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Sound Cards - to be or not to be?

Post Date: 2009-10-18
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JoeBagaDonuts View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote JoeBagaDonuts Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Sound Cards - to be or not to be?
    Posted: 18 Oct 2009 at 3:52pm
Aloha all!
     I'm one of the frenzied hordes hitting up the internet to buy a new rig for Windows 7. Angry
     Digital Storm looks great - love that BBB rating... I've had a true Alienware and a Falcon Northwest in the past and in truth, both were great experiences.
     EXCEPT for sound issues with my Talon that almost put me in the bin with the loons... The dreaded *gasp* SCP (snap crackle pop)!  It could be subtle enough that it was hardly noticeable, like a fart in the wind. But then other times it was like someone was cookin' up some Jiffy Pop Popcorn in my head! Creative never gave us a new driver over the years and we had like a fifty two page cry thread going on in their forum until they finally went, "aw shucks", and admitted the problem. I kept the Fatal1ty card though after I came up with an acceptable workaround but it was a headache for a good eleven months of restarts, experiments gone awry and many, many tears... Wink
     My point is : I know the Titanium editions can still have this issue >>> MAYBE! But I loathe the company now and want another brand but I don't want any SCP with them either...
     Are those decent cards on the Digital Storm options page or is the best route to go with on-board sound? I'm just curious as I'll be twiddling my thumbs for awhile as I want to make sure 7 is all thats its cracked up to be! Peace!
    
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EdH63 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1826 		  Quote EdH63 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Oct 2009 at 4:19pm
I've always used SCs and never had problems.  I'm aware of people having issues with cards, but I haven't.  I'm an audiophile and I like to have the best sound reproduction, and you just can't get that flexibility with onboard sound.  Can you get some good sound with onbaord?  Yes.  But I needed the flexibility an independent SC offers.  There will be some here that will steer you way form a SC because of their experience, but this is something that no one's going to be able to decide for you.  As you can see from my sig I use a Fata1ity and it rocks.  I've updated the driver once in the two years I've had it and have had zero issues with it. 

Edited by EdH63 - 18 Oct 2009 at 8:57pm
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Onkel_Ken View Drop Down
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Posts: 2961 		  Quote Onkel_Ken Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Oct 2009 at 4:38pm
I also have the Fata1ity Champion and have not had any trouble.  The only thing I noticed was that window update doesn't do a good job for driver update.  I just use the Creative Software AutoUpdate instead to keep up to date.
 
 
I hope I can avoid any of the issues you have ran in to.
 
Perhaps some of the other owners will be able to share their experiences with some of the other sound card options available at DS.
 
 
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EdH63 View Drop Down
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Posts: 1826 		  Quote EdH63 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 Oct 2009 at 4:50pm
Onkel_Ken brings up a very good observation.  Absolutely do not let Windows install a driver for your SC.  Go to the site as he stated and get the driver there.  I set Windows to download, but not install.

Edited by EdH63 - 18 Oct 2009 at 8:56pm
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JoeBagaDonuts View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote JoeBagaDonuts Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 1:09am
Thanks for the input! I don't mean to bash Creative as they had been good to me since the days of 3dfx and I still use the card that gave me all those headaches three years ago (and they still don't have a decent driver for it Smile). But I did get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after dealing with SCP! So I don't even want to try the Titanium line; especially after googling around a little and finding certain configurations that still have it after all this time...
Sleepy
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<8) slunK parade View Drop Down
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Posts: 798 		  Quote <8) slunK parade Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 7:58am
onboard sound is great
SC's are a waste of $ to me
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Psimon View Drop Down
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Posts: 249 		  Quote Psimon Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 11:46am
Well, I stopped using a sound board about the time Vista came out. I wasn't getting crackle-pop, I was getting stuttering and game crashes. I finally got ticked off and yanked my Xtremegamer board.  
 
To be fair, it's not all Creative's fault. With Vista, Microsoft changed the audio architexture and API, and effectively neutered DirectSound. CL came out with Alchemy, a workaround for the problems. Still, their drivers have continued to have issues to this day. There was a guy who was putting out 3rd party drivers that actually worked better than CL's, but they reached out & crushed him after he started asking for donations to support his work.
 
I still don't have a sound board, but I have to admit ASUS's Xonar is appealing. Supposedly they have some onboard firmware that eliminates the need to run Alchemy. The board has good reviews. I'm not an ASUS fan, though, at least not of their mobo's.
 
It's a "wait and see" for me too. I doubt MS is gonna change the audio API again in Windows7, but you never know. I wouldn't consider a sound board until I know how the ground lies in W7.
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JoeBagaDonuts View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote JoeBagaDonuts Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 2:15pm
     Thanks guys! I am leaning towards on-board sound but I, too, like the look of that Asus sound card... Buts its like reaching into a box of chocolates without even looking, isn't it? I could get a double dutch chocolate or then again, I could pull out one of those nasty orange ones, with the consistency of caulking...
Does on-board have that killer 3D sound that we've all gotten used to with Creative's products? (lol >>> I love it that other peeps write drivers for them!!!)
     Also, how did you guys like that contraption that DS shipped INSIDE your rigs? I'll probably start another thread on that but I'm curious... I just watched that video where they pull that "sanitary napkin" out of that rig like it was a giant vagina or something. I realize that the rigs must arrive in working order with that fabulous BBB rating but I just don't like the idea of something loose, banging around inside my new dream machine. Guess I'm a wuss... Broken%20Heart
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JoeBagaDonuts View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote JoeBagaDonuts Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 2:34pm
Nooooooooooooo. I'm just a dumbass!!! I can't find the edit button on my last post so I'll just do a newbie wail with one of these tantalizing emoticons >>> Wink
Anyhow, what is not clear in my above post, when I shamelessly highjacked my own thread, is >>> did you find the packaging shipping with DS to be a pain in the pooper or was it easy to deal with? That video on taking out that chunk of packaging, from the inside of a fragile rig, looked cautionary. I'd never seen anything like it... It must work, huh? Anyhow, thanks again for the sound feedback. I'm going to go read up on that Asus! Lamp
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Psimon View Drop Down
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Posts: 249 		  Quote Psimon Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 Oct 2009 at 5:18pm
It comes right out pretty easily, not an issue.
 
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JoeBagaDonuts View Drop Down
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Posts: 22 		  Quote JoeBagaDonuts Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 20 Oct 2009 at 1:31am
Gracias Psimon!
 
     It just took me by surprise that thats how they shipped 'em. Falcon Northwest suspends their rigs in industrial strength plastic so your computer kind of floats in its box. To each his own...
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