On board versus sound cards

Greg King · 08-17-2006, 12:26 AM

Can anyone really tell a frickin differance? I know I have shitty speakers but still, I wonder daily why I wasted so much money on the Audigy 2 ZS when it came out. Damn it Dark, damn it.

madmat · 08-17-2006, 12:30 AM

I can

Of course if you've got a good onboard system like the VIA 24 bit or Audigy onboard there's not much reason to lay out good cash on a discrete card.

leecho7 · 08-17-2006, 07:51 PM

I notice a difference between my onboard sound and my sound card. It's a whole world of difference. If you have 80 bucks, then pick up a Sound Blaster Audigy 4. BF2, Oblivion, and even music have never sounded better. With the right headphones/speakers, you'll literally hear things you never heard before in games and in music. My only gripe is all my PCI slots are now used up. One for the sound, and one for the wireless network card...

b1lk1 · 10-02-2006, 02:01 PM

Sorry to revive such an old topic, but hte latest AL888DD onboard sound is AMAZING to say the least. I just removed my Audigy 2 ZS as it does not even sound as good as this onboard. Also, it can deliver real Dolby Digital Live AND DTS through the S/Pdif. Playing music and games and what not through my Z-680's has never been so gratifying. Anyone looking to eliminate the sound cards in their new PC's, get this onboard codec and you'll never look back.

madstork91 · 10-03-2006, 01:38 PM

I thought the onboard sound for my mobo was decent enough, then i put in my x-fi. WOW!!!! theres a differance you wouldnt believe. I think the differance comes in how well each individual mobo's built in sound performs and how great of a sound card you are putting in. I mean if there on board is a 5.7 digital surround and the card you put in is s a dual cahnnel stereo surround (just right and left channels) you will actually be going down quite a few notches.

On a side note, there isnt too much of a differance from on board to card or even a 200$ card to a 50$ one if you are using some cheap A$$ speakers. If your card uses 4.??? or higher, you wont know half of the sound that is being played on alot of things untill you go out and spend the money on a decent pair of speakers. Thats my 2 cents worth anyhow.

ps. Im busy right now and am not going to even attempt a half aced job a spell checking. PHEAR MEH TYPOS!

08-17-2006, 12:26 AM	#1
Greg King I just kinda show up... Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 2,081	On board versus sound cards Can anyone really tell a frickin differance? I know I have shitty speakers but still, I wonder daily why I wasted so much money on the Audigy 2 ZS when it came out. Damn it Dark, damn it. __________________ "It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan System: Intel i5 2500K \| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 \| 16GB G.Skill DDR3 \| Crucial M4 128GB SSD WD 1TB Black x1 \| WD 2TB Green x 1 \| XFX Radeonn HD 6850 \| Corsair H80 Water Cooler Fractal Design R3 \| Windows 7 Ultimate x64 \| Dell 2410 x 3 @ 1920x1200 ESXi Host: Intel i7 920 @ 3.0 GHz \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P \| 24GB Patriot DDR3 \| WD 1TB Black x 2

08-17-2006, 12:30 AM	#2
madmat Soup Nazi Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: No soup for you! Posts: 1,639	I can Of course if you've got a good onboard system like the VIA 24 bit or Audigy onboard there's not much reason to lay out good cash on a discrete card. __________________ M4N82 Deluxe Phenom II 940 Black Edition quad core @ 3.5Ghz 2x1 gig OCZ PC26400 Platinum, 2x1gig GSkill PC26400 EVGA GTX260 Buncha drives, Some other stuff, Even more stuff, If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. --Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine Sign Me!

08-17-2006, 07:51 PM	#3
leecho7 Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Baltimore Maryland Posts: 271	I notice a difference between my onboard sound and my sound card. It's a whole world of difference. If you have 80 bucks, then pick up a Sound Blaster Audigy 4. BF2, Oblivion, and even music have never sounded better. With the right headphones/speakers, you'll literally hear things you never heard before in games and in music. My only gripe is all my PCI slots are now used up. One for the sound, and one for the wireless network card... __________________ The way we saluting flags, wrapping them around our heads when niaz ain't become American till 9/11 //Feeling like you gotta sneak into heaven//When the reverend looking like a pimp and the pimp look like the reverend... People let me paint a picture You know I ain't a christian I ain't a muslim, ain't a jew I'm losing my religion I speak to god directly... ~Around my Way - Talib Kweli You go to church to find you some religion//And all you hear is connivin' and gossip and contradiction and//You try to vote and participate in the government//And the muh'f*in' Democrats is actin' like Republicans ~The Beautiful Struggle - Talib Kweli

10-02-2006, 02:01 PM	#4
b1lk1 Tech Monkey Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 821	Sorry to revive such an old topic, but hte latest AL888DD onboard sound is AMAZING to say the least. I just removed my Audigy 2 ZS as it does not even sound as good as this onboard. Also, it can deliver real Dolby Digital Live AND DTS through the S/Pdif. Playing music and games and what not through my Z-680's has never been so gratifying. Anyone looking to eliminate the sound cards in their new PC's, get this onboard codec and you'll never look back. __________________ Oldschool PC: Intel E6300/Nouctua NH-9U w/dual 92mm Panaflos XFX 680i LT Patriot PC2-6400 2X2GB LL 2 X BFG 8800GTX in SLI Enermax Revolution 620W PSU ASUS 24X DVD/Seagate 250GB SATA 2/THermaltake A90/Windows 7 Ultimate 64

10-03-2006, 01:38 PM	#5
madstork91 The One, The Only... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: TEXAS! Posts: 1,434	I thought the onboard sound for my mobo was decent enough, then i put in my x-fi. WOW!!!! theres a differance you wouldnt believe. I think the differance comes in how well each individual mobo's built in sound performs and how great of a sound card you are putting in. I mean if there on board is a 5.7 digital surround and the card you put in is s a dual cahnnel stereo surround (just right and left channels) you will actually be going down quite a few notches. On a side note, there isnt too much of a differance from on board to card or even a 200$ card to a 50$ one if you are using some cheap A$$ speakers. If your card uses 4.??? or higher, you wont know half of the sound that is being played on alot of things untill you go out and spend the money on a decent pair of speakers. Thats my 2 cents worth anyhow. ps. Im busy right now and am not going to even attempt a half aced job a spell checking. PHEAR MEH TYPOS! __________________ ..

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