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#3559304 - 04/19/12 06:16 PM
Do we still need a soundcard these days???
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Junior Member
Registered: 07/24/06
Posts: 35
Loc: Arizona
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I'm gonna upgrade my old rig for a new one. Do modern rigs need a soundcard anymore? If so, which one?
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#3559309 - 04/19/12 06:24 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 05/13/06
Posts: 622
Loc: East Coast U.S.A.
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I think so...I went to Creative for 64b Win7 drivers for my old Sound Blaster, huge sound improvement with Clod..........you could get a used one dirt cheap on e-bay, just make sure of the drivers availability first
Edited by SlipBall (04/19/12 06:35 PM)
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#3559315 - 04/19/12 06:30 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Senior Member
Registered: 01/08/09
Posts: 4325
Loc: Vancouver, BC
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On a motherboard worth $100 bought in the last two years then probably a 'no' vote from me. If you are an audiophile and need nice outputs or cleaner sound then a maybe I guess. For about $70 they seem a good deal, but it might be worth trying without one and using on-board first.
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#3559550 - 04/20/12 04:12 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Junior Member
Registered: 03/05/12
Posts: 24
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If you are an audiophile then you are using the optical (TOSlink) or the Coax SPDIF output anyway, connected to a decent and DAC and amplifier. I think all modern motherboards provide one or both of these today. DAC+Amp outside of the electromagnetic jungle which is a PC is always the best option IMHO.
Me? I'm still listening to 2.0 direct from the motherboard. For Clod the sound quality is not the biggest issue :-)
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#3559611 - 04/20/12 08:56 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 10/16/05
Posts: 354
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Good question, I opted for no new sound card on my lastest two computers. Haven't missed it at all except for the midi connection for my keyboard. Now I run a set of logitech usb headphones and have no complaints on the sound what so ever.
I'd say, save the money or spend it on something else
-C-
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#3559680 - 04/20/12 10:14 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Charlie_SB]
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Junior Member
Registered: 03/05/12
Posts: 24
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Good question, I opted for no new sound card on my lastest two computers. Haven't missed it at all except for the midi connection for my keyboard. Speaking of Midi, you can get USB->Midi cables from China dirt cheap these days. The one I bought cost about $7 from DealExtreme.
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#3559704 - 04/20/12 10:59 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Oberkriegkaboomführer
Hotshot
Registered: 01/18/01
Posts: 6438
Loc: Germany
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I haven't bothered with a dedicated soundcard for quite a few years now. I do run the sounds through my quality hi-fi system though. Explosions literally shake my cupboards... 
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#3559726 - 04/20/12 11:38 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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I'm just a
Member
Registered: 07/10/05
Posts: 1415
Loc: CA
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I did a poll on this very question awhile back, here are the results: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ub...tml#Post3376490Almost down the middle. For gaming I don't think it's really crucial anymore.
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#3562413 - 04/25/12 08:00 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 02/21/10
Posts: 243
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Anyone want to buy my Xonar DX 7.1 ?
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#3565680 - 05/01/12 03:47 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Junior Member
Registered: 02/15/12
Posts: 21
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If your sound isn't coming from a dedicated card doesn't your performance take a hit since resources from your mem(?) are needed to run the sound? Like the hit taken if you try running on the onboard video.
I'm thinking of buying a sound card myself to avoid this hit, if it exists, I haven't a clue, ergo the question.
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#3565699 - 05/01/12 04:22 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 10/16/05
Posts: 354
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I don't think you will have a performance hit without a sound card (otherwise you wouldn't see a single person on this board without a dedicated sound card). Depending on your sound card you might get better audio quality with a dedicated sound card though.
Maybe you can get one, try it out and then return it if you don't hear any difference. In my experience stores are pretty cool with customers returning stuff like that.
-C-
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#3566824 - 05/03/12 02:06 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 04/25/08
Posts: 664
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While modern motherboards have onboard sound that support up to 7.1 channels, they are a little lacking in other departments such as full EAX support, dolby support and A3D support. Sure, they have some of it, but they are budget build models. It'd be like getting an Intel 3D on-board that can run most games but is not as feature rich, let alone as powerful, as a dedicated 3D card. It'll play 3D games, it'll just be abysmal.
In flight/air combat sims, I don't believe they fully utilize the capabilities of today's more advanced sound cards so you shouldn't really need anything beyond on-board.
For FPS/RPG/etc, a dedicated sound card will make a difference. In some cases fairly subtle, in others quite noticeable.
So it depends on what you play, and what your needs are.
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#3566893 - 05/03/12 03:48 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: swampyankee]
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Member
Registered: 02/23/11
Posts: 605
Loc: CA, USA
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I've always found it the other way around, with a dedicated sound card, I *may* find more stuttering and lost resources than the OB sound. I think its in the way bad (old) drivers and tied up resources are managed in Windows.
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#3567685 - 05/05/12 04:57 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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XBL: Matador McNasty
Member
Registered: 10/09/10
Posts: 1642
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I think I'd still be looking at buying a soundcard for a new PC. Might not be quite as high of a priority as it used to be though.
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#3568227 - 05/06/12 09:56 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Hotshot
Registered: 01/08/02
Posts: 6538
Loc: England
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Seriously I'd try the on-board sound for a few weeks first.
I've just built a new PC using an Asus P67 board. For gaming the on-board sound works fine. I can imagine that serious audiophiles would find fault but imo its pretty good. Creative's flaky drivers were more trouble than they were worth.
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#3568448 - 05/06/12 06:42 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Frugalite & P-38 fan
Senior Member
Registered: 05/29/10
Posts: 3512
Loc: The Netherlands
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Indeed. You can think of a soundcard as an optional upgrade. Spend the extra money on a better graphics card (or CPU). When you feel like you need better sound, you can always get an ASUS Xonar or Auzentech or Creative card when some money becomes available.
For the record, I game with an Auzentech Prelude, AKG K 701 and Zalman mic. But were I given the choice today I might pick a different sound card and different headphones.
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#3568551 - 05/06/12 10:59 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Junior Member
Registered: 08/04/11
Posts: 82
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Honestly, onboard sound is pretty good these days.
I bought an X-Fi a few years ago and won't be purchasing another sound card. Speakers make the largest difference nowadays. I've got a set of Harman/Kardon speakerss that sound really crisp regardless of whether my sound card is installed or not.
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#3569854 - 05/09/12 06:29 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 01/30/03
Posts: 715
Loc: Frome/Bath UK
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I just built a new system based on a Gigabyte Z77-UD5H mobo. It has an onboard Realtek ALC898 chipset with two dedicated headphone amps. This runs the Creative X-Fi fidelity M2 software. For headphone use, I can't tell the difference between this and a discrete Creative sound card. YMMV is you're using speakers.
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#3570259 - 05/09/12 08:31 PM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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Member
Registered: 10/13/06
Posts: 922
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I haven't needed a sound card since I built my old P5B Deluxe, E6400 machine 6 years go, and I sure as hell didn't need
one with my P8Z68 build I just did.
Some strange opinions regarding sound cards in this thread - more what I'd expect in a thead 8 years ago.
If you're not doing high end audio stuff, onboard sound is more than fine if you're using a decent motherboard.
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#3585817 - 06/04/12 07:23 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: Ironman69]
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WW: Online Since 1992
Member
Registered: 05/16/02
Posts: 2220
Loc: N. Mankato, Minnesota, U.S.A.
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Odd for me to stumble on this thread now... Late last week my old Sound Blaster X-Fi card finally died. I had carried this original pci card forward through two builds, and loved the excellent job it did for me in countless gaming sessions and literally years of almost nightly TS conversations. Flawless and (except for the bloatware accompanying it) not something I wanted to be without.
When the X-Fi died, I had to switch on the on-board sound on my latest build. RealTek something, drivers from my motherboard maker (Asus.) It works, but the difference is noticeable. Sort of like the difference between listening to an .mp3 of your favorite song, and listening to that same song in .flac format. If you don't notice any difference, keep on using the onboard sound.
My new sound card (a Xonar card like the fellow a few posts up is selling <had to try breaking away from SB's bloatware>) will be here tomorrow.
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#3592104 - 06/15/12 07:00 AM
Re: Do we still need a soundcard these days???
[Re: WWSandMan]
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It's KRT not Kurt
Senior Member
Registered: 11/05/07
Posts: 2500
Loc: Gulf Coast of Florida
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Odd for me to stumble on this thread now... Late last week my old Sound Blaster X-Fi card finally died. I had carried this original pci card forward through two builds, and loved the excellent job it did for me in countless gaming sessions and literally years of almost nightly TS conversations. Flawless and (except for the bloatware accompanying it) not something I wanted to be without.
When the X-Fi died, I had to switch on the on-board sound on my latest build. RealTek something, drivers from my motherboard maker (Asus.) It works, but the difference is noticeable. Sort of like the difference between listening to an .mp3 of your favorite song, and listening to that same song in .flac format. If you don't notice any difference, keep on using the onboard sound.
My new sound card (a Xonar card like the fellow a few posts up is selling <had to try breaking away from SB's bloatware>) will be here tomorrow. My X-Fi died a couple weeks ago, so I was forced to use onboard sound which was flaky about the front headphone jacks when I had the ext speakers plugged in the back, then I built a PC for a friend and they gave me all the old hardware including a Budget version of the soundcard I had originally just no header for the front, but finding Win7 drivers for the older cards is a pain in the fanny. Used to think Creative was good stuff but not much anymore.
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