Is 5.1 worth the money? Or will 4.1 do just fine (for gaming)?

[eLiu]

I intend to get some new speakers soon...I was thinking 4.1--BA4800, FPS2000, MLi-490, or maybe (but prob not) ACS54 or 56.

I was talkin to my dad about it...and he thinks I should get 5.1, since 4.1 is "an old standard--moving towards 5.1 now..." Anyway, a decent set of 5.1's, prob DTT2500's. But they cost nearly twice as much as FPS2000...

-eric

 

[Hender]

5.1 isn't particularly useful for gaming, and truth be told, you'll never notice the difference between 4.1 and 5.1. 5.1 is really only useful for movies on your PC, and even then that's pushing it because in order to really take advantage of said DVD movies, you need DTS sound, which adds even more cost. But if you'll willing to spend that much on your computer to watch movies, why not just get a nice TV and a DVD player with some nice speakers for that? I mean, who really wants to sit in front of their computer and watch lots of movies when you could plant yourself on the couch instead?

Anyway, 4.1 will do just fine. It's not being replaced by 5.1 at all, and my advice is to save your money and just get a 4.1 system for gaming.

 

[eLiu]

Yeah...that's what I thought too. My dad's machine has 5.1...he's set it up to do home theatre stuffs. The layout of our living room might make setting a home theatre there impractical.

And besides, I dont intend to watch DVD's in my room...I just want to know where those bullets are coming from in CS 😀

-eric

 

[MCS]

I have a proper Dolby Digital 5.1/DTS setup for my living room and its awesome for movies. I have a 4.1 setup for my PC (FPS2000) and it's awesome for games. I would not personally bother with anything more than 4.1 speakers for the PC.