x64 vista gaming build.. what to do?

My current build centers around a budget Gigabyte p35 board.

http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] e=Gigabyte


I am not sure about the onboard sound solution it has, but im just as unsure of the benefit a card like an Auzentech prelude or a fatality would have.

I already own z5500s on my rig, they will come over to my next build.

Is it worth shelling out for any sound card at this point? Or will i get just as good sound from the onboard solution provided by that board. The system is pretty much only used for gaming and music.


Thanks in advance

Absolutely do not buy a sound card now, use the money elsewhere to pump up your gaming rig, more CPU, memory, or video card.
Your on-board sound will do for now.
Later on, when you have the extra cash to spend and just dying to upgrade something, even though everything is working perfectly, buy a sound card.

A simple solution is to try the motherboard's onboard sound and find out if you like it. If you do like it, then the next thing to do is to try your favorite games and see how they perform. You might download FRAPS for this, as it will tell you frame speeds more accurately than your eyes. Typically a separate card will give you 3-5 FPS in a game, which though small, may make the difference between getting a literal headache or not.

Some of the factory sound systems are fairly decent. Others are bad enough that you'd like to throw them in the trash, especially since you're using a good set of speakers. The ASUS board I recently bought had an actual sound card for its factory sound system, one that plugged into a PCIe 1x slot, so it both doesn't draw on the CPU and has the ability to give better sound than the typical onboard sound. It actually sounds fairly good with my Z5500 speakers. But it still doesn't have quite the quality of tone that a Creative Fatal1ty or Auzentech Prelude would have. Its basically that old line of "You get what you pay for".

So I'd suggest trying the onboard sound and find out if you like it. If it sounds good and the FPS of your games is acceptable, then fine. If not, save some money and look for a separate card.

I ordered the Asus Xonar after considering much feedback.

Ill let you guys know how it is when it arrives with my new build.