Hey guys,

I am a bit confused right now. I have heard people say that sound cards are better than integrated audio codecs as they lift the load from the processor and provide a much better sound quality.

I have an MSI P975X platinum mobo, which has an ALC880 codec integrated into it. Will I see a boost in the audio quality and gaming performance if I choose to install a separate sound card? I don't think the load on the processor is an issue anymore thanks to the dual cores, what do you guys think?

Any suggestions will be appreciated...

Thanks

Msi usually has fairly good sounding onboard sound, but my personal machines at home all have sound cards - not for hardware performance - just because they sound better.

The performance difference is about 2-3 FPS in games and even with Dual and Quad cores your CPU usage will drop with a dedicated sound card. The choice is yours though, if you really like high quality sound and have a good set of speakers/headphones then a seperate sound card might be a good idea. Also there are things like EAX which likely are not supported by onboard sound and you can provide support buy installing a sound card.

That said onboard sound has come a long way and I really feel that unless you really need high quality audio (as I do) you can can get by with inteqrated audio. Keep in mind that your sound is only as good as your speakers and if you have cheap speakers/headphones your wasting your money on a highend sound card.

If the game support it, the Xi-Fi and other top end cards will produce more voices, giving a better sound experience. Try 3DMark03, it has a sound test.

Mike.

Great question, one I’ve also wondered about. Three good replies so far. Are there any good test/comparisons out there? I’d like to see a chart that includes the best of the oldies many of us still have, such as my Hercules Fortissimo 7.1 card and my Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, compared to modern onboard sound and to the new sound cards. My old cards were rated highly years ago, and still sound great to me, but are they still better than today's onboard codecs?

^
Exactly, I would like to see a chart of that kind too. I have a couple of Sound Blaster LIVE! cards lying around but don't know if they will perform better than my current on board card.

Based on the replies, I guess I will just keep using my on board card. I don't think its worth spending 50-90 bucks for just a couple of frames, as far as superior sound quality goes... I would love to get that but I have crappy speakers *Creative Inspire 4.1 surround system*

Try 3DMark03, it has a sound test. I went from onboard to Xi-Fi. My onboard could not run the 60 voice test in 3DMark03. You can tell the difference!

MIke.

I beg to differ from the person who said the 2-3 person difference.

I go from ~60 fps to ~40 fps is 3dmark 03 with 24 voices in 3dmark 03. 40 fps is good though, the eye can only see 30. I'm buying a x-fi gamer or se for a better sounding system, just got my headphones fixed. Only thing holding me back is that my bro might get a new one and I would just buy his of him.