Which of these are better??

[chousreaper]

was looking for a soundcard to replace my on board audio for my month old build.

i was first looking at this because i seen some good reviews on it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132006

but this just went on sale for almost half price
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102019&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

which would be the best decision?

Thanks for the help

 

[natx808]

not a real big fan of creative labs. they have bloaty software and drivers.

the asus has a slightly higher SNR, and a 3 year warranty instead of 1 year on the CL.

but the CL card has optical in/out which is nice if you have a home theatre. ok i guess the asus has mic-in that turns into optical out, that is weird and would be a show stopper for me.

what is the application - gaming, movies, ?

 

[chousreaper]

not a real big fan of creative labs. they have bloaty software and drivers.

the asus has a slightly higher SNR, and a 3 year warranty instead of 1 year on the CL.

but the CL card has optical in/out which is nice if you have a home theatre. ok i guess the asus has mic-in that turns into optical out, that is weird and would be a show stopper for me.

what is the application - gaming, movies, ?

Gaming mostly. really i wanted a card that i can get good quality through my headphones as i play mostly at night.
but i do also use my 2.0 speakers and also have my home theater hooked up through my graphics card atm.

 

[popatim]

You mean thru HDMI?

What headphones and 2.0 speakers are you using?
If they are regular stuff and not highend then you probably wont notice a difference in sound vs the onboard once the equilizer settings are normalized. Once you hit the speakers & amp's maximum sound quality you've hit the fence. Improving the input to them wont help them produce better sounding output.

 

[chousreaper]

You mean thru HDMI?

What headphones and 2.0 speakers are you using?
If they are regular stuff and not highend then you probably wont notice a difference in sound vs the onboard once the equilizer settings are normalized. Once you hit the speakers & amp's maximum sound quality you've hit the fence. Improving the input to them wont help them produce better sounding output.

yes thru hdmi. the hdmi connects to my tv and thats connected through an optical cable to my theatre.

i have these headphones
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826262102

the 2.0 speakers are ones i got for $80 from walmart awhile back

 

[gamerk316]

OK, those headphones change the equation a bit. You probably want a soundcard with a built in amp then.

Going the amp route, the options drop down to:
ASUS Xonar DG [the cheap option]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20dg
Auzentech Forte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156010
ASUS Xonar Xense: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132018 [comes with a PC350 headset, though I think amazon sells the Xense alone]
Creative Titanium HD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033
ASUS Xonar STX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20stx
ASUS Xonar ST: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132014&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20st

While the headset can't take full advantage of an amp, it would benifit a little bit.

 

[gamerk316]

EDIT

IE died while posting, and posted twice. Disregard this post.

 

[chousreaper]

OK, those headphones change the equation a bit. You probably want a soundcard with a built in amp then.

Going the amp route, the options drop down to:
ASUS Xonar DG [the cheap option]: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132020&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20dg
Auzentech Forte: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156010
ASUS Xonar Xense: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132018 [comes with a PC350 headset, though I think amazon sells the Xense alone]
Creative Titanium HD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033
ASUS Xonar STX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132010&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20stx
ASUS Xonar ST: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829132014&Tpk=asus%20xonar%20st

While the headset can't take full advantage of an amp, it would benifit a little bit.

Thanks ill try out that cheap one for now and see how it goes.
an amp would make since, since they really dont seem like my integreated can push enough to make the volume like i want it.

 

[chousreaper]

Best answer selected by chousreaper.