thought thats what the nForce had as well.

I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I do want my stuff to sound good (dammit!). So to all you audio freaks out there....can anyone recommend a better 5.1 soundcard than what I have now? I want one that isn't too expensive. It doesn't need to be top of the line but it needs to be better than what I have now. Also, anyone have any configuration tips?

Thanks!

[JCE3000GT]

Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (any version). <img src=smilies/thumb.gif>

[Diskeater]

> Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2 (any version).
>
Hmmm....so it seems that a new soundcard will cost me around $45. My mobo cost me around $37 before a rebate...I'm wondering if I should return it to NewEgg and just spring for a board with better onboard sound?

[Freaker]

> Hmmm....so it seems that a new soundcard will cost me around
> $45. My mobo cost me around $37 before a rebate...I'm
> wondering if I should return it to NewEgg and just spring
> for a board with better onboard sound?

... $37.
What kind is it?

[Diskeater]

> ... $37.
> What kind is it?

Yup. $27 after a MIR!

It was http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813186061this beauty here</a> and yes I know...it's not that great. Thing is, it's replacing a mobo that was killing my system and I don't really want to do a full system upgrade right now. I have an Athlon XP 2800+, which is just about the limit of that particular type of processors. I have zero need to move onto 64-bit procs / PCI-E video cards / whatever right now as I can probably squeeze a year of life out of my system as it is.

That being said, I'm leaning towards returning the mobo and getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130512this one</a>. It has the nForce2 chipset (which my old board has and I was fine with it), dual channel support, and SATA if I so desire. All for roughly $30 more...or what I would be spending on a soundcard.

However, it seems that the onboard sound on both is based on the AC97 Codec....which is odd, but whatever.

[Audigy]

My mobo cost me around $37 before a rebate...I'm
> wondering if I should return it to NewEgg and just spring
> for a board with better onboard sound?
>

Good christ... if you're going for a budget PC, just use the onboard sound. Your motherboard cost less than every single component inside my system. MY motherboard cost more than every component... and I've been kicking ass with this system since 2002. ;)

Anyway, there's not really such a thing as "better onboard sound" It all pretty much sucks.

Of course... my popping into this thread was inevitable.
It all depends on how much you want to thrash your CPU, whether you need a better soundcard or not. Think about it this way:

Your motherboard's onboard audio is mostly software accelerated. This means jack shit if you're going to be a guy sitting at a desk with stereo speakers, never playing games. It also means jack if you never plan on plugging headphones into your soundcard for some precision monitoring... it also means jack if you never plan on recording anything.

If you actually plan on doing any of the above stuff, it would behoove you to get a separate PCI soundcard, preferably one with hardware acceleration like the Audigy 2 ZS ... or dare I suggest... the X-Fi. <img src=smilies/thumb.gif> It'll take quite a load off of your CPU, leaving it to do more important tasks such as getting you a better framerate in x-game, or allowing your background apps to run more solidly while you're listening to MP3s, or whatever.

I have an Audigy 2 Platinum at home, and the front bay drive is worth its weight in gold. I have lots of stuff that uses 1/4" plugs, so it's really helpful. I also have a nice set of 5.1 speakers (Gigaworks S700) so my output sounds really nice. :)

Again, take with a grain of salt... you goobs all know who I work for. :P

[Diskeater]

> Good christ... if you're going for a budget PC, just use the
> onboard sound. Your motherboard cost less than every single
> component inside my system. MY motherboard cost more than
> every component... and I've been kicking ass with this
> system since 2002. ;)

I've been kicking ass with my system since 2003!

But no, I'm not going for a budget system. My original mobo was an EpoX 8RDA+. It isn't awe-inspiring, but it was pretty damn good for its time. That board was dying on me, so I needed a new one. I didn't want to spend a lot of money because a) I still have a perfectly good Socket A proc that I don't intend on upgrading and b) my other system components are working fine and still rock. The mobo replacement was just to get my system in working order again (which it has, except for the sound).


> I have an Audigy 2 Platinum at home, and the front bay drive
> is worth its weight in gold. I have lots of stuff that uses
> 1/4" plugs, so it's really helpful. I also have a nice set
> of 5.1 speakers (Gigaworks S700) so my output sounds really
> nice. :)

Like I said, I'm not an audiophile by any means. I used my nForce2-based onboard sound with my Altec Lansing 251 5.1 speakers, and it was a decent setup. I'm not doing any sort of recording or any real work with sound. I play games and I listen to music...thats it!

That being said, your advice about getting a separate soundcard is sound (pun sort of intended). While I don't intend on doing a complete system upgrade anytime soon, I can always get a kickass soundcard now so I don't have to buy one down the road.

> Again, take with a grain of salt... you goobs all know who I
> work for. :P

Actually, I don't know who you work for....and I was hoping you would see/respond to this thread!