Is a sound card really neccessary?

[shayan288]

Hi guys,
I was just wondering,
is a sound card really neccessary and if so what are the price ranges for a decent one.
I use it for movies, gaming, and music and I have 5:1 VS3251 Altecs'.
Occassionally I have like problem with loading cod4 multiplayer and its because of my sound/audio and i just fix with enabling the stereo mixer thing, but would a soundcard be a solution to never see that anniying "iw3mp has stopped working" error, and yeah.
Thanks for reading.

[Cptn Vortex]

I have had many soundcards, and I have been most happy with my Auzentech X-Mystique, but they no longer make them. I also enjoyed my HT Omega card, but it was not powerful enough for my AKG headphones. Right now I am using the Asus Xonar DX, which is also a fantastic card. All cards mentioned are below $100

[Apathetik]

Sooooo much better with a good sound card. Especially if you have good headphones. ASUS XONAR D2 is an insane card, or even D1. Its not even comparable to onboard audio.

[bojangles]

It does make a difference. But, do you have the ears to hear the difference? I do, but many don't...

[DarKStar]

well if most people can't hear the difference then they need to get their ears cleaned or stop using speakers t hey get from the dollarama store :-)))

I think a good sound card is defiantely essential if you are gaming or using your PC to listen to movies or music - onboard sound is evil, stay as far away from it as you can !

But there are advantages to not owning a soudncard - at least online if you get your ass kicked you can not feel guilty about telling people you don't have a soundcard and blame it on that :D :D :D

[Phobia]

I've been wondering the same question. I've never had a sound card, and thought onboard was fine.. but now, i'm starting to think that im going to get one.

[shayan288]

yeah, ive never had a sound card before and have always used onboard.
Do i need headphones to fell/hear the difference or would my speakers be alright?

[YukonTrooper]

If you have decent speakers or headphones, a sound-card is worth its weight in gold. Not only is the sound quality better, but hardware sound processing takes a considerable load of the CPU, which is great if you're a gamer. If you are a gamer, I'd say that the XtremeGamer X-Fi is the best bang-for-your-buck card. Make sure not to get the XtremeAudio, as it doesn't have hardware processing, so it really isn't much better than on-board.

[Eagle Eye]

A good sound card is vital, while most integrated (mobo) chips will cut it these days they tend to suffer from higher cpu usage and the poor software which lacks a lot features that might be available on the IC but not included in the bundle. I encourage you to have a look at the various manufacturers of the chips like C-Media and Realtek (most commonly chips used) you can explore their entire lineup and the many features that are available.

EE

[Exmortis]

Onboard sound gets the job done, how ever if you want it done right, then nothing beats a proper sound card. I have both an Auzentech Prelude 7.1 and an SB Xfi Titanium, and honestly the SB for all the BS peeps talk, the creative beats the Auzen tech hands down in every category but music playback. The OAMPS on the Auzentech are superior but crap drivers and non functional mic and crashing with half my software the Asuzentech was a dismal pruchase and yet to mention useless tech support. I got fed up bought a new XFi and....wow it sounds as good or better in EAX, very close everywhere else, was nearly $100, and since installation the drivers have been 100% solid. No I have a 200$ dust collector, one of the worst purchases ever.

I left Creative due to my dislike for their drivers, but man was the grass ever not greener. If you can afford it and have better then $15 speakers, you owe it to your self. If a nearby apartment gets to rowdy or loud, they learn real fast with my 5450s I win hands down every time!!! EAX5.0 FTW!!!