SB live worth it?

reptilej · Mar 18, 2002

i am building a new computer. i do some gaming(counter-strike, civilizationIII), listne to mp3's, and will be watching tv(when i get my AIW radeon). should i get a sb live or just use the integrated ac'97 card in the abit th7II? what advatntages are there to gettting the live? also, is the sb live with the live drive worth the $89, or should i just stick with the bare pci card? what are the advantages of the live drive that i would use? the only one that i can think of is using the headphone jack for when my girlfriend doesn't wnat to hear the "crap" that i play. what else is there? oh yeah and one more thing, do you need a program running in the backround to get the benefits of the sb live or the live drive or can you turn all that crap off and still use the goodies?

repeat after me, we are all individuals!

Rob423 · Mar 18, 2002

Im building a new System as well...And i listen to alot of Mp3's and stuff and i was wondering if the OnBoard will Cut it..Im not a gamming Freak, but i guess thats because i never really had a good system with a nice GRaphic's card, i play alot of the console Games..ANYWAY... What i think im gonna do since im killing my Wallet already on this Dream Machine...Im gonna use the Onboard and if i think it doesn't cut it i will add a Better card something like the Extigy, i like all the knobs and stuff with that External Hardware..
Another thing..My dad has a SB card in his PC and I completely HATE IT!!! Almost on every MP3 i have to Adjust the Equilizer to get a decent sound... On my comp now i have OnBoard and i just play an Mp3 and crank up the speakers and it sounds great! if anything Turtle Beach Makes great cards..i would either get the Beach or an Extigy

Once you go AMD, You never Go back!!

FatBurger · Mar 18, 2002

Get a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, or even a $16 Muse XL. Both will be much better sound quality than the Live, and have drivers that actually work.

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arsend · Mar 19, 2002

If you do not plan on having surround sound on your computer, or do not plan on spending anymore than $50 on a pair of speakers, I recommend that you try the onboard sound and if you like it, stick with it. I have a SB Live 5.1 hooked up to a 500 Watt Dolby Digital Reciever, using its 6.1 inputs as well as digital in and out (using the <A HREF="http://www.tracertek.com/sblive.htm" target="_new">Hoontech SB III</A> Add on card. It gives me all the conviences of the live drive, except that it is on the back of the computer (Which I like as having all the cords on the front would not look so nice

and the remote control, which is not needed as I have a wireless mouse. If you plan on needing the digital connections, I recommend this combination as it has worked flawlessly for about a year; if you do not need the digital hookups, don't buy it and just stick with the on-board sound or another internal sound card.

If it works for you then don't fix it.

Black_Cat · Mar 19, 2002

Drivers that actually work? That's the fun of owning a SB Live!

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reptilej · Mar 19, 2002

what do you mean creative sound blaster doesn't have drivers that work, please specify.

repeat after me, we are all individuals!

Rob423 · Mar 19, 2002

Im have the Klipsch Promedia 2.1...I really don't want to use Onboard..and really don't care for Creative cards...SHould i just go with the Turtle Beach...

How would life be if there were no Computer's? That would Suck!!

FatBurger · Mar 19, 2002

The Live doesn't have drivers that work properly. Specific enough?

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upec · Mar 19, 2002

I have been using the SB Live for 3 years. Most driver worked fine with my SB Live except the newest one on their web site.

FatBurger · Mar 20, 2002

By "properly", I mean "correctly for the large majority of users".

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Crashman · Mar 20, 2002

The cheap option is to use the onboard audio. Since this cost you nothing, you should try it first!

What's the frequency, Kenneth?

ritesh_laud · Mar 20, 2002

Don't bother considering the Live since the Audigy OEM is only a few bucks more and is significantly better. The Live (or Audigy) Drive is generally a waste of money unless you're a musician. Also, keep in mind that Creative products sometimes have issues with VIA chipsets due to PCI bugs that some VIA chipsets have.

Anyway, most games today use EAX and EAX 2. As far as I know, EAX 2 is only supported by the Live! and Audigy. In addition, the Audigy supports the new EAX HD, which games are sure to implement. For a hardcore gamer like me, the Audigy is the only way to go, since compatibility is my number one priority.

But since it appears that you *aren't* a hardcore gamer, there are good alternative solutions. Some have already been suggested. Also, the Hercules GTXP is pretty good. But for gaming, the Audigy rules.

upec · Mar 20, 2002

I used SB Live for 3 year. I use it with Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Did not have problem with most of the dirver.

AMD_Man · Mar 20, 2002

As far as I know, EAX 2 is only supported by the Live! and Audigy.

Actually, a lot of other cards support EAX2 (eg. Turtle Beach Santa Cruz, Hercules GTXP, Fortissomo II, MuseXL, Phillips Acoustic Edge, and the list goes on and on).

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the ULTIMATE PC processor

FatBurger · Mar 20, 2002

Good, you're one person out of all the Live owners, which was my point.

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ritesh_laud · Mar 20, 2002

Hmm I just checked and you're right (my mistake), but you'll also find on most reviews (try 3dss.com) that the EAX and EAX 2 emulation used by the Sensaura and QSound reverb engines (used by the cards you mention) is noticeably inferior to Creative's own implementation. I would say a hardcore gamer's best option is to stick with Creative because that's what game companies design around.

Ritesh

FatBurger · Mar 20, 2002

I agree, I loved having the inferior sound quality of the Live while my game crashed to the desktop.
Sorry, I'm a bit bitter.

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AMD_Man · Mar 20, 2002

I've tried both the Live and Santa Cruz, and yes, the Live is inferior.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the ULTIMATE PC processor

SB live worth it?

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