Best PCI-e sound card for gaming/movies in 5.1

[bryan5678]

I have a Dell vostro230 pc and I what to install a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD PCIe Sound Card for music. Will this sound card work in my pc? What is the difference between a PCI and the PCI-e sound cards?

 

[mathew7]

PCIe is for PCI Express. The X-Fi uses a PCIe x1 slot. GPUs use PCIe x16 slot (much longer).
Seeing the specs of Vostro 230, I can say it should work, since the discrete GPU options on the site all seem to be single-cooling. So the only way it would NOT work is:
- somebody put a dual-slot cooling GPU (not from Dell options)
AND
- PCIe x1 slot si directly under the PCIe x16 slot

PS: I'm talking about what I can see on the Dell website now.

 

[hell_storm2004]

I would thing Asus Xonar DX to be one of the best in the market!

 

[quickmana]

I think you wlil get better sound quality from the Asus Xonar DX (like hell_storm2004 posted), but you will have a better gaming experience on the Creative X-FI Platinum (both are pci-e).

Be warned that if you get the creative card you need to be VERY careful with drivers and be a bit technical, the software is sensitive (ie, you need to do a complete uninstall and bios disable of your onbord soundcard before install.

 

[wolfram23]

I think Creative cards are pretty bunk these days. They've had a plethora of issues, as quickmana pointed out.

Asus Xonar DX is a good one for sure. HT Omega as well, and AuzenTech Bravura are all quite good.

 

[MEgamer]

I think you wlil get better sound quality from the Asus Xonar DX (like hell_storm2004 posted), but you will have a better gaming experience on the Creative X-FI Platinum (both are pci-e).

Be warned that if you get the creative card you need to be VERY careful with drivers and be a bit technical, the software is sensitive (ie, you need to do a complete uninstall and bios disable of your onbord soundcard before install.

lol what do exaclty mean by gaming experience. if you mean EAX< its pretty dead now, unless OP plays pre2005 games. soundqaulity qise, i would think the asus has better sound quality, plus the x-fi processors FOR processing is now pointless, since the days of vista and over- sound is always processed using the CPU.