redtigerdragon Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 With the new mobo's, is the onboard sound good enough, or do i really need a sound card? I like gaming and am big on graphics, and i am using a soundblaster live! 5.1 card now cuz my mobo is tto old to have 5.1 chanels. That's all I want, and my speakers are ok (most of the time use headphones cuz nieghbors are b**chy). I'm not a hardcore gamer, only because i don't have the money to be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maj0rgamer Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 my new msi board has onboard surround sound and i have no complaints so i would say it's good...atleast plenty good enough and it works is a good sound card with surround sound support better...perhaps, but i have nothing to compare it too. if you have the extra money to spend you will most likely see better quality, but i don't think it's necessary...i havn't felt the need to do so personally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkilway Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 I sold my X-Fi Xtremegamer to use the on-board sound and don't miss the X-Fi at all. On-board sound has come a LONG way. On-board sound quality is probably very similar to the Live! you're using now. Understand you'll probably loose some fps you get now in games when the cpu has to do all the audio. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robAP Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 honestly, I bought my x-fi card to offload processing from the CPU, and wiht the room not being very square, hollow, and "lightly constructed" the acoustics would really be poor. so getting an audio card might help clear up buzzing, or glitching and help the CPU do faster work, it really has no other purpose for my needs, and those problems really are non-existent without other problems from other sources. I found on-board audio from a reputable board manufacturer to work just fine. The only thing i do like about an audio card is the software i have has a crossover in it so fine tune the frequencies delivered to the Sub-woofer...that had more effect in quality than anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodneyho Posted December 17, 2008 Posted December 17, 2008 I used to buy all the plat sound cards and swore by them. Last three systems I have built, I have done with onboard audio. I personally can not tell a difference but as robAP said above I use high end boards. (EVGA & ASUS) I run Klipsh speakers which are very very LOUD and have and extreme amount of base that I can't turn up more than 1/3 of the way before things around my house start vibrating. (Seriously) So I do like sound but on board seems as good if not the same for standard apps and games. If you a music person (play a real instrument) you might want to consider one of the other sound solutions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captainlnsano Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 My MoBo is kind of strange Asus P5E, comes with a separate soundcard Its worked wonders for me though Onboard sound really seems to have come a long way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanka12345 Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 Most recent motherboards have decent onboard sound, although depending on your needs a dedicated sound card may be better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhenKittensATK Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 I use my onboard sound card (Realtek HD Audio ALC888S ) over my add in card (Audigy 2 ZS). Realtek seems to sound better to me. I use headphones and no speakers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kuronin Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 With the new mobo's, is the onboard sound good enough, or do i really need a sound card? I like gaming and am big on graphics, and i am using a soundblaster live! 5.1 card now cuz my mobo is tto old to have 5.1 chanels. That's all I want, and my speakers are ok (most of the time use headphones cuz nieghbors are b**chy). I'm not a hardcore gamer, only because i don't have the money to be. I don't know, do YOU think need a sound card? Do you like how your onboard audio sounds? If you said No, then you need a Sound card. If you said Yes, then you don't. If you need a sound card, you should start looking for one. Try the OCC reviews or Newegg reviews. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
n4mr3h Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 If you are not an audiophile, on board sound card just enough. You can't find the different IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverfox Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 As above. If you actually care about your sound quality, onboard is NEVER good enough really. Not unless it's an onboard X-Fi or something to that effect. Unlikely either way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crysis9000 Posted December 18, 2008 Posted December 18, 2008 I'd definitely recommend a sound card if you want to do some advanced audio editing or using high-end home theater equipment with your PC. I also noticed a lot more clarity during gaming, especially when using my Sennheiser headphones. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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