Does onboard sound slow down performance?

[donfm]

I have an MSI NEO-LSR board and I don't think it is as fast as it should be. I have read other threads where onboard sound can really slow down performance but have no experience in this area since this is my first build. Any comments in this area?

 

[snidy1]

Not enough to notice if you have a decent CPU

 

[redbeard1]

I've read that on occasion, it is faster. If you only need basic sound for your game, then having the sound onboard is good enough. If you have a fancy sound card that is loading tons of special drivers, it can slow things down.

 

[donfm]

Well actually what I read was just the opposite. Onboard sound is much more CPU intensive and bogs down the processor a bit. Now I realize if the system is fast enough you may not even notice. A PCI takes some of the load off the processor while listening to music.

One fella claimed his system sped up when he turned off the onboard sound and got a sound card. I don't know that's why I ask this question.

 

[Mitzi]

Heres a nice little round up of various sound cards and onboard sound and the affects they have on performance.

 

[JimDaddy]

I read the same article and purchased a Hercules Fortissimo III card and I'm very happy with the performance.
Also, it wasn't too expensive.

I've had bad luck with gaming and built-in sound, however, I had the chips that weren't recommended (see article from previous post).

 

[donfm]

Thanks Mitzi for the link. Lots of information there on this topic. Looks like I'll be getting a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz to relieve my CPU of some work. Any other audio cards in the same price range?