Originally posted by: JSSheridan
The features that the Deluxe comes with that the Non-Deluxe does not have are firewire, the second LAN port, and 6 channel audio. The Non-Deluxe has only one LAN port and 2 channel audio. Sound quality on the Deluxe is not as good as an Audigy2, but perhaps is as good as the Audigy. Peace.
Yep, what he said. I have the DLX and an Audigy 2. I've tried both and the Audigy 2 offers better sound quality for music and games (and EAX HD), but the Nforce2 Audio is the best onboard sound on the market and is comparable to many add-in cards out there. Its not as far a leap as say an SBLive! to A2, but the difference is audible. The SoundStorm though is still very, very good and offers real-time dolby digital encoding, which is a nice feature. The A2 uses CMSS2 to upmix analog sources into Dolby Digital EX, which is also a pretty good solution. I also prefer the A2's control/function suite, but that might be changed as the Sound utilities and features for the Nforce2 audio were updated in yesterday's UDP 2.03 release.
If you don't already own an Audigy 2 or any other consumer level card under $100, I'd go with the DLX and forego an add-in solution. If you already own an Audigy 2, Seismic Edge, Santa Cruz, or Herc. Game Theater you may want to go with the non-DLX. If you have an older card like an SBLive! or Montego Bay etc. you should consider the DLX. Also, if you are into building more than 1 system at a time or have a system that could use better sound, you may want to go with the DLX regardless and hand down your current sound card. I wanted to test out both the A2 and SoundStorm, but also wanted excellent onboard sound when I upgrade later on.
Chiz
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