Which Video and Sound Card to choose if money is not a constraint?

[dire]

Folks, please help me with this.

If you have all the money to spend(I mean, decent amount like <$600.00) on a video card and a sound card in your latest AMD based gaming PC then, what are the two cards will you buy?

I have selected my sound card as .....Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum

Then, for my video cards I am a little confused...what to choose? I have looked at 2 of them lastly.

1. PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4600
2. ATI's All in Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro

What would you choose? Please give me ideas. I am novice too. Also, please tell if the choices differ for Pentium P4 based systems and AMD Athlon based systems?

Thanks a lot in advance......

-- dire

 

[Deadphishy]

i would get a 9700 pro, way faster then a ti4600.

 

[OC Noob]

If you want to overclock it don't get the AIW card. Also, it will be much cheaper to get the 9700 pro and a seprate TV-Tuner card.

I like the Audigy, but I hear Hercules makes a nice card too.

 

[SkaGoatMaster]

Audigy 2 Plat....

 

[Maxvla]

well it depends on your speakers

if you are still scratching through with middle of the road speakers get a ti4600 audigy1 and spend tons on a good set of klipsch speakers.

if you already have a great set of speakers get a 9700pro with all the bells and whistles and get a proffesional soundcard somewhere around 250 bucks. That would blow your mind

 

[asw7576]

maybe more than $600 to spend....

Strongly agree with Maxvla's opinion: Audigy Platinum and Good stereo speakers. For video card (money no object) choose Radeon 9700 PRO.

Personally, I feel more comfortable with Nvidia name.

 

[OC-Master]

2. ATI's All in Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro




......... untill NV30 arrives.


DS-Master

 

[nealric]

If you have a good stero or home theatre, I strongly reccomend the hercules game theatre xp. It has a separate breakaway box that makes it really easy to hook up 5.1. As for computer speakers, I have never understood why people buy them. Why spend 250 for some uber high end computer speakers when a REAL sound system can be had for little more than that.

 

[Deathknight]

Btw if you don't need all the extra fancy features then forget the all in wonder and just go with the regular card (I am not even sure that the all in wonder version of the 9700 pro has been released yet?).

For speakers well I don;t think anything compares to the Klipsh promedia 5.1s

ANyways since you said price is not an option definatly go with the radeon 9700 pro.

 

[Maxvla]

Re: maybe more than $600 to spend....

Strongly agree with Maxvla's opinion: Audigy Platinum and Good stereo speakers. For video card (money no object) choose Radeon 9700 PRO.

Personally, I feel more comfortable with Nvidia name.

i was hoping someone else would realize the importance of good speakers when going all out with the hardware.

a sweet setup with 50 dollar speakers should be a arrestable offense.

 

[OC Noob]

Speaking of good speakers a set of klipsch 4.1 speakers can be had for $150!

They are refurbs straight from Klipsch, so they should be up to factory specs and you can't beat the price.

Check the Cyber Deals forum for a link to this deal if your interested.

 

[Samoyed]

Good speakers? While I admit that 400 dollars speakers sound great there IS one problem. My wife will kill me if I play sound too loud and being over 30 makes me less attaracted to deafening decible levels. I have a SB 5.1 but I used headphones. < boring

I wonder if there is some fantastic headphone system thats sounds as good as top of the line speakers? I would be more interested in that than some big arse speakers.

Video card wise....... clearly the ATI 9700 is the leader right now. All of the top hotrod PC makers use that card.

 

[Maxvla]

Good speakers? While I admit that 400 dollars speakers sound great there IS one problem. My wife will kill me if I play sound too loud and being over 30 makes me less attaracted to deafening decible levels. I have a SB 5.1 but I used headphones. < boring

I wonder if there is some fantastic headphone system thats sounds as good as top of the line speakers? I would be more interested in that than some big arse speakers.

Video card wise....... clearly the ATI 9700 is the leader right now. All of the top hotrod PC makers use that card.

there are 5.1 headphones

not cheap but they are out there.

 

[CrashOveride]

you shoudl keep your soundcard get those REALLY expensive headphose that somy makes... the most expensibvve ones.. they sound AWSOME! really liek if you wan to you can turn them up and you can almost hear BASS from HEADPHONES! it is amazing!

 

[Maxvla]

you shoudl keep your soundcard get those REALLY expensive headphose that somy makes... the most expensibvve ones.. they sound AWSOME! really liek if you wan to you can turn them up and you can almost hear BASS from HEADPHONES! it is amazing!

i get that from my sennheisers for alot less money and alot better sound.

 

[FuzzyNY]

yea the Sennheiser rockz, I got the HD-580, IMHO good headphone is the best tool playing FPS game that you can clearly heard the direction and distant of other players, but it's need a headphone amp to push it, the output from computer sound card is just too weak

 

[Cisco Kid]

2. ATI's All in Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro




......... untill NV30 arrives.


DS-Master

the NV30 is gonna do squat ATI is ahead now fer a while wacth and pout hehehe

cisco kid

 

[Maxvla]

[fanboy]
the NV30 is gonna do squat ATI is ahead now fer a while wacth and pout hehehe
[/fanboy]

cisco kid

fixed your tags

 

[Lithan]

You ask me a live 5.1 is a perfectly good card. My buddy went from a live to an audigy right after they came out and was ****ed. The only thing he gained were compatability problems (they are fixed now.) He would have gone back if he hadn't already sold his live.

As for video... well the radeon's faster and supposedly radeon cards make **** look better. Though that's probably just remnants of straws radeon users grasped at back when Nvidia was demolishing radeons in benchmarks. Anyhow. If moneys really no object go with that Radeon, or else wait for the next Generation of cards and get something that your friends will masturbate at night thinking about.

Can't say on speakers I've got Altec Lansings the 70 watt 4 + sub (something 56 I think the model is) They work fine (except the occasional guy talking in spanish out of them for no apparent reason. I SWEAR IT IS NOT A VOICE IN MY HEAD!) but they certainly arent top of the line.

 

[Benolan]

I'd say 9700 pro hands down... And while this may evoke cries of 'Blasphemer!', I'm perfectly happy with my 5.1 onboard sound and $50 z540 speakers

And I have a feeling that the 9700 pro will last a long time before needing replaced.