Is the X-Fi Fatal1ty sound card worth the investment?

[slimpickinZ]

I just sold my Audigy 2 zs, newegg has the X-fi Fatal1ty card for $199 shipped. Should I make the investment?

 

[halcyon]

I just sold my Audigy 2 zs, newegg has the X-fi Fatal1ty card for $199 shipped. Should I make the investment?

Not IMO. Not until everygame you want to play can exploit X-RAM and that exploitation provides a noticable increase in fps over an $82 X-Fi XM. Get the X-Fi XM and if you have to have the breakout box get the Platinum...$179...but if you're going to flip for the Platinum you might as well get the Fata1ity...you'll have some bragging rights with your mates.

 

[McDull]

I don't see games supporting X-RAM which makes a Fatal1ty nothing different from an Extreme Music. If you have the money to spare, I think spending a little bit more on Elite Pro will be marginally more meaningless given its slightly better spec than the other three models. If not, get an Extreme Music and it will have identical performance to a Fatal1ty

 

[twolfe18]

actually, prey is the first game to utilized X-ram (to my knowledge):

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2006/07/19/prey/4.html

i still dont think its anywhere near worth it. i upgraded from a good integrated sound system to an x-fi xtrememusic, and it was a minor jump. i read reviews that put the audigy2 zs almost at almost exactly the same performance as the x-fi... 8O

 

[JonathanDeane]

I realy enoy my X-fi Fatal1ty so im a little biased and it was a good jump up from my Audigy 1 (I dont know about the ZS as I never had one) Dont ask people if its worth it or not... if you enjoy having good sound and want to hear an honest opinion talk to people who have actualy used one (You cant read about how something sounds....)

Edit: The first game to use the X-Ram was Quake 4. Prey also uses Open AL wich will be the direct X of sound. Other games use it via a patch (but Quake 4 and Prey you actualy pick up a couple of FPS)

Edit Edit: More information on OpenAL here (I should have guessed this one lol) http://www.openal.org/

And the list of games that use it here (the list is far far larger then I had imagined) http://www.openal.org/titles.html

 

[Heyyou27]

Not until everygame you want to play can exploit X-RAM and that exploitation provides a noticable increase in fps over an $82 X-Fi XM.

By the time that happens Creative will already have their new line of soundcards out.