need new sound card for gaming

Rabbit08 · 25 Mar 2009 at 15:16

hi guys as it says going to upgrade my sound card for gaming ,i have got a budget of £140

tower space i have 4870x2 an 4 sticks of ram on asus rampage formula x48,
i am using the asus superfx sound card at the min an the case is a antec 1200 gaming case.

so just want a hand on what card to get cheers

Margaret · 25 Mar 2009 at 15:24

Xonar D1 and if you fancy some headphones too a pair of HD555's would be make a great combo.

You could spend some extra on a Xonar D2/X, but for gaming alone you'd be hard pressed to tell any difference.

kerrgreg · 25 Mar 2009 at 16:49

got a HOTAUDIO USBDAC from a well know auction site the quality is amazing and the price is unbeatable its perfect for stereo set-ups and headphones

redballoon · 25 Mar 2009 at 17:29

I'd go for a X-Fi Forte with that kind of budget.

Margaret · 25 Mar 2009 at 17:46

kerrgreg said:
got a HOTAUDIO USBDAC from a well know auction site the quality is amazing and the price is unbeatable its perfect for stereo set-ups and headphones

for gaming

Anyway if gaming with headphones, Dolby Headphone on the Xonar is the best there is.

For speakers however I have no idea how the Xonar and X-Fi compare.

Nick1881 · 25 Mar 2009 at 18:51

Asus Xonar D2 or D2X, depends if you want PCI or PCIe.

I got mine yesterday, its fantastic!

Uriel · 25 Mar 2009 at 19:51

Margaret said:
For speakers however I have no idea how the Xonar and X-Fi compare.

About the same, depending on which model of X-Fi or Xonar. EAX makes a difference in situations where the X-Fi can run at a higher level.

Rabbit08 · 25 Mar 2009 at 21:31

cheers guys , i have the creative fatality headset at the min ,an dont use speakers at the min

Margaret · 25 Mar 2009 at 22:02

If you have £140 to spend then get a Xonar D1 and Sennheiser HD555.

That will be a massive upgrade and within your budget, much better than keeping the Fatal1ty and buying a more expensive version of the Xonar.

Rabbit08 · 25 Mar 2009 at 23:56

just i need a mic for comms ;(

Margaret · 26 Mar 2009 at 02:08

Rabbit08 said:
just i need a mic for comms ;(

Get an "Elara clip-on mic" and put it behind your monitor or attached to your keyboard wire, works a treat.

Nick1881 · 26 Mar 2009 at 10:11

Zalman clip on mic, holds onto the Senn cable nicely.