im going out to buy a sound card it will be my first proper sound card

 

i was going to get the creative x-fi xtreme gamer cheap with all the features the expensive ones do ( of course you pay for what you get)

 

is this a good card?

 

if not this is what i want

 

something for headset and mic, eax 5 and the 3d sound thing (not sure if that is creative only or not) and the best sound (i think its 24 bit sound)

no extra ports or any thing for movies needed just the best gaming sound for the cheapest price.

 

thanks in advance

What's your price range?

IIRC the creative cards aren't real X-FI ?

I'm looking to get the ASus xonar DG, I've read reviews and although it's cheaper it is preferred over the creative xfi.

 

39 bucks at MSY

IIRC the creative cards aren't real X-FI ?

 

dunno about that since they made x-fi, altho it could be the cheaper ones aren't 'true' x-fi (ie. software emulation instead). from what i've read, you'd be better off with an Asus Xonar card instead, while not 'true' x-fi, they apparently sound better than the Creative ones anyway.

The first question is, what sort of headphones do you have?

 

After messing around with cards and headphones for a while, I have learned that $200 extra, invested in headphones is better value than $20 invested in the card.

 

If you are looking for the hardware accelerating boards. I think the xfi- extreme gamer is the lowest price version of these.

 

I have a similar card. To be honest the hardware acceleration is not worth it, on a modern computer.

 

X-Fi is a trademark, of Creative, so Creative is the only ones who can use it.

 

It's just a gimmick name, however.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_X-Fi

 

A real x-fi card has either a EMU20K1 or a EMU20K2 chip as its core. Creative brand a lot of their older cards as X-FI but they arnt.

Good rule of thumb is if its under $100 its a renamed audigy not a real X-FI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster_X-Fi

 

A real x-fi card has either a EMU20K1 or a EMU20K2 chip as its core. Creative brand a lot of their older cards as X-FI but they arnt.

Good rule of thumb is if its under $100 its a renamed audigy not a real X-FI.

 

You can get the xtremegamer for $75 though.

 

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=x-fi+gamer&spos=1

 

If you haven't got $200 headphones though, I wouldn't spend any more than that though.

 

Even if I did, it would be on an external unit.

You can get the xtremegamer for $75 though.

 

http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=x-fi+gamer&spos=1

 

.

 

http://www.i-store.com.au/ProductImages/9152.jpg

 

Great example of what Im talking about ...its an audigy 4 revamp not a real x-fi.

Also one brand has really crappy drivers. Can't remember which brand though... Don't think its ASUS?

Also one brand has really crappy drivers. Can't remember which brand though... Don't think its ASUS?

 

Creative ...

Great example of what Im talking about ...its an audigy 4 revamp not a real x-fi.

 

Yeah that's right.

 

I think out of the current lineup that is the only one though. They are around $50.

ok im back from work and ill answer the question from the top

 

- price ~$120

-i thought x-fi was a fancy name creative used so what is it then

- headphones (well i need a new pair and dad said he would pay 100-150 for them cause thats his share of this )

-well the xtreme gamer is a emu20k1

 

so far i have gathered that creative is not good at making driver which means hassles and i need some good headphones

 

more info

win 7 64bit

main reason is so bf3 sound really really good

 

so when you guys recommend the cards and headphones can you also say why they are better than the xtreme gamer and what are there features (eg. virtual speakers, eax or same thing ect.) and remember i only have on board sound atm and dont need any more plugs than mic and headphone

There are a lot of better cards around than the Creative x-fi series. Creative have had bad drivers since forever but there are workarounds eg Daniel K drivers (google)

If you want good 5.1 or similar positional audio you'll need a creative card to do that properly in BF2. Creative own the EAX 5.0 standard so the only real way to do it is with a creative card or one of the few other cards that use creative X-FI chips.

 

If anyone knows a way to get proper positional audio in BF2 from anything else for the love of someones god tell me.

 

Auzentech do a couple of X-FI based cards and are without equals in highend sound cards but your looking in the $150-250 and above price range for them.

XONAR are good cards for their price but do EAX in software so second rate solution for BF2.

X-FI titaniums are ok for the money Fatality stuff is just marketing goop.

If your going to game mostly with headphones save your money and use onboard sound or a cheap sound card.

 

Would love to be wrong about this.

 

:hi:

Auzentech

yep, have heard/read reviews they are very good as well

XONAR

ditto, reviews seem to say they are quite a good card compared to Creative as well

If your going to game mostly with headphones save your money and use onboard sound or a cheap sound card.

ditto again, unless your a audiophil 9/10 you wont notice the difference in games

so pretty much i need to rename this thread headphones

so the directional sound and the clearer sound cards are suppose to give isn't worth it?

so what head phones should i get ~$150

so pretty much i need to rename this thread headphones

so the directional sound and the clearer sound cards are suppose to give isn't worth it?

so what head phones should i get ~$150

 

 

Your could also use the search function

 

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=8894&highlight=headphone

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=8594&highlight=headphone

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=8629&highlight=headphone

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=7506&highlight=headphone

http://www.bigdgaming.net/showthread.php?t=8311&highlight=headphone

so the directional sound and the clearer sound cards are suppose to give isn't worth it?

 

not necessarily, a good sound card and speaker/headphone setup will give some people an advantage but not all. Why? well it mostly boils down to how good your hearing is. for the majority of people out there, they would've be able to tell the difference between onboard and x brand sound card in games etc.

 

personally i use to always think sound cards were better, however onboard sound supports most (not all) the features you'll get on a sound card so i got some good headphones (again, not the best). for what i play and listen too, it is more than ample, altho i am due to update my headphones as well.