How many years should a sound card last? (buying second hand)

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smjpl

smjpl

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Simple question. On average how many years should you get out of a sound card? I'm looking to buy a Auzentech Xi Forte 7.1 second hand and wondering how old would it have to be for it not to be worth buying? Do they breakdown overtime or should it last a 5 years and upwards? Will it lose its quality over time also?
Cheers
 
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JonnyWhite89
I never had a sound card fail on me, they get replaced because like GPU's something better has come out with more features. They don't get anything like as hot as a GPU or put under as much stress. Drivers and support decide weather or not it will work in a new computer, XP still supports 8 bit sound cards.

If that card is working then I doubt it will die before you need a new computer. That is my opinion and looking around other threads allot of others share it.
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JonnyWhite89

JonnyWhite89

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How long is a peace of string, everything that manufactured has a fail rate, some devices will out live the user and others die very quickly or never work. When you buy secondhand you have to chance it and see what kind of warranty you can get.

Most of the time without moving parts they should last, IMHO.
 
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smjpl

smjpl

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I know that it is going to vary from card to card but I'm talking more in general terms for a sound card. GPU's can easily last 6+ years but I would't recommend buying one over 3 maybe 4 years old. Get them at a cheap price and they will last for a year or two. Saves you spending €400 on a brand new high end gpu. (I have some experience with gpu's)

I am clueless when it comes to sound cards. Are they put under a lot of stress in normal use? Do they heat up a lot? How often would one tend to replace a sound card? Every 4 years or longer? Would they replace it because there is better out there (like gpu's), would they replace it because its starting to lose quality or because it just stops working altogether? Like I said I'm a little clueless when it comes to sound cards.

The card I'm looking at isn't sold anywhere in Europe any more but it has the specs of a high end Asus Xonar card. I am looking to get a high end headset/sound card for positional accuracy in first person shooters. It isn't easy on a budget. Audio Technica ATH-AD700's (around €150) and I'm hoping to get this card for around €50 as opposed to spending €150-€200 on a high end Xonar card.
 
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JonnyWhite89

JonnyWhite89

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I never had a sound card fail on me, they get replaced because like GPU's something better has come out with more features. They don't get anything like as hot as a GPU or put under as much stress. Drivers and support decide weather or not it will work in a new computer, XP still supports 8 bit sound cards.

If that card is working then I doubt it will die before you need a new computer. That is my opinion and looking around other threads allot of others share it.
 
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smjpl

smjpl

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Thanks for your reply. This gives me a bit more confidence in buying the card.
 
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