Onboard sound card question

[howie75]

I'm planning to buy a new system within the next week. For now, I'm not buying any extra sound cards, just the onboard sound card. I ONLY use a headphone when using the computer playin games and listening to music. Would I experience an noticeable upgrade of sound quality by upgrading to a decent sound card like an SB audigy, even though I always use a headphone? Another thing I wondered is, does using the onboard soundcard during some of the newer games affect the performance of the computer?

 

[sturm]

for most cards the sound quality is dependent on the speakers. since u only use headphones u dont need the surround sound/5.1/6.1 setup which is the main reason to buy an add on card. the newer onboard sounds are very good,many with surround, and dont effect games that much that u will be able o tell.
Save the money and just use the onboard sound.

 

[Civilized]

I am using a p4pe with soundmax 6channel audio onboard right now because my water cooler killed my sblaster audigy2 .....and hell I cant even tell a difference at all!!!....I was amazed....I should have saved the money and just used the onboard

<A HREF="http://dnadesignz.kicks-ass.net" target="_new"><b><font color=green>MY SYSTEM</b></font color=green></A>

 

[umheint0]

Unless you're using really good headphones (not wal-mart brand), you won't really notice any difference in sound quality, unless it's a really crappy soundcard, such as an SBLive! vs. a Fortissimo III. If you're just using headphones, the onboard should be fine for you. If you want to use speakers, however, I suggest getting a quality soundcard, as even the least discerning ear can notice the differences.

XP 2500+ Barton
A7N8X Dlx
2x512MB Corsair PC3200
ATI 9700 Pro
16x DVD-ROM
2x80GB 7200RPM Maxtor
Onboard audio

 

[r2k]

IMHO (contrary to what others have said) one listens more critically via headphones, especially if they're a decent pair (not super high end but decent in terms of quality of the sound). As the headphone output of a card is analogue and outputs the sound coming out of the digital to analog converter (DAC) of the sound card, you WILL notice a difference between a good sound card (with a better DAC) and your onboard sound with its DAC located onboard (thus being more susceptible to RF noise generated by various [moving] devices inside the case, not to mention the onboard DACs aren't anything to write home about).

As to what to buy, both Fortissimo 3 and Audigy are great choices for midrange cards with decent quality.