Dedicated sound card vs on board HD 7.1

[Daze]

I'm looking to replace my aging Audigy 2 sound card, but the sound card industry doesn't appear to have moved on much. I'm not even sure it's worth me upgrading tbh.

Would on-board HiDef 7.1 surround sound be as good as a dedicated sound card? I'm looking at the EVGA 680 board.

What's a good (the best?) sound card these days, for general gaming use (with a bit of occasional music making)?

TIA

 

[PV5150]

Dedicated for sure, onboard is the pits tbh. X-Fi Xtreme music would suit your needs

 

[Daze]

Thanks PV5150.

Is the X-Fi range of cards Creative's new Audigy replacement?

 

[PV5150]

yeah mate they sure are, much better than the audigy imo

 

[macgamesrule]

I don't see much reason to replace my Audigy 2, except Creative probably won't make Vista drivers for the Audigy anytime soon, if ever

Good news is prices have been dropping. The cheapest X-Fi was ~$130 when they came out, now you can get one for < 70

 

[FarFarAway]

The X-Fi cards are great for gaming and will be even better once they work out a way to get their drivers fully working on Vista.

There's a few other brands to look out for such and HDA

 

[FragTek]

If you're a die-hard gamer get an X-Fi.

If you watch more movies and listen to more music than you game, then I'm going to suggest you find a card other than an X-Fi. Auzentech and Bluegears currently have some really really nice cards on the market.

 

[FleX.overclock3d]

I have a Fatal1ty X Fi awesome for gaming!!

 

[darkorb]

even with 7.1 HD onboard?

 

[a1651]

X-Fi is really great for gaming. EAX 5.0 and low CPU utilization. The latest 7.1 HD codecs offer software EAX 2.0 and higher CPU utilization in comparison.