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Is a sound card worth it for just stereo?

Forum CPU & Components : Sound Cards - Is a sound card worth it for just stereo?

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UltimaSlayerVII   10-08-2008 at 06:16:03 AM

Well, I was originally going to go with a 780i because only it and the 790i can fit my 3 GPUs, and since the 790i required ddr3, I went with 780i. Now however I found cheap ddr3, and since the 780i cant fit a sound card with the GPUs in place, I'm wondering if its worth it.

I dont really plan to use surround sound, because I am really not used to it. I mean, my dad set up a $3k surround sound system in the living room, and it kicks ass, but it feels very strange in my bedroom, especially while sitting at a desk.

So basically, what I'm wondering is, would a high-quality sound card still increase sound quality even if played at just stereo, and not surround sound?

And in case its not worth it, how is the EVGA 780i's onboard "HD 7.1 onboard sound chipset"?

Thank you.

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teh_boxzor   10-08-2008 at 06:38:16 AM
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well quite simply, yes, but the degree of how much better is deppendent on your speakers. If your using monitor speakers i say no it isn't worth it. if you have some Creative or Logitech 2.0 speakers than the difference will be noticeable.

------------------------------ | Athlon x2 5000+ @ 3.2 | Biostar Tforce 570 sli | Sli 9800GT | 2x 512mb Corsair xms ddr2-800 | 2x 512mb Crucial Tracers ddr-800 | Antec 900 | 22" HannSpree | Creative Itrigue 3000 | PS triple
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Godiwa   10-08-2008 at 08:56:28 AM
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sound quality will never get better then the weakest link in the chain

You can have the best quality audio (lets say an audio dvd) a super sound card, expensive cables leading up to your monitors speakers and yes it will sound like crap.

but if you exchange the monitor speakers with a decent pair of speakers (instead of just pc speakers of good quality) get a nice amp, doesn't have to be huge, but has to be quality and then add 2 nice hifi speakers, don't know the brands over there but here is an example from where I live:
http://www.dali.dk/uk/page288.aspx [...] 7&prod=464 (just an example, taste in speakers vary from person to person).

so think about what you want to archive with your system, even if just stereo and then look for the best quality you can afford in that range.

Reply to Godiwa
johnyeah   10-08-2008 at 08:59:48 AM
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Onboard audio nowadays is good enough for just listening to music, playing games, and watching dvd's.

------------------------------ "If you don't plan on listening, why ask?"
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gamerk316   10-08-2008 at 01:46:14 PM
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The onboard sound for NVIDIA motherboards is excellent. There's no point in getting a dedicated card just for stereo.

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jitpublisher   10-08-2008 at 02:22:54 PM
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Agree here.
I used to always argue that a sound card was the best way to go, but.....

the built in sound on todays boards is really good, nearly amazing on some of the higher end boards.

My advice is never buy a sound card at first. Hook up and run your system for a while, if the sound is just not cutting it, then start looking for a better solution, which most likely will be decent speakers and maybe even an amp first.

Message quoted 1 times
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Stupido   10-08-2008 at 02:45:14 PM
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I don't know on high-end mobos, but on mine (GA-P35-DS3R) the sound seemed OK, until I bought Creative's ExtremeGamer. The difference was quite big... Of course on the same headset :)

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UltimaSlayerVII   10-08-2008 at 05:00:54 PM
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so how is the EVGA 780i's "HD 7.1" onboard sound compared to, say, a x-fi fatal1ty card? Would the sound quality increase be worth having to spend more on DDR3 to run the sound card?

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UltimaSlayerVII   10-08-2008 at 05:02:48 PM
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jitpublisher wrote :

Agree here.
I used to always argue that a sound card was the best way to go, but.....

the built in sound on todays boards is really good, nearly amazing on some of the higher end boards.

My advice is never buy a sound card at first. Hook up and run your system for a while, if the sound is just not cutting it, then start looking for a better solution, which most likely will be decent speakers and maybe even an amp first.



It's not that simple, I will need to buy a 790i mobo, and another 8gb of ddr3 to run the sound card, and Im not going to do that. So I just need an answer, I cant try it.

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gamerk316   10-08-2008 at 06:49:44 PM
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Ummm...you don't need any extra memory to run a sound card as opposed to onboard RAM. Some higher models even have onboard RAM on the card.

I do recommend against any Creative card on a NVIDIA chipset though. Even under XP, I've had countless problems with creative cards, and even they admit there are issues with NVIDIA boards.

The onboard is really good. There is a diffrence between using a soundcard and onboard, but you need to listen for it. I also noticed the control panel for the onboard, as of the last update, seems to have settings for individual speakers...maybe surround sound? Still for Stereo, I'd stick with the onboard either way.

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UltimaSlayerVII   10-09-2008 at 01:24:16 AM
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gamerk316 wrote :

Ummm...you don't need any extra memory to run a sound card as opposed to onboard RAM. Some higher models even have onboard RAM on the card.

I do recommend against any Creative card on a NVIDIA chipset though. Even under XP, I've had countless problems with creative cards, and even they admit there are issues with NVIDIA boards.

The onboard is really good. There is a diffrence between using a soundcard and onboard, but you need to listen for it. I also noticed the control panel for the onboard, as of the last update, seems to have settings for individual speakers...maybe surround sound? Still for Stereo, I'd stick with the onboard either way.



What are you talking about? I said I'd need to go with a 790i, and thus DDR3 RAM, because a 780i wont have room for a sound card after 3 gtx 280s.

Well, like I said, surround sound when I'm so close up to a monitor just doesent feel right, so I'm fine with just high quality stereo, at least for now. So with that in mind, will I be fine with onboard+ a $200 5.1 speaker set? I'm mainly looking for realistic sounds in fps games, and being able to hear footsteps when its quiet.

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chookman   10-09-2008 at 03:08:58 AM
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Arent you contradicting yourself now? you only want stereo yet your going to buy a 5.1 speaker set for $200?

Message quoted 1 times
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33mikeg   10-09-2008 at 05:36:05 AM
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In my opinion, no, it is not worth it. I have a sound card and I bought it for stereo and I noticed no difference whatsoever

Reply to 33mikeg
UltimaSlayerVII   10-10-2008 at 12:15:12 AM
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chookman wrote :

Arent you contradicting yourself now? you only want stereo yet your going to buy a 5.1 speaker set for $200?



How am I contradicting myself? I want high quality stereo, so I'm buying high quality speakers. Whats wrong with that?

Also, I think I'm going to go with the onboard if it really is that good on nvidia boards, because I dont want to blow the extra on DDR3 and the card itself for minimal quality differences.

Thanks

Reply to UltimaSlayerVII
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