HELP! Sound Card Dilemma!

[andrewhaji]

Okay, I have a sound card problem and I'm going to need some help to solve it.

Here's some background information to begin with. I currently own a Hercules Game Theater XP (what a feature-packed card, and I bought it for only $100). However, I'm having a few problems with it. First of all, I frequently am taking my computer places (such as LAN parties and to friend's houses) and it's a VERY cumbersome external device, as is the cable, to have to lug around with me all the time.

Secondly, I've been noticing that every once in a while I get a Windows XP blue screen (yikes!) which lists the Game Theater XP's drivers as the source of the problems. This happens frequently while I'm playing games such as Empire Earth, and also when I'm running software like PCDJ and other sound card-dependant software. Yes, my drivers are up-to-date.

Another thing to note is that the Game Theater XP's feature set is a little too overwhelming for me... I'd NEVER use things like optical and MIDI and all that other pizzazz... It's basically just cluttering up my desk even more than it already is, and it's a pain.

So, my basic question is... Should I try to sell my Game Theater XP and go with something a little less elaborate? I think I could sell the Game Theater XP second-hand for the same amount of money a half-decent sound card would cost me (so long as the buyer DOESN'T know I spent only $100 on it...) so that won't be a problem.

I've been looking around at reviews and I've heard some really good things about the Sound Blaster Audigy series. Do you think this would be a good alternate to my current setup? It's completely internal, so I don't have to carry this big hunk o' junk with me all the time, and I've never, ever had problems with Creative drivers freezing on me (I used to own a Sound Blaster Live! Value).

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated... Thanks!

Another thing that I've been considering lately is an upgrade in speakers. I currently own the Cambridge SoundWorks FourPointSurround FPS1000 speakers, and I've loved them ever since I bought them. However, they're getting a little old now, so I think it's time to get a newer system, preferably with one extra speaker and a much more powerful wattage.

Any suggestions? I'm really not that rich, so something high-quality, but affordable, would be ideal. If anybody has any opinions or experiences with speakers, I'd really appreciate hearing about them. Thanks again. And thanks for lasting through this long essay of mine!

 

[PliotronX]

I think the Audigy would be a good buy for your situation. Under WinXP though, you'll have to make a minimal install from the CD and then download the latest XP drivers from Creative to install them because the original drivers cause some problems under XP. I've had my Audigy OEM (got it for $62) for a few months now, and I love it. It was a definite jump in all qualities over my previous Diamond MX300 card, and the EAX "Advanced HD" sounds very similar to A3D, only without the bugs (flipping stereo channels, crashes, massive slowdowns), so it's great for gaming. I also recently bought an add-on card from Hoontech (SB DB III) to enable input and output with my various minidisk, CD players, etc. equipment. So in case you ever need the optical/digital stuff that option is there. Though if you like the sound of your GTXP, the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz uses the same chipset as in the GTXP (the Santa Cruz is about the same price as the Audigy OEM BTW). I don't know if the drivers will cause problems on your machine like the GTXP does though. Hope this helps.