Time to change?

Amraam

Amraam

Amraam

Soldato
Joined
5 Jan 2009
Posts
4,760
Still loving my XFi Fatal1ty, but I think it might be time to move on.

My main thought for moving in is that it's PCI, not PCIE. It is currently sat right next to my GPU, causing it to be about 15C more than the second GPU. I cannot move it to the other PCI slot as it is covered by the lower GPU.

Also, drivers are getting harded and harder to get working. Even with "working" unofficial W1 drivers, it losing settings on reboot despite following the recommended steps, and I doubt Creative will hit their target of next month for new drivers...

So, given that I like 5.1 and features such as CMSS, I'd like to stick with Creative Labs (ironically, I know).

So suggestions. I like audio quality, but am using old Z5400s. I'll be moving into my GF's next month where space and noise tolerance are sparse, so I'll probably have to downgrade to stereo.

With those in mind, can you recommend me a card that is at least as good as what I currently have, but PCIE? I'm not dead set on CL, I'd just prefer to stick with them.
 
I'd go for a Soundblaster Z. It's the most logical choice. It's a good card and will do what you need. Not everyone likes the Z though coming from X-Fi. There are people who feel the X-Fi was better.

Some things the Z does better, like having dedicated headphone socket, rather than sharing with speaker out, and a headphone amplifier. The Z doesn't have CMSS though. Creative replaced that with SBX Prostudio, which some people feel isn't as good.

Can always return the Z if you don't like it for whatever reason, and grab a used X-Fi Titanium.
 
Marsman said:
I'd go for a Soundblaster Z. It's the most logical choice. It's a good card and will do what you need. Not everyone likes the Z though coming from X-Fi. There are people who feel the X-Fi was better.

Some things the Z does better, like having dedicated headphone socket, rather than sharing with speaker out, and a headphone amplifier. The Z doesn't have CMSS though. Creative replaced that with SBX Prostudio, which some people feel isn't as good.

Can always return the Z if you don't like it for whatever reason, and grab a used X-Fi Titanium.
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Well I'm not fussed about not upgrading, but I'd certainly not want to downgrade. I'd love the flagship model but I don't need it nor do I wish to spend £190!
 
No, I wouldn't spend anywhere near £200 on a sound card. Too much hassle with drivers, etc, to be spending that kind of money. It's not so bad when you've spend say no more than £50.
 
Marsman said:
No, I wouldn't spend anywhere near £200 on a sound card. Too much hassle with drivers, etc, to be spending that kind of money. It's not so bad when you've spend say no more than £50.
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Well the XFI Fatal1ty was £150 I think and it has been fantastic. I really don't want to change it, but the ribbon cable is annoying me now, and it is adding 15C to my top card due to it sitting right next to the fans. The weight of the card is actually making the fans catch the sound card's PCB at times too.
 
I'm struggling to justify changing from my X-Fi XtremeMusic - sound quality is still comparable to anything out there, it seems to have better compatibility with a lot of games than newer offerings.
 
Yup PCI - drivers can be a bit fun and games though seem to have that sorted at the moment but its not really any different for any sound hardware these days :( new or old.

Only reason I've considered upgrading is that occasionally I'll get a burst of static then the sound will cut out til I toggle between game and entertainment mode or disable/re-enable the sound device.
 
Rroff said:
Yup PCI - drivers can be a bit fun and games though seem to have that sorted at the moment but its not really any different for any sound hardware these days :( new or old.

Only reason I've considered upgrading is that occasionally I'll get a burst of static then the sound will cut out til I toggle between game and entertainment mode or disable/re-enable the sound device.
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Yup I'm getting that too. Plus, this XFi sound card has never prop[erly fit any motherboard I've owned either. No matter what adjustments I make to the bracket, it won't perfectly line up with the case and the PCI slot meaning it has a lose connection sometimes.

Shame there's nothing out there that's as good as what I have without spending a fortune. Is there not an old XFi card that I can get that is PCIE? Or was that the Titanium model?

EDIT: The XFi Titanium Fatal1ty PCI-E looks perfect for me as I like the internal bay. I could live without it as long as I have somewhere easy to reach to quickly connect or remove headphones for night gaming. Problem is that this card is rarer than rocking horse poo and the prices reflect that. :/
 
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Not really searched for the other versions of the Titanium, so never seen what they are selling for. Just seen the professional version on the jungle site for £250! LOL. Some people really do take the **** with prices when a product goes EOL.

You can probably grab the standard one off ebay for reasonable money, or maybe you can ask in the wanted section of MM if someone has one they want to sell. Better to have that in my opinion, than to pay through the nose just to get the bay box as well.

Or you could take a punt and get a SB Z. If you don't like it, return it under the DSR.
 
Thanks. It's quite a bit more (and everywhere has them as pre-order) but I might give the SB Zx a go...

The only reason I like the front panel is for the headphone jack. The Z would require me to reach around the back of the PC every time I switch to headphones (unless it has a dedicated headphone mode that I could toggle?).
 
Amraam said:
Thanks. It's quite a bit more (and everywhere has them as pre-order) but I might give the SB Zx a go...

The only reason I like the front panel is for the headphone jack. The Z would require me to reach around the back of the PC every time I switch to headphones (unless it has a dedicated headphone mode that I could toggle?).
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The sound blaster z/zx can change to speakers/headphones from the SB control panel as they have separate inputs on the card. I got the Zx as i like having the volume control on my desk.
 
FredFlint said:
The sound blaster z/zx can change to speakers/headphones from the SB control panel as they have separate inputs on the card. I got the Zx as i like having the volume control on my desk.
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Yeah think I'm set on getting the Zx. Everywhere has it for £94 but few have it in stock :(
 
yeah creatives stock level in distribution in the UK is a joke shop

I ordered all my creative stock on the 29th of july......
 
TwsT said:
i'd probably get it on your visit to stoke for 169.99 but that's just me
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Is it worth the extra I wonder...

Thanks for the heads up but I'll have to pass. I have my reasons, but I will not be purchasing from OCUK this time around...
 
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Amraam said:
Is it worth the extra I wonder...
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For the Z5400 alone? No.

Z/Zx is more than good enough for any PC surround speakers.

If you've got or are planning to buy a quality pair of headphones that need a decent headphone amp, in that instance, buying a ZxR possibly would be worth the extra.
 
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