From X-Fi to Onboard Sound

Rezident · 2 Nov 2007 at 11:14

Been using the X-Fi for over a year, sounds lovely and all that but my new rig is Vista-based and Creative do not seem to be able to guarantee that the X-Fi will work with Vista (it might but it might not).

So I tried the onboard audio on my new mobo and . . . I can't tell the difference between it and the X-Fi! I thought it would sound worse. I was going to get a new X-Fi for the new rig because it's got 64Mb of memory (do games actually use this?) and it certainly is better than the onboard sound on my old mobo, and maybe an audiophile might be able to tell the difference but is it worth £100 (€150) more than onboard sound on new mobos?

Not a chance.

Is there any other reason to get an X-Fi for gaming? Would it free up the processor a bit?

steve258 · 2 Nov 2007 at 11:20

The only thing that isn't natively supported by Vista is the DirectSound3D Audio Acceleration due to the lack of hardware abstraction layer, as no doubt you already know. But the Alchemy (free for x-fi user) can easily fix that.

To me the crystaliser makes a world of different but if you don't mind that then the onboard sound is just as good IMO.

In games X-fi does help taking the load off CPU but only when you enable the high quality audio settings (EAX, Openal...etc) I think.

Stag · 2 Nov 2007 at 11:26

What are you using to playback the audio: PC speakers, headphones etc?

Rezident · 2 Nov 2007 at 11:34

5.1 speakers (also Creative) and an Icemat Siberia headset - damn I love that headset.

waso_dude · 2 Nov 2007 at 12:26

My x-fi works perfectly under Vista

get it in and install it'll be fine

Minstadave · 2 Nov 2007 at 13:40

The RAM on the XFi is pretty much pointless afaik.

gizmoy2k · 2 Nov 2007 at 16:49

Up until recently my xfi worked from my initial january vista install. However i did a format las week for the first time and i cant get it working again
On initial installation of the latest drivers my speakers boom with static, then on restart i was not getting any sound out of the front right,

Also it would not save my 5.1 speaker setting, Having spent hours at creative forums it seems hit and miss, seems like i have to install older drivers first then new ones over the top, then use the vista creative .iso driver disk yadayadya.....

Enabled realtek audio got drivers works like a charm, and as an advantage when i play dvds i get full dolby digital through the optical out

IMO XFIs are doomed in vista, specially x64 with 4gb ram, and creative wont be sorted until they release a new card, MS have to take some of the blame too though, XFI is second to none in XP

Stag · 2 Nov 2007 at 16:51

Rezident said:
5.1 speakers (also Creative) and an Icemat Siberia headset - damn I love that headset.

I don't know the quality of the headset but Creative 5.1 speakers are all pretty pants, even the ones that cost hundreds of pounds. If you have a half decent amp and a half decent set of speakers only then can you really tell the difference apart from the "bonus" in fps.