This is for a dual boot XP MCE 2005 and Vista Home Premium PC. I am currently using an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum and am looking to replace it with something better. However I wish to be able to use my Audigy 2 ZS Platinum Drive bay with this, mainly for the Headphone, Microphone and other audio ports on the bay.
 
My choices were as follows:
 
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =SC-000-AZ
 
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional Series
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] -CL&tool=3
 
Asus Xonar D2 7.1 PCI Sound Card
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] 11&subcat=
 
 
In terms of usage I would be considered more of a gamer as I do tend to play games that utilise EAX 4/5 technologies like Thief, BF2, Hitman and Splinter Cell games. I am aware that newer games are supporting Dolby Digital Live technology but have yet to experience how much better this is to EAX 4/5. It would be good if these technologies could be enjoyed under Vista but it isn't completely essential as most of my games (bar any DX10 titles) will be played on my XP partition.
 
So, I now open the discussion to the gurus!!

I have a Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Platinum and I like it. Best I remember, the extreme gamer is similar and should work well. The Auzentech uses the X-Fi chip as well and is good, having some better components than the Creative card, but it doesn't have the full driver package that comes from Creative. I've read a few mixed reviews on the ASUS card and Vista, but have no direct experience with it. Creative has been getting some bad press recently, some rightfully earned and some not, so filter what you hear about it carefully.

I have the X-Fi Fatal1ty FPS and it's a great card but the thing with the highend Creative cards is the feature X-RAM (mine has 64MB) which as far as I know to this date isn't used by anything.  So the price premium for the higher end versions is for a feature you won't use.

I would go for this one, good price after MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102018

Lol, what does a sound card do with 64mb of ram?  

LOL, It's supposed to be for caching sounds for games to lighten the load on the CPU but it has to be programmed for and only the most expensive Creative cards have it so no one is going to bother spending the time programming for a feature so few people actually have.

It was a good idea in theory

Yes, excellent idea in theory. I've wondered about that 64mb of X-ram myself, but so far it seemed about as useful as an ISA card. It would be nice if Creative either dumped the X-ram and made the cards cheaper, or the game companies would actually use it. It would be nice if I hit a 12 million dollar jackpot at the local casino as well. Don't expect either to happen.

I'd recommend the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer, the non fatality version.   It's essentially the same card without the stupid xram.  I have this card and i have to say, it's a great card.  
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6829102006
 
Price is much cheaper too.

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14591 3DMark06 6210/6104/4507 Vista 64bit

Personally I have the Asus Xonar. Brilliant sound quality and unlike the Creative Labs cards not only works under Vista but also retains its hardware accelration.

ive heard some very good things about the Auzentech X-Fi series, aparently do more with the X-fi chip then Creative. and creative driver are always a bit ropey. (ie with a New OS comes New issues. although i think they have XP and VIsta Sussed)

Use onboard, spend the money on better speakers instead.

Just outta curiousity have you tried the Audigy2 already? cause they are still a good card, and there are some hacked drivers around that make it work under vista.

I'm using the Fatal1ty in Vista.  I upgraded from the SupremeFX that came with my mobo because I wanted the EAX functionality.  I then found out I had to use a program from Creative called Alchemy to allow EAX functionality for games that don't use openAL since Vista changed the way audio is handled in directX.  The sound quality is great, the effects are sweet, but setting up Alchemy for games that aren't recognized by default can be a pain, and the drivers are still suspect
 
Bottom line: upgrade if you must have EAX to the non-XRAM version, otherwise stick with onboard (unless it's really crappy)

Well I have managed to get Audigy 2 ZS running under Vista. Using the latest drivers it works with the EAX effects but with exams on at the moment I have yet to try it out with any games.  
 
However, the Audigy 2 ZS isn't perfect. I have 6.1 speakers and I cannot use a 6.1 speaker mode so I have to sacrifice the rear center or have 7.1 mapped to the wrong speakers (i.e. side speakers would be classed as back speakers and the one rear center was seen as a side left speaker, with no way to reorder these speakers).  
 
Also the sound tends to randomly pop and crack moreso than when under XP - I smell a problem with the drivers.  
 
Any ideas how to cure this or get more out of my Audigy 2 ZS or am I stuck with this problem

Google "daniel k creative" and youll find what you are looking for...
 
I dont know if he hacked the drivers for the Audigy or not though.

It seems that he has mainly focused on the X-Fi card.  
 
I was thinking of gettin an X-Fi  card as the Audigy 2 ZS is giving me problems with the sound crackling and popping but I dont know which flavour to get
 
My choices were as follows:  
 
Auzentech X-Fi Prelude 7.1 Sound Card  
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] =SC-000-AZ
 
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Gamer Fatal1ty Professional Series  
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] -CL&tool=3  
 
Asus Xonar D2 7.1 PCI Sound Card  
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/show [...] 11&subcat=
 

check this out
http://digiex.net/drivers/164-crea [...] iel_k.html

XRAM was used by gfx cards once