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Sound Cards


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#1 MechaBattler

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Posted 03 May 2017 - 01:34 PM

I've heard it said that any sound card is better than your motherboard sound quality. How true is that? What's a good sound card that won't break the bank?

#2 Vxheous

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Posted 03 May 2017 - 02:59 PM

Unless you have a really good sound system, a really good (studio quality) headphones, and you do audio editting, you're probably not going to notice the difference between a dedicated sound card vs the realtek chips that are on most motherboards today

#3 Dragoon20005

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Posted 03 May 2017 - 05:01 PM

many years ago the onboard sound cards are poo which is why Creative Sound Blaster cards sell like crazy and mobo manufacturers buying their sound chip or audio technology and be Sound Blaster capable.

But Realtek audio chips reverse engineer and improve on the audio and now all mobos use the chip and codec.

for you case

the onboard is more than enough for most average users.

the only benefit of using a dedicated sound card is when your onboard sound is dead or has lot of static/hissing noise

do not buy internal sound cards as they pick up nearby EMI interference like the GPU and HDD

DAC or Digital to Analogue Converters are external sound cards which are powered by USB receives the sound as digital signal which has a lower chance of EMI interference and have internal AMPs to boost the signal without distortion

it may run in the hundreds for a small decent unit to a few thousands for high end version.

if you headphones are the 100 to 200 dollar range. stick to the onboard

otherwise prepare to pay thousands for a sick audio setup

#4 xWiredx

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Posted 04 May 2017 - 05:17 AM

Hello OP. I will mostly echo the other responses here, however I have a bit more to offer as well. I do, in fact, use my studio production system for gaming, too, and have quite a bit of knowledge in this area. In case you're not familiar with the hardware subforum, I am also a PSU (power supply) snob. This is actually relevant, stick with me. Please answer the following questions:

Is your motherboard from before or after the year 2011?
Are you using headphones, a headset, or speakers?
If headphones - Are your headphones considered 'audiophile' headphones? Made by a company like Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Oppo, or the like?
If headset - is it a high-end audiophile-type headset from a company like Sennheiser or the like?
If speakers - Is it a typical 2.0/2.1/5.1 setup? Or are you using high-end home theater speakers, or studio monitors?
Are you picky enough that you need to run your speakers through a power filtration unit?

Essentially, if you are not running something on the high-end when it comes to listening, onboard audio is the way to go these days. Many motherboards actually include higher-end stuff from soundcard manufacturers these days, but even the latest Realtek stuff (and by latest, I actually mean pretty much anything from Intel's Sandy Bridge days on up) is pretty good. Without very good equipment, you won't notice any real difference.

I -do- run the high-end and there is a major difference between when I use my headset (a Turtle Beach Recon 320 set which is barely acceptable and doesn't work half the time) and when I use headphones (AKG 240) or my monitors (Yamaha HS8s). This is just going through the motherboard, too. Instead of putting money into a soundcard, I'd put money into a better listening device first.

#5 NARC BAIT

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Posted 07 May 2017 - 07:40 PM

View PostxWiredx, on 04 May 2017 - 05:17 AM, said:

I'd put money into a better listening device first.


I'd pretty much agree with xWiredx, *most* people will struggle to hear the difference between sound cards, on low end speakers / headphones ... personally, I've persisted with multiple sound devices for far longer than I did with multiple monitors ... but it really doesn't suit every person .... I use my onboard, to output to a car amplifier and speaker setup, use it to play music, or annoy neighbours when it suits, and I run my game sound thru a Sound Blaster X-Fi, which is more than good enough for low level gaming stuff, any decent sound card will have a higher volume maximum than an onboard, which can be good if you want to hear your headphones, from 25m away ....

most people will notice the biggest differences with the speakers they use .... last few years ive used some stupid green low to mid range Razer headphones, but been very happy with them, they have a sweet sound and deep enough base to give you headaches, or displace them if you already got it ...

generally most things wont run 'better' on a sound card ... but if you can hear better, and your brain can actually process all of what you hear, while your in the moment, you might make a better decision, here or there .... in another game, you might know the exact second to spin around and get that guy creeping up on you ...

#6 MechaBattler

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Posted 15 May 2017 - 01:50 PM

Very informative. I intended to respond sooner, but I got side tracked.

Going by your responses I think I will just focus on new speakers or headphones. I have some ancient speakers from around 2005. And my headphones are some $50 skull candy ones that are alright, but unnecessarily heavy and cramp my dumbo ears if I use them too long.

Thank you for your time and insights.





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