Just wondering...everyone always talks about graphics cards, but does having a better sound card help with performance? i mean obviously your sound will be better but in terms of over all computer/game performance?
having surround sound is handy at times, as for the difference between low and high its usually little things like hearing people shouting in the distance and things like that, higher the setting the more small details in audio you get
performance wise id say it wouldnt make any difference, having a card instead of onboard sound would take
a little load off your CPU but other than that i cant see it changing much else
performance wise id say it wouldnt make any difference, having a card instead of onboard sound would take
a little load off your CPU but other than that i cant see it changing much else
Last edited by TheEternalPessimist (2006-03-24 05:18:44)
I've known many who have noticed significant leaps in performance from resource-intensive games merely because they installed an audio card. BF2 happens to be one of these resource hogs, and will be happy with the freed CPU usage that comes with not using onboard. As for the quality of sound, that will definately increase (as the op noted), and has been mentioned even by non-audiophiles. Having experienced the difference sound cards can make over the years I've had computers, I like to strike down their ever-growing label as "gimmicky and completely-unnecessary in the modern world of motherboards with built-in sound" whenever I get a chance, and always recommend them to any gamer looking to upgrade or build a PC. As for surround, it isn't necessary. I just use a nice pair of (Sony MDR-V900) headphones for the most part, and they don't degrade the quality of sound coming from my Audigy 2 ZS whatsoever. But from my days of Doom on mono and 2-speaker stereo, I'm usually able to tell where an assault is coming from on intuition rather than knowledge.
Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2006-03-24 06:18:18)
YES, getting a good sound card helps. Having a sound card that can process sound info easily, and remove some of the burden from the CPU (my understanding is that onboard sound involves the use of the CPU) can help up your performance. I have a pretty decent system:
ASUS A8n-SLi Deluxe mobo
AMD 64 3500+ (oc'ed to 2.6ghz, but still probably my bottleneck)
2 gigs of Corsair VS Ram
2x eVGA 7800gt CO (copper heatsink) factory OCed running in SLi
and a Silverstone Zeus 650 watt continuous (700+ watt max) SLi certified PSU to keep everything powered.
I was previously using onboard sound......cause I, like you, didn't know the importance of a good sound card.
I played BF2 with no problems. However, when I got SF, I couldn't run it. The sound was too choppy and was causing performance issues. This forced me to get a new sound card.
I opted for the Audigy 2 ZS because they are still awesome cards, and the price has dropped dramatically since the introduction of the X-Fi.
Now I can run SF......and the BEST part is, you have a major advantage over players that don't have a good sound card. Why? Because trust me, with a good sound card, you will hear things you never heard before. Not only can you hear people coming, you can hear them coming from far away, and from which direction. This is VERY helpful. I was blown away by all the new sounds I heard when I got my Audigy (I never knew there were frog sounds on Zatar Wetlands before.....haha).
KiL
ASUS A8n-SLi Deluxe mobo
AMD 64 3500+ (oc'ed to 2.6ghz, but still probably my bottleneck)
2 gigs of Corsair VS Ram
2x eVGA 7800gt CO (copper heatsink) factory OCed running in SLi
and a Silverstone Zeus 650 watt continuous (700+ watt max) SLi certified PSU to keep everything powered.
I was previously using onboard sound......cause I, like you, didn't know the importance of a good sound card.
I played BF2 with no problems. However, when I got SF, I couldn't run it. The sound was too choppy and was causing performance issues. This forced me to get a new sound card.
I opted for the Audigy 2 ZS because they are still awesome cards, and the price has dropped dramatically since the introduction of the X-Fi.
Now I can run SF......and the BEST part is, you have a major advantage over players that don't have a good sound card. Why? Because trust me, with a good sound card, you will hear things you never heard before. Not only can you hear people coming, you can hear them coming from far away, and from which direction. This is VERY helpful. I was blown away by all the new sounds I heard when I got my Audigy (I never knew there were frog sounds on Zatar Wetlands before.....haha).
KiL
Last edited by KingLou (2006-03-26 23:14:49)
Another option is to get a USB headset; they basically have a built-in sound card. They don't have a lot of the extras you can get with an Audigy or X-Fi, but are fairly cheap and are great for gaming. I use a Plantronics DSP500, and I love it. I have my BF2 audio settings set to Hardware, High, EAX enabled and everything sounds great. If you are going to use a headset anyway, this is a good way to go for the money. Basically, I use the headset for gaming, but I can switch to the onboard sound/speakers when I need to.
Or just get a DFI mb..
My DFI NF3 Ultra D Mb onboard audio lets me use high, EAX enabled.
My DFI NF3 Ultra D Mb onboard audio lets me use high, EAX enabled.
Surround sound is a must. Definitely helps your game. 5.1 all the way.
The only problem with the Plantronics DSP500 is that they break very easily. Within 2 years I went through about three of them.
I currently use the Audigy 2 ZS, and it works like a charm. If you are all about bleeding edge technoloy, then i would go for the X-Fi sound cards.
I currently use the Audigy 2 ZS, and it works like a charm. If you are all about bleeding edge technoloy, then i would go for the X-Fi sound cards.
atlvolunteer wrote:
Another option is to get a USB headset; they basically have a built-in sound card. They don't have a lot of the extras you can get with an Audigy or X-Fi, but are fairly cheap and are great for gaming. I use a Plantronics DSP500, and I love it. I have my BF2 audio settings set to Hardware, High, EAX enabled and everything sounds great. If you are going to use a headset anyway, this is a good way to go for the money. Basically, I use the headset for gaming, but I can switch to the onboard sound/speakers when I need to.
I view having a sound card in headset the same way I'd view monitors if they had a built-in video card. Nice, but not very upgradable.DeathsTouch wrote:
The only problem with the Plantronics DSP500 is that they break very easily. Within 2 years I went through about three of them.
I currently use the Audigy 2 ZS, and it works like a charm. If you are all about bleeding edge technoloy, then i would go for the X-Fi sound cards.
I am not really all about X-Fi cards because they're bleeding edge; I recommend them because they sound the best out of anything I've heard on PC's by a significant margin. The only thing that beats them is a good old fashioned Sound Blaster 16 (if you're playing classic games...then you get your MIDI music the way it was supposed to sound).
Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2006-03-27 18:53:48)
Yeah, if you are going to buy a sound card, I would get the X-Fi. I have heard that they have awesome virtual surround sound for headphones.
EDIT: but for the money, the DSP500 is great. I only spent ~$50 for it. IMO not bad for the whole package.
EDIT: but for the money, the DSP500 is great. I only spent ~$50 for it. IMO not bad for the whole package.
Last edited by atlvolunteer (2006-03-27 17:36:20)
Yea get the xtrememusic version it rocks : )
Saving for the Elite Pro or the Fatal1ty, merely because I do music.Maj.Do wrote:
Yea get the xtrememusic version it rocks : )
I used the AD1888 onboard from my Asus P4S800D-E Deluxe with a good set of headphones for a long time and never had any issues with it. I had an older Audigy card laying around, so I used that for a while and it was a definate upgrade. My wife bought me the Soundblaster X-Fi Xtreme Music for my birthday, and I have to say the difference is amazing. I could hear everything before, but the now I can hear EVERYTHING and I can tell a hell of a lot better where I am taking enemy fire from. When I am taking a flag I can distinclty make out the sound of the enemy artillery firing, and I can hear so clearly when the enemy is around a corner trying to sneak up on me.
I would say that the X-Fi has improved my situational awareness 100%, which I feel has greatly improved my gameplay overall.
I would say that the X-Fi has improved my situational awareness 100%, which I feel has greatly improved my gameplay overall.
Placebo effect. Any EAX sound card and the same 5.1 speakers will do the same.
Last edited by 99Ram2500 (2006-03-28 11:39:24)
I don't think most soundcards produce good positional sound for headphones, but, from what I have heard, you can get awesome positional 3D with headphones with the X-FI. This would be a definite advantage.
When I went from a nice soundcard to built-in sound, I lost 5-9fps. Not a big deal in my current rig, as I don't really notice it anyway. I run medium with EAX enabled btw.
When someone besides Creative makes a good card, I'll probably buy it. I swore off those bastards years ago, and would prefer not to spend the money on another falsely advertised, over priced, poorly suppported paperweight. The X-Fi cards look promising, and I'll probably try it if I ever get a free one, but Creative has burned me with bad products of all sorts for 10 years before I swore them off, that I list them at the top of my 'never buy from these guys' list. YMMV of course...
R.I.P. Hercules Game Theater. I hardly knew ye
When someone besides Creative makes a good card, I'll probably buy it. I swore off those bastards years ago, and would prefer not to spend the money on another falsely advertised, over priced, poorly suppported paperweight. The X-Fi cards look promising, and I'll probably try it if I ever get a free one, but Creative has burned me with bad products of all sorts for 10 years before I swore them off, that I list them at the top of my 'never buy from these guys' list. YMMV of course...
R.I.P. Hercules Game Theater. I hardly knew ye
I humbly beg to differ, the difference between the Audigy and X-Fi for me(at least in BF2) is no placebo. The difference is quite pronounced, and I am not an audiophile in the least. There is a possibility that the increased fidelity may be attributed to the X-Fi/ultra high audio setting in game though.99Ram2500 wrote:
Placebo effect. Any EAX sound card and the same 5.1 speakers will do the same.
Last edited by agwood (2006-03-28 17:51:03)
Sounds "different" better quality, is all opinion. I doubt any computer speakers, even Gigaworks really work even an Audigy 2 sound card. The quality they put out is killed by computer speakers. To hear of people using headphones, is even worse.
My placebo effect comment was to hearing more sounds. If EAX was on before, youre hearing the same sounds. They may sound slightly 'different', but the latest soundcard doesnt let you hear more sounds.
My placebo effect comment was to hearing more sounds. If EAX was on before, youre hearing the same sounds. They may sound slightly 'different', but the latest soundcard doesnt let you hear more sounds.
So honestly without trying to start some kind of argument with you. Without stating if you have used an X-Fi card or not it seems like you are making pretty generic blanket statements without possibly having tried the technology you are so quick to down. Realisticly if you have a good sound card already and use speakers, the differences are probably too subtle to make an upgrade worthwhile. With good quality headphones, however, an upgrade yields noticeably improved sound. Also in the X-Fi’s favor is the ability play up to 128 audio streams in Battlefield 2 at the highest quality setting. That might sound like overkill, but on a 64-player server, the game will generate more than the 64 audio streams the Audigy2 ZS is capable of, and it makes a REAL difference.... that is not my opinion99Ram2500 wrote:
Sounds "different" better quality, is all opinion. I doubt any computer speakers, even Gigaworks really work even an Audigy 2 sound card. The quality they put out is killed by computer speakers. To hear of people using headphones, is even worse.
My placebo effect comment was to hearing more sounds. If EAX was on before, youre hearing the same sounds. They may sound slightly 'different', but the latest soundcard doesnt let you hear more sounds.
So if you have given the X-Fi a fare shake... cool... sorry you didn't like it, before I got one I didn't want to trust that it could be as good as it is, but there is no doubt that the difference is real and I am not just trying to justify a $125.00 sound card.
EDIT: I use the Zalman ZM-RS6F 5.1 surround headphones.. and they are slick as hell...
Last edited by agwood (2006-03-28 23:59:07)
nice^ also im thinking im getting headphones for my dorm so yea is the Zalman the best?
I cant say that the Zalman ZM-RS6F's are the best, but I will say that they are the best I have tried by a long shot. I just wish that the MIC was a boom type rather than the seperate clip on dealy.. not my favorite
Last edited by agwood (2006-03-29 17:38:27)
Why have zalman when you can have Sennheiser's!
simply a matter of economics. The Sennheiser's are sweet.. but the ones i want are about $150.00 where the zalmans were around $50.. good enough for me for now. I guess if I played more I would invest more for headphones, but I find it harder and harder to find time to play these days.
EDIT: and I find that the sheer numbers of complete Douchebags playing has increased a lot lately.. heh...
EDIT: and I find that the sheer numbers of complete Douchebags playing has increased a lot lately.. heh...
Last edited by agwood (2006-03-30 12:01:51)
X-FI = 40% increase in gaming. thanx to ram on the card
40% of what? 40% of nothing is still nothing...
I'd like to see a page with some benchmarks of on-board sound with low medium and high settings vs x-fi etc with low medium high and eax enabled.
Sure it will sound better it should you just spent over 150 bucks on a sound card.
But what can one expect with lag, fps, load times, etc.
For my machine BF2 isn't that CPU intensive changing sounds from low to medium certainly created more sounds. Better? Subjective... but I'm certainly enjoying the game more with medium sound details.
Question is? Would using a sound card such as the x-fi benifit the game non-sound wise?
Would installing an audigy 2 in a slower P4 with onboard sound make the game more playable?
I'd like to see a page with some benchmarks of on-board sound with low medium and high settings vs x-fi etc with low medium high and eax enabled.
Sure it will sound better it should you just spent over 150 bucks on a sound card.
But what can one expect with lag, fps, load times, etc.
For my machine BF2 isn't that CPU intensive changing sounds from low to medium certainly created more sounds. Better? Subjective... but I'm certainly enjoying the game more with medium sound details.
Question is? Would using a sound card such as the x-fi benifit the game non-sound wise?
Would installing an audigy 2 in a slower P4 with onboard sound make the game more playable?