Which XFi?

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

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Joined
17 Oct 2002
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I can no longer resist Cheap SB XFi's. I feel compelled to upgrade my Audigy even though there is no point at all.

But whats the difference between them all?

Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio 7.1 Soundcard (PCI) - OEM
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard - OEM
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Soundcard - OEM

They range in price from £25 to about £60. I use my PC for games and music.
 
Forget about the Xtreme audio as its a cut down version of the X-Fi and doesn't include all the gaming features of the other two.

Basically the Music and the Gamer are the same card spec and feature wise. Creative bought out the Xtreme gamer as a replacement to the Music. Whichever is the cheapest would be best.

I'm 99% sure all this info is correct, but creative's naming scheme is confusing, so best wait for another post just to confirm what I've said before you make your mind up. :)
 
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard - OEM
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Gamer 7.1 Soundcard - OEM

Either of these two, go with the Gamer if you want optical, Music if you wan't co-ax digital, get the cheapest if you don't care about digital output. I think the Gamer is low profile as well, if that influences your decision.

Performance/Sound wise the Gamer/Music are identical.
 
the gamer is not the same as the music. it doesnt have onboard dd/dts decoding and there's no provision for using an x-fi front panel. as far as games support go they are the same.

as far as features go, its:

music
gamer - no front panel conenction, no onboard decoding
audio - no hardware acceleration for gamin, as well as the features missing on the gamer
 
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I got my X-FI Xtreme Music today, I've been put off getting one for ages. But the difference between it and my Realtek onboard is amazing, I'm hearing things in songs I never heard before.
 
james.miller said:
the gamer is not the same as the music. it doesnt have onboard dd/dts decoding and there's no provision for using an x-fi front panel. as far as games support go they are the same.

as far as features go, its:

music
gamer - no front panel conenction, no onboard decoding
audio - no hardware acceleration for gamin, as well as the features missing on the gamer
Click to expand...


This is "only" an issue if you watch DVD movies on the DTS track and "want" hardware decoding - The software decoders built into the most common DVD software like WinDVD and PowerDVD are more than capable of superior DTS decoding anyway though so if the Gamer is found cheaper than the Music then it's a complete bargain.

The DTS is the only real "major" difference between the Gamer and the Music.

That aside the Gamer is on a smaller PCB so your other cards get more airflow in the case.
 
yeah i know that, i just didnt see it as something worth explaining. I chose a gamer over a music btw:) i dont see how being smaller would help much,. given that most people stick the card in the bottom pci slot anyway
 
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Just remember that right now Creative are getting a LOT of flak in their forums for the crappy state of their Vista drivers...

...Of course that's not a problem if you're running XP :)
 
crfrank said:
Just remember that right now Creative are getting a LOT of flak in their forums for the crappy state of their Vista drivers...

...Of course that's not a problem if you're running XP :)
Click to expand...


Probably worth noting that I have no vista driver issues ta all in any of the 3 modes and everything runs super fine with no crackling or anything whatsoever!
 
am not having any probs with my XFI on vista everythin sounds the same as it did on xp just missing all the apps that comes with the XP install cd though
 
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