A cheap Sound card, would it affect Gaming at all?

[Sforsyth]

I have an very old cheap sound card if I bought a new one would my gaming be any better proformance wise?

This is the Sound card in my pc right now: Creative AudioPCI(ES1371,ES1373) (WDM)

 

[bluestrobe]

Depends on how big of a sound nut you are to be honest. I've never actually bought a sound card and only been using hand me downs for the past 5 years or so. A CA PCI card would be fine for me but there are some out there that spend $300 on the newest sound card only to spend the same amount of money next week on the next generation stuff.

 

[Bobthelost]

It won't improve your fps noticably. It will improve the quality of sound you get.

 

[Sforsyth]

Originally posted by: Bobthelost
It won't improve your fps noticably. It will improve the quality of sound you get.

Thats what I was Thinking to help with FPS I could care less what the sound sounds like.

 

[NanoStuff]

As long as you don't care if it sounds like a ****** storm; god help you if that's the case, then it won't matter much. It would slow down the game if software EAX processing was used, but given your disregard for SQ if you disable EAX/DS3D and use low sampling rates it will sound ******-tastic but virtually exempt from CPU taxation.

 

[jgigz]

The only time where a sound card could help fps is if you're running a 700mhz celeron w/onboard sound. The new soundcard will take some load off of your cpu and you MIGHT see 1-2 frames difference. All the new soundcards being advertised to increast FPS is a bunch of malarky to me. But in your case no it wouldnt.


Hope I helped.

 

[zephyrprime]

That's such an old card that using onboard sound may be better than it. In any event, you can get a audigy 4 for $42 after rebate at zipzoomfly.

 

[Sforsyth]

I but this card in because the on baord sound was making my games stutter bad, it helped.

 

[bX510]

I think onboard sounds is prefectly fine, but if you get a sennheiser headset pc150.... it makes the sounds so pretty, compared to previous headsets i owned. I mean my creative 6.1 speakers are pretty too, of course.