GA-Z77X-D3H: Sound Quality

JPF1

Junior Member
Dec 8, 2012
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I will be receiving the Z77X-D3H by Gigabyte in the near future for my new system and have some questions regarding the on-board sound quality which I hope you guys can help with!

How good is the on-board sound for both gaming and listening to music? I'm not exactly an "audiophile" so I don't want to buy a discrete sound card if the difference is minimal. Although I don't exactly want average sound quality considering the amount of time I'll be listening music/sound from games.

Can anyone recommend reasonably cheap sound card that would suit this board? I'm thinking about this: Asus Xonar DGX. Thoughts?

Thanks!

P.S. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section! I'm new to these forums!
 

gevorg

Diamond Member
Nov 3, 2004
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Generally, on-board sound is great for Youtube, okay for gaming, and so-so for music.

Which speakers/headphones are you going to use? They make the biggest difference on the overall sound quality.
 

JPF1

Junior Member
Dec 8, 2012
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I saw the Corsair Vengeance 1300 headset which looked nice for the price and reviews seemed to be mainly positive, but I'm still undecided on that. Speakers/headset was next on my list of things to research though, I haven't quite got that far yet!
 

gevorg

Diamond Member
Nov 3, 2004
5,070
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IMHO, the onboard sound on Z77X should be good enough for that headset, but I haven't used any of them, so YMMV. Get the headset/speakers first and see how you like it with the on-board sound. You can try adding a soundcard later and see if it gives you any improvements.

Also, checkout USB headsets like the one below, they bypass on-board sound and send the digital signal directly to headset for D-to-A conversion:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/plantronics-gamecom-780-gaming-headset-with-mic-noise-cancelling-usb

FYI, audio quality is a very subjective thing, so try to audition first before you buy, and buy from retailers with good return policy.
 
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JPF1

Junior Member
Dec 8, 2012
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Thanks for the info!

The Corsair Vengeance 1500 is the USB version of the 1300's. Do you think the 1300's with a discrete sound card would be better than the 1500's that only connect through USB?