Do you use a PCI-e x1 slot?

[OVerLoRDI]

Asus Xonar Essence STX.

 

[Meghan54]

TV Tuner and WiFi can be done well enough via USB (if not better due to convenience, or even a gigabit NIC for that matter), especially once you have USB3.0, which any modern motherboard will include.

I've got wifi cards in three of my computers' pci-e x1 slots. Tried going the USB route, but just got better performance every time with a pci-e card instead of the USB add-on. The convenience angle you mention of USB over pci-e...you just have to be absolutely lazy to cite that as a reason to use a USB wifi adapter over an internally installed one.


And as far as why not use the onboard NIC's, two are done for convenience and one done because I just didn't want to run a buried cable for 150ft. from the house to the kennel where the aforementioned third computer resides.

 

[andg]

I don't get why people would want an internal sound card when they could get a DAC.

 

[GrumpyMan]

Asus Xonar Essence STX.

Me too.😉

 

[rallyhard]

XFI Titanium
Serves me well
Have had problems with Realtek in the past, although they're probably fine now

 

[Dark Shroud]

Reaktek is ok, VIA has better sound quality for on-board.

I bought an X-FI Xtreme Music card the week the X-FI was released. It served me well for years. The thing still works sitting inside an old P4 in my basement. I just can't stand Creative's garbage software anymore.

 

[Mars999]

Asus Xonar PCIe sound card!!!

 

[autumn_suns3t]

I use one for a dedicated Intel LAN card. And yes, I notice a difference from the onboard controller.

Is it different even if tbe onboard controller is an Intel?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

SATA card in server.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Is it different even if tbe onboard controller is an Intel?

Probably not, but onboard ethernet controllers are typically Realtek.

 

[autumn_suns3t]

Probably not, but onboard ethernet controllers are typically Realtek.

(Aside from onboard controller adding load to the CPU, and that even when it's an Intel it's one of the cheapest in their range.) Of course the most important one is it be an Intel.