Curious about sound quality for gaming. usb vs motherboard. also other questions

[thatbonokid]

I use my PCfor Counterstrike GO and counterstrike only. small music listening) need to hear footsteps range etc, though i have basic 2 speaker headphones.
Im curious if the sound would be better coming out of the rear jack (and anything i should do to improve it)

Im running this identical gigabyte motherboard http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4950&dl=#ov

I also have a USB Logitech G330 (Adapter only) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104319
link 2 of photo http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/26-104-319-08.jpg

I Have a radioshack headset thats open ear and lighter, dont know the specs. Got it at a thrift.

also have a detachable cable decent Monoprice headset/'monitors'. link -
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?p_...XDTafTKH97q1_FPWYJwcT4rsA9xyr1XeiPBoCjWTw_wcB

Im asking, which of these outputs would be better for sound? and what would be the cheapest way for me to improve my directional comprehension of footsteps and sounds?



ive been in the computer game for a long while, but have been out for years besides casual builds. Any tips on obvious ways to improve my sound or anything would be greatly appreciated. Will put PC in tag. Everything i own is 100% on default and stock.

EDIT. Wow, nice, Ten year badge and 5 star... been around here a while! I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP

 

[thatbonokid]

Here is my full PC, on 8.1 mind you im stock EVERYTHING. no protection, im completely out of the loop on protection and whats free/trustworthy.. browsers ETC. Maybe this should be another thread?

GA-Z97X-UD5H (rev. 1.0)
Intel i5 4690k CRAP 50$ WATER coolermaster runs 40c idle.
8gb Ballistix 1866
Gigabyte OC GTX 770
BENQ xl2411z
Ducky SHINE black sw
Samsung EVO 840 128/WD black 64 MB cache 500 GB
EVGA 500 wat PSU 40 amp rail
Razer Death Adder CHROMA + 2013, Razer naga 2014, Logitch g502, NAGA EPIC
Cooler Master HAF XB EVO

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Use the onboard sound

 

[Wathnix]

You are usually best off investing in high quality headphones, made by a manufacturer that specializes in audio. Think Bose, not Logitech. If you need a mic, buy a separate unit, not one integrated to the headset.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Think Sennheiser, not Bose.

 

[sobe]

Yep, never ever ever think of Bose when thinking of quality audio with the SINGLE exception being if you want active noise cancelling headphones then the Bose QC15 are among the best available. Otherwise, Bose is garbage. Think Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AudioTechnica, Audeze, etc etc.

As far as your inquiry, your onboard will be as good as it gets until you move into high end soundcard or external unit territory. Take a look at Mad Lust Envy's headphone guide, I think a pair of AKG K701 would be exactly what you are looking for, but quality headphones like that aren't cheap, and you may want more than onboard audio to drive them.

 

[Dlaw]

Guys, all he wants is a good (directionally capable) audio setup to play CS:GO, and I'm guessing the music will be playing in the background while playing CS:GO. No need to go with ridiculously expensive headphones.

As it has been said, the onboard is great quality (I have the same codec on my board, it sounds great). In the HD audio manager, there (should be) a checkbox under the speaker setup tab for virtual surround. It's surprising how effective that is with stereo headphones.

If you find that your current headphones don't do it for you, and I'm going to get flamed hard for this I'm sure, you should try a set of Turtle Beach PX22s. Here's why:

1) They have a built in amplifier, and they get LOUD!
2) They have a built in external sound card. It works great for chat systems (TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, Skype, Etc.), because you can individually adjust the sound levels in game.
3) You can connect your phone, music player or anything with a 3.5mm audio port to them, and have individual control of the volume of that device as well.
4) They're very comfortable and light weight.

They don't sound as good as the $150 headphones people are talking about, but for $60-$70, it's worth the functionality. The directional output (thanks to Realtek) is about as accurate as it gets with stereo headphones, and it has some pretty appealing features if you ask me.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Guys, all he wants is a good (directionally capable) audio setup to play CS:GO, and I'm guessing the music will be playing in the background while playing CS:GO. No need to go with ridiculously expensive headphones.

As it has been said, the onboard is great quality (I have the same codec on my board, it sounds great). In the HD audio manager, there (should be) a checkbox under the speaker setup tab for virtual surround. It's surprising how effective that is with stereo headphones.

If you find that your current headphones don't do it for you, and I'm going to get flamed hard for this I'm sure, you should try a set of Turtle Beach PX22s. Here's why:

1) They have a built in amplifier, and they get LOUD!
2) They have a built in external sound card. It works great for chat systems (TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, Skype, Etc.), because you can individually adjust the sound levels in game.
3) You can connect your phone, music player or anything with a 3.5mm audio port to them, and have individual control of the volume of that device as well.
4) They're very comfortable and light weight.

They don't sound as good as the $150 headphones people are talking about, but for $60-$70, it's worth the functionality. The directional output (thanks to Realtek) is about as accurate as it gets with stereo headphones, and it has some pretty appealing features if you ask me.

Having used four different Turtle Beach headsets (and subsequently returning them) I recommend higher quality.
Honestly, I'd trust the Monoprice ones over the Turtle Beach ones.
The board has a built in amp, so it should get plenty loud by itself.

If you want a new set of cans, these are a steal:
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-350-Performance-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B008O510Y8
They're infinitely more comfortable than any TB headset I've used, come with a nice hard shell carry case (perfect for shoving into a bag for travel), and have great sound quality.
Your onboard will drive them very well, it'll be crisp and clear even when you crank the volume.