On-board audio

i am i don't see a prob

They say the X-Fi cards can take some of the audio processing off of the processor by having a dedicated sound card, therefor giving you a few more FPS in games. I think the differance would be minimal-but yes, a slight improvement. The newer motherboards apparently have pretty good onboard sound these days though. The Diamond P6N has a built in X-Fi card as well. 

If you're into OC'ing definitly go with the A1+onboard. You will get a better OC with that board and I think the onboard sound will be ok for you. If not you can always buy a cheap aftermarket soundcard and pop it right in to get a few extra framerates in your games.

If you go with the LT+x-fi and decide you want a better MB it will be a hassle taking your whole computer apart to replace it. Just my opinion of course.

I also wanted to add, you can get a Sound Blaster Audigy card for like $25 down the road. It has similar on board processing that will take some load off your computer.

They've lost me on the USB thing too.

SkyR, when you say "produce better audio" is this a decoder issue with the onboard sound? Is the built in D to A decoder better in the headsets you're thinking of?

Ok, now it makes sense. Less than perfect decoder and pre amp stages for the built in sound. 

You could certainly go with the X-Fi cards that have continual support, I was just giving an example of a cheaper budget card as an option. I dont know if your going to be using Vista, in which case Vista wont support DirectSound3D. You would have to get an X-Fi card with ALchemy for Vista. My point is there are aftermarket cards you can get on the cheap that will support on board processing, either with Vista or XP.  


Heres a blurb from IGN about Vista going the software route and disabling onboard hardware support:

"Creative is now working to include full EAX support through OpenAL for use with Windows Vista, which I will be keen to see since OpenAL is cross platform, with support for Mac, Linux, Xbox 360, Windows, and others," he said. At the end of the day, the changes in Vista's audio stack will have far reaching effects. Like any launch of a new version of Windows, there'll be a period of adjustment while drivers and software are tweaked for compatibility, and Vista will be no exception. There's also the big question surrounding the future of hardware accelerated audio, but it may take years to see where that leads.

For the time being, if you're using Vista, download your ALchemy patch, update your drivers and play the game surrounded by sound - the way it should be played. Well, provided you're running an X-Fi that has native OpenAL 1.1 support. Sadly Audigy and Soundblaster users might find themselves looking for a new sound card, and EAX for non X-Fi users could be a thing of the past."

I've read some good reviews on sound cards other than Creatives lineup as well. Auzentech comes to mind as a branch of of Creative but has some great added features like Dolby Digital real time encoding. In any case-theres a slew of after market sound cards that are easy to put in depending on your needs at the time and what OS your running. Many choices to pick from, and much easier than replacing a mobo. Heres Auzentech help page answering questions about how they improve over on board audio, vista compatibility, etc.

http://www.auzentech.com/site/support/FAQ.php




Edited by donkeypunch - 07 Oct 2007 at 2:25pm

I had the same thinking as you about waiting for the next big thing to be released, and then when that came out the new latest and greatest gizmo would be on the horizon so I would wait again! Technology moves so fast its almost like you just have to jump right in. I actually went with the components you mentioned-quad core, GTX, and X-Fi.

In any event, when finances allow, or if Santa permits ,I wish you well in building your dream machine and hope you come back and consider Digital Storm. They're a great bunch of people and are always willing to help their customers design the system of their dreams. At least I know they helped me tremendously in my build. Good luck!

Agreed. Its great finally getting the computer thats just right. I can only imagine all the cool new components you'll have to choose from in 6 months time. I'm sure I'll be on the forums for some time as well and look forward to seeing you around and seeing what you decide to go with.