On board sound -v- sound card

Chabsy

Chabsy

Chabsy

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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London
Just built a new system with a P5k. On board sound is ok but could be better.

How much better would a £50 sound card be than the on board?

Using Sennheiser pc 161 head phones
 
To be honest, if it's just basic sound you are listening too most onboard sound cards are just as good as cheaper PCI/PCI-E sound card. They are already high def.

The reason people pay out for the more expensive sound cards is because of their 3D sound processing capabilities and encoding/decoding of digital steams via optical and coax ports. Unless you play many games or like watching movies through your computer you won't really need it.

Try a driver upgrade for your existing setup and see if it improves.
 
In games? You'd get slightly better framerates with a dedicated sound card, and less noise/crackle, maybe better EAX. But really, unless you're having issues with sound, then you might not even notice the difference.

MP3s do sound better with something like an x-fi card.

If you have the spare cash, then go buy one, but if not, then you're not really missing out on much.
 
pci soundcard is so much better than on board for FPS style games where it is important to know where the next tango is coming from. For £50 get the x-fi xtreme gamer or music by creative.
 
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card - Retail Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Sound Card - Retail

£55

This 1 ?
 
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