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What sound card should I buy?

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OLMI

Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Location
San Diego, CA
I have Logitech z680s, and I am upset with my onboard sound with my neo2 platinum. The audio quality through the onboard sound sucks, and it doesn't even send anything to my rear speakers while I'm playing games or listening to music. So...

What sound card should I buy so that my z680s get the sound they deserve?

I am really confused with the different versions and features on all of the Audigy cards that newegg has. Also, is the revolution 7.1 any good? I vaguely remember reading a review about how comparable it was with the Audigy 2, and I remember it doing quiet well. Oh, and I wanna buy the card OEM because I don't need $50 worth of software hehe
 
i would get the audigy 2 zs, you could get the audigy 4 but will you need the break-out box?
 
Depends on what you want to do with it. If your a pretty heavy gamer i would say go w/ the Audigy 2 ZS. Nothing can match the A2ZS for gaming... it has an excellent onboard sound processing chip that utilizes very little CPU processing power = better frame rates. (again, this may or may not be significant to you). It also has great positional effects - like EAX 4.0.

If you are more of a casual gamer and prefer better music quality, the revolution would be better. It has a better DAC meaning the music will sound clearer. The frequency responce is a little better, along w/ the singnal to noise ratio.

Both cards are excellent and unless you are an audiophile you probably wont notice much of a difference either way.

For more information, checkout www.head-fi.com. Go to the "Computer as Source" forum and you'll find everything you need to know. :p

-Adrayic
 
Adrayic said:
Depends on what you want to do with it. If your a pretty heavy gamer i would say go w/ the Audigy 2 ZS. Nothing can match the A2ZS for gaming... it has an excellent onboard sound processing chip that utilizes very little CPU processing power = better frame rates. (again, this may or may not be significant to you). It also has great positional effects - like EAX 4.0.

If you are more of a casual gamer and prefer better music quality, the revolution would be better. It has a better DAC meaning the music will sound clearer. The frequency responce is a little better, along w/ the singnal to noise ratio.

-Adrayic

I was looking around on those forums you linked to and couldn't find an answer to something I need to know. How many more fps do you think I would get from switching from my onboard sound to the Audigy 2 ZS? A lot of fps would be nice, but if it's like 5, I'd rather get some really nice audio quality.
 
Ok, so if I buy the revolution 7.1, will I see any fps drops, or any game audio quality drops? I am currently using my onboard sound, so I am assuming the revolution will sound similar when it comes to gaming, and will effect the fps in the same way. The increase in mp3 audio quality sounds better than the fps increase.
 
W/ the revolution 7.1 (compared w/ the Audigy), there will be a minor FPS drop. I dont think it will be signifigant and you probably wont even notice it. The Revo will be the same if not better (for FPS in games) as your onboard sound. Honestly, I dont think you have to worry about frame rates. Your hardware is very decent and you wont have any troubles w/ sound dragging you down.

If you listen to a lot of music I suggest something like the Revo 7.1. You will definately notice the sound quality difference. Also look into the EMU 0404 or EMU1212.... people at Head-Fi really like these cards.

-Adrayic
 
he's using an A64 and an X800 there's no real data to support what i say, but that's top of the line stuff for gaming, he won't notice any frame drop, the sound card doesn't use that much CPU processing power.
 
Warlock - agreed - he doesn't have to worry about FPS. Typically, the soundcard uses 5% of the CPU's power (at most).... there should be no problems with frame rates w/ his system.

OLMI - the revo 7.1 is an excellent choice. Enjoy.

-Adrayic
 
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