x-fi questions

ted34

ted34

ted34

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Remember looking into x-fi cards a while ago but was put off by problems with the nf4 chipset - have these probs been sorted now?

Also at the moment i use onboard sound from my dfi expert and have a 3.5mm to 2 phono cable linking the line out into my amp. Sounds ok in films but nothing compared to watching a dvd on my home cinema system so was thinking of using a coaxial cable from the dfi board to my home cinema system and seeing what its like but obviously dont want this setup all the time.

Would an x-fi card allow me to hook my comp up to my home cinema system in digital as i cant see any coaxial or optical outputs of the x-fi cards?

Also can someone explain the difference between the x-fi's? From what i can see the x-fi xtreme and the x-fi platinum are the same except for the front panel and remote and then the fatal1ty has 64mb ram on the card.

Also what is the audigy 2zs platinum card like compared to the x-fi's as that has thx approval.

Are there any sound cards that use pci express slots as am sure i saw an x-fi some where that did?
 
The differences between the different x-fi's are basically cosmetic and cost.
If you want the front panel (fatal1ty) of the box thingy (platinum) for the looks then go ahead and spend the extra cash. 99% of the time, a x-fi music will do it the others are a waste of cash. The on-obard ram is only suppoted by a very small collection of games.

The sound quality is noticable, I went from on-board sound and a 2.1 system to an x-fi music and good speakers (Creative G500). The difference was incredible, everything was much better.

No sound cards will use the PCI-E slots as creative did some research into this before the x-fi's came out and apparently there was a loss in quality orsomething that put them (and every other sound card manufacturer) off of it. There may be one or two, but I wouldn't hold your breath...
 
1) I haven't heard of incompatibilities between X-Fi and NF4 lately, so I assume it is fixed. No first hand experience though, I am on RD580.

2) There is a digital output on the base card. Basically, the X-Fi base card comes with a "flexi jack" which is line-in, microphone-in and digital out in one. I am not sure whether it is optical or coaxial though, I've not used it so far.The higher end model have both optical and coaxial out on the console or I/O drive. Which is handy since with the base card alone you can't have microphone and optical out at the same time.. Kinda silly really (though you can work around it by using your onboard mic-in).

3) http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17551923
(To sum up, I think the best choices are either the Xtreme Music/OEM or the Elite Pro. If you really need the I/O panel, then the Platinum. Fatal1ty is kinda pointless, although depending where you shop, the price difference isn't big... But I still don't recommend it)

4) There are probably more but at least the X-Fi is better for the following reasons: no resampling/better resampling algorithm (audio creation mode/other mode respectively), better CMSS implementations, support for the latest gaming features (EAX5). And THX doesn't tell me anything TBH.

5) Nope. No PCI-E sound card at the moment. Though I believe the problem is more business related than technical.
 
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Thanks guys thats been really helpful. Am fairly set on the xtreme music. From what i can see its the exact same as the platium except without the front panel and remote
 
I just upgarded from an audigy 2 zs, and cant beleive the difference, my headphones are acting like a rumbelpad now :D :D , also BF2 sounds sooooo much better. Went and bought the t7900 speakers hoepfully get them tomorrow and then ill have the full effect.
 
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