New sound card option

yippy

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Jul 14, 2010
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Since my old rig died not long ago, i suspect its the mobo, im thinking of building a new 1.
Whats the best sound card i can buy with a limited budget that does not take up too much space?
Please state the connector type as well thanks =D
i only own 2.1 speakers so whether its 5.1 or 7.1 im not really bothered.
 
Are you thinking of building a new rig?

Sound cards today are integrated into the mobos, and provide good enough sound, either 2.1 or 5.1 in most cases.

Or are you just going to buy a replacement motherboard?

PCI or ISA slotted sound card?
 
Uh well for generic 2.1 audio and if you're not an audiophile, motherboard "HD" audio will suit you fine. Otherwise, well, really depends on your budget. Sub $100 something like Xonar DX (the slim one) or Creative XFi Titanium would be ok (or the HT Striker Omega I hear is good). If you want a big step up for only a little more cash, AuzenTech Bravura or Forte are great. If you want more, Xonar D2X or AuzenTech HD HomeTheater are rather good.
 

thefivetheory

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Apr 9, 2009
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It really depends what your "limited budget" is. At $150, I'd recommend the Auzentech Forte over anything else. Under $100, probably a Xonar DX/DS as suggested above. All three of these are low-profile PCIe cards so will take up less space for the most part, though they're a bit long, and are quality cards.
 

yippy

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Jul 14, 2010
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i would say at about 100~150 SGD (singapore dollars)
i do not like onboard sound cards. my ears are pretty sensitive and i can hear that the audio is somewhat "cut-off" especially when lots of drums and guitar at the same time which they seem to cancel off each other's sound. my 5 year old ECS mobo was better than my 3year old gigabyte's lol. Im planning to build a brand new rig.

I forgot to add in that im using Altec Lansing ATP3 speakers. are they "good"? so far i found them okay for its price.