| kimosabi |
04-15-2011 04:35 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by T}{OR
(Post 263420)
The biggest advantage of a sound card is that you can pair it with good set of headphones = cheapest way to have a good sound, as some audiophiles would say.
Essence is an under priced product, for what it offers IMO. The only downside is that after trying your MP3's with this - you will be forced to switch to FLAC. :)
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I went from the Auzen X-Fi Prelude to the Essence ST since music and movies are just as important as gaming to me, and I gotta say that the details and quality of the Essence ST is far superior to the Prelude. I don't get the same dynamics in gaming, because the Essence ST don't have EAX etc. but still, it's the best buy I've made in regards of audio.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldschool61
(Post 263650)
This isnt completely true. If you use software "rendering" it is but most onboard sound now is a chip just like on yopur PCI card so in reality your not losing fps. The only thing is a difference in quality and audio features from the sound chip. The term onboard sound refers to a sound processing chip just like your add in card but usually of lower quality, but still not CPU intensive. Several years ago that idea may have held true but not so much today.
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You still use motherboard bandwidth. Yes, you have a separate chip for processing audio but in 99% of all motherboards it's basically just one chip, no other components like powersource through extra caps etc. That's why soundcards sound better than onboard. They are designed to provide good audio, nothing else. Take a look at the new Gigabyte X58 Assassin motherboard, notice how much extra crap is on there for soundquality/features, and see how much extra space it takes to process/provide good sound frequencies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ICDP
(Post 263716)
The difference between onboard and dedicated SC is narrower than it was years ago but the difference is still night and day. Why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars/pounds for a new rig and then use onboard SC is beyond me. "It's good enough" is the usual reply, but anyone who has tried a good SC compared to onboard usually never goes back to onboard.
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It is night and day, even on crappy speakers. I used to run my sound on a couple of Logitech Z-10's. It doesn't get much more plastic than those and still I noticed lots of differences and more clear sound from them when I hooked up a Prelude, instead of using the "7.1" onboard. But the better speakers you have, more easily can you discover noise. People disputing that has their ears full of wax or reduced hearing. |
