ASUS P5P800 onboard Creative audio

i just recently got my ASUS P5P800 mobo. i was hesitant to use the onboard sound, but i figured i would give it a shot before i shelled out any more for a new card.

it came with SoundMax digital audio, and that pretty much sucked. using winamp there would be skips in songs when i accessed other programs and such, but i played a little and that went away. but the music had static to it. i had the same files on another pc and they play crystal clear on a Creative SoundBlaster value card i got at walmart... nothing special.

i just bit the bullet and paid $20 to upgrade to a Sound Blaster Live! ADVANCED mobo. the features are nice, but the sound still sucks.

is there any way to remedy this? i have the latest driver for it and creative shows nothing for driver support.
does onboard audio have to suck? it would be nice if i didn't have to go buy yet another piece of new equipment to make this all work...

ASUS P5P800 - P4 530 3.0GHz
2x256MB PC3200 2-2-2-5 - WD 74GB Raptor
PNY FX5200 128MB/256bit<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by cheepgeek on 02/23/05 03:08 PM.</EM></FONT></P>