Do I Need A Sound Card?

taz488

taz488

taz488

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Manchester
well i just bought a new pc and i have the msi kn motherboard, its has on board realtek hd audio, which isnt too good, as my sound isnt great and my microphone doesnt turn up so its too quiet.

what im after is advice on whether to splash out £55 on the lowest of the x-fi range, an oem version, or whether to just spend £35 and get the audigy.

i play games a lot so need good sound for that and i listen to a lot of music, i occasionaly watch a film on my pc but this is not a priority, my main use will be music/gaming.

i use my pc a lot so sound is quite important, but £55 is a lot of pocket money.

so...should i get the audigy, the x-fi, or another sound card?
 
What speakers are you using? You could pick up an Audigy 2 second hand for about £15 and that may do (i'm using one with £550 worth of amp and speakers here) :)
 
in spec, logitech s200, i mainly use headphones tho, hence why i didnt get good speakers, i use sennheiser HD202's, i didnt spend too much on speakers, headphones, thats why im wondering if x-fi is worth it.
 
I expect the Audigy 2 would be good for you, it'll allow you to use EAX in games and will give better quality sound. You should also be able to boost your mic up. If you wanted to future proof your setup a bit more then you may want the X-Fi, but at the moment I think it offers little extra for you.
 
right i see three options unfolding;

audigy 2 with extra box and stuff: £65 new, ill have a look on bay, an option if its around £35 used.

audigy 4 7.1 oem: £35

audigy 2 card only: £20

which option should i persue?
 
I would go second hand Audigy 2. Search "audigy 2 pci", they should be ok so long as you don't mind using the bay :) . If you can get the Audigy 2 card only for £20 new, then that may be best as it's not much more.
 
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