need help choosing new sound card

[kelvinblade]

should i get the turtle beach santa cruz or the audigy? or
should i just stick to my 8k5a2 onboard sound card?

 

[attack]

Definetly get a sound card, the difference between AC97 (I assume that's what it has) and TBSC or audigy is like night and day. Get the audigy if you mostly just play games. The TBSC is decent at games, but it's much better for listening to MP3's. Also to tell the difference between the two you need to have pretty good speakers, and even then it's kinda hard to tell. I would get whatever one you can find that's cheaper.

 

[kelvinblade]

I found the two of them around the same price at Newegg (OEM)
I have inspire 5300 speakers and my computer setup is below.
i play games and listen to mp3. hm... i can't make up my mind....

 

[oops]

Get one Audigy(gamer or mp3) for around $85. If you are willing to pay over $100, then get one Audigy 2 for $110, that's way better than audigy(if you have a good surround sound system)

 

[kelvinblade]

isn't the audigy gamer/mp3 same as the OEM audigy except it has the gold connectors and the extra software, performance wise, its the same right?

 

[macklin01]

Ah, get the the SB Live 5.1. $22.50 on ebay.

(I found a few online articles that said that in essence, the difference between SB live 5.1 and audigy was the firewire ; the chip is in essence the same.) If nothing else, that particular card has been working quite well, and on a 2 speaker / bass setup, the improvement in sound quality from AC97 sound was phenomenal! -- Paul

 

[Namagomi]

isn't the audigy gamer/mp3 same as the OEM audigy except it has the gold connectors and the extra software, performance wise, its the same right?

Yeah, I have 3 audigy OEMs. They are the same thing as the Gamer/Mp3+ Audigys, except they have no bundle, and I think only the Audigy Platinum has those STUPID gold-plated connectors.

And I wouldn't go for the SBLive! if i were you. I had one, it sounded great in one box, but caused stability problems like crazy for another box. Lol, it was pretty funny, box kept crashing, no matter how much hardware I replaced. Never thought it would be the sound card...

 

[macklin01]

Huh, that's a good point. Via and Creative can tend to argue at times ...

And I would have to concur on OEM vs. MP3+ / Gamer. Same HW, different software. -- Paul

BTW, I like your new avatar.

 

[HardwareJedi]

any retail Audigy.. Gamer, MP3 etc. has the Gold Connectors. I have a Gamer that does and I've seen the MP3 with them. Only the Value/oem models use the colored plastic connectors.

 

[macklin01]

Honestly, I like the color-coding ... makes it easier for sleep-deprived people like me. -- Paul