Themadhatter444 Posted July 12, 2006 Posted July 12, 2006 So I initially wanted a Fatal1ty because when I checked a few days ago, the price had dropped $100 to make it an even $200 (on Newegg). Upon seeing this, I knew I wanted this one. Upon checking again, it seems it was only a one-day-thing and the price is back up to $270 or whatever. The X-Fi Platinum is $180 or so, so this is in my price range while the Fatal1ty is no longer. My question to you is - is the absence of the X-Ram noticable enough for $100? A lot of the reviews I read complain that, on the Platnium, there is a noticable delay which is not something I want to deal with. I'd like to use this for gaming, music, and the ability to plug my guitar directly into the card. I don't want to have to deal with a big delay that can put my music out of sync. So - is it really that bad? Given that it's only $180 or whatever, this is probably the card I'll end up going with. Any suggestions or opinions? Thanks in advance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 forget the Fatality....you are paying for the name on it, not any special cool features that you can't get with teh Plat version Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themadhatter444 Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 forget the Fatality....you are paying for the name on it, not any special cool features that you can't get with teh Plat version Understandable, is the Platinum a good card, then? I've been using Creative for years. Any other reccomendations? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 man i dont even have the platinum other than my main rig...all the rest are normal Audigy2 ZS's or Audigy1's and I can really not tell any difference in any of them I maybe am not a big audio/sound snob but I play guitar, listen to music, and play lots of vid games so I am pretty good at picking out audio deficiencies...like I don't care at all for the onboard sound solutions compared to any of my Audigy or Audigy2 cards so I would say that the Platinum version is going to be just fine...if you want to save a few more bucks, just get the regular version (never the LITE version though) I think I saw the regular X-Fi @ newegg for $111??? god i dont know what newegg's problem is but the first time i go to their page, I have to let it load for 5 minutes (and it never loads) then i can just click refresh and the whole site loads right up must be some bs caching thing on their end cuz no other site does this to me http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16829102188 finally sheesh lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Themadhatter444 Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 man i dont even have the platinum other than my main rig...all the rest are normal Audigy2 ZS's or Audigy1's and I can really not tell any difference in any of them I maybe am not a big audio/sound snob but I play guitar, listen to music, and play lots of vid games so I am pretty good at picking out audio deficiencies...like I don't care at all for the onboard sound solutions compared to any of my Audigy or Audigy2 cards so I would say that the Platinum version is going to be just fine...if you want to save a few more bucks, just get the regular version (never the LITE version though) I think I saw the regular X-Fi @ newegg for $111??? god i dont know what newegg's problem is but the first time i go to their page, I have to let it load for 5 minutes (and it never loads) then i can just click refresh and the whole site loads right up must be some bs caching thing on their end cuz no other site does this to me http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16829102188 finally sheesh lol Yeah, Newegg's been doing that to me too, it's annoying when I'm trying to shop! Well, you're probably right. I'm using a Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer right now (from like 1999) and it still works, just looking for something with a little more kick to it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 Yeah, Newegg's been doing that to me too, it's annoying when I'm trying to shop! Well, you're probably right. I'm using a Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer right now (from like 1999) and it still works, just looking for something with a little more kick to it. my suggestion is to check out hte For Sale sections of our forum and other resepected forums like HardOCP, Anandtech, PCPER, etc and get yourself an Audigy2 ZS for like $30-$40 I've purchased 4 Audigy2 ZS cards for $30-$35 each in the last 6 weeks I still don't have an X-Fi...been kinda staying away from them ever since the nasty issues with NF4 boards (even if they have been resolved...the X-Fi drivers are still less than desireable) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 Understandable, is the Platinum a good card, then? I've been using Creative for years. Any other reccomendations? No reason to get the Platinum unless you absolutely need the front panel. Otherwise it's the exact same thing as the Xtrememusic. And anything above the Platinum is a waste of money as far as I'm concerned. Again though, you can get less expensive cards that perform equally well, the Audigy is still an excellent card. Don't get sucked into getting the latest and 'greatest' because everybody else is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 ya technovanman has tested a big chunk of audio cards (see the REview Street section here) so is probably more of an authority than me (i'm just a regular joe gamer) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 Nah, I'm too biased to be a good reviewer. But still, I prefer the Auzentech XPlosion over the X-Fi Platinum, it just works best for my uses. People using headphones though are probably best to stick with Creative though, if you can deal with all the crap that is installed on your computer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angry_Games Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 I think people who play games are going to want to stick to Creative also since their implementation of EAX (heh they created it) is always the best, and game devs always put more support into Creative products than anything else Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
red930 Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 and game devs always put more support into Creative products than anything else Definitely true: Sound Blaster X-Fi sound cards blur the line between gaming and reality. To truly experience audio beyond your imagination in Titan Quest, you must have one of the Sound Blaster X-Fi series. So upgrade yor PC audio to one of the Sound Blaster X-Fi series for the most thrilling gaming audio ever. Personally I have never noticed any benefit to EAX, and really don't know what it does honestly. But it sure sound like we should all get one huh. And BTW, the game sounds pretty cool without it. I might try out the Turtle Beach again since nobody seems to want it (likely due to my BF2 comment...) - it really would be a nice alternative... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest element Posted July 13, 2006 Posted July 13, 2006 So over in New Zealand we can get audigy 4's for $175 (NZD). Would that be a good bet as its at least another 85 for the Xfi standard? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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