Sound Card & Performance

[Ahlerich]

since my 386 times i never bought a soundcard anymore as there is always a chip on my mobo

does it make sense just for gaming to get a sound card these days. does the performance of games is increased when using a sound card instead of the mobo chip. i could imagine that the card processes the sound better and takes load of the cpu/mobo that way. is it true.

if getting a soundcard can i expect better performance in games? a little better, much better or not better at all?

also whats the best sound settings in games if i get a sound card. do i switch the sound settings to hardware or software?

[Taiji]

Hiya Alerich

They aren't really standardised very clearly, mate. So the answer to all of your questions is yes/no depending on the card and the game.

I went for an Xfi Champion Fatal1ty because ideally I needed to hear more than 128 sounds at the same time, but that was the best I could get, and a mate sold it to me for a good price. I was playing Project Reality, which is a BF2 mod (and the best shooter around), and so I need to be able to hear many gunshot sources, footsteps, vehicles, etc. 32 or 64 'samples' wasn't working well enough for me.

As for framerates... I couldn't care less. If anything I think PR was running slightly slower for giving me 128 samples. One of those rare moments where I sacrificed my framerate to gain kills.

I would recommend getting a dedicated soundcard for sure, but not for framerates. Do it because you want better sound or don't bother, that's my advice.

[HansDuet]

Don't get a sound card just for gaming unless you do it for money.

It takes some load off from other components and gives you better sounds than integrated chips. One good thing about them is that they do not age as fast as other components.

[mrmouth]

I guess I would only recommend getting a SC if music is also important to you. Onboard has come a long way, but is tailored to gaming almost exclusively. Plenty suitable for gaming, but isn't going to offer what the dedicated cards do.

So you are looking at spending upwards of $200 for anything worth getting. If you want a hybrid card that is good for music and gaming, something like the Auzentech x-fi forte can be had for under $150. Or the Asus Xonar Essence cards are better for music, but not as strong for gaming. The forte also has a better headphone amp.

I own the Auzen forte, and could recommend that. And of course you need something suitable to listen on. I always use headphones.

[Taiji]

That's a good point, BarnabyJones, I use medusa 5.1 headphones when I'm gaming seriously.

[Ahlerich]

i ended up buying a sound blaster card for mainly nostalgic reasons. together with a new speaker set with subwoover from logitec i must say i am impressed by the sound. cant really tell if the card or the speakers or the combinations does this but as i spent less then 100bucks i could care less. thnaks for the tips and advice guys. i d rep you all if i could - however i have 12 points on my bad boy account so i cant